The Evergreen Courant's News Flashback for Jan. 31, 2023

 U.S. Navy attack aircraft carrier USS Shangri-La.

14 YEARS AGO
JAN. 29, 2009

Weather reporter Harry Ellis reported .05 inches of rain on Jan. 24. He also reported a high of 72 degrees on Jan. 23 and lows of 19 degrees on Jan. 20 and Jan. 21.

Brief filed in election lawsuit: Another chapter in the ongoing lawsuit over Evergreen’s disputed mayoral election unfolded this week as attorneys for Pete Wolff III filed a legal brief in support of their side of the case.
At the end of an evidentiary hearing on Dec. 23 in Evergreen, Judge Edward McDermott, a retired Mobile judge who was appointed to hear the case, gave Wolff’s attorney, James H. Anderson of Montgomery, a timeline to file his position on a number of legal points in the case. Wolff ran for mayor against incumbent Larry Fluker only to lose by two votes in the Oct. 7 runoff election.
Fluker’s attorney, Edward Still of Birmingham, will have a given number of days to respond to Anderson’s brief, which was filed with the Conecuh County Circuit Court on Tuesday of last week. Anderson will then have until Feb. 9 to file any reply he might have to Still’s response.
Anderson’s brief, a six-page document, makes the argument that the outcome of past lawsuits and state law support Wolff’s side of the case.

Mary Mims named EMC’s 2008 Employee of the Year: Mary Mims of Evergreen received the 2008 Billy G. McKenzie Employee of the Year award during a ceremony last Thursday afternoon at the hospital in Evergreen.

29 YEARS AGO
JAN. 27, 1994

Members of the Evergreen City Council and Conecuh County Probate Judge Rogene Booker are pictured with newly appointed Evergreen Police Chief Thomas Booker moments after he was administered the oath of office by the probate judge Tues., Jan. 18. Pictured are council members Larry Fluker, Jerry Caylor, Elizabeth Stevens, James King, Phyllis Brock, Chief Booker, Mayor Lomax Cassady and Judge Booker.

Weather reporter Harry Ellis reported 1.11 inches of rain on Jan. 17 and a trace of rain on Jan. 23. He also reported a high of 60 on Jan. 17 and lows of 16 on Jan. 18 and Jan. 19.

Committee Picks City Ambulance; Commissioners Approve Decision: The Conecuh County Commission has approved the recommendation of the Conecuh County Emergency Medical Services, Inc., and chosen City Ambulance, Inc. as the contract holder for Conecuh County. The vote was taken during a special meeting of the commission last week.

The Conecuh County Commission and election officers in Conecuh County met Monday afternoon to discuss possible solutions to potential problems brought about by the new House of Representative and State Senate division lines which split the county. The problem at hand is that the court-approved lines do not follow the current district and voting precinct lines in the county.

44 YEARS AGO
JAN. 25, 1979

Weather reporter Earl Windham reported 1.87 inches of rain on Jan. 20 and .01 inches on Jan. 21. He reported a high of 70 on Jan. 18 and a low of 19 on Jan. 15.

John Coburn, 71, of Evergreen died Sat., Jan. 20, in a local hospital after a long illness. A lifetime resident of Conecuh County, Mr. Coburn was a member of a pioneer family and was widely and favorably known.
Mr. Coburn, a retired contractor, was much loved and will be deeply missed by his family and many friends. An excellent builder, he was associated with the group which built the houses in the first subdivision in Evergreen. He was also the contractor for many other lovely homes, churches and other buildings in Evergreen and this area.

Commander Joe Patten receives his new collar devices from Master Chief Joe Everheart after being advanced to that rank by Commander Stu Langdon, commander of Air Wing Five. Patten was promoted during ceremonies aboard the aircraft carrier USS Midway on which he is serving as the Air Wing Maintenance Officer. CDR Patten entered the Navy shortly after graduating from Evergreen High School in 1954. He resides, when not at sea, with his wife, Miyoka, and daughter, Elena, in Yokosuka, Japan. Their other daughter, Lorena, lives in Phoenix, Az. Joe is the son of Mr. and Mrs. E.E. Patten of Evergreen.

Nina and Lewie Wilson’s home was totally destroyed by fire on Dec. 10

59 YEARS AGO
JAN. 30, 1964

Flxible Southern takes over Southern Coach Saturday: Flxible Southern Company will begin operations here Saturday. Culmination of the transaction in which the Flxible Co. of Loudonville, Ohio purchased the assets of Southern Coach & Body Co. is being completed in Cleveland, Ohio.
Flxible Southern Co., a subsidiary of the Flxible Company, takes over as of Feb. 1 in a historic moment for Evergreen and Conecuh County.
O.B. Tuggle, vice president of Flxible Southern Co., in a letter to employees is offering employment to all present employees of Southern Coach & Body co. Tuggle lived here for a number of years when he was president of Southern Coach Manufacturing Co. He has been with Flxible since leaving here.

Bill Griffin, ship’s serviceman third class, USN, son of Mrs. Laura Griffin of Evergreen, Ala., visited Palma de Mallorca in the Mediterranean on Jan. 16 aboard the attack aircraft carrier USS Shangri-La.
Crewmembers toured the 2,000-year-old city of Palma on the island known as the ‘Pearl of the Mediterranean.’ The crew is scheduled to visit several more ports of call throughout the Mediterranean as the carrier operates with the Sixth Fleet.

Pink Ladies Will Organize Tuesday Night: A woman’s auxiliary for the Conecuh County Hospital is to be organized in a meeting Tuesday night, Feb. 4, at seven o’clock in the Civic Room of the Conecuh County Courthouse.

74 YEARS AGO
JAN. 27, 1949

Mayor Fountain Dies At Monroeville: MONROEVILLE, Ala., Jan. 25 – Funeral services were held here today for Mayor Fred A. Fountain, 58, of Monroeville.
The mayor died at his home yesterday of a heart attack. He had been ill since Saturday.
Fountain was elected mayor last September without opposition in his first bid for public office.

Miss Mary Cunningham, Evergreen Postmaster, revealed early this week that the Evergreen Post Office Building is to be painted both inside and out in the very near future. The Evergreen Post Office was one of the few in the state to be approved for this work.

Escaped Russian Minster To Speak Here Sunday: Rev. Robert Tarzier, Field Secretary of the Russian Bible Society, Washington, D.C., will speak at the regular morning hour of the Evergreen Baptist Church Sun., Jan. 30. Rev. Tarzier escaped from the Soviet secret police a little over four years ago. At that time, he was pastor of one of the largest Baptist churches – the well known church in Riga, Latavia.
Rev. Tarzier is a reformed Communist. Under the influence of atheist teachers at the outbreak of the first World War, he lost sight of God and became a hardened infidel communist. But, shortly after the outbreak of the Revolution, the cruelty and suffering brought by the communists plus the fact that the communist government sentenced and executed his father, a poor evangelical preacher, turned him back to God. Since that time, he has become a zealous evangelist.

Singleton tells of the moon's many affects on the behavior of man

George Buster Singleton

(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 “Moon effects behavior of man,” was originally published in the April 1, 1976 edition of The Monroe Journal in Monroeville, Ala.)

Probably no other part of our universe has had more effect directly and indirectly on man and his behavior than the moon.

Since man first began to look into the heavens, he has been fascinated by the mysteries of this silvery glowing planet. He has adjusted and patterned many of his life cycles to coincide with the moon and its paths across the heavens.

He has built great monuments and temples to show his affection for the glowing round ball of the night. He has given much of his time and resources to try and walk on its surface. And he has spent lifetimes studying its effects on himself and his surroundings.

Changes form

The moon, the satellite of the earth, revolves around it once every 29-1/2 days.

During this period, the moon changes form. These periods are known as the new moon, half moon, full moon and old moon. Each period has, in its own way, different effects on man’s day-to-day existence.

The tides of the oceans are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon. The fish bite better when the moon is at certain stages. Crops grow faster and produce more per acre if they are planted during the right signs of the moon.

And man, in his quest for the perfect mate, talks with more ease and boldness, and the sweet nothings come with less effort, when under the spell of the full moon.

Then there are some on whom the full rays from the silvery disc have just the opposite effect.

Crime rate higher

Experts tell us that the crime rate is much higher when the moon is full. The homicide rate is almost twice as high during the time when the full moon is highest.

Even though man has explored the old moon and has walked on its surface, it hasn’t lost any of its luster and mystery. Man still gazes in awe toward the heavens and wonders of the things to come.

So next time the moon is high and its silvery beams cause you to fee a little different – causes you to want to rush to the highest hill and throw your head back and give the call of the wild – go to it.

You will be surprised how much better it makes you feel, and you will marvel at the ease with which you did it.

(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.)

The Evergreen Courant's Sports Flashback for Jan. 30, 2023

20 YEARS AGO
JAN. 23, 2003

Warriors sweep Greenville ‘Nadoes: The Sparta Academy Warriors traveled to Greenville on Tues., Jan. 14, to take on the Greenville Academy Tornadoes.
Warriors 86, Greenville 66: Chris Garner led the scoring for the Warriors with 26 points. Also scoring in double digits were Wiley Cobb with 22 points and Drew Davis with 15 points. Also putting points on the board were Perry Castleberry with eight points; Eric Talbot and Paul Castleberry with four points each; Cody Lowery with three points; and Jeremy Anderson and Patrick Cumagun with two points each.
Lady Warriors 61, Greenville 58: Katie Etheridge led the scoring for the Lady Warriors with 21 points. Also scoring in double digits were Ava Pate and Lacy Vargas with 12 points each. Rounding out the scoring for the Lady Warriors were Ashton Garner with six points; Jessica Armuelles and Meagan Johnson with four points each; and Cody Godwin with two points.
JV Warriors 61, Greenville 28: Adam Vargas led the scoring for the JV Warriors with 24 points. Also scoring in double figures was Tony Raines with 15 points. Also putting points on the board were Eric Talbot and Josh Pugh with six points each; Michael Campbell with four points; Carter Smith and Myles Wiggins with two points each; and Chase Brown and Chris Cinereski with one point each.
JV Lady Warriors 35, Greenville 15: Ashton Garner led the scoring for the JV Lady Warriors with 12 points. Also scoring were Erin Brock with seven points; Ava Pate with six points; Deanna Covin and Susan Ann Cook with four points each; and Whitley Roberts with two points.

45 YEARS AGO
JAN. 26, 1978

Evergreen cops Conecuh title: The Evergreen High Aggies edged the Lyeffion High Yellow Jackets, 44-41, in the finals Friday night to win the Conecuh County Basketball Tournament’s Varsity Championship.
The Aggies went into a “freeze” with a one-point lead and over two minutes showing on the clock and held up under the pressure to edge the Jackets. The fans were kept on their feet by the excellent ball handling of the Aggies until the final whistle.
Earnest Williams drilled in 18 points to lead the scoring for EHS. Michael Floyd had 11 points; Terry Floyd, nine; and Tony Rogers, six. The Floyds controlled the boards for the Aggies with Michael raking in 14 rebounds and Terry eight.
The Aggies advanced to the finals by defeating the Repton High Bulldogs 53-43 on Wednesday night of last week in the tournament hosted by Lyeffion. Terry Floyd hit 17 points, and Michael Floyd 16 to lead Aggie scoring. Earnest Williams had seven; Willis Williams, four; Tony Rogers, three; and Joe Mitchell, Perona Rankins and Sanford Moye, two each.
Dominating the boards for Coach Charles Branum’s club were Michael Floyd with 13 rebounds; Terry Floyd, nine; and Tony Rogers, eight.

Warriors whip Ft. Deposit: The Sparta Academy Warriors downed Fort Deposit Academy, 55-45, to rack up their ninth win of the season against five losses.
Gray Stevens with 14 points and Steve Dubose with 10 led the Warriors. Terry Peacock, Tony Raines and John Hall had eight points each; Johnny Ralls, six; and Ronny McKenzie, one. Dubose pulled in 13 rebounds and Raines 10.

70 YEARS AGO
JAN. 22, 1953

The game scheduled last Friday night between the (Evergreen High School) Aggies and Pineapple was not played because of a mix-up in schedules.
To keep the fans happy, the Junior Aggies played an inter-squad game, the Varsity gave the B team 25 points and played them.
There were no other games during the week due to semester exams.

Greenville Tigers Top Evergreen Aggies 60-51: The Greenville Tigers outscored Coach Wendell Hart’s Evergreen Aggies 60 to 51 Tuesday night in Greenville in spite of Evergreen’s Shirley Frazier bagging 28 points, an individual high for the season for Evergreen. Bobby Terrell dropped 20 points to pace the Tigers.

County Cage Tournament Opens Here Tonight At Eight O’clock: The first Conecuh County Basketball Tournament to be held in recent years gets underway tonight (Thursday) at seven o’clock in Evergreen High School’s spacious Memorial Gymnasium. All four of the county’s high schools, Castleberry, Lyeffion, Repton and Evergreen, have teams entered. Opening round games at seven and eight, and the finals are scheduled for next Thursday, also in Memorial Gym.
The tournament is sponsored by the Evergreen Kiwanis Club for the benefit of the March of Dimes and the Crippled Children’s Clinic.
Coach Ray Owens’ County High Blue Devils of Castleberry and Coach Charlie Pouncey’s Repton Bulldogs share the favorite’s role. The two teams have met once this season with the Bulldogs taking a close decision on the Repton court. Castleberry has wins over both Lyeffion and Evergreen.

95 YEARS AGO
JAN. 26, 1928

NEWS FROM THE SCHOOL ON THE HILL: The boys team from the school on the hill journeyed to Jones Mill and captured a close basketball game from the Millers. Those who saw our boys in action were fully impressed by the fact that Coach Robinson has rounded out a very smooth-running quintet. There attack was varied and furious while their defense was air tight. Watch our boys as they run over McKenzie next Friday.

The Boys Athletic Club is an organization formed by Coach Robinson and the boys who participate in athletics. The meetings are held weekly. The programs consist of discussions of everything relating to athletics. The boys are taught how to train for athletics and the proper kind of food for an athlete to eat. They discuss the different teams of the country and their prospects.
Coach Robinson is the Honorary President of the Club. The officers elected were Raymond Holman, President; Claude Murphy, Vice President; Joe Hagood, Secretary-Treasurer.
The boys are deriving much benefit from this club. It is in every way a top-notch organization. They are learning many details that they would be ignorant of if they didn’t belong to this organization. Every question concerning athletics that a member of this organization and is answered intelligently. The club is increasing its members interests in sports and it is becoming very popular throughout the entire school.

FOR SALE: Three dogs, one bird dog and two hounds, well trained for any hunting, day or night, as good as State can afford. – T.L. Salter, Rte. B, Evergreen, Ala.

Readers shed more light on old Conoly community near Excel, Ala.

Bell outside Excel Baptist Church.

A couple of weeks ago in this space, I wrote about the old Conoly community, which was located at the present-day intersection of State Highway 136 and Gardner Road, a little over two miles from downtown Excel. That almost forgotten community, which was named after turpentine distillery owner Hector McLean Conoly, was once large enough to support its own post office. It was also a thriving stop on the old Manistee & Repton Railroad in the early 1900s.

Once this column hit the streets, it received a surprising amount of response from readers. I received several emails and a number of Facebook messages from readers with more information to share about the Conoly community. I even received a call from a gentleman in Birmingham, who shared his memories of that area’s early history.

Local historian Steve Stacey in Frisco City let me know that Willie D. King, the daughter of Alex King, married McLean Conoly on Dec. 23, 1903. They were married at the home of her parents, Alex and Elizabeth Wiggins King, by the Rev. W.N. Huckabee. Alex King was the brother of Mary Jane King, who was Steve’s great-great-grandmother.

Conoly and his wife had a number of children before Willie passed away. According to Steve, after Willie’s death – and after his sawmill and turpentine business went sour – Conoly moved to Glen Cove Springs, Florida and entered into the naval stores business. In the old days, “naval stores” was a catch-all phrase used to describe various products from pine trees, including resin, pitch and turpentine, which were all used in building and maintaining wooden ships.

Retired educators Landon Sawyer and Jane Bradley also shared information about Conoly. Bradley’s research shows that he’d moved to Florida in time to be noted on the 1920 census. Sawyer noted that Conoly was the superintendent of a farm that was owned at one time by famous catalog entrepreneur, James Cash “J.C.” Penny.

I also received a nice email from retired Monroe County Schools Superintendent Dennis Mixon of Excel. In my column two weeks ago, I mentioned that businessman J.W. Brown of Conoly and Excel resident Miles Foy Knight in 1909 were responsible for purchasing a “large and excellent” bell for the Excel Baptist Church. This bell can be seen today, mounted on a brick base outside the large, stately church on Highway 136 East.

 Dennis noted that Knight died in 1921 and was among the first - if not the first - person to be buried in the Excel Cemetery. Knight’s wife, who was much younger than her husband, lived until 1970 and is also buried in the Excel Cemetery. Their house, which is located a short walk from the Excel Baptist Church, was built around 1894.

Dennis also said that the old church bell was originally hung in a bell tower on the first church building. It was later suspended on two tall poles at the rear of the present-day sanctuary building. From there, it was moved to the brick base in front of the church, where it remains today.

Charles Lewis Scott was one of Wilcox County, Alabama's most prominent men in the 1800s

Charles Lewis Scott

Today – Jan. 26 – marks the 196^th anniversary of the birth of one of Wilcox County’s most prominent men, Charles Lewis Scott.

Scott, who lived a truly remarkable life, was born on Jan. 26, 1827 in Richmond, Virginia. He went on graduate from the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va., and he became a lawyer before traveling to California during the Gold Rush of 1849. He later served in the California State Assembly from 1854 to 1856 and represented California in the U.S. Congress from 1857 to 1861.

When the War Between the States began, he resigned his seat in Congress and joined the Fourth Alabama Volunteer Infantry as a private. He was later elected major only to suffer a serious leg wound at the Battle of First Manassas on July 21, 1861. Due to his severe injury, Scott resigned his commission in 1862 after the Battle of Seven Pines.

Scott moved to Wilcox County in 1864, where he farmed for a number of years. He later got into the newspaper business, working as a journalist from 1869 to 1879. Sources describe him as “taking an active part in public questions” and say that he was a “forcible writer, an effective speaker and an interesting companion. A ready discernment, an ardent temperament and a resolute will unite to give him much force of character.”

Scott was very active in Democratic Party politics and was a delegate to every Democratic National Convention from the end of the War Between the States to 1896. In 1885, President Gover Cleveland appointed Scott as U.S. Minister to Venezuela, and Scott served in that position until he resigned in 1889. Upon his return to the United States, Scott settled in Monroe County’s Mount Pleasant community, where he farmed up until his death in 1899.

News of Scott’s death was reported in the May 10, 1899 edition of The Wilcox Progressive Era. Here’s what the newspaper had to say about this prominent citizen – “The many friends of Major Charles L. Scott will regret to hear of his death, which occurred at his home at Mt. Pleasant on May 1. Major Scott was for a long time a resident of Wilcox County and was ever recognized as a true friend, a loyal Democrat and a valuable citizen.

“He filled many places of trust and filled them with credit to himself and his friends. His career in our county during the dark days of Reconstruction is too well known to need any comment at our hands, so we conclude this sad announcement by saying a good and loyal citizen has gone to obtain his final reward.”

In the end, I highly recommend to anyone wanting to learn more about Scott’s life to read a book called “The Adventures of Charles L. Scott, Esq.” Published in 1997 by the Monroe County Heritage Museum in Monroeville and the late Samuel F. Crook Jr., this 168-page book details Scott’s eventful life and career. Edited by former museum director Kathy McCoy, this book contains a wealth of information that will interest anyone wanting to know more about this prominent Wilcox County citizen.

The Evergreen Courant's News Flashback for Jan. 24, 2023

Richard Shelby

17 YEARS AGO
JAN. 26, 2006

Veteran Circuit Judge Sam Welch of Monroeville announced Tues., Jan. 24, 2006, that he will run for the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals as a Republican.
Judge Welch has been the circuit judge serving Conecuh and Monroe counties (the 35th Judicial Circuit) since 1989.

A clean-up for the Belleville area destroyed by a tornado two weeks ago has been planned for this Saturday, according to Belleville Volunteer Fire Department Chief Sid Lambert.
The firehouse was totally destroyed when an estimated F1 strength tornado tore through the community Jan. 13, leaving a path of debris and structural damage a half-mile wide and a mile long along U.S. 84.

Conecuh County Attorney Richard Nix told the Conecuh County Commission Monday that records from the Merit Board support a change in classification for Payroll Clerk Ann Sullivan. Nix researched the issue, which has been in the headlines of the Mobile Register for two weeks, and found the Jan. 23, 2003 minutes of the Merit Board recommended that her pay be changed to a grade equal currently of $10.66 per hour. She was raised to a scale of $10.71 in October.
Heather Walton, Director of Conecuh County E911/EMA received the Advanced Level Emergency Manager certification at the 2006 Association of Alabama Emergency Managers Mid-Year Conference in Birmingham on Jan. 18.

32 YEARS AGO
JAN. 24, 1991

New officers for the Conecuh County Cattlemen Association were installed at their annual banquet held Jan. 19 at Sparta Academy. New officers are Joe Morrison, President; Thad House, Vice President; and David Jackson, Secretary-Treasurer.

The body of a Paul man who has been missing for almost five months was found Sunday morning at approximately 11:20 a.m. by some local hunters.
Larry Thomas, 37, had been missing since Aug. 28, 1990 when he was last seen on the Brooklyn Road. His body was found approximately 372 feet off County Road 42 (Brooklyn Road) next to a pine tree. Foul play has been ruled out by the forensics lab in Mobile.

United States Senator Richard Shelby will be the featured speaker at the Evergreen-Conecuh County Chamber of Commerce’s annual promotion membership banquet on Friday night, Jan. 25, at seven o’clock at the Quality Inn.

Weatherman Harry Ellis reports .46 of an inch of rain on Jan. 15, .32 on Jan. 18 and .35 on Jan. 19.

Southern Pine Electric Cooperative is presently in the process of upgrading the three-phase line on the Owassa-Brownville Road. This construction is part of the cooperative’s two-year work plan and should be completed by late March or early April, depending upon the weather.

47 YEARS AGO
JAN. 22, 1976

Earl Windham reports .46 of an inch of rain on Jan. 13.

The Evergreen City Council had a rather uneventful second meeting of the year Tuesday night, according to City Clerk Miller T. Sellers.
Approval was given to the painting of the fireplugs in the downtown area ‘Red, White and Blue’ in the “Spirit of 1776.”
The Council also voted to appropriate $500 to the city’s Bicentennial Committee. The committee has planned a number of activities during the year to mark the nation’s 200th birthday.

Miss Voncile Ingram was named “Miss Rubicon” at the annual pageant Monday night at Evergreen High School and will be featured in the school’s annual this year.

The “top ten” in Evergreen High School’s Miss Rubicon Pageant held at the school Monday night were Sharon Riley, Karen Palmer, Brenda Mitchell, Mollie Bradley, Voncile Ingram, Kathy Killough, Selinda Williams, Amy Gates, Cathy Hancock and Lisa Armstrong.

Melanie Stewart won first place in the eighth grade in the Alabama Private School Association’s District III Spelling Bee held at Escambia Academy on Jan. 13 and will compete in the state finals. Donna Kendrick was runner-up in the sixth-grade.

Pam Brown was crowned Miss Lyeffion High School at the annual pageant held at the school Thursday night. Rosa Boggs was second runner-up and Diane Pate was first runner-up.

77 YEARS AGO
JAN. 24, 1946

The political pot in Conecuh has begun to boil since the meeting of the County Democratic Executive Committee held at the court house last Saturday.
A number of candidates promptly qualified and their formal announcements will be found elsewhere in this issue. Those who have announced to date are J.G. Moore for sheriff, A.E. Johnson Sr. for member of board of directors from District One, Walter C. Simmons, for member of board of directors, from District Two and A.K. Williams for member of the board of directors from District Two.

Well Known Mystery Show Coming to Pix: Above is a scene from Lippincott’s ghost show and magical follies coming to Pix Theatre for a late show performance starting at 10:30 p.m. Wed., Feb. 6.
Lippincott, a veteran magician, has just closed a long tour of mid-western theatres including a week at the Tower Theatre, Kansas City; the Riverside Theatre, Milwaukee; and engagements in Topeka, Wichita, Omaha and many others. The magician and his company of young lady assistants opened their 1946 season with a new program with a four-week engagement at the French Casino Theatre Club, famous New Orleans night spot.
As in the past the magician carries a menagerie of small animals and birds used in his mysteries and illusions as a special treat for the children. In his spook or ghost show act he promises sensational, weird effects offered by the world’s leading spirit mediums. Featured in his company of girl assistants is his daughter, Francine, Xylophone artist, who was in school when Lippincott last appeared in the Martin Theatres.
He promises beautiful costumes, special lighting effects and carries more than a ton of stage equipment.

The Evergreen Courant's Sports Flashback for Jan. 23, 2023

Wendell Hart

14 YEARS AGO
JAN. 22, 2009

The Lady Warriors, ranked No. 3 in the AISA in the latest Alabama Sports Writers Association prep basketball poll, whipped region rival South Choctaw, 66-29, last Thursday night in Toxey.
Erica Palmer, a junior, led Sparta with 15 points, three rebounds, five steals and a block. Mallory Kendrick followed with 14 points, five rebounds, two steals and five assists. BreAnna Pate finished the game with 12 points, three rebounds and four assists.

Sparta Academy’s varsity boys basketball team snapped a 10-game losing streak last Thursday night by whipping region rival South Choctaw, 55-40, in Toxey.
Senior Mason Black led the Warriors with 23 points, nine rebounds, a steal, a block and an assist. Devlin Crosby followed with 12 points, three rebounds, a steal and an assist.

Steven Hamby, 12, bagged his first deer while hunting Monday morning near his home in Castleberry. Hamby, a sixth-grader at Conecuh County Junior High School, brought the deer down with one shot from a 20-gauge single-shot shotgun just after dawn on Monday. The 11-point deer weighed around 170 pounds. Hamby is the son of Paul and Mary Hamby of Castleberry.

29 YEARS AGO
JAN. 27, 1994

The Hillcrest High School varsity basketball team is pictured with their first year coach, Keith Nettles. The Jaguars will host the annual Hillcrest Invitational Tournament beginning tonight at Hillcrest High School. Pictured are Derrick Rudolph, Roger Rudolph, Terry Holt, Lavon Lyman, Charles Thomas, Jason Boykin, Coach Nettles, Isaac McMillian, Marlon Tolliver, Ray Rudolph, Chris Watts, Gary Betts and Sherman Grace.

Members of the Sparta Academy varsity boys basketball team are Casey Grant, Adrian Mitchell, James Johnson, Larry Wright and Nicholas Jones, Coach Keith York, Sandy Salo, Britt Ward, McPherson Cook, Andy Clanton, Aaron Albritton and Brian Gorum.

Members of the Sparta Academy varsity girls basketball team are Aundria Griffin, Janet Kendrick, Valerie Griffin, Carla Grimes, Kelly Booker, Nann Castleberry, Nikki Jones, Joy’l Lowman and Rachel Bohannon. Their coach is David Mallory.

Allen Pettis and Connie Pettis, both of Castleberry, proudly show off this huge buck that they killed the first day of deer season. The deer was a 10-point, which had a 16-inch spread and weighed 175 pounds. It was killed near Castleberry.

44 YEARS AGO

JAN. 25, 1979

The girl Warriors were champions of their part of the annual Sparta Academy Invitational Tournament held in the school gymnatorium here Friday and Saturday.
Friday, the Warrior girls downed the Vol girls of Monroe Academy in easy fashion, 34-24. Sparta’s girls had even less trouble in the championship game as they outshot the Tornado girls of Greenville Academy, 38-20, to win the title on Saturday.
(Cathy) Cope, (Angie) Driver and (Melissa) Thacker were all named to the all-tournament team.
(Other players on Sparta’s team that year included Mary Claire Robinson, Cathy Johnson and Julie Saunders.)

The Lyeffion High Yellow Jackets defeated the Uriah Bulldogs, 56-55. Scorers for the Jackets were Adrian Woods with 25 points and 13 rebounds, Eric Finklea, nine points; James Riley, eight points; Donald Lee, seven points and five rebounds; Ricky Hall, four points and Ricky Johnson, three points.

The Conecuh County High School Blue Devils defeated the Southern Normal Cyclones, 65-64, on Jan. 9.
Scorers for the Blue Devils were William Griffin, 26 points, three rebounds; Ronnie Sanders, nine points, 16 rebounds; Henry Sanders, seven points, 15 rebounds; Curtis Scott, six points, six rebounds; Robert Moye, four points, four rebounds; Paige Stokes, 13 points, 11 rebounds.

59 YEARS AGO

JAN. 23, 1964

The Evergreen Aggies captured the Conecuh County Basketball Championship Saturday night in Evergreen as they whipped a strong Lyeffion squad, 63-48, in the finals of the county tournament. The Aggies succeeded Castleberry, the defending champions.
Ronnie Jackson with 18, Scott Cook with 13 and Joe Sasser and Larry Ellis with 10 each were the bellwethers of the Aggie offense. Sid Lambert and Kenny Harper had six each.
Pat Brown had 11 and Sam Williams 10 to lead the Yellow Jackets. They were followed by Garrett with nine, Norwood with seven, Smith with five and Daniels with four.
In the first round Friday night Evergreen clobbered Repton, 46-13, despite the Bulldogs’ stalling tactics. Ronnie Jackson had eight for Evergreen while Davis Robinson led Repton with four.
Lyeffion downed Castleberry, 53-44, Friday night to gain their slot in the championship battle. Pat Brown pumped in 17 and Sam Williams and Donald Garrett had 12 and 11, respectively, to pace the winners. Castleberry’s top scorers were Donald Sawyer with 11 and Larry Heaton with 10.
All-tournament team members were Scott Cook, Ronnie Jackson and Joe Sasser of Evergreen and Pat Brown and Danny Norwood of Lyeffion.

74 YEARS AGO

JAN. 27, 1949

The Evergreen High Aggies went on a scoring binge Tuesday night in Frisco City and recorded their highest total of the season cracking the Whippets, 51-35. Coach Wendell Hart’s cagers played by far the best offensive ball of the season.
John Greel Ralls, playing his second game at the pivot post, continued to show improvement. His total for the night was 16 (points).
Dickey Bozeman found the range on his jump shots in the final two periods and sacked up six field goals after getting only one in the first half. Bozeman had 16 points to tie Ralls as the Evergreen leader.
Billy Mudge Lee hit for 10, Guerry Moorer made four and Gwyn Daniels three. Bobby Frank Snowden made only two points, but his basket was the ‘big one’ that took the Aggies across the 50 mark for the first time this season.
Big Ollis Tanton, towering 6’5” and a little bit more Frisco City center, was the Whippet offense. Tanton led the scorers for the evening with 18 points, 14 of them coming in the last half.
(Other players on Evergreen’s team included John Law Robinson and Jack Cunningham.)

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

Monroeville attorney A.C. Lee

63 YEARS AGO
JAN. 28, 1960

Monday Is Last Day To Pay Poll Taxes: Monday, Feb. 1, is the deadline for payment of poll taxes in Monroe County, residents were reminded Wednesday. Poll tax funds are designed for the support of schools in the county where collected. Payment serves the double purpose of helping education and enabling each citizen to exercise the privilege of suffrage.

LEADS EHS BAND: Maxine Wiggins, member of the Sr. I Class, Excel High School, Excel, is head majorette who will lead the Excel band in the Mardi Gras parades in Mobile during February.

Native Of Frisco City Is Elected To Serve As Abba Temple Potentate: Rod Hanks, a native of Frisco City, was elected Potentate of Abba Temple, Mobile, Wednesday night, Jan. 20, at the annual meeting in the Temple at 1056 Government St.
Potentate Hanks is 46 years of age and married to the former Margaret Stewart of Mobile. He has made his home in Mobile since 1931.

Miss Margaret Elizabeth Stallworth of Beatrice will be one of a duo of outstanding third-year music students at Alabama College, Montevallo, to be presented in a joint vocal-piano concert at the institution Sunday afternoon.
Miss Susan Bedgood of Montgomery will be featured with Miss Stallworth on the program which will begin at 4 p.m. in Calkins Hall Auditorium. Both students are juniors.
Miss Stallworth will present piano compositions by Brahms, Debussy, Chopin and Beethoven.

73 YEARS AGO
JAN. 26, 1950

Monroeville Soldier Serving in Japan: Pvt. Charles R. Hendrix, Monroeville soldier now serving with the 21^st Infantry Regiment, a unit of the 24^th “Victory” Division on Kyushu, Japan, is presently enjoying a 14-day leave at a rest hotel in the Shrine City of Beppu.
Private Hendrix, son of Mr. and Mrs. William M. Hendrix of Monroeville, Route 1, enlisted in the service in January 1948, and received his basic training at Fort Ord, California.

MCHS Beats Georgiana, 28-22, For Ninth Straight: The Monroe County High School Tigers extended their winning streak to nine straight games Tuesday night as they trimmed the strong Georgiana quint here, 28-20.
Forward “Pink” Jackson paced the Monroeville scorers in the Georgiana tilt, as he dropped 10 points through the hoops.
(Other top MCHS players that season included Bobo Andress, Tommy Durden, Woodrow Fowler, Kenneth Hundley, George Klepac, Karl Mims Lazenby, Bobby Moore and John Arthur Morgan.)

Mr. and Mrs. A.C. Lee and Miss Maggie Dees visited Montgomery Monday.

Excel Cemetery Group To Select Caretaker: A full time caretaker will be selected in the near future for the cemeteries of Excel. Plans for hiring such a person were made recently when representatives from the four churches in that community met at the Excel Church of Christ. Allen Hall was named president of the group in charge of making the necessary arrangements. Murmon Blanton was named vice president and Mrs. Will Brantley was selected as secretary-treasurer.

98 YEARS AGO
JAN. 23, 1925

A.C. Lee, Esq., was a visitor to the state capital the first of the week on professional business.

Numerous improvements have been recently made which add greatly the comfort and convenience of the Baptist church. The placing of a concrete floor in the basement and the installation of a furnace renders that department available for more systematic Sunday school work. Workmen are now engaged in reconstructing the stairway giving access to the auditorium.

The J. Foster Finklea saw mill recently erected in the southern part of town began active operation early this week. Dry kilns and planing mill are being rushed to completion in anticipation of active demand for building material.

Mr. Eugene Riley of Drewry has purchased a home in Monroeville which he is occupying with his family. Monroeville extends a cordial welcome to all such good citizens.

Mr. G.W. Davis of Columbia, Tenn. is here for a few days with his son, Mr. Britt Davis, who has been engaged for several weeks in promoting sales of city property.

Mr. J.M. Kearley of Scotland, who some weeks ago purchased the Emmons estate property in the eastern part of town, is repairing buildings and otherwise improving the property preparatory to taking up permanent residence in Monroeville.

123 YEARS AGO
JAN. 25, 1900

The mystery of the assassination of Judge W.B. McClure on the night of Jan. 12 has been solved by the coroner’s jury. Marshall Boyd, a young farmer who was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy, the belief being that he was hired to fire the shot by some one else, is charged by the jury with the crime. The evidence against Boyd is circumstantial.

Mr. J. Hope Moore of Perdue Hill, proprietor of the Claiborne Lower Warehouse, was in town Wednesday and gave this office a pleasant call.

Capt. W.S. Wiggins has had the building formerly located on the corner of Mt. Pleasant and Claiborne streets moved up alongside of his store building.

The friends and supporters of Senator John T. Morgan in Monroeville will meet in the courthouse at 3:30 on Monday evening to form a Morgan club. Everybody invited.

Dr. Yarbrough is erecting his telephone line to Monroe Station. He hopes to have it in operation in a few days.

Feb. 16 has been appointed as the date for the initiation of a passenger schedule on the new Southern Alabama railroad, on which date an excursion will be run from Selma to Pensacola and return. Both cities will celebrate the opening of the road to traffic. Freight is already being delivered at intermediate points, but the railroad is not yet in condition to render a passenger schedule practicable.

Mr. Jeff D. Helton of Kempville announces in this issue as a candidate for Commissioner for the Second District. Mr. Helton is well and favorably known to many of the readers of The Journal, and should he be honored with the nomination, he will doubtless make a faithful and acceptable officer.

145 YEARS AGO
JAN. 29, 1878

THE BIG SHOW! Come and see It! The greatest show now traveling in the interior counties will exhibit at Monroeville, Feb. 9, and at Claiborne, Feb. 11. Let everybody come and bring the children to see the most wonderful, delightful and superb sights ever witnessed.

Narrow Escape – Mr. J.T. Emmons, who has the great misfortune of being one-armed, but an excellent driver nevertheless, was thrown from his buggy about two miles from town last Sunday morning, and came near being injured seriously, if not fatally. While going in a rapid gate, the horse shied, running the buggy upon an embankment and threw Mr. E. out. His injuries are severe though not dangerous. Mr. Emmons had two of his sisters in the buggy with him at the time, both of whom jumped out and escaped with slight bruises.

From The Mobile News we learn that the Lula D. met with a very serious mishap on her last down trip. She ran into a bluff in a dense fog below Portland, causing her to careen over to one side to such an extent that she was in imminent danger of sinking. But Capt. Finnegan, who is always ready for emergencies, by having the cotton rapidly thrown overboard, succeeded in righting the boat.

Money Order Office – Through our able representative in Congress, Hon. J.T. Jones, it is learned that the Monroeville post office will be made a money order office about July 1.

Singleton tells of clouds that looked like chariots forming battle line

Clouds: reservoirs of coming storm

(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 “Rolling clouds like chariots of war forming battle line,” was originally published in the March 4, 1976 edition of The Monroe Journal in Monroeville, Ala.)

For some time now, I have been disturbed by man’s total disregard about his place in his environment. He has rushed head on into the scales of nature’s balance and scattered everything to the four winds as an angry child might scatter his toys.

A few days ago I happened to be atop a tall hill north of here when the elements were beginning to unleash its fury upon the countryside with strong winds and lashing rains.

During the next 40 minutes, I witnessed a breathtaking spectacle.

Dazzling display

I watched as the storm clouds gathered to form a display of power that dazzled the human mind. I saw a small portion of the awesome power that the Almighty has as His fingertips, and I saw, too, how fragile man was in the presence of this power.

I turned to the west and watched the storm clouds as they hurried, as great war chariots, to form a battle line that reached from horizon to horizon.

I watched as the mighty winds whipped these clouds into a rolling mass, as though the great chariots of war had begun their charge.

I watched as the rushing winds curled the ends of the mass of clouds, as though they were the stragglers of the advancing army. I watched as the thunder rolled across the hills like the sound of 10,000 hoofs of the charging horses. And I watched as the world around me bowed beneath the force of this awesome and splendid display of nature.

Cloud chariots

Onward and onward came the cloud chariots, pushing before them the huge reservoir of water that would soon pour across the land in millions of huge cold drops. And the rushing winds that raced before the rains, bending the trees and bushes, as though telling the world to run and hide.

As I stood there atop this hill and watched the masses of limitless energy take shape, I thought how helpless I must have looked to the Almighty from His place in the clouds.

I thought of man as a whole, and how weak and fragile he was in his small place in the universe. I thought of his helplessness when he was foolish enough to try and match wits with the Creator.

As I braced myself against the rushing winds and the beating rains, I thought of a songwriter in ages past, and how he must have felt when he wrote the famous lyrics: “Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee.”

I knew that he too, realized how fragile man was as he sought shelter from a storm such as this among the huge boulders on a mountainside many years ago.

(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.)

Long-lost brothers met by chance on downtown square in Andalusia

First National Bank building in Andalusia.

My wife and I drove to Andalusia on Saturday morning to look at prom dresses with our daughter, Harper. Once all prom attire matters were put to bed, we got a bite to eat and then spent a few minutes driving around downtown Andalusia. As in Monroeville, there’s a lot of history to be seen around Andalusia’s downtown square.

As we drove around the square, my eye was drawn to the former First National Bank building. This six-story building is the tallest building in Andalusia and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. Designed by Montgomery architect Frank Lockwood, it was built in 1920.

Sources say that the building was occupied by various banks over the years, and that the building was also used for civic meetings. An insurance company bought the building in the 1950s and space in the building was also rented out to other small businesses in town. The building was abandoned in the 1970s, but it was converted into a restaurant in the 1980s.

While there, I was reminded that Andalusia’s downtown square has a somewhat unique place in Peacock family lore. My fifth-great-grandfather was a Methodist minister from Georgia named Joseph Tarpley Peacock, who settled in Covington County near the end of his life. Joseph and his wife had at least seven children, including three sons who served in the War Between the States.

The circumstances of the war tore Joseph’s family apart, and his children became scattered far and wide in the aftermath. One of his sons died during the war in Virginia, and his other two sons, Noah and Lewis, lost touch with each other. Joseph, who was at one time the constable at Red Level, died in the 1880s and the exact location of his grave is unknown.

After the war, Lewis (my fourth-great-grandfather) moved from his boyhood home in Dale County to Burnt Corn, where he married 20-year-old Safronia Caroline Martin. They eventually moved to Flat Rock, near Evergreen, and had at least 10 children. Unbeknownst to Lewis, his brother Noah was living near Baker, Fla. with his wife and family.

Fast-forward to around 1900, when the two brothers – both of whom fought on different parts of the field at Chickamauga – happened upon each other by chance in downtown Andalusia. Lewis would have been around 56 years old at the time, and Noah would have been around 62. How they recognized each other, I do not know.

Family lore says that Noah had a freight business in which he moved freight by mule and wagon to and from Andalusia. After the war, Lewis sharecropped pretty much all of his adult life, but in his older days he sold produce off an old mule-drawn wagon. Maybe their wagon-related businesses brought these long-lost brothers into contact after so many years had gone by.

In the end, if you’re ever in Andalusia, take a few minutes to visit the city’s downtown square. There’s lots to see there if you’re interested in regional history, and it’s not a bad way to spend a few minutes on a sunny Saturday morning.

Monroeville man killed antlered doe near Oak Hill in January 1986

Miller with antlered doe in 1986.

Deer season is in full swing in Wilcox County, and I ran across an old newspaper item the other day that will interest many local outdoor enthusiasts.

I was looking through some old newspapers from January 1986 the other day and saw a picture of a doe with antlers that William A. “Bill” Miller Jr. killed on Jan. 8 of that year. Miller, who lived in Monroeville, at first thought the 157-pound deer was a buck when he shot it with his 30-06 rifle around 4 p.m. near Oak Hill. He said the deer had small antlers – a button on the right side of its head and a spike on the left – and that it “behaved liked a buck.”

However, when Miller got close enough for a real good look at the deer, he was surprised to see that the deer was actually a doe with antlers.

One of the first people to whom Miller showed the unusual doe to was Conservation Officer Randy Acton. Acton said that it was the first antlered doe he had ever seen in person, although he’d heard about them and seen photos of them before. Acton noted that, at the time, it was legal to kill a doe that had antlers visible above the hairline.

While doing research on antlered does, I learned that this is extremely rare. One source said that you may have one or two antlered does in a population of 300,000 deer, and another source said it occurs about once in every 10,000 deer. Sources also noted that a true antlered doe would have ovaries, so their antlers won’t shed the velvet that grows on developing antlers, which would harden later.

Some antlered does can grow large racks. In November 2021, a hunter in Missouri killed an antlered doe with a 16-point rack. The hunter that killed that deer had captured pictures of the deer on his game camera prior to the day that he shot it.

Antlered doe with racks that large are extremely rare. Sources say that most antlered does usually have small antlers that don’t have a chance to develop into large hardened antlers. Miller’s deer falls into the category of these “normal” antlered does.

Reading about Miller’s antlered doe reminded me of the unbelievable 39-point buck killed in Wilcox County in January 1972 by Gene Tuney Mixon of Old Texas. That deer was killed in Wilcox, just west of the Wilcox-Butler County line, and weighed 247 pounds. Mixon killed that monster buck with a Fox double-barreled 12-gauge shotgun not far from the Mt. Moriah Baptist Church.

In the end, I’m sure lots of other hunters in the reading audience have had encounters with other unusual deer and similar oddities from the outdoors world. If so, please let me hear from you, especially if you’ve encountered an antlered doe or a buck larger than Mixon’s. Who knows, maybe you’ve seen something that no one else in the world has ever laid eyes on.

George Singleton tells of Indian burial urns found at Franklin in 1976

Indian burial urns found at Franklin.

(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 “History of Indian urns a mystery,” was originally published in the Feb. 26, 1976 edition of The Monroe Journal in Monroeville, Ala.)

During the years that I have been in Monroe County, I have seen many unusual things. But one of the least expected was a pair of burial urns made in India.

How they ever got half-way across the world from India to this area is still a mystery.

During the past hunting season, Collins McKinley of Franklin came across these urns at an old house site.

The house had long been torn down, and nothing was visible but a few bricks here and there. The yard had long grown up in pine trees, leaving little trace of the place where the house stood.

Hidden near chimney

The partly buried urns were hidden in the soft earth and tall grass near the place where the old chimney had crumpled.

When one examines the urns, one will find that they are identical in most respects.

The only difference between the two is that the engraving was done by hand. Some of the pictures and etchings vary in size, since in most cases it’s impossible to make two items exactly alike when drawing or engraving is done without the aid of a mechanical device.

On each of the urns is the reclined figure of a man, somewhat on the fat side, dressed in pointed-toe boots and turban, lying in a leisurely fashion against a large pillow.

Carvings, writings

The many carvings and writings seem to be in Hindu or Sanskrit; these urns are completely covered with such carvings.

It would be interesting to know just what is written on these urns. Maybe it tells something about the fat man that is pictured there. Maybe the reason there are two instead of one is that one urn wasn’t large enough to hold the ashes of the large guy on the pillow.

The elaborate handles are replicas of the sacred cobra snake. The cobra has great religious significance in the Hindu beliefs.

And, too, these replicas were placed there, probably, as a symbol of protection; their heads are in such a position as to watch the ashes of the departed as long as they remain within the urns.

He’s not talking

Much remains a mystery about these urns. How they came to this area is yet to be learned. The reasons lie somewhere in the past, along the trails of time.

Only the brass urns know for sure; the fat man on the pillow is not giving any information.

(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.)

The Evergreen Courant's News Flashback for Jan. 17, 2023

Dr. Frederick P. Whiddon

EIGHT YEARS AGO
JAN. 15, 2015

Evergreen weather observer Betty Ellis reported a trace of rain on Jan. 9. She reported a high of 62 degrees on Jan. 6 and lows of 13 degrees on Jan. 7 and Jan. 8.

The Conecuh County Fire Association inducted its new slate of officers for the coming year during a meeting Tuesday of last week in Evergreen. The new officers are President Paul Matthews, Vice President Hunter House, Treasurer Larry Davis, Secretary Elayne Hodges, Chaplain Jeppie Dees, Communications Officer Thad House and Training Officer Ricky Nobles.

The Evergreen-Conecuh County Chamber of Commerce held an official ribbon-cutting ceremony at Jeremy Anderson’s new State Farm insurance office yesterday (Wednesday) morning. Pictured at the event are Chamber representative Mercedes Harper, Staff Agent Chassity Baggett, State Farm Agent Jeremy Anderson, Staff Agent Kory Stottler and Chamber representative Andrea McQueen. Anderson’s new office is located at 115 Rural Street in Evergreen.

Board works to replace Brogden: The Conecuh County Board of Education agreed earlier this week to seek the help of the Alabama Association of School Boards in finding a replacement for outgoing superintendent, Ronnie Brogden. Brogden who has served as Conecuh County’s Superintendent since 1994, announced his retirement during a board meeting on Nov. 20.

33 YEARS AGO
JAN. 18, 1990

Evergreen weather observer Harry Ellis reported no rainfall between Jan. 8 and Jan. 14. He reported a high of 74 degrees on Jan. 11 and lows of 28 on Jan. 12, Jan. 13 and Jan. 14.

Missi Sanford, Conecuh County’s Young Woman of the Year, arrived in Montgomery on Friday to meet Kim Wimmer, 1989 Alabama’s Junior Miss, and her roommate, Veronica Hawkins of Randolph County. Candidates for the 33^rd Annual Alabama’s Young Woman of the Year Program arrived Friday for a week of activities and the state finals on Jan. 19-20 at the Montgomery Civic Center. They will compete for more than $40,000 in cash tuition scholarships and more than $2.5 million in college granted awards. The 50 candidates from across Alabama will participate in preliminaries on Friday and Saturday afternoon with the state finals on Saturday night. The program is presented by Alabama’s Junior Miss, Inc.  

Franklin McGee, “America’s Funniest Undertaker,” thoroughly entertained the crowd attending the annual banquet of the Conecuh County Cattlemen and Cattlewomen at the Quality Inn Saturday night. McGee, who lives in Anniston, also used his humor in making some inspirational and motivational remarks.

Kelsey Nix earns degree from USA: University of South Alabama President, Dr. Frederick P. Whiddon, announced the following students completed degree work during the 1989 Fall Quarter. Kelsey Brannon Nix, Bachelor of Science in Education. She is a former resident of Evergreen.

58 YEARS AGO
JAN. 21, 1965

The Courant sent Conecuh’s 1965 Junior Miss, Sally Oswald, off to Birmingham a week early. Actually, Sally is in Birmingham today in the judging that will determine Alabama’s 1965 Jr. Miss, instead of being up there last Thursday.

Frank Salter is your new judge: It’s Judge Salter now. Frank T. Salter began his new duties as Conecuh County’s Judge of Probate on Tuesday morning. He succeeds Judge Lloyd T. Hart, who ended 18 years in the office Monday.
Judge Salter was administered the oath of office by his brother, State Rep. Wiley Salter, at 9:30 Monday morning in a brief ceremony in the courtroom.
The new judge was born and reared on a Conecuh County farm and was graduated from Lyeffion High School. He served overseas in the U.S. Army during World War II and was recalled to active duty and served overseas again during the Korean War.
Judge Salter attended Troy State College and earned his B.S. degree. He did graduate work at Auburn University and was awarded the Masters Degree.
He served for three years as assistant superintendent of education in Barbour County. He also taught at Lyeffion High School. Prior to his successful campaign for the judgeship, he held a position in sales and public relations with Escambia Chemical Corp. He has a farming and cattle operation in the county which he has attended to since his election.
Judge Salter made his first political bid a successful one this past spring when he won his present office.

83 YEARS AGO
JAN. 18, 1940

BLAZE AT NOON WEDNESDAY DOES ONLY SLIGHT DAMAGE: Fire which originated around the flue about noon Wednesday at the old Baptist Church did only slight damage, it was reported. The downstairs portion of the old church is being used as a workroom for a ladies WPA project, and it is thought that a defective flue caused the fire.
The Masonic Lodge is located upstairs at the church and it was in this part that most of the damage was done. The fire department responded promptly and soon had the blaze under control.

Castleberry To Have Curb Strawberry Mart: The town council at Castleberry announced this week that plans had been completed for an auction curb market for strawberries at that place for the coming season.
The plan provides that a certain area will be set apart in the business section to be known as the “Castleberry Strawberry Curb Market.” Growers will deliver berries to this center where auction sales will be staged daily. All berries will be sold to the highest bidder to be paid for in cash when the sale is made. It is believed that this will provide a ready market for the growers and secure for them the highest possible prices for their product. It will also prove a distinct service for those who buy. The project will be under the direct supervision of the Town of Castleberry.

Miss Mary Jo Lee of Demopolis, who teaches piano in the high school in Beatrice, spent the weekend with her aunt, Mrs. C.R. Taliaferro.

The Evergreen Courant's Sports Flashback for Jan. 16, 2023

Gene Stallings

33 YEARS AGO
JAN. 18, 1990

Thomas (Tommy) Ellis Bolton, a resident of Evergreen and Holtville, killed this trophy buck Dec. 29 at the Buck Creek Hunting Club near Skinnerton. The deer weighed 190 pounds and its nine-point antlers had a spread of 19 inches. Tommy is the son of Betty G. Tanner of Evergreen and William Donald Bolton Sr. of Holtville and formerly of Evergreen.

From “The Colyum” by Bob Bozeman: Give credit to Alabama Athletic Director Cecil (Hootie) Ingram for his prompt and skillful naming of a new head coach for the Crimson Tide. Hootie moved quickly, but did take time to get input from the Bama family, particularly former players. He chose from a list recommended by former players and coaches the name of Coach Gene Stallings, one of Coach Paul (Bear) Bryant’s favorites.
Coach Stallings was one of the 27 who survived the summer camp at Junction that preceded Coach Bryant’s first season at Texas A&M. He was an outstanding player for the Aggies and when Coach Bryant came home to Alabama in 1958, he brought Stallings along as an assistant. Stallings was named head coach at Texas A&M at the youthful age of 29 primarily on Coach Bryant’s recommendation.
I like what I have seen thus far of Coach Stallings. I think he is doing and saying those things that will bring the “Bama family back together and unify them in support of the University.”

48 YEARS AGO
JAN. 16, 1975

Clinton Jackson boxes for U.S. against Russians: Clinton Jackson of Evergreen, now boxing out of Knoxville, Tenn., has been named to the National AAU boxing team which will face the Soviet Union in Las Vegas. The bouts will be shown on CBS TV Sunday afternoon.
Jackson is the current AAU and Golden Gloves welterweight champion, boxing at 147 pounds. The only bouts Jackson lost in the past two years were to a Russian in Denver in 1972 and to a Cuban in Havana last year.

Aggies win two to start year: The Evergreen Aggies got off to a good new year start by defeating the T.R. Miller Tigers by the score of 63 to 49. The Aggies were led in scoring by 5’10” Percy Jones with 21 points who also contributed 17 rebounds and four steals. Ronald Fantroy also had a big night for the Aggies and scored 18 points. Last week, the Aggies also defeated the Atmore Blue Devils, 75 to 60.
Coach Branum stated that Fantroy his big 6’6” forward, had a super game. He scored 29 points and pulled down 20 rebounds. The Aggies also had good scoring support from 5’5” Chuck Jones, who scored 23 points for the night. Jones also hit an amazing nine out of 11 shots from the charity stripe.
Coach Branum states that if the Aggies keep hustling and improving as the season progresses, they will have a good ball club before the season ends. Also playing good ball for the Aggies are Walter Bullock, tenth grade guard, Gean Stallworth, and Marion Stanton alternating at the center position.

63 YEARS AGO
JAN. 21, 1960

SPORTS ROUND UP” by Oscar D. Tucker – Eagles Lose Third in a Row: Mon., Jan. 11, 1960. The (Conecuh County Training School) Eagles lost their third successive game tonight as Booker Washington of Brewton trounced them, 58-48. The Eagles, hampered by the absence of their coach, John Kennedy, and fine guard, Robert Martin, were guilty of several third quarter errors that spelled defeat.
The game, which was played in Brewton, was a nip and tuck affair until the fatal third period.
There is a good deal of rivalry and tradition with games between Booker Washington and CCTS. The Trojan coach, Percey King, was the assistant coach at CCTS before going to Brewton. The Eagles hope to avenge their defeat Fri., Jan. 15, when they meet the Trojans at the CCTS gym.

Eagles End Losing Streak: Tues., Jan. 12, 1960. The CCTS Eagles ended the season’s longest losing streak tonight in Monroeville by smothering Union High, 55-47, also avenging an earlier defeat at the hands of Union High.
The Eagles confused a fast and aggressive team by playing a deliberate and possessive brand of basketball. CCTS piled up a 10-3 lead after six minutes of the first quarter and maintained that lead throughout the quarter. They were careless and rather ragged in the second period and were outscored. The halftime buzzer found them with a two-point deficit, 25-23, in favor of Union High.
In the third quarter, the Eagles came back strong with their deliberate game and outscored Union High, 21-11, to gain a bulge they never relinquished. In the final period, they played Union High point for point as each scored 13 points.

78 YEARS AGO
JAN. 18, 1945

Dove, Duck Hunting To Close Saturday: MONTGOMERY, Ala. – With the close of the duck and migratory seasons Sat., Jan. 20, only the quail, opossum, rabbit, raccoon, rail, gallinule and sora will be left to provide targets for Alabama huntsmen, it was announced by Graham Hixon, Chief of the Department of Conservation’s Game, Fish and Seafoods Division. The deer, squirrel and turkey seasons closed earlier in the month. The turkey season will reopen March 20 and continue through April 15. The rail, gallinude and sora seasons will end Jan. 31 and the quail, opossum, rabbit and raccoon seasons Feb. 20.

93 YEARS AGO
JAN. 16, 1930

Local Cage Teams Hold Clean Record: Both the boys and girls basketball teams of the S.S.A.S. have yet to taste defeat this season. Each team has gone up against some pretty strong teams and come off victor. However, both teams are going up against teams from Opp High School next Friday night which also have clean records. For this reason, there is great interest among local fans as to what can be said after that game has been played. These games should be closely contested ones and every person who enjoys a good basketball game should by all means arrange to be on hand. Saturday night the Aggies meet their old rival in the sports world in Brewton. This should and no doubt will be another good game.
In the game Saturday night with Excel High School the girls won by the score of 19 to 13, while the boys won by 22 to 15. The score in the game with McKenzie on Friday night was 28 to 7 for the boys and 47 to 9 for the girls. The boys defeated the Monroeville team Tuesday night 41 to 4. Monroeville was not able to get a field goal. Another game was played with Monroeville Tuesday of this week, the score being 13 to 52 in favor of Evergreen.
The results of the games played thus far are as follows:
BOYS: Dec. 13, Castleberry 12, Aggies 25; Dec. 18, Castleberry 17, Aggies, 18; Dec. 20, Laurel Hill 4, Aggies 19; Jan. 7, Monroeville 4, Aggies 41; Jan. 10, McKenzie 7, Aggies 28; Jan. 11, Excel 15, Aggies 22; Jan. 13, Monroeville 8, Aggies 52.
GIRLS: Castleberry 21, Aggies 40; Castleberry 23, Aggies 38; Ft. Deposit 7, Aggies 35; Ft. Deposit 3, Aggies 36; Laurel Hill 7, Aggies 35; McKenzie 9, Aggies 47; Excel 13, Aggies 13.

Radio sets are now being used by several fishermen of Liverpool to help pass the time away when the fish aren’t biting.

Old Conoly community near Excel was once a bustling stop on the Manistee & Repton Railroad

Old bell at Excel Baptist Church.

If you’ve ever traveled down State Highway 136 West between Excel and Ollie, you’ve passed through what was once known as the Conoly community. Old maps show “downtown” Conoly as being located near the present-day intersection of Highway 136 and Garnder Road, a little over two miles from downtown Excel.

Largely forgotten today, Conoly was once a thriving stop on the Manistee & Repton Railroad in the early 1900s. Train time tables from that time show that Conoly was the rail stop between Dottelle and Shiverville, and the Conoly stop was known for having its own telephone office as far back as 1912. On the slow-moving trains of the era, Conoly was s 10-minute train ride from Dottelle and a one-hour ride to Manistee.

Records also reflect that there were enough people living at Conoly in the early 1900s to support its own post office. While records are unclear as to how long the post office existed, it is known that there was a Conoly post office as far back as 1905. More than likely it was located at the train depot or in a small community store.

The community apparently took its name from a man named McLean Conoly, who owned a sizeable turpentine distillery in that area. In the Dec. 10, 1903 edition of The Monroe Journal, editor Q. Salter reported that he’d visited Conoly distillery and “observed quite a lot of turpentine and rosin in barrels” that amounted to 150 barrels of “spirits of turpentine” and 500 barrels of rosin ready for shipment. Conoly “is the owner of several large tracts of well-timbered pine lands in this county and is one of the most successful and skillful turpentine men in the state,” Salter wrote.

As time went on, Conoly apparently experienced some financial reverses and his mill changed hands. In 1908, the property was known as the Excel Turpentine Co. and was in the business of selling sawn pine shingles, shipped by rail directly from Conoly. A man named J.W. Brown entered the picture around that same time, and Conoly was the headquarters for his naval stores manufacturing business. “Naval stores” was a catch-all phrase from that time period used to describe various products from pine trees, including resin, pitch and turpentine, which were all used in building and maintaining wooden ships.

Interesting fact about Brown is that he and an Excel resident named M.F. Knight were responsible for a landmark that can still be seen in Excel today. According to the Feb. 4, 1909 edition of The Journal, the “members of the Excel Baptist Church and community at large are sincerely grateful to (Brown and Knight) for presenting the church a large and excellent bell in January. A resolution of thanks was also passed by the church and embodied in the minutes.” This same bell can still be seen today, mounted on a brick base outside the Excel Baptist Church on Highway 136 East.

In the end, despite my best efforts I was unable to determine what ultimately became of McLean Conoly. A search of available cemetery records revealed no burial site for this early Monroe County businessman, who apparently left the state after his financial troubles. If anyone in the reading audience has any additional information about the Conoly community or McLean Conoly please let me know.

Oak Hill's David Wardlaw Ramsey was prominent Wilcox County citizen

David Wardlaw Ramsey

This coming Saturday – Jan. 14 – will mark the 183^rd anniversary of the birth of one of Wilcox County’s most prominent citizens, David Wardlaw Ramsey.

Ramsey was born in Oak Hill on Jan. 14, 1840 to the Rev. Abiezer Clarke Ramsey and Elizabeth Wardlaw Ramsey, who were natives of Georgia and South Carolina, respectively. David Ramsey went on to graduate from the Kentucky Military Institute and went on to medical school. Sources say that in February 1861, he put his medical studies on hold and enlisted as an officer in the Confederate army on Feb. 9, 1861.

A short time later, when the Wilcox True Blues were officially organized as a formal military company, Ramsey was selected to serve as a captain in that infantry unit.

When the True Blues left Wilcox County on Feb. 12, 1861, they first headed to Pensacola, Fla., where they became Co. B of the 1^st Alabama Infantry Regiment. For most of the next year, they were stationed at Fort Barrancas in Pensacola. Later, in March 1862, they were sent to pull duty at Island No. 10, a strategic point on the Mississippi River.

Union forces eventually laid siege to Island No. 10, and some members of the Wilcox True Blues were captured or died from disease during this long siege. Members of the regiment who escaped the siege later made their way to Port Hudson in Louisiana, only to suffer another siege at the hands of the Union army. A handful of Wilcox County soldiers survived that siege and went on to fight in such places as Sharpsburg, the Wilderness, Manassas, Atlanta and Knoxville.

Ramsey was one of the handful who survived the war, and he eventually returned home to work as a doctor and as a local minister. Not long after the end of the war – on Jan. 24, 1866 – Ramsey married Emma Virginia Hawthorn, who was the daughter of Joseph Richard Hawthorn of Pine Apple. Joseph Hawthorn was the grandfather of Brigadier General John Herbert Kelly, who was known as the “Boy General of the Confederacy.”

Emma Ramsey died at the age of 47 in 1893. After her death, David Ramsey went on to marry Lucella “Lanfila” Walthall Ramsey, who died in 1922. David Ramsey lived to the ripe old age of 77 before passing away on March 9, 1916. According to the March 16, 1916 edition of The Wilcox Progressive Era, Wilcox County “lost one of its most esteemed and venerable citizens” with the passing of David Ramsey.

His obituary noted that he was a Baptist minister and was “loved and esteemed by hundreds whom he served as pastor. For numbers of years, he was moderator of the Pine Barren Association and maintained an active interest in his church life up to his death.” Ramsey was laid to rest in the Friendship Baptist Church Cemetery at Pine Apple.

No doubt Ramsey still has many relatives living in Wilcox County today. If anyone in the reading audience has any additional information to share about Ramsey, please let me know. I am especially interested in information about his exploits during the War Between the States.