Old newspaper excerpts from The Monroe Journal newspaper of Monroe County, Alabama

35 YEARS AGO
JAN. 30, 1986

USDA, Extension offices move today to new Ag Center: The county office of the Auburn University Cooperative Extension Service and county offices of three federal agricultural agencies will be moved today (Thursday) into the new 10,112-square-foot Monroe County Agricultural Center.
Doors will officially open for business Monday at the new building, located west of Highway 21 between Patrick Henry State Junior College and Lazenby Precast. Moving will take place today and tomorrow.

MCHS rebounds to beat FC: Monroe County High School’s varsity boys basketball team rebounded from a disheartening 80-71 loss at Evergreen High Tuesday of last week to pound out a 66-38 victory at Frisco City High Friday.
(Lloyd) Patrick, playing point guard, led the Tigers (against Frisco City) with 16 points. Frisco’s crippled effort was paced by guards Edward Hunt and Clifford Poole. Hunt had 12 points, and Poole finished with 10.
(Other top MCHS players in those games included Hannibal Blackmon, Craig Johnson, Ron Knight, Michael Rankins and Tim Salter. Joe Allen was MCHS’s head coach.)

Carmichael to celebrate 100^th: Well-known Monroe County educator Patrick J. Carmichael is preparing to blow out 100 birthday candles Saturday when he is honored by family, friends and former students during a reception at Bethel Baptist Church. His son, Caswell P. Carmichael, said the reception will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. in the church fellowship hall, and several former students of the man who founded Perdue Hill Industrial School will present a special program in his honor.

59 YEARS AGO
JAN. 25, 1962

Junior Miss Pageant Changed To Feb. 3: The Monroe County Junior Miss pageant and dance scheduled for Fri., Feb. 9, has been rescheduled and will be held Sat., Feb. 3, at the Community House beginning at 7 p.m.
David Beasley, president of the Jaycees, said that officials of the Alabama Junior Miss pageant, which will be held in Birmingham Saturday morning, Feb. 10, have requested that the winner of the Monroe County contest be present in Birmingham Saturday morning, Feb. 10, for the state preliminaries.
“In order to select a winner in Monroe County and allow her time to make preparations for the trip, we felt that the pageant should be held a week earlier,” Mr. Beasley said.
Senior girls who have entered the Junior Miss contest include Joy Maxine Wiggins, Mary Elizabeth Johnson, Gayle Lee, Susan Thompson, Sherry Jeane Salter, Anna Marie Davis, Peggy Luverne Bowen, Martha Ellen Melton, Virginia Sawyer Sims, Diane Cornelia Kilpatrick and Joyce Pridgeon.

Frisco City Wins County Cage Title: The Frisco City High School varsity basketball team defeated Uriah 54-44 in the finals of the Monroe County tournament last Saturday night to win the county championship.
The Uriah B team defeated Frisco City to win the B team championship.
Earlier in the varsity class, Uriah defeated Excel 29-20, Frisco City defeated Monroeville 49-45, and Uriah defeated Beatrice to gain entrance in the finals.

84 YEARS AGO
JAN. 28, 1937

LOCKLIN FUNERAL HELD THURSDAY: Funeral services for Lawrence Wheeler Locklin, 13-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. A.J. Locklin of Monroeville, were conducted from the home at 10:30 o’clock last Thursday morning by the pastors of the Monroeville Baptist and Methodist churches, Rev. W.H. Black and Rev. F.G. Hastings. Interment was made in the family plot at the Baptist cemetery. Leading the way from the home to the cemetery was the Monroe County High School Band of which L.W. was a valued member, and the only music at the cemetery was that from his fellow band members. As the body was lowered into the grave, Taps were sounded by Charles Ray Skinner.
L.W. died shortly after five o’clock Wednesday morning, Jan. 20, in a Mobile infirmary where he had been a patient for one week.

$57.71 Burned In Stump Hole: On Jan. 22, W.T. Bates, caretaker of the H.W. Dusenbury farm near Frisco City, lost his pocketbook while firing stumps. The pocket book contained $57 in bills and 71 cents in coins. Later, the owner found the metal portions of the pocket book and the 71 cents in the hole of a stump he had been burning. The 57 dollars in bills had been burned.

Atlanta Woman Is Buried At Mexia: Mrs. Hartwell Boyd, daughter of Mrs. Ida Coleman Lowery and the late R.F. Lowery, died at her home in Atlanta on Wed., Jan. 20 Funeral services were held in Atlanta on Thursday afternoon and the body sent by train to Monroe County for burial, arriving at the home of Dr. A.B. Coxwell in Monroeville early Friday morning. Interment was made in the Mexia cemetery at 10 o’clock Friday morning.

109 YEARS AGO
JAN. 25, 1912

Warren, Texas, Jan. 12 – Miss Sarah L. Black, aged 80 years, died at her home near this place Jan. 8 at three o’clock a.m. She was born at Claiborne, Monroe County, Ala., but had resided in Texas for the last 30 years. One sister survives her, Miss Maggie Black.

On Jan. 23, at the home of the bride, Miss Lizzie Irvin Riley and Mr. Edmund Lee Vasser were happily married by Rev. J.M. Gilmore, pastor of the Monroeville Baptist Church. The bride is the accomplished daughter of Mr. L.R. Riley of Drewry, Ala. and Mr. Vasser is a young man of fine business ability and enjoys the esteem of his many friends.

COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL NOTES: School opened Mon., Jan 15, promptly at 8:15 with chapel exercises conducted by Prof. DeBardelaben, both High School and Grammar School participating, at the close of which the regular daily routine was begun.
After school Monday afternoon some time was spent in learning a High School song and several yells, “just to arouse a little High School spirit,” Prof. DeBardelaben said.
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were taken up with mid-term examinations, and we can all truthfully say that we are glad they are finished.

NOTICE: Notice is hereby given that after the expiration of two weeks from the date of this publication, application will be made to the Governor of Alabama for the parole of John Wall, convicted at the Fall term 1910, of the Circuit Court of Monroe County of the offense of embezzlement, and sentenced to 10 years in the penitentiary.

134 YEARS AGO
JAN. 27, 1887

Mr. James L. Sowell, who was recently appointed to the cadetship in the Military Academy at West Point, left Wednesday for Highland Falls, New York, where he will attend the preparatory school at that place until his final examination and entry into the Academy in June.

Thomas J. Cluverius was hung in Richmond, Va. on the 14^th inst. for the alleged murder of his cousin, Miss Lillian Madison. He made no confession.

Mr. J.F. Betts of Burnt Corn gave us a pleasant call last Saturday. Mr. Betts will shortly engage extensively in the drug business at Evergreen, in which enterprise we wish him much success.

Carlisle Notes: There is very little in the way of news to relate from this neck of the woods. The people here, like they are doing everywhere, are complaining of the short crops, scarcity of money, etc. Though the past year was not a prosperous one with the farmers of this section, they are no worse off than they are in other portions of the county, and the majority of them are able at least to make both ends meet.

Pineville: Mr. Lafayette Cater has purchased a Huckle berry watch.

Dr. Robert Frazier has tendered his resignation as President of the Judson Institute at Marion.

Forty thousand dollars’ worth of property was destroyed by fire at Union Springs on the 18^th inst. Only about half that amount was covered by insurance.