Those who call Wilcox County home have much to be proud of

As hard as it is to believe, this week’s edition of The Progressive Era marks seven years to the day that I began writing a weekly column for the newspaper. It was on Aug. 10, 2016 that my first column – about the missing grave of Civil War widow Elizabeth Dixon Smith – first appeared in the pages of this newspaper. Fast-forward seven years and this week marks the 366^th column that I’ve had the pleasure of writing for the paper.

This weekly column owes its existence to the former Progressive Era Editor, Ethan Van Sice. In the summer of 2016, I was working full time at the newspaper in Evergreen, and out of the blue one day, Ethan contacted me to see if I’d be interested in writing some “ghost stories” for the Camden newspaper. I told him that I’d give it a shot, and the rest is history.

Over the years, I’ve also had the pleasure of meeting a host of Progressive Era readers and Wilcox County residents, many of whom have a deep love for the county’s rich and unique history. Behind the scenes, they often send me history-related materials, and thanks in large part to those readers, I never have a shortage of subjects to write about. Seven years in, I know that I have only scratched the surface of things to write about related to Wilcox County.

Writing this column has also afforded me the opportunity to visit a long list of communities and historic sites in Wilcox County. From Sunny South to Awin and from Coy to Catherine, I’ve stomped around old cemeteries and explored miles and miles of quiet backroads. I’ve also visited innumerable old churches, historic homes, old stores, restaurants and other points of interest.

On many of these trips, I was accompanied by my ever-patient wife, my smiling daughter or my intrepid son. The kids were pretty young when I wrote that first column in 2016 and now they are just about grown. Needless to say, we made a lot of memories while exploring the highways and byways of Wilcox County together.

One thing that I have learned over the years is that the people of Wilcox County have a lot to be proud of. When you deep dive into the county’s history, you will see that the county holds a unique place in the history of the state. There is no place on earth quite like Wilcox County, and more than a few people proudly refer to it as “God’s country.”

In the end, as long as Mrs. Glenda allows me to, I plan to keep on filling this space each week. As always, let me hear from you if you have a good idea for a story because I’m always on the lookout for more to write about. I’ve been at it for seven years, and I look forward to another seven more.