Wilcox County, Alabama News Flashback for Aug. 31, 2022

Benjamin Meek Miller

73 YEARS AGO
AUG. 25, 1949

Council Govt. Retained By Camden Voters: Voters of the Town of Camden Monday cast 187 votes to keep the present Mayor-and-Council system of municipal government against 132 votes to change to a commission government. The total of 319 votes cast in the largest ever recorded in a city election here.
Vote in the single Camden box was 135 noes to 120 yes votes, on the question of changing the form of governing body of the town. Absentee ballots cast recorded 52 “No” votes to 12 “Yes” votes.
The election came about on petition of a group of merchants and citizens who opposed the City Sales Tax which went into effect here on July 1. Arguments during the campaign were heated, centering around the sales tax question and other issues.
Members of both groups expressed the hope after the election that bad feeling engendered by the contest would end with Monday’s vote.

Perry To Lead State Legion To Philadelphia: W.S. Perry of Camden, past commander of the Alabama Department of the American Legion, is performing his last official act next week as recent head of the State Legionnaires. He will lead the Alabama delegation to the National Convention in Philadelphia. The convention begins on Mon., Aug. 29, and continues through Sept. 2. A special train is to carry Alabama’s delegation, leaving Alabama Saturday of this week.

Friends of Mrs. Mamie Curtis of Lower Peach Tree regret to learn of her death. Deepest sympathy is extended to the bereaved family.

83 YEARS AGO
AUG. 31, 1939

Dr. Emmett Kilpatrick, Professor of French at the Troy Teachers College at Troy, Ala., was in Camden several days attending to business and visiting friends.

MASONIC MEETING: Regular meeting of Dale Lodge, No. 25, Monday night, Sept. 4. Time, eight o’clock. Work in First Degree. Will L. Albritton, Secretary.

John Braxton McClurkin, who is employed at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., has been visiting his parents, Mr. and Mrs. J.M. McClurkin. He attended the last term of summer school at the University of Alabama, where he was graduated with the Master of Arts degree. Sara White McClurkin, who attended summer school at the University also, is at home until the opening of the winter term when she will be a junior.

Parris Island, S.C. – I take pleasure in reporting the presence of Private Glen Wright, USMC, at this station and welcome him into the U.S. Marine Corps. Glen W. Wright, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Wright, Camden, Ala., Wilcox County. You and your county are to be congratulated on being able to contribute such a fine young man into the Marine Corps, and I feel sure you will be proud to do your utmost to support this young man in his newly chosen career. May he bless you in his service. – C.A. DITTMAR (CHC) U.S. Navy, Lt. Comdr., Post Chaplain.

92 YEARS AGO
AUG. 28, 1930

Judge B.M. Miller Honored at Reception: On last Friday evening the largest crowd of Wilcox people that has ever assembled gathered in Camden to do honor to Judge B. M. Miller, the Democratic nominee for Governor of Alabama.
The old and historic Masonic Hall was a fitting and beautiful place for this long to be remembered occasion. At the invitation of the club women of Camden, people from every section of Wilcox County responded. By the inspiration of their presence and the enthusiasm which was created by the friendly handshake and the contact of neighbor with neighbor made this date, Aug. 28, 1930, one that will live on in the future history of town and county.

BOY SCOUT TROOP 26: We had our weekly meeting Aug. 22. We meet at the courthouse. The scout from New Orleans showed us a lot of scout things. Our Scoutmaster talked to us some and we did some signaling. We discussed about going on a hike but we decided to wait later to decide. We were dismissed by silent prayer. Some of the boys went in swimming. We adjourned to meet Aug. 29. – Edward Morris, Scribe.

Moore Academy Will Open Its 48^th Session on Tues., Sept. 2: Prospects for a great year look better than ever before. The addition of our expression department will complete an all-around program and we are expecting untold value to come from this work. New pupils entering this school for high school work and have not met all requirements, will be classified according to the results of the entrance tests up through the Senior I grade.

102 YEARS AGO
AUG. 26, 1920

Notice is hereby given that we will make application at the next term of the Court of County Commissioners of Wilcox County, Alabama, for a license for a ferry at Holleys Landing and West Holleys Landing on the Alabama River. – Metcalfe & Hollinger.

The building fever is on in Camden, numbers of contracts have been or will be let in the near future for new buildings both residence and business.

The Board of Education was in session on Monday with Messrs. Clay Sheffield of Pine Hill, E.E. Morris of Catherine, J.T. Adams of Pine Apple, and Drs. Speir of Furman and Bonner of Camden in attendance.

A new Model 14 Linotype, the largest machine in the type line, has arrived and will be shortly installed by the Progressive Era. This machine was ordered over a year ago but owing to labor conditions only arrived during the past week.

Prof. W.J. Walker of Cameron, Texas arrived last Thursday to take charge of the County High school interests for another year. Prof. Walker is a native Alabamian and for the past 12 years has taught in the Cameron schools. For the past two summers, he has held down the position of teacher of Mathematics in Taylor University of Waco, Texas. Prof. Walker has not yet brought his family, but they will follow as soon as suitable housing can be secured.

The advent of a tinge of fall weather after the rains makes a fellow glad he is alive.

112 YEARS AGO
AUG. 25, 1910

The business and editorial office of The Wilcox Progressive Era is now at the office of Mr. S.D. Bloch. We will be pleased to have our county and town friends call to see us on business and also to give us the county news.

City Marshal Joe R. Harper is giving the Camden Streets a splendid and much needed working and repairing.

Our genial Tax Assessor, Mr. James A. McClurkin of Caledonia, was in the city the past week on official business.

The Sixth Pythian District Convention, in which are located the Wilcox County lodges, will meet in semi-annual convention at Selma today.

A neighborhood picnic was given last Friday at the residence of Mr. R.L. Hall, which was enjoyed by all. It was expected that Caledonia and Shawnee would cross bats in a game of ball, but Caledonia failed to appear.

Capt. Owen Fennigan Burl, named for his jovial and beloved grandfather, was in Camden recently and says that he and Capt. Rob Morisette will have a new steamboat on the Alabama River in September. They deserve our people’s patronage, and we hope will get it.

The rains of last Saturday night may have injured the cotton crop a little, but were very beneficial to the growing sugar cane, peas, hay, corn, sorghum and millet and turnip crops, besides helping an already big hay crop.

The Evergreen Courant's News Flashback for Aug. 30, 2022

A.C. Lee of Monroeville

16 YEARS AGO
AUG. 24, 2006

Evergreen weather reporter Harry Ellis reported highs of 97 degrees on Aug. 15 and Aug. 20 and a low of 68 on Aug. 18. He reported .22 inches of rain on Aug. 15.

Hawsey resigns; Booker takes office: Conecuh County was shocked Tuesday at the news that Conecuh County Sheriff Tracy L. Hawsey was resigning his position.
His resignation was presented to Gov. Bob Riley shortly before 3 p.m. Monday and was effective immediately. During the interim before the appointment of a new sheriff, Conecuh County Coroner JoAnn Harper served as the chief law enforcement officer for the county.
Gov. Riley took no time in making the decision to appoint Edwin L. Booker to fill the vacancy Tuesday morning. Booker recently defeated Hawsey for the position in the runoff election in July. Booker was sworn in just before 9 a.m. Tuesday morning by District Judge Jeff T. Brock. He held a formal swearing-in ceremony later that day in the Conecuh County Courtroom with approximately 60 well wishers on hand.
Booker’s grandson, Clayton Peavey, took the honor of pinning on his badge; the same badge Booker wore during his service as sheriff of Conecuh County from 1975 to 1995.
(Booker) also moved quickly in hiring deputies to begin patrolling the county, some of which served under the Hawsey administration. They included Tyrone Boykin, Henry Jones, Andre Drakeford and James Powell. He also had three temporary deputies (Sean Klaetsch, Sharon Caraway and Van Sims) sworn in to help the other officers till he can fully staff his office.

41 YEARS AGO
AUG. 27, 1981

Evergreen weather reporter Earl Windham reported a high of 98 degrees on Aug. 17 and a low of 68 on Aug. 23. He reported .18 inches of rain on Aug. 20.

Randall Varner killed this big rattlesnake near Cohasset on Monday afternoon of last week. He also killed a smaller one. This rattler was four feet, seven inches long and had 17 rattles and a button.

Fire in Castleberry destroys two firms: A fire wiped out two business firms in Castleberry early Friday morning, but it could have been much worse, according to Mayor Wm. J. (Sonny) Barlow, without the prompt and effective action of the Castleberry, Evergreen and Brewton fire departments and the Conecuh County Rescue Squad.
Two businesses located in downtown Castleberry were completely destroyed: The Strawberry Patch, owned by Mrs. Janie (Dwight) Roberts of Evergreen, and Castleberry Auto Parts, owned by “Buddy” Crenshaw of Brewton. Cause of the fire is still under investigation.
The fire was reported at approximately 12:05 a.m., according to Castleberry Fire Chief David Stonestreet, and the Castleberry volunteer firemen responded promptly. The Evergreen Fire Department and the rescue squad were called in about 12:31 and the Brewton Fire Department a little later. The fire was under control by 4:15 a.m.

Ernest Franklin Pierce, 97, of 115 Pierce St., Evergreen, died on Fri., Aug. 21, in a local hospital after a long illness. He was one of Evergreen’s most senior citizens and much loved and respected by all who knew him. He was a member of a prominent, pioneer family and widely known in this area.

66 YEARS AGO
AUG. 23, 1956

Conecuh County Schools Will Open Thursday, September 6: Conecuh County schools will open for the 1956-57 session on Thurs., Sept. 6, according to H.G. Pate, Superintendent of Education.

City’s Street Paving Takes Step Forward; Curb Work Is Started: Evergreen’s $200,000 street paving project got underway again last week on Williams Avenue with the arrival of concrete curb forms.
Thursday, workmen began assembling the forms, while others began smoothing up the sides in preparation for setting the forms up. Everyday since Friday, concrete has been poured, and about a block on both sides has been completed, ready for final grading and paving.
When the project is completed, all streets in the city limits will be paved or hard surfaced.

Miss Susan Bozeman has returned from a weeks visit with Mr. and Mrs. Bob Bozeman in Dadeville.

Fairview Drive-In Café Under New Management: The Fairview Drive-In Restaurant, featuring dining and dancing, was reopened this week under the management of Mr. and Mrs. W. Ray Baggett, who also operate Ray’s Café in downtown Evergreen.
The new enterprise is located at Fairview, at the triangle of Highways 84 and 31. The building has been repainted on the outside and redecorated on the inside.
“We hope to be able to bring live music, that is, a dance band, at least once a week to the Fairview,” Baggett said. A square dance, with the music of Uncle Charlie Roberts, was held there last night.

91 YEARS AGO
AUG. 27, 1931

LARGE RATTLERS KILLED NEAR HERE PAST WEEK: Reports have been made during the past week of the killing of two large rattlesnakes in this vicinity. Mr. G.L. Heath tells of finding one in the road near Belleville a few days ago. He ran over it with his car crippling it to such extent that he was able to get out and finish killing it with a stick. It measured 56 inches.
Simp Aaron, farmer living near Evergreen, was exhibiting one which measured six feet and one inch Monday of this week that he killed near his home Sunday afternoon. This snake had 13 rattles.

ICE COMPANY OFFICES MOVED TO JONES-DEMING BUILDING: The district offices of the Gulf Ice and Cold Storage Co. were moved Monday of this week from the First National Bank building to the Jones-Deming Building on court square. The company is occupying the two offices on the corner which were formerly used by the county board of education.

Monday Sees Two Courts In Session: Monday was some “courting” day in Evergreen. The regular monthly term of County Court which is held every fourth Monday was held with Judge L.W. Price presiding. In addition, Judge F.W. Hare held the regular non-jury term of circuit court here on that day. This court was to have been held two weeks ago, but was postponed by the judge.
Among the out of town attorneys here for the term were C.L. Hybart and A.C. Lee of Monroeville, C.E. Hamilton of Greenville, J.L. Murphy of Andalusia, Mr. Thagard of Montgomery and Mr. Caffey of Brewton.
This was the first term over which Probate Judge L.W. Price presided.

The Evergreen Courant's Sports Flashback for Aug. 29, 2022

16 YEARS AGO
AUG. 24, 2006

Sparta Academy piled up 154 yards and allowed just 82 in a preseason scrimmage last Friday at Dixie Academy in Louisville.
Sparta and Dixie joined forces to take on teams from Randolph and Terrell, Ga. While the two Georgia teams outscored Sparta and Dixie, 30-14, Sparta’s defense only gave up 10 of those points and Sparta’s offense scored all 14 points for the Alabama teams.
(Players on Sparta’s team that season included Cody Baggett, Mason Black, Gaston Bozeman, Chase Brown, Taylor Brown, D.J. Buckhault, Callahan Bush, Michael Campbell, Chris Cinereski, Kyle Cinereski, Dylan Davis, Riley Davis, Chris Hall, Nicholas Hardin, Hunter Hutcheson, Dexter Laster, Logan Manus, Erik Morris, Michael Morris, Jonathan Pettis, Casey Pierce, Neil Salter, Zach Smith, Steven Stuart, Perry Thompson, Peyton Thompson, Myles Wiggins and J.R. Williams. Clint Floyd was Sparta’s head coach. Assistant coaches included Michael Sims and Craig Palmer.)

Hillcrest to take on No. 1-ranked Brantley: Hillcrest High’s new head coach Maurice Belser plans to play as many of the 49 players on his roster as possible Friday when the Jaguars play a preseason game in Brantley.
Friday’s kickoff against Class 1A’s No. 1-ranked Brantley Bulldogs is set for 7 p.m. Hillcrest is a Class 4A school.
(Top players on Hillcrest’s team that season included Dexter Chapman, Freddie Jackson, Jarvis Holder, Willie King, Edrikus Little, Justin Nared, Derrick Paige and William Robbins.)

41 YEARS AGO
AUG. 27, 1981

Lyeffion opens Football 1981 Friday night: Conecuh County’s first football game of the 1981 season will be played at Lyeffion High School’s Mabry Covin Field this Friday night when the Yellow Jackets host Hayneville with the kickoff set for 7:30.
Senior quarterback Donald Lee, an outstanding passer, heads up a talented backfield. Three brothers, Roosevelt, Joe and Jimmy Mixon, will man the halfbacks and fullback.
(Other players on Lyeffion’s team that season included Jeff Baggett, Willie Banks, Bobby Blount, Ray Brown, John Paul Deason, Jerry George, Anthony Gill, Lee Hamrac, John Johnson, Ezekiel King, Andra Maxwell, Andrew Maxwell, James Mims, Leodus Mims, Andy Pipkin, Robert Riley, Jeff Stallworth, John Stallworth, Eddie Ray Taylor and Freddie Taylor.)

The Sparta Academy Warriors will open the 1981 football season when they play the Greenville Academy Tornados here Saturday night. Kickoff is set for eight o’clock at Stuart-McGehee Field.
Head Coach Richard Brown and assistant coach Robert Cumbie said that they have been pleased with the hard work and enthusiasm of their players. Coach Brown said that the squad is small in numbers, as usual, and will be much smaller physically than Greenville which is expected to have one of the better private school teams in the state this year.
Coach Brown said he believed that his Warriors “will get after Greenville with everything they have.”
(Sparta’s cheerleaders that season included Mitzie Morrison, Donna Kendrick, Cheri Johnson, Missy Price and Lynn Hyde.)

66 YEARS AGO

AUG. 23, 1956

Barons Clinch Pennant In Senior League Race: The Barons “backed” into the number one position as they clinched the pennant in the Evergreen Senior Baseball League. The Chicks rocked them by a 5-1 count in their last game of the season Tuesday afternoon. The final game for the league will be played between the Bears and the Crackers this afternoon (Thursday).
The pennant winning Barons will play the league All Stars next Wednesday afternoon, Aug. 29, at 3:30 p.m. Probable starting lineups for the All Star tilt will be:
BARONS: Melton, catcher; Ivey, pitcher; Brown, first base; Burt, second base; Claybrook, shortstop; Beckett, third base; Boykin, center field; Jones, left field; and Price, right field.
ALL STARS: Grace, catcher; Tucker, pitcher; Wiggins, first base; Ansley, second base; Ellington, shortstop, Stinson, third base; Hagood, center field; Warren, left field; and Rigsby, right field.
Utility men for the All Stars are Stuart and Ward. Final season standings, except for today’s game, are: Barons, 6-4; Chicks, 5-4; Crackers, 4-5; Bears, 4-6.

Lyeffion High Plays Four Home Games This Year: “The Yellow Jackets of Lyeffion High School will play four home games this year,” Guy Kelly, principal, said in releasing the 1956 football schedule.
Home games will be played at Brooks Stadium on Thursday nights, so that Evergreen fans will be able to attend the games.
The complete schedule is as follows: Sept. 20, Goshen, here; Sept. 28, Beatrice, there; Oct. 4, Repton, here; Oct. 12, Coffeeville, there; Oct. 18, Uriah, there; Oct. 25, Dozier, here; Nov. 1, McKenzie, here; Nov. 9, Chumucla, Fla., there; and Nov. 23 Baker, Fla., there.

91 YEARS AGO
AUG. 27, 1931

Committees Rush Plans For International Terrapin Race: With a little over one week intervening before the staging of the International Terrapin Race here, various committees from the Lions Club are busy completing final details to insure that the event goes off in a satisfactory manner.
The committee on selecting a location has decided upon Gantt Field as the place. A number of local businessmen were anxious to have the race closer to the business section but on account of the space necessary, it was found impossible. The committee is of the opinion that having the race at Gantt Field will not prove a serious disadvantage.
It is already assured that five states and one foreign country will be represented among those entering.
Last year, there were 55 entrants. This year, it is already certain that more than that number will enter. The most conservative estimates place the number at 100, and it is believed by most that even that number will be exceeded.
The race will start promptly at three o’clock Saturday afternoon, Sept. 5.
The race shall be run as follows: A circle 200 feet in diameter shall be laid off at the racing place and shall be marked with chalk or lime. The entrants in the race shall be placed in a round wire cage in the center of the circle and at the time set for the start, the cage shall be lifted and all entrants released at the same time. The first racer to cross completely the outside line of the circle shall be the winner of the first prize; the second crossing, the second prize, etc.

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

Alabama Congressman Lister Hill

20 YEARS AGO
AUG. 22, 2002

The Monroeville Area Chamber of Commerce announced the 12^th class of its Mockingbird Court Wednesday of last week in Monroeville. Four judges interviewed 25 candidates, all junior and senior girls from Monroe County high schools, on Aug. 6 and selected 14 members. Members of the court are Candace White, Claire Hudgins, Haller Smith, Jana Mixon, Julie Stuckey, Katie Martin, Mykela Williams, Rachel Saucer, Robyn Scott, Samantha Lalak, Kelli Norris, Kristi Allison, Sophia Martorana and Tandice Hogan.

Rider Trucking wins championship: Rider Trucking won the Monroe County Fastpitch Softball League’s regular season and tournament championships, beating Main Street Diner 6-2 in the tournament finals July 26 at Murphy Park in Excel. Rider Trucking finished the regular season with a 7-2 record. Members of the team are Brooke Chapman, Jessica Hodges, Melissa Burt, Tricia Smith, Rebeka Rider, Emily Lloyd, Brandi Boyington, Elizabeth Ikner, Traci Boyington, Elizabeth Allen Robinson, Allison Lloyd, Heather Levins, Cassie Lassiter, Brandy West and coach Robbie Lloyd.

Council approves new city hall contract: In accordance with the guidelines set by the Alabama bid law, Monroeville’s City Council awarded a $765,481 contract Tuesday to Creek Construction Co. of Mobile to build a new city hall on East Claiborne Street. Councilman Tommy Stacey submitted a motion that the city accept Creel’s bid with the understanding that the city could make changes later, if necessary. His motion was accepted unanimously by his fellow councilmen and Mayor Anne Farish.

45 YEARS AGO
AUG. 25, 1977

Clearer, safer channel: Isaac Creek at Claiborne Lock and Dam is being cleared of stumps and, in some spots, widened to provide a clearer and safer channel for boats from the boat ramp to the Alabama River, said Charles Reese, assistant resource manager at the lock and dam. This crane resting on a barge is removing soil from a narrow passageway, making it more accessible to large boats, even at minimum pool. Stumps which cannot be moved and are considered hazardous have been marked with luminous reflectors. Similar improvements are scheduled for other boat ramp areas along the river. Pete Mitchum operates the crane for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Boston Daniels is the deckhand.

Pelham, Gilbert winners in Lucian Jones tourney: The 13^th annual Lucian Jones Guest Golf Tournament, played Friday and Saturday over the Vanity Fair Golf Club course, was won by Chuck Pelham of Monroeville and his partner, Jimmy Gilbert of Robertsdale. Runners-up in the championship flight were the teams of Tom Stacey and Dennis Erdelen of Mobile and Irl Lazenby and Bill Thompson of Montgomery.

First bloom: The Bird of Paradise, a flowering plant whose bloom resembles the elegantly-plumaged bird it is named for, normally takes five years to produce its first bloom. This five-year-old plant of Mr. and Mrs. Robert G. McMillon, Monroeville, is blooming for the first time. It is believed to be the only plant of its kind in Monroeville.

70 YEARS AGO
AUG. 28, 1952

County’s 1952 Cotton Queen Selected At Musical Program In Local Coliseum: Vivacious, brown-eyed brunette Mary Ann Terry, 19, of Monroeville was crowned Monroe County’s 1952 “Maid of Cotton” at ceremonies held here in the regional coliseum last Thursday night.
Miss Terry was chosen from among 10 contestants at a special musical program under the sponsorship of the county Farm Bureau Association.
Misses Barbara Geddert, 19, and Joyce Morris, 21, both of Monroeville, were respective second and third-place winners.

Conditioning Drills At Four Monroe Schools Under Way: Conditioning drills at four Monroe County schools were speeded up this week as the time for county football play neared, with preparations being made to put on pads for actual practice at the beginning of next week.
Workouts are allowed to begin Aug. 22 but no rough work or scrimmage is permitted until Sept. 1 as governed by state regulations passed two years ago.
At Monroe County High, Excel High, Frisco City High and J.U. Blacksher High conditioning has been underway in full swing since Friday, while Beatrice High is expected to start practice next week.

Mrs. Charles McNeil and two little daughters, Greta and Sandra, of Loxley are spending a few days with Mr. and Mrs. John McNeil and Mr. and Mrs. Jeffie Jones.

Lt. Thomasine Jones of the Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery spent the past week and in Frisco City with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Tom J. Jones, and other relatives and many friends.

95 YEARS AGO
AUG. 25, 1927

Mr. D.D. Mims had a narrow escape from serious personal injury and possible injury to another while driving down the highway Monday. On approaching the crossing at Megargel, which runs at right angles to the highway, a car suddenly shot into the road a few yards ahead of him, and in order to avoid the impending collision, Mr. Mims was forced to swerve his car into an obstruction which wrecked it. Mr. Mims escaped with a rude shaking up and a few scratches.

Cotton started opening in this section several days earlier than previous years. The first bale ginned in Monroeville was delivered on the fourth day of August. The first bale of the 1925 season was ginned on Sept. 4.

COUNTY-WIDE FARMERS’ MEETING: On Tuesday, Aug. 30, there will be a county-wide farmers’ meeting and an annual county Farm Bureau meeting held at the courthouse in Monroeville at 10 o’clock.
Hon. Lister Hill, Congressman, and Ed. A. O’Neal, president of the Alabama Farm Bureau and vice-president of the American Farm Bureau, will be there to address the crowd. We want every farmer in Monroe County to attend.

Congressman and Mrs. John McDuffie and daughter were guests of Monroeville friends last week.

Rev. M.E. Lazenby, editor of the Alabama Christian Advocate, spent a few days with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. J.E. Lazenby, and other relatives here the first of the week.

Miss Janie Mae Eppes is spending a few days among Monroeville friends. Miss Eppes had charge of the music department of the Monroe County High School several years ago and has many friends here.

120 YEARS AGO
AUG. 21, 1902

LAW AND ORDER MEETING: Pursuant to the call published in a recent issue of The Journal, a mass meeting of citizens was held in the courthouse last Friday to consider the deplorable condition of lawlessness and disorder existing in the county and to devise ways and means of bringing about a better state of affairs. The meeting was fairly well attended, many of the leading citizens of various neighborhoods being present, and the proceedings were harmonious.

Mr. J.J. King, who is engaged in constructing the timber railroad for the Sullivan Timber Co. on the northeast side of Limestone, was here Tuesday and favored The Journal with a call. Mr. King has nearly completed his contract.

Mr. J.H. Moore of Perdue Hill was here last week exhibiting some fine specimens of marble taken from his quarry on the Alabama River. The marble is said to exist in almost inexhaustible quantities and his friends hope that he may realize a fortune from it.

Prof. Douglas Allen, President of the Jackson Agricultural College, favored The Journal with a call while in Monroeville last week. Prof. Allen says the prospects for the coming session are most encouraging.

MANISTEE: Another homicide committed; it is learned that Mr. Will Colbert of Nero was cut to death a few days ago while trying to separate two other parties while fighting. The man who did the cutting is unknown to the writer but it is said that Colbert died instantly. As one writer said, when will the end come and where will it be found that homicide shall cease in our county.

George Singleton visited the secluded grave of former Alabama governor John Murphy at Gosport in 1975

Headstone on ex-Gov., ex-Congressman Murphy’s grave.

(For decades, local historian and paranormal investigator George “Buster” Singleton published a weekly newspaper column called “Somewhere in Time.” The column below, which was titled “Murphy devoted to fellow man” was originally published in the Dec. 11, 1975 edition of The Monroe Journal in Monroeville, Ala.)

Of the many great men who have passed through Monroe County at one time or another, few have done as much for their fellow man as John Murphy. Few have reached the height of respect and elegance that this man reached during his short 55-year life, of which a great part was spent in this area.

On Sunday afternoon, as my youngest son and I stood beside the granite marker on the grave of this man, I thought of the many hours of devoted service he had given to his fellow man and his country.

John Murphy, fourth governor of Alabama, was born in North Carolina in 1786. He moved at age 32 to Monroe County, where he became interested in local politics and was elected to the state Legislature. Here he served from 1820 to 1822.

His political career included a four-year term as governor from 1825 to 1829. After stepping down from the highest office in the state, he continued his political life in the U.S. Congress from 1833 to 1835, serving only one two-year term.

This man was one who loved the country. He would return to this area on every occasion that presented itself.

During the high point of his political life, he knew that one day he would have to step down to make room for the young and impatient men who sought, too, the high offices of the land that was growing by leaps and bounds.

So, with great care and patience, he selected the place where he would settle down and retire, returning to the land he loved so much.

The place that Gov. Murphy chose for his home was near what is now Gosport. He named his beloved plantation Murphy’s Hill. The plantation lands covered both the flat lands along the Alabama river and a part of the rolling pine ridges to the west.

Here atop these pine- and cedar-covered ridges, Murphy rested. He watched the seasons come and go for six short years. Then on the morning of Sept. 21, 1841, just when the countryside was beginning to put on the cloak of Indian summer, John Murphy made his final appointment – his appointment with the Everlasting.

In selecting his final resting place prior to his death, he chose the side of a sloping hill on his beloved plantation. A hill that would protect his place of sleep from the cold winter winds, but be where the summer sun could warm the pine and cedar trees that grow nearby.

So beneath these trees, a past governor of our state sleeps – beneath the soil that he loved so dearly. Here he sleeps while the gentle winds whisper across the ridges, and the Indian summers come and go.

(Singleton, the author of the 1991 book “Of Foxfire and Phantom Soldiers,” passed away at the age of 79 on July 19, 2007. A longtime resident of Monroeville, he was born to Vincent William Singleton and Frances Cornelia Faile Singleton, during a late-night thunderstorm, on Dec. 14, 1927 in Marengo County, graduated from Sweet Water High School in 1946, served as a U.S. Marine paratrooper in the Korean War, worked as a riverboat deckhand, lived for a time among Apache Indians, moved to Monroe County on June 28, 1964 and served as the administrator of the Monroeville National Guard unit from June 28, 1964 to Dec. 14, 1987. He was promoted from the enlisted ranks to warrant officer in May 1972. For years, Singleton’s columns, titled “Monroe County history – Did you know?” and “Somewhere in Time” appeared in The Monroe Journal, and he wrote a lengthy series of articles about Monroe County that appeared in Alabama Life magazine. It’s believed that his first column appeared in the March 25, 1971 edition of The Monroe Journal. He also helped organize the Monroe County Museum and Historical Society and was also a past president of that organization. He is buried in Pineville Cemetery in Monroeville. The column above and all of Singleton’s other columns are available to the public through the microfilm records at the Monroe County Public Library in Monroeville. Singleton’s columns are presented here each week for research and scholarship purposes and as part of an effort to keep his work and memory alive.)

Deaths of two boys led to the construction of first bridge over the Alabama River at Claiborne

Old river ferry at Claiborne, Alabama.

My 14-year-old son James and I spent some time over the weekend fishing from the east bank of the Alabama River just north of the U.S. Highway 84 Bridge at Claiborne. Armed with a couple of baitcasters rigged with plastic worms, we made no significant impact on the fish population despite our best efforts. As we stood there on the muddy bank beneath the shade of several large willow trees, our conversation was punctuated every so often by the sleepy bump-thump of vehicles passing over the bridge.

James asked if I knew when the bridge was built, and not knowing for sure, I said that I thought the current bridge was built in the 1980s, replacing the original steel-frame bridge that was built there in the 1930s. We talked about how people had to cross the river by ferry in the days before the first bridge was built. Exactly where this old ferry crossing was located in relation to the current bridge, I did not know.

I did remember that the original bridge was built in response to the public outcry over two children who were killed in a ferry accident in 1926. The best source that I know of regarding this tale is Steve Stacey’s 2018 book, “Claiborne: A River Town.” In this book, Stacey recounts the “distressing accident” that occurred at the Claiborne ferry on Sun., July 25.

On that fateful day, Mary E. Hale Tucker and her four children had been to visit relatives in Clarke County in an open-air car known as a tonneau. They crossed the river from west to east on the ferry, and as Tucker attempted to drive the car up the steep east embankment, something went wrong with the car’s brakes. The car rolled back down the hill and “catapulted entirely across the ferry boat and plunged into the deep water.”

Tucker and two of her children were saved, but two of her sons, ages five and three, “were carried to the bottom and drowned. The body of the younger child was recovered as soon as the car was drawn to the surface, but the other one was not found until the following morning, not withstanding an all-night search in which many sympathizing citizens of the community assisted.”

According to Stacey, public outrage over this incident created a political backlash so powerful that it was felt all the way up in Washington, D.C. Alabama Congressman John McDuffie, with the help of Senators Thomas Heflin and Oscar Underwood, secured funds to construct the first steel-frame bridge at Claiborne. This bridge, known as the Claiborne-Murphy Bridge, was officially dedicated on Sept. 9, 1932.

In the end, I’d like to hear from anyone in the reading audience with more information about the old Claiborne ferry. Where was the ferry crossing located in relation to the current bridge at Claiborne? When was it established and when did it officially close? If anyone knows, let me hear from you.

Eli McMorn and the Strange Case of Kill Devil Hill – Part 25

I awoke flat on my back to the sound of raindrops popping against my field jacket. I blinked my eyes open against the cold rain and rolled over stiffly. I felt like I’d been beaten with a bed slat.

A cruel chill shook my body, and my head throbbed like a punted pumpkin. I probed the back of my sore head with pruned fingertips, and they came away clammy with black clots of coagulated blood. In the darkness, I had slipped and fallen in my scramble for the top of Kill Devil Hill.

The rain continued as I climbed the trackless route to the Cyclopean hill’s summit. I crested the rugged rim and saw that the mystic ring of protective salt that I’d put down hours before had washed away. My campfire was now nothing more than ruined wet ash.

My canvas tent and gear remained where I’d left them. There was no sign of the two Claiborne State folklore students, Abby Armitage and Kat Corwin. It was like they had never even been there.

I wiped a thin layer of brown grime off the face of my wristwatch and saw that it was a few minutes past six in the morning. It was the first day of November – All Saints’ Day – the day after Halloween. Sunrise wasn’t far away, but the slate-gray rain clouds made it darker than it should have been.

I walked to the other side of the weathered hilltop and looked northwest towards Claiborne. Downtown was over 11 miles away, and I could just make out the eerie green light of the helipad atop the tallest structure in the city, the medical tower at Claiborne City Hospital. I closed my eyes and listened to the faint, clacking sound of a train somewhere far off in the forlorn distance.

I returned to my tent and took a big swallow from my plastic canteen. The water was cold, but tasted wrong, as if tainted by some peculiar passage through a rancid screen of ozone. I spat it out on the indifferent, lichen-covered rocks.

I was suddenly overwhelmed with the restless urge to leave, to just strike out without my tent and gear. I could be back in my Jeep and well on my way home before lunch. The forsaken edges of black panic crept into my tired mind. I took a deep breath. Think. What to do?

Dauntless, I packed my simple gear, stowing it Army-style, neat and squared away. Doing so calmed my nerves. I then shouldered my pack and walked to the edge of the inhospitable hilltop.

After one last look around, like a man checking his hotel room one final time before leaving, I stepped off the side of the hill with an eye towards finding the malformed willow tree where I’d last seen Abby and Kat’s empty clothes. A few minutes later, I was standing at the gnarled tree, rain falling steadily all around. The empty clothes were gone.

I looked around for any sign of footprints but saw none. Any trace of tracks or other clues had been washed away. I shivered as malefic thunder boomed in the distance.

Suddenly and without warning, the menacing feeling that something was terribly wrong descended like an invisible cloud. The primordial forest held its breath in sepulchral silence. My guard went up. I was being watched.

Thoughts of the strange woman with the vulpine face and her beastly companion filled my mind. Had these red-footed haints returned? Were they watching me? Mindless fear and unnerving hysterics began to run their loathsome fingers around the jagged edge of my haggard nerves, seeking purchase.

I stepped to one side of the willow tree and immediately noticed two freshly-carved arborglyphs. These pagan stick figures were obviously feminine and looked similar to those wiccan carvings that I’d seen on my Halloween hike to Kill Devil Hill. Who carved them? What did they mean?

It was time to leave. I moved tactically in a low crouch down the side of the secluded hill. At the bottom, I struck out east, my clothes soaked from the relentless rain and wet foliage. Every few seconds, I stopped to look back through the rain to see if something unspeakable was approaching from the direction of Kill Devil Hill.

(All rights reserved. This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.)

Bessie W. Munden Park added to Alabama Register of Landmarks & Heritage on Aug. 25, 2011

Today – Aug. 25 – marks 11 years since the Bessie W. Munden Recreational Park was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage. It was on Aug. 25, 2011 that state officials added the park to the register in recognition of its significance as a historic African American recreational area. This park is located off Highway 221, just north of State Highway 10, near Camden.

The Alabama Historical Association erected a historic marker at the park in 2010 and that marker reads as follows:

“This 22-acre park is named for its founder, Bessie W. Munden, a noted African American educator and civic leader in Wilcox County. (Founded in 1955 and) dedicated on October 25, 1959, Bessie W. Munden Recreational Park is significant as one of Alabama's oldest historically black parks.

“Ms. Munden, born in Marion, Perry County in 1905, graduated from Tuskegee Institute and received her Master of Arts degree from Alabama State College.

“During her tenure as Supervisor, she worked with other local African American educators to establish a recreational park for African Americans during the era of segregation. The park, an important community asset, operated continuously for thirty years before closing in 1989. Restoration of the historic park began in 2004.”

The earliest reference to the park that I could find in old editions of The Wilcox Progressive Era was in the Oct. 10, 1957 edition. In that week’s paper, Munden, who was serving as Chairman of the Recreation Committee, published an announcement saying, “We are pleased to inform you that The Wilcox County Teachers’ Association has purchased 20 acres of land three and one-fourth miles west of Camden on the Rock West road, which is being used as a site for a Recreational Area for Negro boys and girls of Wilcox County as well as a place for recreation and relaxation for adults. We wish to thank all of you who have made a contribution to this worthwhile project. We are urging those of you who have not made a contribution to this project to please do so as soon as possible.”

I also found a couple of interesting items from the summer of 1955 that talked about Munden traveling to New York City to work on her doctorate degree. On July 7, 1955, the newspaper reported that she had gone to New York University to resume study there for the summer term. The Aug. 25, 1955 edition reported that she was “back in her office after spending six weeks of study toward her doctorate degree… She reports that she had a very busy but profitable summer.”

Sources say that Munden began teaching in Wilcox County at Millers Ferry in 1928, and she eventually became the Supervisor of Wilcox County Public Schools. In 1976, she retired from her last position as a teacher and counselor at Camden Academy. She passed away in 1989.

Given that Munden passed away only 33 years ago, many in the reading audience will no doubt still have fond memories of her. Despite my best efforts, I was unable to find any information about where Munden was buried. I searched cemetery records in Wilcox and Perry counties, but came up empty-handed. If anyone in the reading audience has any information about where this unique Wilcox County educator was laid to rest, please let me know.

Wilcox County, Alabama News Flashback for Aug. 24, 2022

71 YEARS AGO
AUG. 23, 1951

Fall drill for all Camden High footballers will begin on Mon., Sept. 3, at 8:30, Coach Connie McKelvey announced this week. McKelvey urged all candidates for the team to be on hand for the initial workout. The coach said that two practices daily will be held until school begins. Equipment is to be issued on Fri., Aug. 31, at the Tiger gym at 9:30.
The Tiger squad was hard hit last year by graduation and the National Guard, so every position on the starting eleven is wide open. The Camden mentor is asking all boys, whether they have played football or not, to be on hand for the opening practice. An entirely new eleven will take the field this fall for the opening kickoff.

McLeod Soda Fountain Arrives At Last: Lucian McLeod, proprietor and manager of McLeod’s Sundries, announced this week that his long awaited new soda fountain has arrived and installation is complete.
McLeod said that he and a crew of helpers, carpenters and plumbers worked all night long to get the new fountain installed.
With the new fountain, a redecoration of the drug store has also taken place with a linoleum tile floor covering and painting and refinishing of the walls.
The new soda fount is a smooth modern job, in marble and stainless steel, equipped with many new features. There is hot and cold running water for three sinks, storage compartments for ice cream in bulk, ice water and carbonated water taps, extra size syrup containers for the more popular items such as chocolate and Coca Cola, a sandwich board and special compartments for all kinds of sundae toppings.

82 YEARS AGO
AUG. 22, 1940

ELECTION NOTICE: There will be an election held for the office of Mayor and Five Councilmen on the 16^th day of September 1940. Anyone desiring to qualify as a candidate for either of said offices will file a declaration of candidacy with the Clerk of the Town of Camden, Ala., not less than 20 days before such election. – W.R. Alford, Mayor; D.F. Dees, Clerk.

Mr. and Mrs. Reese Hayes and little son, Reese Jr., fished in Cook’s mill pond Thursday in Rock West and returned with a nice string of perch.

FIRST BAIL OF COTTON: The first bale of cotton for Camden and vicinity for 1940 was grown by George Wiggins on his farm near Camden. This bale will be sold at auction on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.

Mr. Lauris Stewart, student of Draughans Business College, Montgomery, was a guest Sunday of Mrs. Percy Sadler at Wilcox Hotel.

Miss Frances Perryman spent the week with her friend Miss Minnie Robins in Beatrice. Miss Perryman was a teacher in Beatrice school for several years.

Mr. and Mrs. John McLeod are the happy parents of a son born Sunday night in Vaughn Memorial Hospital, Selma.

Joe Loftin of Camden, RFD No. 2, died on Wednesday afternoon, and his remains will be laid to rest in the Reeves Chapel Cemetery today at 3:30 p.m.

91 YEARS AGO
AUG. 27, 1931

School Opening Near: The 1931-32 school year in Wilcox County will begin Monday, Sept. 7, with the County Teachers’ Institute, which will be held in Camden. The following day, Tues., Sept. 8, the schools of the county will open.
Only one day will be given to the Institute again this year. The practice of giving one day only to Institute has been the custom in this county for the past several years. Superintendent W.J. Jones will be the Institute conductor. All teachers of the county are requested to attend.

Neenah played Caledonia and Vredenburgh baseball teams Saturday on the local diamond, being defeated by both teams.

Miss Adell Tait is enjoying a pleasant vacation in Kentucky, on her return home she will fill the position of History teacher in the Castleberry High School.

MASONIC MEETING: At a call meeting of Dale Lodge No. 25, Ancient Free & Accepted Masons Monday and Tuesday night, there was present Brother Joel Jones of Dixon Mills, who is District Lecturer, together with a good crowd of local Brethren, work in Fellowcraft and Master Mason degrees. Brother Jones is always welcome. We love him and need his help, which has its effect for good, and we feel it a long time after he goes home. Come often, Brother Jones.

Miss Lillian Jones has returned from Auburn where she has taught in the summer school. She has taught there for the past eight years.

101 YEARS AGO
AUG. 25, 1921

A fox hunt was participated in last Thursday night by J.C. Harper, B.F. Watts Jr., Cecil Skinner, Bonner Stewart, Carl Watts and others. They met at Dr. Warb Jones Pinebarren plantation and chased Sir Reynard all night. Another meet is to take place shortly at Mt. Progress.

ELLIS CURRY LOSES LIFE: Ellis Curry, sawyer at the Barrett-Summerville Lumber Co., was instantly killed Monday afternoon at about four o’clock when he in some way was caught in a belt which he had placed on the pulleys. His body was considerably mangled and he lived only a few minutes after being thrown from his entanglement. He was carried to Selma Monday night by motor hearse and from there to Aliceville, his former home where burial took place Wednesday morning. Mr. Curry was about 25 years of age and his strict attention to business and genial disposition had made him many friends in Camden.

The Camden Grammar School will open Mon., Sept. 5. The Wilcox County High School will open Mon., Sept. 12.

Dr. T.W. Jones has had his storehouse adjoining his office on Claiborne Street overhauled and reprinted. It is said it will be occupied as a new store soon.

Charlie Miller has just returned from St. Louis, where he purchased an up-to-date line of ready-to-wear and high grade Piece Goods, and hopes to satisfy every customer.

111 YEARS AGO
AUG. 24, 1911

The Catherine baseball team played the Camden team last week and won two out of a series of three games. Camden was to play at (Catherine) Wednesday, but the game has been postponed until next week on account of bad roads.

Mr. Angus M. Scott of Headland, Ala. spent a few days with Mr. George A. Barge last week. He is Masonic State Grand Lecturer and was on his way to the Wilcox County Conference at Pine Hill, and the Monroe County Conference at Burnt Corn. His acquaintance with Mr. Barge dates back many years. It is a treat to spend a few hours with these two staunch old Masons. Messrs. G.A. Barge and S.W. Smiley and Dr. Ross Speir attended the Masonic Conference at Pine Hill. They report a pleasant and instructive time.

Mrs. E.W. Berry has returned from Turkey Town and was accompanied home by Miss Dana Berry who has accepted a position at the Mathews Hardware.

A stalk of corn is on exhibit at the courthouse which has 12 well grown ears of corn. It was raised by Mr. Wm. M. Lawler and is of the Hastings prolific variety.

PINE APPLE: One of the most destructive wind and rain storms for years visited this section yesterday evening and last night. Reports coming in from the surrounding county are to the effect that considerable damage was done to cotton crop and that in many places in the low lands the crop was completely submerged by the overflowing streams. A prize patch owned by W.R. Mills, heavily laden with fruit, was wasted and torn up in such a manner as to render it worthless.

The Evergreen Courant's News Flashback for Aug. 23, 2022

Air Force F-80 jet plane

20 YEARS AGO
AUG. 22, 2002

Evergreen weather observer Harry Ellis reported .72 inches of rain on Aug. 14, .78 on Aug. 15 and .11 on Aug. 18. He reported highs of 94 degrees on Aug. 13 and Aug. 18 and lows of 69 on Aug. 12, Aug. 13 and Aug. 14.

After several years in the making, Project EverFun was completed and opened to the children of Conecuh County. The Evergreen City Council voted Tuesday night to keep a promise to pay off the last debt that was owed on the project. The council had to vote to pay off the debt last year but was unable to pay the note because they never approved a budget.

One of the hottest topics in recent months has been the dog riding on the back of a motorcycle. At first, many people did not believe it when someone said they had seen the sight riding through Evergreen. Clifford Higdon of Evergreen and his dog, Ginger, ride on a regular basis. Higdon said that when he cranks up his motorcycle, Ginger is loaded up and read to go almost before him. She even has her own helmet for safety.

Phyllis Johnson, Patient Accounts Clerk, was nominated by her peers as the July 2002 Employee of the Month at Evergreen Medical Center. Phyllis has been employed with EMC since May 2001. When some of her co-workers were asked to describe Phyllis, comments received were, she’s an attentive and hard-working employee, who is always polite and helpful and always wears a smile.

45 YEARS AGO
AUG. 25, 1977

Local weather reporter Earl Windham reported two inches of rain on Aug. 18. He also reported a high of 97 degrees on Aug. 20 and a low of 71 on Aug. 21.

The Fall Term of Circuit Court, Conecuh County, will begin Monday morning at nine o’clock with Circuit Judge Robert E.L. Key presiding. After the invocation and his opening remarks, Judge Key will empanel the Grand Jury. Trial of cases on the civil docket will then begin. Only 10 cases are on the docket, according to Circuit Clerk Leon A. Salter.

Carl Brooks Myrick, 15-month-old son of Lewis and Charlotte Brooks Myrick, got his first haircut last week with his uncle, Eddie Salter, doing the honors. Carl is the grandson of Mrs. Minnie Lee Brooks and D.E. Brooks and the great-grandson of Mrs. Hollis Pauline Brooks, all of Evergreen.

Miss Cassady to study in Egypt: Charlotte Deer Cassady, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lomax Cassady of Evergreen, arrived in Cairo, A.R.E. on Aug. 17 at 5:30 p.m. Cairo time.
Charlotte, who completed the 1976-77 school year at Fort Dale Academy in Greenville, will be an 11^th-grader at the Cairo American College in Egypt. She will be living with her maternal aunt, Mrs. William Cotter, whose husband is with the American Embassy in Cairo.
During her year abroad, Charlotte plans to spend Christmas in Austria and Switzerland and hopes to visit her parental aunt, Mrs. Leon Akins in Saudi Arabia.

70 YEARS AGO
AUG. 28, 1952

MORE SNAKES: W.E. Pinkerton, farmer living on the Jayvilla Road, reports to The Courant that a total of four rattlesnakes were killed at one spot Monday. Mr. Pinkerton killed three of the rattlers and Mrs. Pauline Ross the other.
Mr. Pinkerton killed one of the rattlers at about three o’clock Monday afternoon on the Centerville Road. That night he killed two more at about the same spot which is near Pink Barlow’s residence. One of the rattlers was about five feet long. Earlier Monday afternoon, Mrs. Ross had killed one at the same place.
A larger number of rattlesnakes have been killed in the county this summer, some of them unusually large. The drought probably had them out looking for water. Mr. Pinkerton claims that they are on the go now looking for places to bed down throughout the winter. Not being rattlesnake authorities, we won’t argue with him.

Plane Fuel Tank Is Found Near Brooklyn: An unexplained wing-tip fuel tank, believed to be from a military plane, was found near Brooklyn Wednesday after a woman reported seeing a plane “explode and disappear.”
A Navy crash crew dispatched from Corry Field near Pensacola identified an object it found near the scene as a wing-tip fuel tank believed to belong to an Air Force F-80 jet plane.
No aircraft were reported missing from area bases, however, and no accidents were reported.
Mrs. Myrtle Tillery of Brooklyn reported she heard “two planes flying low” and ran into her yard to investigate.

95 YEARS AGO
AUG. 25, 1927

Evergreen Schools Open Sept. 8: The State Secondary Agricultural School opens its 30^th annual session on Thurs., Sept. 8, at nine o’clock in the auditorium of the City School. The program will be in charge of the PTA and will be given for both schools. It is desirable that all students who are planning on entering either school be present at this time.

J.M. Jones Buys Tippins Grocery: The grocery business on Rural Street, which was known as Tippin’s Grocery, operated by Willis Tippin, has been purchased by J.M. Jones. Mr. Jones operates a store next to this one and it is his plan to combine the two stores and run them in the stand formerly used by Mr. Tippin. This will enable him to enlarge his stock, since this building is considerable larger than the one he now occupies. He will carry at all time fresh groceries, fruits, candies, cold drinks and notions.

Old Glory Floats Over Court House Lawn: A very fine specimen of “Old Glory” now floats proudly over the lawn at Conecuh County courthouse and generosity of some of our citizens. Supt. M.A. Hanks of the Department of Education took the initiative in raising funds and in supervising the erection of the flag. A long mast made of water pipe placed in a cement base was used for mounting the flag. Its erection has been the cause for much favorable comment among the citizens of the town and county.

120 YEARS AGO
AUG. 27, 1902

Snake Story: We have heard snake stories and snake stories, but the best we have yet heard or the biggest one for numbers, was told to us the other day by John W. Tisdale of Commerce. He said that while he and a number of others were working a road near his place a few days ago, one of them dug up a large moccasin snake which was cut in two with a hoe and in it was 71 small snakes from eight to 10 inches long. No one would question of the truthfulness of this story, being told by our good friend Tisdale, but he says there were 13 others who saw the wonderful sight.

John D. Burnett Jr. left Monday for West Point, New York, where he is attending the Military School.

Manager Thos. Johns of the Telephone Exchange with his family now occupy the residence in front of the Baptist church.

Rev. A.G. Mosley, pastor of the Baptist church, will return to Evergreen and will begin his regular services the first Sunday in September.

Mack Binion, the young son of E.M. Binion, happened to a very bad accident last week by being gored by one of his father’s cows, its horns lacerating the flesh between the knee and hip. At present, the little fellow is doing very well.

ZERU: The moonlight picnic on the grounds in front of Johnston’s store last Friday night was a marked success.

Much to see in the old Wainwright community near Lock & Dam

Old Masonic Hall at Wainwright.

Last Thursday afternoon, I got the itch to get out and do a little riding around. I pointed my pickup north on State Highway 41 and eventually cut west onto County Road 17. After a brief stop at Finchburg Grocery for a bottle of Coke and a bag of salted peanuts, I continued on to the Lock & Dam Road intersection, about 14 roads miles from Monroeville’s downtown square.

About six months ago, someone told me that there was an old survey benchmark at this intersection, so out of curiosity I pulled over and took a quick look around in the grass near the faded “River Heritage Museum” sign. I didn’t find the benchmark, but I did pick up a shiny quarter so scalding hot that it almost made me talk ugly. As I walked back to my truck, I took a long look down County Road 17, and it occurred to me that I was standing in what was once “downtown” Wainwright.

Wainwright is like many old Monroe County communities in that it was once a thriving place with stores, a school and its own post office. Postal records reflect that the Wainwright post office opened in 1899 and eventually closed in 1923. Today, the community’s most prominent landmark is the Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church, which is just a stone’s throw away from the main intersection.

Before heading back to town, I stopped for a closer look at the church and its cemetery. According to the church’s cornerstone, the church was established in 1885 by the Rev. D. Duke and was remodeled in 1912 by the Rev. J.A. Frye. Deacons in 1912 included S. Dubose, C. Dinish and T.S. Dubose.

I eventually made my way to the cemetery, and just eyeballing it, I’d say that it contains about 100 graves, maybe less. The oldest marked grave that I saw during my brief stroll around the cemetery belonged to a man named Seth Shoots. Shoots passed away at the age of 86, two days before Christmas in 1902.

Not far from the cemetery, on the other side of the church, is a two-story, concrete block building that looks like it once served as a Masonic Hall. As best that I could tell, the building has no cornerstone or printed signs that would shed light on its history. My feeling is that the building once housed an old Prince Hall lodge that closed at some point in the past.

Across the road from the church, you’ll also find a sign that marks the northern end of the Sgt. Charles Wayne Turberville Memorial Highway. Turberville, a native of Franklin, was a U.S. Marine Security Guard, who was killed in a Khmer Rouge rocket and mortar attack in 1971. A five-mile stretch of County Road 17 was designated the “Sgt. Charles Wayne Turberville Memorial Highway” in October 2014.

In the end, if you’re ever headed up County Road 17 on your way to the Claiborne Lock & Dam, just know that you’re passing through “downtown” Wainwright when you hook a left onto the Lock & Dam Road. Many of you have no doubt been through this area on many occasions and know that there is much to see there if you take a good look around.

Wilcox County residents made use of Old Carter Hospital in Repton

Old Carter Hospital in Repton

I was looking through some old editions of The Wilcox Progressive Era the other day and ran across a short news item that immediately caught my eye. In the Aug. 13, 1942 edition of the newspaper, it was reported that “Mr. M.F. Suttles, who underwent an operation at Carter Hospital, Repton, the past week is very much improved and expects to be at his post of duty in Camden soon.”

Many in the reading audience likely know that Repton is a small town in Conecuh County, nestled along U.S. Highway 84 between Monroeville and Evergreen. According to the 1940 census, around the time of Mr. Suttles’ visit to Carter Hospital, the town had a population of 365. Today, the town has a population of around 235.

While many of you have probably heard of Repton, I’m willing to bet that very few readers have heard of the Old Carter Hospital, which still stands today on Burnt Corn Street in Repton. This hospital, which closed in the 1950s, was located inside of an old, private residence that was built in the 1800s. In July 1935, Dr. William R. Carter turned the old house into a hospital.

It’s been said that at one time, the Carter Hospital was the only hospital between Selma and Century, Fla. and that “Doc” Carter was the only Board-Certified Surgeon in the area for decades. In the 1950s, when modern hospitals opened in Monroeville and Evergreen, Carter decided to close his hospital. He literally walked out and locked the door behind him, and to this day the hospital remains a medical time capsule, remaining unchanged from the day Carter shut the doors.

As the years went by, the old hospital garnered the reputation of being a haunted house, and in October 2010 the Carter family gave reporters from The Evergreen Courant (where I worked at the time) and The Monroe Journal permission to spend the night in the old hospital with an eye towards doing a little “ghost hunting.” We found the building to be extremely spooky. The same x-rays were hanging up from the day that Dr. Carter walked out, and the building was filled with vintage medical equipment that looked especially eerie in the darkness. For the record, we saw no ghosts that night.

Another interesting story about the old hospital is that it is where Harper Lee, the famous author of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” received her high school diploma. The story goes that Lee missed her high school graduation ceremony because she was in the Carter hospital having her appendix removed. While she remained in the hospital, her diploma was delivered to Dr. Carter, who in turn formally presented it to his young patient as she rested in her hospital bed.

Today, the building is open for tours from time to time to benefit the Repton Restoration Society. If you ever get the opportunity to take one of these tours, it’s well worth the trip to Repton for a first-hand look at this old hospital. Take my word for it, you won’t be disappointed.

Wilcox County, Alabama News Flashback for Aug. 17, 2022

70 YEARS AGO
AUG. 21, 1952

Tigers Open Season With McKenzie: The Camden Tigers open the ’52 football season Friday night, Sept. 19, when they play host to McKenzie on their home field at 8 o’clock.
The Camden Eleven will feature a new lineup this fall since most of the starters from last season graduated in May. Coach McKelvey will say very little about the team and their chances this fall except the squad will be young and inexperienced and very small.
Tap Sadler will lead the squad, and John Harvell is alternate captain.

Camden Paving Near Completion: All unpaved streets in Camden will have received their prime coat by Thursday, weather permitting, announced Mayor Roland Cooper yesterday.
The unpaved streets in Camden total nearly 3-1/2 miles. Slag is being shipped next week for the second application, and seal coat will complete the streets.

Cardinals Win Pennant In National League: The Camden Little League Cardinals defeated the Giants Monday afternoon in the final game of the National Little League, 5-4. Seven wins and four defeats and the championship.
Members of the championship team who received awards were Jack Strother, Van Warren, Bob Vick, Lawrence Godbold, Bud Selsor, Johnny Dailey, Bobby Felts, Carl Wilkerson and Bert Gavin.

81 YEARS AGO
AUG. 21, 1941

NOTICE: If any one seeing this knows just where the grave of Capt. Joe Mason of Confederate Service is located in Camden cemetery – would appreciate them notifying Mrs. Annie Lee Mason (daughter-in-law). Address 1322 South 32^nd St., Birmingham, Ala.

Columbus Hector Steen: C.H. Steen of Pine Apple, age 86, passed away in a Greenville hospital Aug. 13 after a brief illness as a result of serious injuries he suffered in a fall.
In his going, the county has lost one of its oldest, most highly esteemed and beloved citizens, as well as a loyal Democrat.
Mr. Steen was born Dec. 15, 1855 near Pine Apple in the home in which he was living at the time of his death. He came of prominent pioneer families who settled in this section well over a century ago.
His maternal ancestors, the Murphys and Seals of Virginia, came to “the Alabama Country” upon the advice of their near kinsmen, George Washington, that it was new and rich and the climate was favorable. They were a year on their journey, stopping in Georgia to grow grain and feedstuff for their livestock. It was during their sojourn in Georgia that Permelia Seales, Mr. Steen’s mother, was born. After reaping their Georgia-grown harvest, they continued westward across Alabama by way of Greenville and settled what later became known as Butler Springs.
The Steens came from Holland, landing at Charleston, S.C. Later they came to Alabama and settled old Monterey (Butler County), Alabama. On Oct. 14, 1880, Mr. Steen united in marriage to Miss Marie Corley. Ten children were born of this union, eight of whom survive.

90 YEARS AGO
AUG. 18, 1932

First Bale of Cotton: The first bale of cotton from the 1932 crop for Camden and vicinity was sold at auction at the Court House Sat., Aug. 13.
The cotton was grown by Leonard Roberts, two miles east of Camden. After some spirited bidding by Matthews Hardware Co. and A.C. Carlton, local cotton buyers, the bale was purchased by Matthews Hardware Co. for 11-1/2 cents per pound. The bale will be stored in the Camden Cotton Warehouse.

Jane Elizabeth Chisolm: Mrs. Jane Elizabeth Chisolm was born Nov. 12, 1857 near Cahaba in Dallas County, Ala., and died at Camden, Ala. on Aug. 3, 1932. She was the daughter of James Bruce Gill and Sara Packer Gill. Her father died during the Civil War and her mother in 1865. She was reared by her grandmother Gill.
In early life, she married John Grier Chisolm of Marion Junction, Ala., who died in 1928. She was buried in Selma, Ala. by the side of her husband.

Master Billy Andrews left Monday for Montgomery, where he will serve as Page in the extra session of the Alabama Legislature.

Mr. Richard Hartenberg, Prof. of Engineering at the University of Wisconsin, is the guest of Mr. Chas. Dobbins.

Mrs. R.E. Lambert Sr. has the sympathy of friends in the death of her brother, Mr. John M. Hoykins, which occurred Friday night at Galveston, Texas. Interment in Magnolia Cemetery, Mobile, Sunday afternoon.

100 YEARS AGO
AUG. 17, 1922

Baseball Season Nearly Over: See the doubleheader with Selma on next Tuesday. Costs only $1 for two games. Each ticket is numbered and the holder of one of the numbers will get a brand new Ford car.

Mr. L.J. Hayes offers free ferriage at Cobbs Ferry to anyone, crossing the river Tuesday, coming to and from the barbecue and baseball game.

Miss Minnie McIntosh, who has recently graduated from Moody Bible Institute at Chicago, has returned to her home in Camden to the delight of her many friends.

Mrs. John Liddell, who was in the automobile accident when their car was demolished near Montgomery, is still in an Infirmary in Montgomery. Her many friends in Camden hope for her a speedy recovery.

Dr. Robert Gordon, a former Wilcox County son, who has made quite a reputation as a dentist at his home in Mobile, was a Camden visitor last week.

NOTICE: This is to advise that I will petition the Governor for pardon, having been convicted of forgery at the Fall Term of Wilcox County Circuit Court in 1921, and sentenced to two years in the State penitentiary. – (Signed) Oscar Johnson.

The capable and polite Sam Albritton is waiting on the customers of the Camden Drug Co. He is a fine young man and we predict high honors for him this winter at Vanderbilt, where he is studying dentistry.

Miss Stallworth of Beatrice was in Camden Thursday in interest of the Port Amendment.

110 YEARS AGO
AUG. 15, 1912

The meteoric showers are due tonight and tomorrow night. The savants say this phenomenon is called the Perseus showers, causing shooting stars to aerolite in every direction.

An election for Mayor and five councilmen for Camden will be held early in September. The town authorities will no doubt give notice of the election to be held.

A white peddler named Stewart, died on the Oliver place near Tilden last week and was brought to Camden for burial. He was a well known Irishman and was respected.

The County High School has been improved. The interior has been Kalsomined and painted and otherwise improved.

WANTED: To buy 300 empty sacks. Am offering a lot of fine Collie pups. – R.E. Lambert, Darlington, Ala.

The election for members of the County Board of Education to serve four years was at the courthouse last Saturday morning. The meeting was called to order by County Superintendent of Education Cook. The present members, to-wit: - Messrs. R.M. Hope of Sunny South; L. McMillan of Gastonburg; S. Patterson of Pine Apple; and E.S. Farish of Sedan were re-elected.

Wilcox Mineral Springs – Schuster, Alabama – is now open for the season. Its great mineral waters and their virtues are well known. Board and lodging for families and individuals. Rates reasonable and prices on application. Address M.N. Williams, McWilliams, Ala.

The Evergreen Courant's News Flashback for Aug. 17, 2022

16 YEARS AGO
AUG. 17, 2006

Evergreen weather observer Harry Ellis reported .55 inches of rain on Aug. 8 and .08 inches on Aug. 13. He reported highs of 96 degrees on Aug. 7, Aug. 8, Aug. 9 and Aug. 12 and lows of 70 degrees on Aug. 9 and Aug. 10.

Television venture by Sheriff Hawsey draws ethics questions: Conecuh County Sheriff Tracy Hawsey has found himself in the midst of a controversy over a television show he and WAKA CBS 8 reporter Mike Smith have created called “Alabama 9-1-1.” Articles that appeared in the Mobile Press-Register this week allege that Hawsey has a conflict and could be in violation of ethics laws in the state.
Sheriff Hawsey claims that he has already discussed the matter with the Secretary of State’s office and they had no problems.

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.

26 YEARS AGO
AUG. 15, 1996

Local weather reporter Harry Ellis reported .23 inches of rain on Aug. 11. He reported a high of 91 degrees on Aug. 8 and a low of 69 on Aug. 9.

A Covington, Ga. man was found dead Saturday afternoon approximately two miles west of the Mixonville community on County Road 106. He had died as the result of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Investigation revealed the man, Billy Joe Freeman, was wanted in connection with a homicide and aggravated battery in Newton County, Ga.

Public schools to begin Aug. 21: Conecuh County schools will begin Aug. 19-20 for teachers. Countywide In-Service will be at Hillcrest High School on Tues., Aug. 20, 1996 at 8 a.m. Students will report for school on Wed., Aug. 21, 1996 for a full day.

The Castleberry Town Council held their regular meeting for the month of August on Monday night. Present were Mayor Bill Seales and council members Betty Etheridge, Alton Henderson, Dewey Jackson, James Ball and city planner Lula Palmer. Council member Bill Moncrease was absent.

These electrical crews are hard at work upgrading another portion of the City of Evergreen’s electrical system from 4kv to 12kv. This will take some of the strain off the system and should help the system to be more trouble free.

51 YEARS AGO
AUG. 19, 1971

Mark Booker killed this rattlesnake Sunday afternoon inside the house at the old Mark Booker place in the China community. The snake was a big one, five feet long, with only tree rattles and a button.

Airman First Class Billy L. Tolbert, son of Mr. and Mrs. Otis A. Tolbert of Evergreen, has arrived for duty at Thule AB, Greenland.
Airman Tolbert, a security policeman, is assigned to a unit of the Aerospace Defense Command, which protects the U.S. against hostile aircraft and missiles.
A 1965 graduate of Evergreen High School, the airman received his B.S. degree in social science from Troy State University.

The Evergreen City Council heard a proposition on Cable Television for the city area, but took no action at its meeting Tuesday night.
Calvin Sutliff of Arizona was present to discuss a Cable TV system with the council. If granted a franchise, he would move here, Sutliff said. The council postponed any action until a later meeting.

Thomas Beale Reid, 60, well known Evergreen businessman, died Thursday morning, Aug. 12, at 10 o’clock in a Montgomery hospital after a brief illness.
Affectionately known by a wide circle of friends as “Tom” he had resided here for 35 years. He was a partner with his brother, John D. Reid, in Reid Brothers Lumber Co. and various other business enterprises.

69 YEARS AGO
AUG. 20, 1953

Local National Guard Unit At Fort McClellan For Two Weeks Training: Battery “C,” 177^th Field Artillery Battalion (N.G.U.S.), local Guard unit, left Sun., Aug. 16, for Fort McClellan, Ala., for summer camp and two weeks training. The unit is part of the famed 31^st Dixie Division.
Lt. Wiley Sanders Jr. will be in command of the unit at camp. Lt. Sanders was appointed 2^nd Lt. and assigned to the unit in May of this year. This will be his first experience as a Guardsman as he served in the Navy during World War II.

Oil Hunt Continues With Drilling On Well Near Evergreen: Drillers are now seeking oil only one and one-half miles from Evergreen’s southeastern city limits.
Lyle Cashion Company’s rig was moved during the weekend to land owned by Dr. John W. Deming of Alexandria, La. and began drilling what is known as the John W. Deming No. 1.
The rig is located a short distance south of the Evergreen-Brooklyn highway and can be seen from the highway. Access to it is possible by taking the road leading to the home of H.S. Hagood.

Rochester, N.Y., Aug. 11 - George M. Jones of Evergreen was awarded a master of music degree at the University of Rochester’s recent 103^rd commencement.
Jones, who lives at 113 Bruner Ave., took his undergraduate work at the University of Rochester also, receiving a bachelor of music degree in 1951.

95 YEARS AGO
AUG. 18, 1927

Council Approves Hydro-Electric Power: The negotiations which have been underway for some months between the town council of Evergreen and officials of the River Falls Power Company were brought to a close Tuesday evening when a contract was approved, whereby electrical energy will be purchased at wholesale from the power company.
Under terms of the contract, the town will lend the sum of $15,000 to the power company for the purpose of constructing a transmission line from Red Level to here. Ten thousand dollars of this will be repaid to the town with power, the company permitting one half of the total power bill each month to go as a payment on the loan until the sum of $10,000 has been paid.

BROOKS BUYS INTEREST WITH W.H. SHELL: M.C. Brooks, well known farmer, live stock dealer and business man of Route A, has purchased an interest in the livestock business of W.H. Shell and son, Otto Shell, and will be actively identified with this business from now on. They will deal in mules, horses, wagons and harness. They will also buy cotton.

Mr. and Mrs. Mal Gilchrist this week assumed charge of the Western Union Telegraph office during the absence of Miss Agnes Warwick, the regular operator, who is away on her vacation.

W.B. James, a former resident of this place, but now living in West Palm Beach, Fla., is spending several days with his son, E.B. James, The Courant’s efficient Linotype operator.

The Evergreen Courant's Sports Flashback for Aug. 15, 2022

Wendell Hart

19 YEARS AGO
AUG. 21, 2003

Evergreen Aggies Parents Meeting: There will be an Evergreen Aggies parents meeting on Thurs., Aug. 21, at 6:30 p.m. at Zack’s Restaurant. Parents are urged to attend this meeting.

Case Brundage, 5-year-old son of Jeff and Cassie Brundage of Evergreen, shows off his catch of the day. Case reeled in five of the 10 catfish caught, which totaled 16 pounds.

Keith Pugh was in charge of the program for last week’s meeting of the Evergreen Kiwanis Club and he talked to the club about his vacation. Keith has been going to St. Johns, Fla. every year for the past 10 years to fish, and he gave the club a very interesting program about his many adventures over the years.

2003-2004 Alabama waterfowl seasons set: Seasons and bag limits for the 2003-2004 waterfowl season are announced by the Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, following receipt of the federal guidelines which govern the way states can set their season.
The Special Canada Goose Season beings Sept. 1 and runs through Sept. 15 with limits of five per day and 10 in possession. The Special Teal Season is Sept. 6-21 with limits of four per day and eight in possession.
The season for ducks (except canvasback and pintail), coot and merganser is Nov. 27-Jan. 25. The canvasback and pintail season is limited to Dec. 27-Jan. 25.

33 YEARS AGO
AUG. 17, 1989

In 1986, students of the late Coach Wendell Hart promoted a fundraising campaign designed to offer a scholarship in his memory to Conecuh County students.
The purpose of this scholarship is to honor a great teacher and an outstanding coach. Coach Hart touched the lives of many students through his caring attitude.
The scholarship committee is proud to announce that the first scholarship will be awarded at the end of the 1989-1990 school year.

Clinton Jackson has been sentenced to serve a life sentence in the state penitentiary in the kidnapping of Evergreen bank executive Tom Salo. Circuit Judge Sam Welch of Monroeville handed down the sentence.
Jackson, a native of Evergreen, was something of a local hero when he qualified for the U.S. Olympic boxing team in the late 1970s.
A Conecuh County Circuit Court jury found Jackson guilty of kidnapping, first degree, on June 29 after one of the longest trials ever held here. The trial began on a Monday and continued through Thursday.

48 YEARS AGO
AUG. 15, 1974

When Conecuh County High School fields its first football team since before World War II this Fall the Blue Devils will have these spirited young cheerleaders urging them on to victory. They are Capt. Tammy Weaver, Barbara Scott and Barbara Daw; Co-Capt. Denise Reed, Diana Joseph and Janice Avant. The girls attended the Cheerleading Clinic at Troy State University July 21-26.

These players from the Chicks and Pelicans were chosen for the All-Star Team in the American League of the Evergreen Jr. Baseball League. They are Ronnie Hildreth, Cricket Jordan, Trip Hendrix, Stan Stuckey, Connery Salter and Lance Riley; Lee Talbert, Herbert Rabren, Gary Weaver, Ed Carrier, Trent Carrier, Max Cassady and Russ Raines; Managers Robert Eggers, Wade Crutchfield, Wade Salter and Eddie Reeves.

These Orioles won the pennant in the American League of the Evergreen Jr. Baseball League and also defeated the All-Stars, 14-2, Friday night. They are Thomas Floyd, Joe McInvale, Bill Jeffries, Edward Robinson and Ray Griffin; Barry Padgett, Charles Floyd, Vance Edeker, Shannon Hall, Robbie Price and Wayne Parker; Managers James Freeman, Ernie Edeker and Eddie Edeker.

Trip Hendrix holds the trophy awarded him as the Most Valuable Player in the American League of the Evergreen Jr. Baseball League at the All-Star game Friday night at Ward Alexander Park.

64 YEARS AGO
AUG. 21, 1958

Aggies Open Drills; Play Atmore Sept. 12: The Evergreen Aggies started fall football practice this morning at five o’clock. Twenty-five boys reported for the first session under Coaches Wendell Hart and Jeff Moorer. The Aggies will have two practices daily until school starts. Early morning practices will begin at five and afternoon sessions will start at five.
Eight lettermen are back from last year’s team and will form the nucleus for this year’s 11. Lettermen are Robert Ellington, Robbie Boykin, Jimmy Bell, Elvin Higgins, Ken Tucker, Wayne Peacock, George Bolton, Byron Warren and Paul Pace.
Other Aggies reporting for duty were Billy Melton, Leon McKenzie, Leon Stinson, Ceylon Strong, Bobby Smith, Shannon Griggers, H.W. Ward, Connie Rigsby, Wayne Stinson, Cleveland Brown, Paul Hardin, Bonner Ridgeway, Brown Boykin, Robert Brooks, David Hyde, Duncan Roberts and Billy Hammonds. Several more boys will report after school starts on Sept. 4.
Practices will be limited to calisthenics and light work until the boys are conditioned. They will don pads for heavy work and scrimmages after school begins.
Fans will have the opportunity of seeing the Aggies in action Sept. 12 when they tackle the Atmore Blue Devils at Brooks Stadium: The schedule is as follows: Sept. 12, v. Atmore; Sept. 19, at Andalusia; Sept. 26, at Monroeville; Oct. 3, at W.S. Neal; Oct. 10, v. Greenville; Oct. 17, v. McKenzie; Oct. 24, v. Opp; Oct. 31, Open; Nov. 7, at T.R. Miller; Nov. 14, at Georgiana; Nov. 20, v. Dozier.

The Evergreen Golf Club’s annual Handicap Tournament is slated to get underway soon, according to Brown Boykin, chairman of the tourney.
Boykin says that the entrance fee is $1.50 and urges local golfers to contact him immediately so that play may begin as soon as possible.
The tournament will be a match play affair. Herman Bolden is the defending champion.

The swimming classes at the Evergreen Swimming Pool ended their summer instruction with a swimming and diving contest Tuesday.
Phillip Camp and Knud Nielsen tied for first place in the diving contest. The Short Distance Swimming race was won by Larry Yeargan and Larry tied with Sally Anderson for first place in the long distance swimming match.
The final event was a relay affair and the team headed by Sally Anderson won the first place honor. The other members of the team were Phillip Camp, Elinor Stallworth, Larry Griffin and Bobbie Helen Herlong.
The swimming classes were under the direction of Recreation Director Jeff Moorer and about 50 youngsters received instruction during the summer.

76 YEARS AGO
AUG. 15, 1946

Evergreen Team Wins Four During Past Week: Evergreen won all four games last week to remain in first place in the Amateur League. The locals go to Flomaton Thursday and play a double header Sunday with Flomaton here. In the two games played with Flomaton the locals defeated them 5 to 4 in the first game and lost the next one 1 to 0.
Nelson, Carpenter, W. Hart and Windham received credit for last week’s win over Uriah. Windham showed up well Sunday when he pitched a one-hitter in the nightcap.
Noble led the batting attack Sunday with four hits including a home run.

Evergreen’s Horse Show Was Successful Event: One of the biggest events of the season was the Horse Show which was held in Evergreen at the Evergreen High School Athletic Field on Thursday night. Some of the finest horses in the south were entered in this show and an estimated crowd of 1,500 attended this show from many towns in the southern part of the state. This show was sponsored by the Evergreen Rotary Club and it is believed that it was one of the best that has been held this season.
Plans are being made now for a much bigger and better show to be held next year as this is Evergreen’s first and since it was one of the best of the season and enjoyed by so many people. The plans are now to really have a show next year.
(Winners included L.E. Salter, Lewis Stuckey, Tommy White, Bert Tuggle Jr., J.W. Johnson, Mrs. Jack Newman and D.T. Stuart Jr., all of Evergreen.)