100-year-old news highlights from The Wilcox Progressive Era

Grave of Mary E. Tepper Starr in Camden, Ala.

What follows are 100-year-old news excerpts from the April l4, 1918 edition of The Wilcox Progressive Era newspaper in Camden, Ala.

THE WILCOX HOTEL – The Only Camden Brick Hotel – We are pleased to have Commercial Travelers and County People stop with us – New Beds and Furniture and a FIRST-CLASS TABLE. Rates $2 per day, Single Meal 50 cents – MRS. W.A. McLEAN, Lessee, Camden, Ala.

Make your plans to come to Camden on Monday, April 8, and hear William Jennings Bryan. Whether you agree with his views or not, he is the world’s greatest orator and you should not miss this opportunity to hear him.

The Board of Revenue met Mon., April 1, Judge P.M. Dannelly presided, with Messrs. W.J. Miller, J.S. Robins and J.M. McLeod present.

NOTICE TO PUBLIC: The Board of Education will meet on Thurs., May 16, to nominate principal for the Wilcox County High School and to attend to such other matters as may come before it. – O.C. Weaver, Superintendent Education.

Dr. K.A. Mayer and Mr. W.L. Jeffrey of Lower Peach Tree were business visitors here the past week.

FOUND: Between Rockwest and Camden, some money. Owner can get same by identifying same and paying for this notice. – H.T. Strout.

Total number of bales of cotton ginned, crops of 1917 and 1916 in Alabama. Quantities are in running bales, counting round as half bales. Linters are not included.

The total number of bales ginned in 1917 was 520,292 against 552,679 in 1916. In Wilcox County there were 7,693 bales against 4,118 bales in 1916.

Mrs. L.E. Starr, widow of the late Dr. L.E. Starr, died on Monday in Montgomery at the home of her son, Mr. Sam Starr. Mr. Paul Starr on receipt of news of his mother’s serious illness, immediately left, in company with Dr. E. Bonner, and reached her bedside shortly before she died. The body was brought to Camden, and funeral services held from the residence of her sister, Miss Annie Tepper, on Wednesday morning. Interment took place in the Camden cemetery. She is survived by two sons, Messrs. Sam Starr of Montgomery, and Paul Starr of Camden, and one daughter, Mrs. J.P. Primm of Canton Bend.

Mr. R.F. Stokes of Pine Hill was in Camden Monday. Mr. Stokes is one of Wilcox’s most efficient road overseers and is always interested in the betterment of roads. If every citizen of the county contributed as much interest and effort in the upkeep of our roads, we would have a system of roads to be proud of.

We, the undersigned merchants of Camden agree to close our places of business at 6 p.m. central time, excepting Saturdays, beginning April 15 and ending Sept. 1.

This does not bar us from returning to the store at a customer’s request to let him having something. In case that we find that we cannot keep this agreement, we will notify the other signers:

J.R. Liddell, Matthews Hardware Co., Camden Dry Goods Co., W.E. Cook, R.L. Hawthorne, Gilbert Jewelry Co., J.B. Holman, R.L. Spurlin, S.D. Moore & Co., E.O. Rentz, Duke Bros., A.C. Carlton, W.A. Dale, C. Miller, H. Miller, H. Marcus, Planters Hardware Co.