Ever wondered how the town of Red Level, Alabama got its name?

This week’s featured historical marker is the “RED LEVEL HISTORY” marker in Covington County, Alabama. This marker is located on Main Street in Red Level, just across the railroad tracks from the town’s post office.

This historical marker was erected in July 2010 by the Alabama Tourism Department and the Town of Red Level. There’s text on both sides of this marker, and both sides are different. What follows is the complete text from the marker.

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“A RED LEVEL HISTORY: Red Level community became the town of Red Level when chartered by the Alabama Legislature on March 4, 1901. Named after Read’s Level, a store two miles away from present-day location, it was the designated post office from 1857-1866. The Civil War forced its closing, but it was re-established in 1868. The name changed to Red Level in 1876, and moved to its present location in 1880. Red Level is home or birthplace to notables: Dr. Luther L. Terry, U.S. Surgeon General during the Kennedy administration and first author of the Surgeon General’s report on smoking; Dr. Thomas L. Smith, Brigadier General, U.S. Army Dental Corps; Flying Tiger hero Ben Crum Foshee, killed in action in China in 1942; and President Bill Clinton’s great-grandfather, James M. Cassidy. Red Level School was established in 1898, and later became part of the Covington County School System. Fairmount cemetery has served the community since the 1800s. (Continued on other side)”

“A RED LEVEL HISTORY: (Continued from other side) Red Level citizens worked and traded with local merchants and farmers, ginning, warehousing and trading cotton, livestock, feed, fertilizer and many other goods. Some of those were: Read’s Level, J.O. Adkinson Stables, City Hotel, Commercial Hotel, Bush Furniture Company, Red Level Mercantile Company, John I. Deens, Dr. J.R. Ealum Drug Company, W.C. Smith Drugstore, Smith Barber Shop, Joe Smith Store, Terry Drugstore, Pure Food Store, I.E. Wilson Barber Shop and Beauty Parlor, Miss Lettie Hugghins Ladies Shop, Miss Roxie Wesleys 5&10 Store, Eva Adams Dress Shop, Adam’s Gin, Foshee Feed and Milling Co., Clark Hardware and Funeral Home, the Red Level Café, the YellowBird Café, Gorum’s Enterprises, United Super Grocery and Appliance, Rene’s Style Shop, Barrow Motor Service, Brook’s Grocery, Barrow Furniture, the Gulf/Bp (“the bottom”) gas station, Sara’s Nursery, A.B. Powell Lumber Co., J.W. Stowers Lumber Co., Patrick-McGowan Lumber Co., Western Union, General telephone and many others forgotten or unknown.”

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I encountered this historical marker last Friday while on the way to a baseball tournament in Opp. I’d been to Red Level a few times before, but this was the first time that I’d been there since this marker was put in place. If you ever find yourself in downtown Red Level, be sure to check out the old Fairmount Cemetery and Crystal Springs Park, which is located near Red Level High School’s football field.

In the end, visit this site next Wednesday to learn about another historical marker. I’m also taking suggestions from the reading audience, so if you know of an interesting historical marker that you’d like me to feature, let me know in the comments section below.

Daily Weather Observations from SW Alabama for Wed., June 25, 2014

Temp: 71.8 degrees F.

Rainfall (past 24 hours): 0.00 inches

Humidity: 81 percent (Humid)

Conditions: Mostly Cloudy skies; birds audible (including woodpecker); flying insects visible; light dew on the ground.

Barometric Pressure: 29.61 inHg. 

Week to Date Rainfall: 0.10 inches

Month to Date Rainfall: 3.90 inches

Summer to Date Rainfall: 0.10 inches

Year to Date Rainfall: 43.45  inches

NOTES: Today is the 176th day of 2014 and the fifth day of Summer. There are 189 days left in the year.

Readings taken at 0700 hrs Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily, just west of the Monroe-Conecuh County line, near Excel, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.42834°N Lon 87.30131°W. Elevation: 400 feet above sea level. CoCoRaHS Station No. AL-MN-4, Station Name: Excel 2.5 ESE. 

Did the legendary Jim Bowie once live in Monroe County, Alabama?

Col. James 'Jim' Bowie.

If you’re even slightly interested in Alabama history, I highly recommend that you check out an older book called “Reminiscences of Men and Things in Alabama” by Benjamin Faneuil Porter. 

Originally published in 1853, this book describes life in Alabama during the early 19th Century as well as various places and important Alabama residents of that time. The edition of the book I read was published in 1983 by Portal Press in Tuscaloosa and was researched and edited by Sara Walls.

Porter was no run-of-the-mill writer or historian. Born in 1808 in South Carolina, he moved to Monroe County, Ala. in 1829, and he lived in Claiborne for about six years. During his life, he would bear many titles, including that of physician, lawyer, Circuit Judge for Mobile and Butler counties, State Representative for Monroe and Tuscaloosa counties, railroad developer, prison reformer, journalist, women’s rights activist and advocate for public education. He’d eventually become mayor of Greenville, and he died there in 1868.

Being a native of Monroe County and fascinated by the history of Claiborne, I was especially drawn to a couple of items that I encountered in Porter’s book. The first item was about the proprietors of an early Claiborne newspaper, and the second item was about the legendary Jim Bowie.

While talking about his days as a young man in Claiborne, Porter wrote that he spent his “time singularly enough. I wrote essays and poems, under the name of Will Honeycombe, for a paper published in Claiborne under the title of The Index by Kean & Neuffville. I do not know what became of these poor fellows. Kean was a jovial soul, full of anecdote and joke, fond of the bottle, and a most kind-hearted, agreeable companion. Neuffville was from Charleston – very talented, but, like Kean, pleased with sack, and full of wit and repartee.”

A few pages later, Porter mentions that Col. Jim Bowie, who died at the Alamo in Texas in 1836, once lived in Monroe County. During a discussion of Alamo hero and former Claiborne resident William B. Travis, Porter wrote that "I am reminded that Col. (Jim) Bowie, who fell with Travis, and from whom the term 'Bowie knife' was derived, also lived in Monroe (County). On the road from Claiborne to Burnt Corn, near the present site of Monroeville, was a double log house where Col. Bowie resided."

Many dismiss the idea that Bowie lived in Monroe County as a mistake on Porter’s part, but his remarks give me reason to pause. Porter was no backwoods scribbler, he was a prominent doctor and lawyer and one of the leading legal scholars of his day. He personally knew Travis, and if he wrote that Bowie lived in Monroe County, my thinking is that he at least had a good reason for believing that was the case. While it’s very possible that Porter made a mistake, I’m convinced that he had good reason to believe Bowie lived in Monroe County at some point prior to 1836.

In the end, how many of you have read “Reminiscences of Men and Things in Alabama”? What did you think about it? What was your favorite part? Let us know in the comments section below.

Daily Weather Observations from SW Alabama for Tues., June 24, 2014

Temp: 72.1 degrees F.

Rainfall (past 24 hours): 0.00 inches

Humidity: 82 percent (Humid)

Conditions: Overcast skies; birds audible (including woodpecker) and visible; dogs audible; light dew on the ground; a few, small falling raindrops felt.

Barometric Pressure: 29.57 inHg. 

Week to Date Rainfall: 0.10 inches

Month to Date Rainfall: 3.90 inches

Summer to Date Rainfall: 0.10 inches

Year to Date Rainfall: 43.45  inches

NOTES: Today is the 175th day of 2014 and the fourth day of Summer. There are 190 days left in the year.

Readings taken at 0700 hrs Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily, just west of the Monroe-Conecuh County line, near Excel, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.42834°N Lon 87.30131°W. Elevation: 400 feet above sea level. CoCoRaHS Station No. AL-MN-4, Station Name: Excel 2.5 ESE. 

BUCKET LIST UPDATE No. 157: Watch “Lonesome Dove” (1989)

For a long time, I think I’ve been one of the few people still walking this earth who could say that I’d never watched “Lonesome Dove.” Based on Larry McMurtry’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, this 1989 TV mini-series is considered one of the finest Western movies ever made. It somewhat pained me that I’d never watched this movie from start to finish, which is why I put it on my “bucket list” several years ago.

Originally broadcast on CBS in February 1989, this mini-series consisted of four episodes. I’d seen portions of this movie, on and off over the years, but I knew that I’d never seen the entire movie, which is nearly 6-1/2 hours long. On Saturday and Sunday, I took the time to watch all four episodes and really enjoyed finally scratching this item off my bucket list.

For those of you who haven’t seen this movie or read the original 1985 novel, it’s set in the 1870s and is about a group of cattlemen, led by two former Texas Rangers, who set out to drive a herd of cattle from the Texas-Mexico border town of Lonesome Dove to Montana. Their lives seem to revolve around simple pleasures like good whiskey and the few women that live close by. Their lives are dominated by the tough environment, the constant threat of hostile Indians, violent outlaws, chance accidents and strong friendships.

Directed by Simon Wincer, the movie’s cast included Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones, Danny Glover, Ricky Schroder, Anjelica Huston, Diane Lane, Robert Urich and Steve Buscemi. This movie was a huge hit when it first aired on CBS and today you can buy the complete DVD set of the series or watch it like I did on NetFlix.

As you might have imagined, “Lonesome Dove” can be found on a number of “best of” lists, and one that caught my eye a while back was released by one of my favorite Web sites, “The Art of Manliness.” The list, called the “17 Best Western Movies” list, was released over a year ago and ranked “Lonesome Dove” at No. 5, right between 1952’s “High Noon” and 1960’s “The Magnificent Seven.”

Usually the book is almost always better than the movie, and I’ve had “Read ‘Lonesome Dove’” on my “bucket list” for a while too. I started reading it yesterday, but it’s going to take me a while to finish it since it’s over 900 pages long. So far so good, and I expect to be done with it in three or four weeks.

The book is also on a number of “best of” lists, including The Art of Manliness’ “Fiction for Men” reading list and Esquire magazine’s list of “75 Books Every Man Should Read.” The Art of Manliness also ranked it No. 89 on a 2011 list called “100 Must Read Books: The Man’s Essential Library.” It’s also a past winner of the Western Writers of America’s Spur Award for Best Novel.

In the end, how many of you have ever watched “Lonesome Dove”? How any of you have read the original novel? What did you think about them? Let us know in the comments section below.

BUCKET LIST UPDATE No. 156: Watch “Logan’s Run” (1976)

One of my favorite science fiction novels is “Logan’s Run” by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson. Published in 1967, this novel is set in a future in which no one’s allowed to live past the age of 30. Supposedly, for the betterment of society, those past 30 are put down to prevent overcrowding and to conserve resources. Those who fight or flee are tracked down by trained killers called Sandmen.

I read “Logan’s Run” for the first time several years ago and loved it. A short time later, I was discussing it with my brother-in-law, and he said he knew of a group of friends who celebrated their 30th birthdays by having "Logan’s Run"-themed birthday parties in which they actually watched the motion picture version of the book. It dawned on me that I’d never seen this movie, which is why I put it on my “bucket list” a short time later.

During the past week, courtesy of NetFlix, I officially watched “Logan’s Run” from start to finish, and it was actually better than I thought it would be. Directed by Michael Anderson, this 1976 movie starred Michael York, Richard Jordan, Jenny Agutter, Farrah Fawcett and Peter Ustinov. Not only was this movie nominated for two Academy Awards, but it also won the 1976 Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film.

If you’ve never seen “Logan’s Run,” be forewarned. It’s not a slick, modern sci-fi movie like you’d see in theaters today. The special effects remind me of what you’d seen in the old “Planet of the Apes” movies or from the old “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century” TV series. That’s not to say the movie isn’t any good. It’s just a little out of date by today's standards.

As you might have imagined, you’ll also find “Logan’s Run” on a number of “best of” lists. Not only did it win a Saturn Award, but it was also ranked No. 16 on Popular Mechanics’ list of “100 Best Sci Fi Movies.” This movie and novel also spawned a 14-episode TV series that aired on CBS, and that series was ranked No. 28 on Popular Mechanic’s list of “50 Greatest Sci-Fi TV Shows Ever.”

If you’ve never read the original novel, I highly recommend it. I read it in August 2010, and the novel is somewhat different than the 1976 movie version. In the book, citizens aren’t allowed to live beyond the age of 21. In the movie, citizens aren’t allowed to live beyond the age of 30. Also, in the book, the main character is named Logan 3, but in the movie, he’s called Logan 5. These are just two of more than a few differences between the movie and the book.

In the end, how many of you have watched “Logan’s Run”? How many of you have read the original novel? What did you think about them? Let us know in the comments section below.

The Evergreen Courant's News Flashback for June 23, 2014

Greening Lodge's officers for 2013-2014.

ONE YEAR AGO

JUNE 27, 2013

Local weather reporter Betty Ellis reported 2.18 inches of rain on June 17, .32 inches on June 18 and .10 on June 19. She reported a high temperature of 90 degrees on June 18 and lows of 67 on June 19 and June 21.

“Greening Lodge Nov. 53, Free & Accepted Masons, chartered in 1875, inducted its officers for the coming year during a ceremony Tuesday night at the Masonic lodge on Edwina Street in Evergreen. Pictured after the induction ceremony are Donald Salter, Senior Steward; Brian Crandall, Senior Warden; Danny Covin, Worshipful Master; Mark Godwin, Junior Warden; Jim McKinney, Junior Steward; James “J.B.” Franklin, Tyler; Lee Salter, Marshal; Wayne Ginwright, Installing Officer; Jettie Shell, Secretary; Phil Freeman, Chaplain; and Alex Pate, Senior Deacon. Not pictured are Gary Wayne Pate, Junior Deacon; Ben Peters, Treasurer; and John Potts, Historian. Meetings of the lodge are held on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month, staring with fellowship and refreshments at 6 p.m. and the meeting at 7 p.m.”

“Businessman and Tea Party leader, Danny B. Joyner, announced Tuesday that he is launching the ‘Faith-Family-Freedom’ campaign in his bid to represent the people of South Alabama in the Alabama Senate in District 22.”

16 YEARS AGO

JUNE 25, 1998

Local weather reporter Harry Ellis reported a trace of rain on June 15, .04 inches of rain on June 19, .06 inches on June 20 and .01 inches on June 21. He reported highs of 97 on June 18, June 19 and June 20 and lows of 67 on June 20 and June 21.

“Fleming inducted into FFA Wall of Honor: A Conecuh County teacher has been inducted into the Future Farmers of America Wall of Honor.

“David C. Fleming was honored by the FFA at its state convention held June 9 at the Montgomery Civic Center. Fleming taught in public school systems for 33 years. He was cited for being a Christian, a husband, a father, a grandfather, friend and dedicated teacher of vocational agribusiness education.

“He graduated from Coffeeville High School in 1943, served three years in the U.S. Navy and graduated from Auburn University in 1949.

“He began his teaching career in 1949 at Foley High School, where he stayed three years before moving to Evergreen. (He would go on to teach in Evergreen for 30 years.)

“Sgt. 1st Class Wayne Padgett of Evergreen is presented the Distinguished Service Medal of Alabama, the state’s highest military award, by Capt. Thurman Dennis, commander of the Alabama Army Guard’s state headquarters company.”

“Work crews are currently replacing the roof at Evergreen City School. The same was recently completed at Lyeffion Junior High School at the school system attempts to improve the existing buildings.”

31 YEARS AGO

JUNE 23, 1983

Local weather reporter Earl Windham reported .47 inches of rain on June 16, 1.33 inches of rain on June 17 and 1.11 inches on June 18. He reported a high of 92 degrees on June 17 and a low of 65 on June 12.

“The (Evergreen City) council approved a motion to purchase timers for the runway lights at Middleton Field Airport, upon the approval of the Federal Aviation Administration. The timers will allow pilots flying into the airport at night to turn on the lights from inside their planes. This will permit the lights to be turned off at night and by doing so, save the city money on electric bills. The estimated cost of $950 for the timers may be recovered in approximately 2-1/2 years.”

“Six members of 4-H clubs from the Second Congressional District were recently in Washington, D.C. to attend the 1983 Washington Focus Sessions. They are shown above with Congressman Bill Dickinson during a visit to Capitol Hill. The members and their leaders who met with the Congressman are Mrs. Teresa Williams, Assistant County Agent, Ozark; Katrina Riley, Evergreen; Tabitha Thomas, Luverne; Vanessa Joyce, Ariton; Congressman Dickinson; Casey White, Ozark; Kim Dennison, Elmore; Mrs. Margaret Sanders, Andalusia; and Britton McNeill, Evergreen. These 4-H members were in Washington as part of a group of 94 Alabamians who took part in the weeklong affair that was held at the National 4-H Center in Chevy Chase, Md.”

46 YEARS AGO

JUNE 27, 1968

“Clearing and construction work are underway at the Flxible Southern Co. plant. Soon a modern building will rise from the rubble resulting from the fire last Feb. 21 which caused almost total destruction of the plant.”

“The qualifying of Edward (Buddy) Evers for Place 4 on the Evergreen City Council leaves two councilmen, Dr. Joseph H. Hagood in Place 1 and Knud Nielsen Jr. in Place 5, without opposition. Evers will oppose incumbent Bob Bozeman.”

“Sheriff James Brock and ATU agent Roy Blount of Mobile confiscated a four-barrel whiskey still and 200 gallons of mash on Sunday afternoon in Nymph.”

“The Student Council, assisted by the Key Club, sponsored the construction of this handsome marker at Evergreen High School. The council committee, headed by Emmett Price and Tim Stinson, cleaned the bricks donated by Emmett and aided the brick mason so that the marker could be built at a small cost. Members of the vocational agriculture classes, under the direction of D.C. Fleming, will plant shrubbery around the marker in the fall. The Student Council is to be commended for their project which adds prestige to the ‘Home of the Aggies.’”

“Evergreen’s new telephone directory is being delivered this week, according to J.D. Kaylor, manager for Southern Bell.”

61 YEARS AGO

JUNE 25, 1953

“Strong winds Sunday night caused considerable damage at the Moonlite Drive-In Theatre some four miles out of Evergreen on the Booklyn Highway. Striking fiercely late that night the winds caused damage estimated at $1,200 by owner Bert Gorum and put the theatre out of business this week.

“Mr. Gorum has been working speedily to make repairs and stated Wednesday that the theatre would be back in operation this Sunday night when ‘David and Bathsheba’ starring Gregory Peck and Susan Hayward will be screened.

“The wind Sunday night completely destroyed the Moonlite’s screen ripping it into hundreds of pieces. A number of patrons were attending the show at that time but their cars suffered no damage.”

“Evergreen’s Newest Eagle Scouts are pictured above in front of the fireplace of the new Boy Scout Hut. The boys are John (Pete) Mosley and Sammy Robison. They were awarded their Eagle Badges, the highest Boy Scout rank, at a ceremony recently. Sammy was a 1953 graduate of Evergreen High School while Pete will finish next year and is one of the youngest Scouts to ever received the Eagle award here.”

“The United States Post Office at Evergreen will become a first class office Wed., July 1, according to Postmaster Mary R. Cunningham. The class of office is based on stamp sales, box rents, etc. and first class is the highest grade.”

“Mr. and Mrs. Byron Warren spent several days in Atlanta last week and attended the 50th Anniversary Dinner of Ford Motor Co.”