The Evergreen Courant's News Flashback for Aug. 17, 2021

Alabama Gov. Benjamin Meek Miller

15 YEARS AGO
AUG. 17, 2006

Local weather reporter Harry Ellis reported .55 inches of rain on Aug. 8, 2006 and .08 inches on Aug. 13. He reported high temperatures of 96 degrees on Aug. 7, Aug. 8, Aug. 9 and Aug. 12. He reported lows of 70 on Aug. 9 and Aug. 10.

Cleve “Bogee” Carter will celebrate his 101st birthday Sat., Aug. 19, 2006.

Bobby Balogun, President of W&B Trading appeared before the Conecuh County Commission to voice his displeasure with the progress in acquiring the land and other incentives promised him by the county and City of Evergreen to bring his biodiesel plant to Conecuh County. Balogun began by saying his company is happy to be in Conecuh County and feels like the county has welcomed him here.
He told the county there are several issues they are not happy with on the project. He stated that since the contract for the project was signed on June 8, too much time has passed without activity on items like the temporary industrial access road to the site.
He said the county and city have not paid the invoices from the company that is designing the rail spur that is vital for his plant. Balogun also stated that his company has not received permission to enter onto the property to begin site work.
County Attorney Richard Nix explained that they have permission from the land owners to enter the property verbally and have been diligently working to get the paperwork signed for the commitment.

33 YEARS AGO
AUG. 18, 1988

Evergreen weather reporter Harry Ellis reported 1.02 inches of rain on Aug. 9 and .07 inches of rain on Aug. 15. He reported a high of 93 on Aug. 11 and lows of 70 on Aug. 13 and Aug. 14.

The Board of Commissioners of the Evergreen Housing Authority held a ground-breaking ceremony last Thursday for its newest additions at Crestview Manor Apartments located on Rabb Drive off Knoxville Road. The newest additions will consist of 35 three-bedroom units which will be furnished with stoves and refrigerators. This will bring the total units in Crestview Manor to 60, consisting of 51 three-bedroom units and nine four-bedroom units.

The Evergreen City Council considered two proposals and then decided to enter into a contract with Taylor Construction of Atmore, the low bidder, for the construction of a new hangar at Middleton Field Municipal Airport. The action highlighted the council’s meeting Tuesday night at City Hall.

The Conecuh County School System would like to remind parents that students will start school this year on Mon., Aug. 29.

The Fall Term of Circuit Court for Conecuh County will begin Monday morning at nine o’clock with Judge Robert E.L. Key presiding. Judge Key, the 35th Circuit’s first and only judge, will be presiding over his final regular term of court in this county. He will retire in January.

55 YEARS AGO
AUG. 18, 1966

State’s first bale of cotton is ginned here: The first bale of cotton of the 1966 crop in the state of Alabama was ginned here last week at the Evergreen Gin Co. J.T. Ward, well-known farmer and agricultural leader, brought Alabama’s first bale to the gin on Aug. 9. This is the first time it is known that Conecuh County produced the first bale.
Ward’s first bale weighed a net of 502 pounds and graded Middling 1-1/6 inch staple. It was auctioned off Friday afternoon at the Evergreen Gin, bringing a premium price of 79 cents per pound, a total of $396.35. Weil Brothers of Montgomery bought the cotton.

Train derails, kills one, two are injured: One man, thought to be a hobo, was killed when an L&N freight train derailed early Monday morning near Owassa. Later, two L&N workmen who were helping clear the debris were injured, neither critically.
Over 30 cars of a long freight train were derailed and overturned about 7:30 Monday morning in a curve in the L&N tracks near Owassa. Damage was estimated to run very high.
A man identified as George E. Weems, 49, of Piedmont was found dead in the wreckage. He was thought to have been a hobo riding on the freight train. It was reported that two other men were hitching a ride on the train, but no trace of them was found in the wreckage.
Tuesday morning two men in the crew clearing the tracks were injured when a cable broke and struck them. One of the men suffered a fractured arm while the other, Paul Deason, was hit in the head and has a fractured skull.

65 YEARS AGO
AUG. 16, 1956

Conecuh’s First Bales Auctioned Saturday: Conecuh’s first two bales of cotton were auctioned off Saturday afternoon in Evergreen for the fancy price of 43 cents per pound. The two bales were purchased by Kendall & Kendall of Evergreen.
A fair crowd was on hand to watch the bidding. Judge Lloyd Hart was the auctioneer.
The first two bales were ginned this year on Aug. 4 at Evergreen Gin. Arriving almost simultaneously in the race for first bale honors were Grady Ralls of Evergreen Route D and J.T. Ward of Evergreen Route C.

Castleberry’s municipal election will be held on Sept. 17, according to an announcement today by Mayor Jack Holland.
Incumbents are: mayor, Jack Holland; councilmen, Joe H. Carr, B.H. Mahoney, Henry Kirksey, R.T. Bagget, and C.N. Jackson.
So far, only one man has qualified for office. Hassett Green has qualified for mayor. He owns a grocery store in Castleberry, and is a retired electrician.
Qualifying began on Aug. 8 and will be open until Aug. 28.

Shown above is Miss Willie Anna Hanks, daughter of Mrs. Opal Hanks of Annex, who was chosen Conecuh County Maid of Cotton at the annual Farm Bureau meeting here last week. At left is Miss Nell Freeman, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Freeman of Old Town, who was chosen alternate.

90 YEARS AGO
AUG. 13, 1931

HERE’S A PRIZE STORY, ‘BELIEVE IT OR NOT’: Mr. J.H. Dickerson, well known farmer living about five miles north of Evergreen, informs a representative of The Courant that a phenomenal incident occurred at his home last Wednesday afternoon. While seated on his back porch, watching a heavy downpour of rain, he suddenly was attracted to a small object about the size of a man’s fist which had fallen, apparently out of the clouds with the heavy rains. Closer observation disclosed that it was a terrapin. Mr. Dickerson says that the fall stunned the creature to such extent that it did not seem to have much life and later was able to make his or her departure down through the field nearby.
Mr. Dickerson says that he saw the terrapin when it hit the ground and he is positive that it fell out of the clouds just as did the rain. In his mind there is no doubt about it. It is his opinion that the little animal was picked up somewhere by a storm and brought that far before being dropped.

Gov. B.M. Miller late Thursday, Aug. 6, appointed Leonard W. Price of this city Probate Judge of Conecuh County to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Judge S.P. Dunn.

Cap Edson and son, Hubert, are lodged in the county jail charged with the murder of Jim Merritt, brother-in-law of Edson, the killing having occurred in the vicinity of Grange Bridge on Pigeon Creek shortly after 12 o’clock Tuesday.
According to reports, the difficulty arose over the shooting of some cows, Edson having accused Merritt of doing the shooting. The trouble had been brewing for about a week it seems. Merritt and another brother-in-law, Andrew Terry, were returning from Red Level when the trouble ended in the fatal killing. Merritt were cut twice, once in the breast, the gash severing a rib and entering the heart, the other on the arm. He died almost instantly it is said.