Friday, November 22, 2013

Monroe County's News Flashback for Nov. 22, 2013

'LaFayette Hall' at Perdue Hill, Alabama
30 YEARS AGO
NOV. 24, 1983

“Official returns from the special legislative election held Nov. 8 confirmed that Republican Bob French carried Monroe Count in the state senate race.
“French, of Jackson, had 1,234 votes here to Democrat Frances ‘Sister’ Strong’s 1,165. Mrs. Strong, however, won the race by carrying District 22 with about 52.6 percent of the votes.”

“Cedar Chase open house: Talking in the reception area of Cedar Chase, a new apartment complex in Monroeville designed for citizens 60 and older, are Raymond Owens Sr. of Owens Construction, the general contracting firm; Bill Jones, administrator of the adjacent Englewood Health Care Center and a partner in the Cedar Chase project; and Ray Coleman, also of Owens Construction.”

“Two old members of the Monroe County Board of Equalization and one new member were sworn in for a new four-year term last week by Probate Judge Otha Lee Biggs. “The reappointed members – Sam H. Williams and Charles Nettles, both of Monroeville – have both served one term. The newest member, W.J. Andress of Peterman, replaces Robert M. ‘Bob’ Stallworth Sr., who resigned last May for health reasons.”

45 YEARS AGO
NOV. 28, 1968

“Four Monroe County men will be included in the 344-man quota set by the state Selective Service System for the December draft.”

“Preparations are well underway for the annual Christmas parade in Frisco City which will be held Wed., Dec. 11, at 4:30 p.m.”

“Representative Gene Garrett of Uriah said this week that he will reintroduce a bill into the State Legislature in January to establish an inferior court in Monroe County.”

“Figures released by Probate Judge David M. Nettles this week show oil leases in Monroe County through Nov. 18 cover more than 42,000 acres.”

“Monroeville’s ‘Man of the Year’ and Monroe County’s ‘Farmer of the Year’ will be revealed during the Monroeville Kiwanis Club’s annual ladies’ night banquet Thurs., Dec. 5, at the Community House.”

“Four Monroe County girls listed as contestants in the Monroe County Junior Miss pageant Dec. 14 were named this week by James Byrd, pageant committee chairman.”
The contestants included Bobbie Gail Jones, Patty Kress, Carolyn Ward and Melissa Moore.

60 YEARS AGO
NOV. 26, 1953

“Final inspection for Monroeville’s new National Guard Armory, estimated to cost $95,000, has been set for next Tuesday.
“Commanding Officer of the local unit, Lt. Windell Owens, declared the battery should be able to move into the Armory by Dec. 7 and that dedication ceremonies will follow shortly thereafter.”

“Miles Jackson, local laundry owner and operator, has been named secretary-treasurer of the Monroeville Chamber of Commerce for 1954.
“The appointment was made known early this week by Dayton L. Russell, newly elected president of the Commerce group for next year.
“Other officers, in addition to Mr. Russell, are Norman Barnett, first vice-president; and L.L. Dees, second vice-president. Directors are M.L. Bergman, Merrill Hanks, Karl J. Lazenby, Isadore Katz, P.H. Stallworth Jr., George L. Nettles and John Finklea.”

“A total of 17,206 bales of cotton was ginned in Monroe County from the 1953 crop prior to Nov. 1, according to a report released recently by the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Census.”

“Names of seven Monroe County men who will be summoned to leave for Army induction on Mon., Dec. 7, were released this week by Miss Jewell Coxwell, clerk of the local draft board.”

75 YEARS AGO
NOV. 24, 1938

“Long Dry Spell Broken Last Friday: A heavy rain fell here beginning about seven o’clock Friday night and lasting until about seven o’clock Saturday morning. This was the first rain of any consequence to fall in this county since July. On the night of Aug. 27, a light rain fell but was not much more than a heavy dew.”

“Town Football Team To Play Frisco City Town Team Friday: The town football team of Monroeville will play the town team of Frisco City in a football game at Frisco City Friday night, Nov. 25. The kickoff will be promptly at eight o’clock.
“This should be a very interesting game and one which everyone will want to see, as some of the stars of other days will perform again to the delight of the fans. Come out and cheer for your favorite team.”

“Form Resident Dies In Texas: News was received here last week of the death of Mr. M.C. Wright, former local manager of the Alabama Power Co. Mr. Wright left Monroeville three years ago and has not been heard from until he was electrocuted when a live wire hit him last week. He was employed by the Texas Electric Co. under another name.”

“LaFayette Hall At Perdue Hill: As the traveler reaches the crest of the hill overlooking the Alabama River valley and visions the ridge at the horizon in the distance, on Alabama 44, U.S. 84, fourteen miles west of Monroeville, he is at Perdue Hill in Monroe County. Immediately to the left is the Community House, that identical old building erected in 1825, in Claiborne, a half mile west of its present site, in which on April 5, 1825, Marquis de LaFayette was entertained.
"Then, this building was the Town Hall and the second floor was used for the meetings of the local Masonic Lodge. The building served for that purpose over a long period of years and in 1883 was moved out on the hill, for even that early the doom of Claiborne as an anticipated metropolis had already been sealed.
“General LaFayette and his entourage, traveling by boat from Montgomery to New Orleans, spent the afternoon and evening at Claiborne and James Dellet, Judge Charles Tait, Arthur P. Bagby and many Alabama notables shared in his hospitality. A banquet was served in this hall and there was much oratory and other entertaining features. The building is now maintained by the Community Club of Perdue Hill, Monroe County.”

90 YEARS AGO
NOV. 22, 1923

“A.C. Lee, Esq. and Mr. J.K. Kyser attended the session of the Alabama Conference at Opelika last week.”

“Monroeville Wins Over Covington Hi: In one of the most bitterly contested football games ever played on the local gridiron, Monroe County High School defeated Covington County High of Florala, by a score of 15 to 3.”

“GINNERS’ REPORT: There were 9,049 bales of cotton ginned in Monroe County prior to Nov. 1, 1923 as compared with 10,990 bales ginned to Nov. 1, 1922. CHAS. N. NETTLES, Special Agent.”

“Messrs. H.L. Burgess, W.C. Neville and S.M. Lambert have been appointed by the governor as members of the county board of registrars.”

“Twenty-five miles of Little River to Bay Minette Road, the first state aid project for this county, have been approved by the federal authorities, of the U.S., estimated cost of about $196,000 for the stretch.”

“Mr. D.W. Dyal, a prosperous farmer of the Uriah neighborhood, was a business visitor to the county capital the first of the week.”

(The above news items were compiled from old, back issues of The Monroe Journal newspaper that are on microfilm at the Monroe County Library in Monroeville.)

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