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This was one of the times I was drawing a blank for column ideas. Among the many things I tried while searching for triggers was looking through my picture files on my computer. This picture of a group of men and boys in front of J.R. Parker's Store (I think from the 1930's) brought back memories of my time in McDavid, Florida in the 1950's and 1960's. In my time Parker's Store was ran by Mr. Parker's daughter, known to all of us as Miss Edith. Miss Edith also operated the McDavid post office...
The Old Stage Road provided an artery connecting remote communities in the piney wilderness of South Alabama. The mail hack, which ran twice weekly between Mobile and Greenville brought news, company and travelers to stage stops which were strung along the road about every 16 or so miles. The Anderson stage stop was one such stop. According to Lee Peacock's Dispatches From the LP-OP of May 7, 2014, the stop was located on the Conecuh side of the Middleton Road north of the Mixonville community,...
The two Hale brothers Olan age 88 and A.D., age 95 stand in the livingroom of the second Hale Family home located in the McCall community. The Hale brothers said they have named their community " Haleville" . This home, built in the mid 1950s is now uninhibited except for being used for Hale Family gatherings. Hanging on the wall behind the Hale brothers a painting can be seen of their original home. The original home built circa 1936 sat within a few feet of the house seen here where they...
The flu claimed the lives of 910 people in the United States in 2019, according to the CDC. In addition to the flu-related deaths, there were an estimated 16,000 hospitalizations, 800,000 visits to physicians and 1.7 million confirmed flu cases during the 2019-2020 flu season. This time of year is a prime time for the flu and other diseases to easily spread. However, there are several things people can do to help to fend off sickness. Helen Jones, an Alabama Extension human nutrition, diet and health regional agent, said according to the...
In the early days of Alabama the stage coach was king of the road. It was an era of virgin pine forests, unadulterated creeks and swampy low lands which could make travel lonely and dangerous. Many roads were constructed or improved for military purposes, such as the Old Stage Road. It has been said Highway 97 in Northwest Florida was an old British military road. The Fort Montgomery to Fort Crawford Road, which was situated high on the east bank of Murder Creek was another major transportation...
Often we think of some discovered building seen in our daily travels as simply a structure, but sometimes it is part of a long history. Along Highway 29 near the center of the county are a scattering of churches. Among the variety of denominations represented is the Aldersgate Methodist Church which is rooted in one of our oldest histories. Religion in early Florida under the Spanish excluded Protestants. In 1821 the new territory under the U.S. was established and that year the Pensacola Mission of Methodists began under Reverend Alex Talley....
Our time to pick violets was when the first one was found. Sometime around the end of February we started looking for violets. Best places were in the woods that had been controlled or purpose burned over. Usually the burns were done in the first months of each year so as to control the underbrush or have tender grasses for the free-range livestock that was part of our world. Circa 1946/47 the open range laws for livestock put citizen on notice to fence up the cows/hogs/goats etc. The years before, stock ranging about kept our woods trampled...
Atmore PRAYER BREAKFAST A Prayer Breakfast will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 18, at Atmore Community Hospital’s Mayson Auditorium, located at 401 Medical Park Dr. in Atmore. A $12 donation at the door or tickets can be purchased at Unity House. PARADE and MEMORIAL PROGRAM MLK Parade line-up is at 9 a.m., Monday, Jan. 20, at Houston Avery Park, parade starts at 10 a.m., ends at Emmanuel Faith Center, located 710 E. Ridgeley St. for a memorial program. Entry fee is $10 per unit for vehicles and $20 entry fee for parade c...
New federal regulations make it illegal for retailers to sell any tobacco product including e-cigarettes to people under 21. Adrienne Duke, a family and child development studies specialist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, said the new age limit reflects a national response to vaping. “Federal law supersedes state law, meaning in Alabama, the legal age to purchase these product increases from 19 to 21,” Duke said. “People who sell to minors face fines and potential jail time.” Vaping an Epidemic Duke said vaping is a widespread, a...
The Sea of Galliee and the Dead Sea both have the same water source. The water that flows into both of these seas originates in the Hermon Mountains among the roots of the cedar trees in Lebanon. It flows down clear and cool to form the Jordan River. Both the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea have the same geographical climate. They both are surrounded by similar soil. Yet, they are completely different bodies of water. The Sea of Galilee is a vibrant, life-giving source of water. It receives to give. It pours out its riches to enrich and...
The War Between the States (Civil War) had the dual effect of altering the fortunes of men and communities alike. Prior to the war, some rural communities experienced the spring time of their existence only to later find that existence cut short by the advent of war and history. Other small communities prospered for a time after the war due to a variety of reasons and eventually succumbed to other historical, social, and economic effects years later. Still other rural communities were...
As part of a group of ham radio operators that enjoys experimenting with high attitude weather balloons we are now getting ready to try a new adventure, this will involve using special balloons that have been known to stay up for as long as two years and circle the world several times. We have been successful with the high attitude balloons, such as the one we launched at the end of August last year, (2019). Our original intention was to send this balloon up to about 130,000 feet, but the computer models of the upper level wind currents at the...
Betty A. Jones, a Flomaton native, always dreamed of her poems and stories being told in a song. In high school, Betty wrote a song that gave her the idea to be a country music songwriter. A country song has to be written as a story so as to be sung in three minutes or less. Betty wrote her song, but needed a melody writer. She found that melody writer in her friend Joffrey Tullis, another Flomaton native. In the mid 1970's, Betty felt her time was right for making her dream of being a country music songwriter come true. The song was called,...
This time of year, too many crape myrtles are slaugh- tered. Homeowners go wild pruning these trees, possibly damaging and stunting their growth and beauty. Crape myrtles are a popu- lar choice because of the bright bloom colors of red, white, pink or purple. Pruning crape myrtles cor- rectly is essential for these qualities to flourish in the tree. Crape Murder Sadly, the wrong pruning techniques happen most often with crape myrtle trees. That is why many have called this practice crape murder. Gardeners often do not know how to properly...
Most people are familiar with the tales of cowboys in the Old West leading herds of cattle from Texas to places such as Kansas. Movies such as Lonesome Dove have characterized cattle drives from Texas to Montana and movies such as Monte Walsh (with Tom Selleck) have characterized the ruggedness and individuality that made the American cowboy a unique breed on the stage of world history. Yet few are aware that before the Old West cowboy entered the stage there was another type of cowboy in Florida. Florida’s first cowboys were known as C...
I've always called them gravel lakes. I thought of them as places to swim, boat and fish. The first gravel lakes I experienced were at Mystic Springs (near McDavid), and I've also spent a lot of time at the gravel lakes of Bluff Springs. There are also lakes along Old Flomaton Road in Century and probably other places in the area, but I have little experience with those. As a child and teenager I often walked with friends, brothers and cousins to the Mystic Springs gravel lakes to swim, play in...
Dear Friends, This being the first article for 2020, I want to tell you all some things I have planned for the New Year. First, I must tell you this is ending a complete two years of writing for The Tri-City Ledger under BYGONE TIMES. I never in a million years would have guessed I would write my memories for anyone but my children and grandchildren. That was my hobby for many years. I privately wrote stories with the intention of leaving my old yellow legal pads filled with information so my offspring would know what life I had lived and why...
The fuzzy Christmas cat sweater isn’t your style? It’s okay if the Christmas presents you received are not on par. Returning a Christmas gift can be a source of anxiety for Christmas gift-givers and recipients. However, there is no need to worry. Most retailers accept returns as a matter of normal business. Consumer Responsibility “Take a gift back as quickly as possible, even though many stores don’t have a time limit,” said Sharlean Briggs, an Alabama Extension family resource management and workforce development regional agent. “If possi...
11 years ago, on December 28th, we two innocents stood before Judge Jean Kirkland in the courthouse in Brewton, Alabama and vowed to love, honor and obey (ouch) each other until death and taxes came due. All he owned was a car and the monthly payment. Together we owned only our names and trust in each other and have tried really hard to keep them both good. So, with $500.00 dollars we head over to New Orleans (a.k.a. ‘Sin City’) to share a "lavish" two-day honeymoon. We were due back really soon to continue our factory jobs at Escambia Che...
Along Pecan Lane a series of old wood frame houses provide a historical context among the modern brick homes and Flomaton Speedway. Prior to the coming of Highway 113 this street was called Sardine Road and the community was known as Little Escambia. In the years before the Flomaton Speedway appeared a road ran parallel to the current highway. Some residents of the area wanted to call the community North Flomaton but the name Little Escambia became affixed to this quite roadside community which...
Hello dear readers. In this note I take the role of one of our society’s past leaders who was well known for her weekly greetings and current news, in order to report on a special event. Last week the society held our annual December meeting and Christmas party. There were about twenty members in attendance, a modest number for our society. The meeting began with the customary opening ceremony of pledges and prayers, and then a short welcome by Mr. Fischer which was followed by games, stories and songs. Diane and Agnes spent a large portion o...
12: Year End Review: At this time of the year, everyone seems to have a little time to take a breath and think back upon all of the moments that impacted them over the past year. At Escambia County 4-H, we have had a year with many moments which have made us thankful. These were a bunch of great memories and we hope to make a lot more great memories in 2020 with Archery Club (State Shoot April 25), the Calf Show (March 2), Swine Show (April 10), Summer Camp (June 8-10), RiverKids and Day Camps in summer, and much more!...
The letter in Ruth’s mailbox was unusual to say the least. There was no stamp on it and no return address. Immediately upon entering the door to her home, Ruth began to open the letter. The letter read: Dear Ruth: I will be stopping by for dinner tonight. I look forward to dining with you. Love, Jesus Is this some kind of hoax, she thought? Then again, what if it is true? For certain the letter had arrived with no stamp. “I will be prepared just in case he does show up,” she spoke out loud to herself. With that thought, Ruth remembered her empt...
The decades that followed the War Between the States saw dramatic changes in the way people conducted day-to-day business in relation to shopping and trade. Around the time of the war, salesmen would ride the rails or walk to the various towns carrying a variety of goods on their back or offering to sharpen scissors or knives for housewives. After the war, with the advent of sharecropping, the appearance of the old country store became a fixture in the rural South. During the same era older...
With Christmas on us I think back to some of my first Christmas holidays, like most other kids the important thing to me was being out of school for a couple of weeks. Waking up on Christmas morning and coming into the living room and seeing all those presents was about the only thing better than being out of school for two weeks. Our parents always tried to rush us off to bed on Christmas Eve night because they would be lucky if one of us didn't wake up before four o'clock in the morning. Of course when we got up they got up, in fact I...
