ILLINOIS CENTRAL RAILROAD BUILT IN HODGES IN 1906 AND
FIRST TRAIN WENT
THROUGH JULY 17
The Illinois Central Railroad that runs through Hodges
as built in 1906 and
1907. the first train went through on July 17, 1907.
the people used mules,
wagons and hand tools to build the railroads. They had
a camp to live in
where the pump house was formerly stationed at Hodges
Lake. A water tank
was built near the depot where the trains got water.
All the early trains
were steam engines. They used coal for fuel. The coal
was hauled on steer
wagons.
After the railroad was built, Hodges was born. The first
postoffice(sic)
was one and three fourths miles south of Hodges on what
is now Hwy. 187. It
was later moved to one half mile east of the present
City Hall. Mr. J. R.
SULLIVAN had a store there and the post office was located
in his store.
The first stores in Hodges was that of Jim MIXON in 1907,
Warren CARPENTER
in 1908, J. M. OSBORN and Bill SHOTTS who came from Shottsville,
U. D.
STIDHAM and Will GREEN, Claude BOBO, Elmer WIGINTON,
J. W. FARRIS from Bear
Creek, Dock LOVELESS and Bill COFIELD was cashier and
died June 24, 1934 of
self inflicted wounds.
The oldest house still standing in Hodges is the J. R.
SULLIVAN house just
of the highway across from Eva HAYNE's residence.
Over the past years, Hodges has had 4 doctors. The first
one was Dr.
SHERMON from Bear Creek. He stayed in the town for about
a year and then
returned to Bear Creek. Dr. GASGOW from Belgreen stayed
2 years and moved
to Russellville. Dr. MOORE was the doctor in Hodges for
several years. The
last doctor was Dr. FLIPPO who also stayed in Hodges
for a number of years.
He reared his family in Hodges and one of his sons, Wayne
FLIPPO still
resides in Hodges.
Now during the Bicentennial year, the little town of Hodges
is beginning to
prosper once again. They are expecting to have a clinic
in town sometime
during the first of July. the town has already gotten
a grant to repair and
get ready the 4 room apartment that was built for the
policement(sic) to
reside in. It will have 3 examining rooms and one
sitting room. The people
of Hodges are looking forward to having this clinic there.
The sleepy little town of Hodges, once had several booming
businessess(sic)
and industries. Some of the early industries included
the Grist mill that
for about 25 years (sic) grinding corn for meal for the
residents. He also
had a shoe shop located in the same building.
V. H. and Lawton GARY owned the cotton gin for a number
of years there. The
SCOTT Brothers owned the gins after the LAWTONS. V. H.
GARY also operated a
low mill and planer(sic) and did work for the public.
The first school house in Hodges was one half mil south
east of the present
City Hall. Somewhere around 1923 the present school house
was built about
one half mile north of Hodges. The school was discontinued
in 1970.
During this year of the nation's Bicentennial celebrations,
Hodges
residents can boast of the achievements of the little
town. They have city
water now, with a big water tank on the hill west of
the Hodges Lake. The
water was turned on in February of 1975. Mr. and Mrs.
Jake GOBER let the
town have the land to set the tank on.
There are presently two grocery stores, West Grocery owned
and operated by
Wendall WEST and Palmer Grocery owned by Mr. and Mrs.
Ira PALMER. Hodges
had a beauty shop owned by Mrs. Mary BAILEY, a Standard
Service Station
owned by James HARDIN, a garage owned by Bob TAYLOR and
a barber shop owned
by Elbert KENNEDY.
The PALMER Brothers Cabinet Shop is an asset to Hodges.
There they make
rafters and trusses for houses as well as cabinet work.
Also in town is
Associated Forest Products, a big lumber yard where lumber
is brought in by
train and delivered by trucks. It is operated by Fred
TETRO and assistant
Trumon SCOTT. Several men are employed there as well
s tow secretaries.
A cafe just recently opened in Hodges and is run by Mrs. Arthur DYER of Vina.
They(sic) mayor of Hodges is K. V. WILLIFORD and counsilmen(sic)
are:
elbert KENNEDY, Wendel WEST, James A. BRAND, Kenneth
NICHOLS, and Ronald
HOLLAND. The secretary and treasurer is Mrs. Barbara
WEST.
Hodges also has a beautiful land mark that people come
for miles to visit
and that is Rock Bridge Canyon owned by Mr. and Mrs.
Jasper AVERY.
The Journal-Record - Bicentennial Edition
Thursday, July 1, 1976
Section B, Page 11
SPECIAL ELECTIONS FOR AIRPORT AND SCHOOL IMPROVEMENTS HELD NOVEMBER 8, 1938
SPECIAL ELECTIONS FOR AIR PORT AND SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT
On November 8, 1938, a special election with A. G. COOK,
Otis ASTON, and W.
F. WHITE as managers and C. A. CADDELL, Hobson REESE,
clerks; and H. F.
BEASLEY, (returning officer), was held to see if the
town favored a
twelve-thousand bond issue to build a new Elementary
School and improve the
High School. In this election, a total of 257 citizens
voted, 108 for and
149 against, to defeat the proposed worthy project by
41 votes.
An interesting comparison of voting for a bond issue on
another project was
that of February 20, 1940, when the Town of Winfield
held an election to
see if the citizens favored floating an eight thousand
bond issue to
purchase the airport property and build an airport (Election
officials were
C. A. CADDELL, Howard DUNN, P. W. WESTBROOKS, managers;
Hobson REESE, Wyman
BOWLING, clerks and J. L. MOBLEY, returning officer,
283 citizens voted,
with 27(sic) votes for and only 12 against.
This bond issued passed in flying colors and on April
5, 1940, the bonds,
to highest bidder, were sold at Mayor's office to Brodnaz
and Company, Inc.
Lions and Kiwanis greatly aided in project.
1940 ELECTION ON SEPT. 16
Mayor James McDONALD succeeded himself as Mayor again
in 1940, and his
cabinet included Aldermen: Gaither TIDWELL, M. V. WHITE,
Sr., R. W. HARRIS,
Jr., Ivan HILL and Rayburn WEBSTER. Election officials
were: Claud CADDELL,
Geva CANTERBURY, Hobson REESE, Maurice COUCH, and Ferman
COUCH. TIDWELL was
made city clerk and Ivan HILL, city treasurer. THE MAYOR'S
salary was
raised to seventy-five dollars per month, F. H. COUCH
resigned as City
Marshall and was replaced by Fred BULL, and Lon MOBLEY
was hired as
policeman, also John WEEKS. both R. W. HARRIS, Jr. and
Ivan HILL resigned,
later, to enter military service of World War II. HARRIS
was replaced by
Claude CADDELL and Almon HOSCH replaced Ivan HILL. It
was also in this
period that Luther HOLCOMB was hired as policeman, then
replaced by Larking
STEWART. Marshall MAY had been named Fire Chief during
this period but was
elected to fill the vacancy of Rayburn WEBSTER on the
council as WEBSTER
also resigned because of military duty.
NEW BOARDS CREATED
With the war years, came new boards in Winfield, among
them the: War Price
Rationing Board begun March 1, 1943; the new Tax Equalization
Board, E. C.
HOLLIS, Charles T. LUNSFORD and Bud NICHOLS. The town
also let the Marion
County War Committee have the front office of the City
Hall for the
duration of the war, March 6, 1944, and paid five dollars
per month for
clerical hire.
Election officials for the City Election of September
18, 1944 were Willis
WARD, O. W. EARNEST and W. F. WHITE, Mayor McDONALD and
Aldermen TIDWELL,
WHITE, HOSCH, CADDELL and MAY all succeeded themselves
with TIDWELL as
clerk and CADDELL as treasurer.
J. E. SMITH replaced HOLCOMB as policeman during this
administration, and
later Dan W. HUDSON was hired as night policeman. G.
H. TIDWELL resigned in
1946 as Alderman and was replaced by M. C. HOLLIS, Jr.,
present Mayor of
Winfield.
A NEW JAIL BUILT IN 1936(sic)
On February 26, 1946, the Town Council passed a resolution
to build and
maintain a modern city jail, and on June 3, Will THORNTON
and George
THORNTON bought property from the town and agreed to
build the modern jail
and on December 1, 1947, an ordinance was passed stating
that W. S. and
George THORNTON would be exempt from special and admission
taxes at the
Pastime Theatre for a period of at least four years for
their part in the
construction of the new jail.
WATER SYSTEM PURCHASED
On March 25, 1946, the Council began negotiations to
purchase the Water
System from Warrior Water Works, and on June 3, they
entered into the
actual purchase agreement, the sale to be consummated
by noon on August 31,
1946, for $62,000.00. Ivan HILL, L. C. JOINER and R.
W. HARRIS, Jr. were
appointed to the Water Board of Winfield.
SEVERAL CHANGES, ORDINANCES
July 15, 1946, Town imposed a license tax on businesses
selling gasoline in
corporate limits, and another cigarette tax was imposed
as(sic) next
meeting; ordinance making pool halls illegal on December
2, 1946; January
6, 1947 Rayburn WEBSTER, Hill MOSES and A. L. HOLT appointed
as committee
for curb and gutter project which required the borrowing
of $6300.00 for
the project. Joe KILGORE, Hall IVIE, Joe and Jack GUIN,
and J. M. HIGHTOWER
were appointed as paving committee which required the
borrowing of
$3,000.00 for this project (to be repaid by cigarette
and gasoline taxes).
On December 15, a total of $16,000 had been borrowed
for curb and guttering.
There was quite a list of changes in the Police Department
at this period.
J. W. WESTBROOKS was hired at one hundred and twenty-five
per month and J.
L. MOBLEY's salary as Chief of Police was raised to one
hundred and fifty,
then reraised to one hundred and seventy-five. Joe PALMER
was hired at
WESTBROOKS salary. The(sic) Junior TYRA was hired at
$155 and Clarence
HARRIS raised to that same figure. In May 1947, J. L.
MOBLEY resigned and
on Mary 12, Fred BULL and Bud WARREN were both hired
at $150. Then HOLCOMB
resigned again and was replaced by V. P. SMITH at salary
of $110, plus
twenty dollars for use of his private automobile, and
Fred BULL was paid
twenty-five for use of his car.
On September 1, R. M. WILBANKS of Alabama Power met with
the council on the
Contract for the new street lighting system which is
enjoyed today. On
September 16, L. C. JOINER presented a petition for a
change of the town
government from Mayor and Aldermen to a City Commission.
TOTAL ASSETS IN 1946
The total assets of the Town of Winfield, on October
7, 1946, were listed
as $32,500.00 including eighty-five acres of Airport
land, two acres of
city park land and the Community Building, City Hall
and Jail, fire truck
and hose, and Chevrolet City truck with dump.
CIVIC-TOWN PROJECTS
On July 20, 1942, a committee composed of Miss Edith
EGAN, Mrs. Hazel
CASEY, Hershell ROBERTS and A. G. WILLIAMS, was appointed
to work with the
town council in the Winfield Cemetery maintenance and
beautification.
February 1941, the Kiwanis and Lions presented a town
Beautification
Project and asked the cooperation of the town.
COMMUNITY HOUSE AND SCOUT HOME ALSO COOPERATIVES
During the years of the W.P.A., Mrs. R. E. MOORE, Sr.
had hoped that in
cooperation with the W.P.A., that a Community House could
be built near the
famous Winfield Spring, in the area back of Grayson HILL's
Store, and she
had former Mayor Walter CURL had even drawn tentative
plans, but because of
some change in W.P.A. the plans were not completed. Then
in 1939, Mrs. C.
M. YATES, who served on the Marion County Welfare Board
with Mrs. R. E.
MOORE, Sr., told Mrs. MOORE of a possible cooperative
plan with W.P.A. to
get the proposed building. Mrs. MOORE met with Mayor
James McDONALD and the
Council on September 4, 1939 and plans were discussed
with P.W.A.
Authorities. It was agreed that the Town of Winfield
would furnish $2820.00
and the government would furnish $3,916.80. Mayor McDONALD
and Alderman R.
W. HARRIS, Jr. drove to Spruce Pine, Alabama, and agreed
to purchase the
natural stone from Griffin for $4.25 per ton, and a Mr.
HECK contracted to
build the building, located on the original City Park
property, which now
temporarily houses the Winfield Unit of Alabama National
Guard until the
new Armory is completed.
The Lions Club, along with the aid and permission of the
Town Council,
sponsored the modern building, also located on the City
Park property,
which is the home of the Winfield Boy Scouts. Plans for
this edifice were
begun in 1947.
On April 19, 1943, the Town governing Body also pledged
support of the
Winfield Hospital plans which will be related in full
in another story.
This was one of the really big projects involving all
clubs, officials and
the town which agreed on April 19, to doante(sic) $500.00
toward
construction.
MAYOR M. C. HOLLIS, JR. ELECTED SEPT. 20, 1948
Managers for the Town election of 1948 included P. WEBSTER,
J. B. BYARS,
Willis WARD, R. E. KIRKLAND, Charlie BULL and J. E. SMITH,
and Attorney Bob
MOORE had been previously appointed to draw up a list
of qualified voters.
Results of this election brought a new administration
including: Mayor M.
C. HOLLIS, Jr, who still serves today as Mayor of Winfield;
and Councilmen:
lbert(sic) HOLT, James T. PERRY, Rayburn WEBSTER, Charles
WHEELER and H. H.
WEST. The Oath of office was administered on October
4, and Rayburn WEBSTER
was appointed clerk and James PERRY, Chairman Pro Tem.
Attorney R. E. (Bob)
MOORE, Jr. was retained as City Attorney. The police
force included J. W.
WESTBROOKS, hired at $160 per month, Herman FIELDS later
replaced Dalton
GARNER at $150; and Johnny STOMPS at $125. Lee GANN and
Jack LEDLOW were
hired for streets, parks and town duties. E. B. BOLEY
was hired as Yuletide
police.
After meeting with the Board for several assemblies, the
Council agreed to
appropriate $24,000 within thirty days, and a special
tax was levied on all
motor vehicles, a one-cent tax on all bottled drinks
and a one percent
sales tax was passed on February 19, for the purpose
of raising the needed
funds for the new building cost. Later, an ordinance
to impose additional
special privilege or license taxes, and excise taxes
equalling fifty
percent of state sale and use tax, to be used solely
for building of the
Elementary School. This resolution also authorized the
Mayor and Clerk to
borrow $40,463 to complete the amount necessary to build
the school. Then
on May 19, 1952, the town purchased the property and
the remaining part of
the old school not destroyed by the fire for $15,000
with the understanding
that the money be spent for the lunch room, and a labortory(sic)
and
repairs of the High School of Winfield. then on December
30, 1952, the old
Elementary School boiler was sold for $800.00.
Plans for the modern school that stands today were drawn
out: built out and
opened for the first school term in August 1952.
OTHER CHANGES
November 7, 1950, Earnest MOSS was appointed to the Water
Board; R. E.
MOORE, Jr., as City Attorney, presented plans and maps
recommended to
extend the City Limits of Winfield; Rayburn WEBSTER resigned
from the City
Council and C. W. HUBBERT replace(sic) him, and Albert
HOLT was made Clerk;
Dalton GARNER replaced J. W. WESTBROOKS as Chief of Police,
and Cecil
TIDWELL replaced KIVETTE as policeman; M. L. LUCAS replaced
James PERRY on
the city Council after PERRY resigned; Ivan HILL was
appointed Director of
the Winfield Water Works Board.
1952 ELECTION ON AUG. 18
T. A. CARNES was manager of the 1952 City Election, and
other officials
included: Claude CADDELL, returning officer; and Charlie
BULL, Hobson
REESE, Pervy WEBSTER, inspectors; Jessie WARD and James
HILL, clerks. Mayor
M. C. HOLLIS, Jr. and Councilmen: A. L. HOLT, Odus SULLIVAN,
M. L. LUCAS,
C. W. HUBBERT, and Lymon GOOLSBY, who are serving at
the present time were
elected. J. Frank BURLESON was hired as City Clerk but
replaced by Mrs. R.
C. SIZEMORE on March 2, 1953. Mrs. SIZEMORE remains as
City Clerk, and Dan
THOMAS, former Alabama State official, serves as City
Auditor. R. E. MOORE
Jr., was retained as City Attorney but resigned after
he was appointed
Circuit Judge of the Thirty-First District. He was replaced
by Attorney
Earl a. ALFORD, Representative Rankin FITE also served
as Advisor to the
Council.
Other changes brought W. P. JORDAN as night policeman,
then later Herman
FIELDS and Thelton HOLLIMAN joined the police force;
then later Frank WEEKS
was also a member of the force. Sim TIDWELL was hired
as Cemetery Guardian.
In August of 1954, the Police staff included D. T. GARNER
as police chief;
and Vado KIVETTE and Thelton HOLLIMAN. The present Police
Department
officials include Chief Thelton HOLLIMAN; Assistant chief,
James O. VAUGHN;
Patrolmen, Arnold COATES; Hozie SIMMONS; David LEMONS;
and David OWEN.
City Street and Sanitation Department, Doug LYNN; Water
Works Department,
Dug REESE; Rescue Squad, Chairman, Beverly HOLLIS, Co-Chairman,
Mike
GREENE; Fire Chief, Ray WESTBROOKS; Assistant Chief,
Audrey RILEY and Laben
PERRY fireman.
Going back to 1953, other important projects begun under
the HOLLIS
Administration include the negotiations for getting the
Nation Guard Unit
here which began February 2, 1953, and at that same time,
plans were gotten
underway for obtaining ten acres of the Airport Land
for a new City Park.
Sparked by L. C. JOINER, the Winfield Chamber of Commerce
with the
cooperation of the Council, all businesses(sic) houses,
all civic and
social clubs and the entire populace practically, the
plans were carried
through for the City Swimming Pool which has been enjoyed
for the past two
summers. On June 29, 1953, L. C. JOINER itemized the
expenses of the
building of the pool at $9,342.80, and the Council appointed
Principals J.
S. BRINDLEY and Gordon CRAWFORD, Coach Estes HUDSON and
Duke WARREN as
Supervisors of the pool and recreation. Other clubs,
as revealed in the
individual club histories have carried out plans for
tennis, and other
courts for pastime at the park and barbecue pits have
been built at
appointed places. Under the Supervision of W. D. HUNT,
former Vocational
Teacher in Winfield, trees have been transplanted for
beautification.
It was also during this period that the Town officials
working with the
Chamber of Commerce, then under the presidency of L.
C. JOINER, and other
civic groups, weer able to located the Champ Trouser
Company on the spot
where the old Elementary School stood. Today, Winfield
Manufacturing
occupies this area. Completely remodeling the part of
the old school left
after the fire of 1951, the Champ Industry covered almost
the entire hill,
with the modern wings being added to the original building
by the City of
Winfield.
In September of 1953, Bill COTNEY, Ed Hollis Ivan HILL,
R. W. HARRIS, Jr.,
representatives of the proposed Winfield Livestock Commission,
met with the
Town Board and negotiated the purchase of the land adjoining
the Airport
for the building of the present Livestock Sales Barn
which has greatly
encouraged and raised the market for livestock farmers
in this entire
section (separate story by Mr. Cotney).
Also during this period, the City Limits extension was
planned and Winfield
Parent Teachers Association members conducted a City
Census which was
officially tabulated at 3,037 population, making Winfield
currently classed
as a city instead of a town, Mrs. R. SIZEMORE, City Clerk,
stated.
Besides the present City Governing Board and Police Department
already
listed, Sam COUCH, Homer HOOPER, Olen CUNNINGHAM, Parker
SPANN, and Billy
GILBERT, make up the Winfield School Board.
To sum up the story of progress, the words used by W.
W. (Bill) COTNEY and
Dr. R. L. HILL may well describe best, "Winfield is a
wonderful little city
filled with a cooperative spirit. When Winfield needs
something, the
citizens and clubs get behind the project; the city council
gets behind the
project; everybody gets behind the appointed leaders
and WE BUILD toward a
bigger and better PROGRESSIVE WINFIELD."
______________________________
Subject:
[ALFAYETT] Winfield Physicians and Dentists article
Date:
Mon, 20 Nov 2000 22:17:04 -0500
From:
Monya Havekost <MonyaH@conterra.com>
To:
ALFAYETT-L@rootsweb.com
The Journal-Record - Bicentennial Edition
Thursday, July 1, 1976
Section B, Page 8
DR. WHITLEY PRACTICED BEFORE WINFIELD WAS A TOWN
The first doctor, before Winfield ever became a town,
was Dr. James Moody
WHITLEY, according to many of the early citizens and
also positive proof of
this fact came from M. Reno McGAHA of Levelland, Texas,
whom the Journal
Staff had the fortune of meeting as he came through Winfield.
Dr. WHITLEY also served as part-time Methodist preacher
in those early
years before he moved to Texas, where he and his wife
died within a week of
each other. Mrs. A. W. GREEN, eighty-four years of age,
remembers Dr.
WHITLEY and a Dr. WOOD as the first two doctors.
Mrs. R. E. MOORE, Sr. had heard of a Dr. IVIE who practiced
in Winfield, a
short time, and Mr. and Mrs. Newt WHITHEAD knew a Dr.
Clark MORTON of
Fayette, who was in the town for a short period. Dr.
Jim Franklin EARNEST
was one of the very early doctors also. He took Dr. Ciscero
WHEELER in with
him and later Dr. EARNEST's son, Dr. Linwood EARNEST
also practiced in
Winfield until the time of his death.
Dr. Vandiver HILL practiced for a short time in Winfield,
as did his
brother Dr. Marcus HILL, who was an early dentist. Dr.
John RANDOLPH and
Dr. W. J. McCRARY practiced a short time here, with much
of Dr. RANDOLPH's
practice being in Brilliant.
Dr. R. L. HILL and Dr. M. C. HOLLIS came to Winfield,
in 1908 and set up
practice together upstairs over ODEN-SHIREY Drug Company.
Dr. HILL stated
that there were four doctors in the Winfield area at
the time he came in
1908, including Dr. W. J. McCRARY, Dr. W. J. COCHRAN
of Brilliant, Dr. J.
F. and Dr. W. L. EARNEST, Dr. R. H. BARNES came in 1912,
and practiced in
Winfield until his health forced him to retire shortly
before his death.
In 1909, Dr. HILL built his home and office next door
to McCONNELL's
Cleaners and practiced there a short time and then in
1910, he, Dr. HOLLIS
and Dr. Murray CURL (an early Dentist until 1912, when
he went to
Amarilla(sic), Texas) had adjacent offices upstairs over
the Winfield Bank
and Trust Company.
Dr. HILL said that he used a horse and buggy to visit
his medical patients
until 1914, when he bought his first Ford car. He last
buggy, a
rubber-tired one cost one hundred dollars and his horse
cost three hundred
and fifty dollars. Dr. HOLLIS also bought a car near
the same time that Dr.
HILL did, either before or after. Dr. HILL, Dr. HOLLIS
and Dr. BARNES all
made trips to Boston, Brilliant and far beyond besides
their practice in
Winfield. They served on many town and civic organizations
and in many
other capacities besides just medical practice, the stories
being given
under their individual histories.
A number of people thought Dr. HARKINS of Fayette, Dr.
Marcus HILL of
Carbon Hill and Dr. Murray CURL to be the first dentists
of Winfield, but
Mrs. R. E. MOORE Sr. had heard that a Dr. CHISHOLM was
the very first. Dr.
Murray CURL stated that he was the first dentist to ever
located in
Winfield permanently. Mr LUCAS and Mrs. MOORE also remembered
a Dr. BUSBEE,
and Mrs. MOORE said that a Dr. WOODBERRY was also in
Winfield, a short time.
Dr. J. L. CLINE practiced upstairs over HILL Drug company,
setting up
dental practice just after returning from World War I
and for many years he
was the only dentist in Winfield, serving also the people
of Brilliant,
Boston and surrounding areas. After World War II, Dr.
Frank SHIREY set up
dental practice in Winfield, where he remained until
leaving to specialize
in Orthodontistry. He sold his equipment to Dr. R. E.
FIKES, who has
continued to serve as Winfield Dentist to the present
time. Dr. SHIREY had
offices in Decatur for a period of time.
After World War II, Dr. Edwin COUCH and his nurse-wife,
the former Elouise
GABA, opened medical offices over the Alabama Power Company
in the PEARCE
Building, where he served many people until he built
his beautiful modern
natural rock clinic just north of the City Hall and next
door to the
Community House as it was years back. Dr. COUCH, the
son of Professor
Jessee COUCH, taught for a number of years before going
to medical school.
He was relieved by Dr. I. W. BANKSTON of Scottsboro,
for a period of one
year, while he returned to Tennessee to specialize in
Internal Medicine. He
later had Dr. H. A. CHILDS, and Dr. Fred CREWS who were
associated with him
in this clinic until Dr. CHILDS built his own clinic
in South Alabama and
Dr. CREWS took over the practice of Dr. R. C. CHRISTOPHER
who went into
military service, but Dr. COUCH continued his tremendously
large practice
alone for a number of years.
Dr. Robert SMITH, Birmingham surgeon, practiced in Winfield
a short time
after the old Winfield Hospital was built in 1949 but
returned to
Birmingham to practice. Dr. Thomas BOSTON and Dr. E.
P. MOBLEY of Tennessee
practiced at the Winfield Medical Center for a very few
months also.
Dr. Robert H. MASON of Hamilton, had offices in both Hamilton
and Winfield,
and practiced only surgery.
Presently Dr. James R. SHAMBLIN, Dr. Aubrey SEWELL, Dr.
John H. OVERTON,
Dr. R. K. SEHGAL and Dr. A. H. PARGHI practice in Winfield.
The only two dentists are Dr. R. E. FIKES and his son,
Dr. Jerry FIKES. Dr.
George H. MANN practiced in Winfield until his death
earlier this year.
DRUGSTORES IN WINFIELD
R. K. SHIREY of the ODEN SHIREY Drug Company said that
Harry McCLENANHAN
had the first drugstore in the early days of Winfield,
after the railroad
was built in 1887, and that the drugstore kept changing
hands until Henry
P. ODEN purchased it in the 1900's and after his death
the drugstore became
the property of R. K. SHIREY and O. W. ODEN and
their wives, who were
already associated with Mr. ODEN in the drugstore, and
it has continued in
the hands of the ODENs and SHIREYs and is known as ODEN-SHIREY
Drug Company.
In 1919, just after World War I, Dr. R. L. HILL and the
PEARCEs opened the
HILL-PEARCE Drug Company, and Dr. HILL, a short time
later, bought out the
stockholders and incorporated it as HILL Drug Company.
r. G. CARPENTER
first served as manager and later Alfred NEWMAN of Fayette
managed the
company until R. Fulmer HILL, son of Dr. HILL, succeeded
him. Mr. HILL had
his college work and degree, taught for a period of time,
and then did
post-graduate study before returning to take over the
drug business.
The HILL and ODEN-SHIREY Drugstores were the only two
in Winfield, until
Beverley HOLLIS, son of Dr. M. C. HOLLIS, opened the
HOLLIS Pharmacy after
Dr. HOLLIS built the HOLLIS Building in 1950. HOLLIS
later built a new
modern drugstore where he presently works. Mr. HOLLIS
had owned and
operated a drugstore in Russellville, for a number of
years before coming
to Winfield.
______________________________
The Journal-Record - Bicentennial Edition
Thursday, July 1, 1976
Section B, Page 8
DR. WHITLEY PRACTICED BEFORE WINFIELD WAS A TOWN
The first doctor, before Winfield ever became a town,
was Dr. James Moody
WHITLEY, according to many of the early citizens and
also positive proof of
this fact came from M. Reno McGAHA of Levelland, Texas,
whom the Journal
Staff had the fortune of meeting as he came through Winfield.
Dr. WHITLEY also served as part-time Methodist preacher
in those early
years before he moved to Texas, where he and his wife
died within a week of
each other. Mrs. A. W. GREEN, eighty-four years of age,
remembers Dr.
WHITLEY and a Dr. WOOD as the first two doctors.
Mrs. R. E. MOORE, Sr. had heard of a Dr. IVIE who practiced
in Winfield, a
short time, and Mr. and Mrs. Newt WHITHEAD knew a Dr.
Clark MORTON of
Fayette, who was in the town for a short period. Dr.
Jim Franklin EARNEST
was one of the very early doctors also. He took Dr. Ciscero
WHEELER in with
him and later Dr. EARNEST's son, Dr. Linwood EARNEST
also practiced in
Winfield until the time of his death.
Dr. Vandiver HILL practiced for a short time in Winfield,
as did his
brother Dr. Marcus HILL, who was an early dentist. Dr.
John RANDOLPH and
Dr. W. J. McCRARY practiced a short time here, with much
of Dr. RANDOLPH's
practice being in Brilliant.
Dr. R. L. HILL and Dr. M. C. HOLLIS came to Winfield,
in 1908 and set up
practice together upstairs over ODEN-SHIREY Drug Company.
Dr. HILL stated
that there were four doctors in the Winfield area at
the time he came in
1908, including Dr. W. J. McCRARY, Dr. W. J. COCHRAN
of Brilliant, Dr. J.
F. and Dr. W. L. EARNEST, Dr. R. H. BARNES came in 1912,
and practiced in
Winfield until his health forced him to retire shortly
before his death.
In 1909, Dr. HILL built his home and office next door
to McCONNELL's
Cleaners and practiced there a short time and then in
1910, he, Dr. HOLLIS
and Dr. Murray CURL (an early Dentist until 1912, when
he went to
Amarilla(sic), Texas) had adjacent offices upstairs over
the Winfield Bank
and Trust Company.
Dr. HILL said that he used a horse and buggy to visit
his medical patients
until 1914, when he bought his first Ford car. He last
buggy, a
rubber-tired one cost one hundred dollars and his horse
cost three hundred
and fifty dollars. Dr. HOLLIS also bought a car near
the same time that Dr.
HILL did, either before or after. Dr. HILL, Dr. HOLLIS
and Dr. BARNES all
made trips to Boston, Brilliant and far beyond besides
their practice in
Winfield. They served on many town and civic organizations
and in many
other capacities besides just medical practice, the stories
being given
under their individual histories.
A number of people thought Dr. HARKINS of Fayette, Dr.
Marcus HILL of
Carbon Hill and Dr. Murray CURL to be the first dentists
of Winfield, but
Mrs. R. E. MOORE Sr. had heard that a Dr. CHISHOLM was
the very first. Dr.
Murray CURL stated that he was the first dentist to ever
located in
Winfield permanently. Mr LUCAS and Mrs. MOORE also remembered
a Dr. BUSBEE,
and Mrs. MOORE said that a Dr. WOODBERRY was also in
Winfield, a short time.
Dr. J. L. CLINE practiced upstairs over HILL Drug company,
setting up
dental practice just after returning from World War I
and for many years he
was the only dentist in Winfield, serving also the people
of Brilliant,
Boston and surrounding areas. After World War II, Dr.
Frank SHIREY set up
dental practice in Winfield, where he remained until
leaving to specialize
in Orthodontistry. He sold his equipment to Dr. R. E.
FIKES, who has
continued to serve as Winfield Dentist to the present
time. Dr. SHIREY had
offices in Decatur for a period of time.
After World War II, Dr. Edwin COUCH and his nurse-wife,
the former Elouise
GABA, opened medical offices over the Alabama Power Company
in the PEARCE
Building, where he served many people until he built
his beautiful modern
natural rock clinic just north of the City Hall and next
door to the
Community House as it was years back. Dr. COUCH, the
son of Professor
Jessee COUCH, taught for a number of years before going
to medical school.
He was relieved by Dr. I. W. BANKSTON of Scottsboro,
for a period of one
year, while he returned to Tennessee to specialize in
Internal Medicine. He
later had Dr. H. A. CHILDS, and Dr. Fred CREWS who were
associated with him
in this clinic until Dr. CHILDS built his own clinic
in South Alabama and
Dr. CREWS took over the practice of Dr. R. C. CHRISTOPHER
who went into
military service, but Dr. COUCH continued his tremendously
large practice
alone for a number of years.
Dr. Robert SMITH, Birmingham surgeon, practiced in Winfield
a short time
after the old Winfield Hospital was built in 1949 but
returned to
Birmingham to practice. Dr. Thomas BOSTON and Dr. E.
P. MOBLEY of Tennessee
practiced at the Winfield Medical Center for a very few
months also.
Dr. Robert H. MASON of Hamilton, had offices in both Hamilton
and Winfield,
and practiced only surgery.
Presently Dr. James R. SHAMBLIN, Dr. Aubrey SEWELL, Dr.
John H. OVERTON,
Dr. R. K. SEHGAL and Dr. A. H. PARGHI practice in Winfield.
The only two dentists are Dr. R. E. FIKES and his son,
Dr. Jerry FIKES. Dr.
George H. MANN practiced in Winfield until his death
earlier this year.
DRUGSTORES IN WINFIELD
R. K. SHIREY of the ODEN SHIREY Drug Company said that
Harry McCLENANHAN
had the first drugstore in the early days of Winfield,
after the railroad
was built in 1887, and that the drugstore kept changing
hands until Henry
P. ODEN purchased it in the 1900's and after his death
the drugstore became
the property of R. K. SHIREY and O. W. ODEN and
their wives, who were
already associated with Mr. ODEN in the drugstore, and
it has continued in
the hands of the ODENs and SHIREYs and is known as ODEN-SHIREY
Drug Company.
In 1919, just after World War I, Dr. R. L. HILL and the
PEARCEs opened the
HILL-PEARCE Drug Company, and Dr. HILL, a short time
later, bought out the
stockholders and incorporated it as HILL Drug Company.
r. G. CARPENTER
first served as manager and later Alfred NEWMAN of Fayette
managed the
company until R. Fulmer HILL, son of Dr. HILL, succeeded
him. Mr. HILL had
his college work and degree, taught for a period of time,
and then did
post-graduate study before returning to take over the
drug business.
The HILL and ODEN-SHIREY Drugstores were the only two
in Winfield, until
Beverley HOLLIS, son of Dr. M. C. HOLLIS, opened the
HOLLIS Pharmacy after
Dr. HOLLIS built the HOLLIS Building in 1950. HOLLIS
later built a new
modern drugstore where he presently works. Mr. HOLLIS
had owned and
operated a drugstore in Russellville, for a number of
years before coming
to Winfield.
The Journal-Record - Bicentennial Edition
Thursday, July 1, 1976
Section B, Page 11
SPECIAL ELECTIONS FOR AIRPORT AND SCHOOL IMPROVEMENTS HELD NOVEMBER 8, 1938
SPECIAL ELECTIONS FOR AIR PORT AND SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT
On November 8, 1938, a special election with A. G. COOK,
Otis ASTON, and W.
F. WHITE as managers and C. A. CADDELL, Hobson REESE,
clerks; and H. F.
BEASLEY, (returning officer), was held to see if the
town favored a
twelve-thousand bond issue to build a new Elementary
School and improve the
High School. In this election, a total of 257 citizens
voted, 108 for and
149 against, to defeat the proposed worthy project by
41 votes.
An interesting comparison of voting for a bond issue on
another project was
that of February 20, 1940, when the Town of Winfield
held an election to
see if the citizens favored floating an eight thousand
bond issue to
purchase the airport property and build an airport (Election
officials were
C. A. CADDELL, Howard DUNN, P. W. WESTBROOKS, managers;
Hobson REESE, Wyman
BOWLING, clerks and J. L. MOBLEY, returning officer,
283 citizens voted,
with 27(sic) votes for and only 12 against.
This bond issued passed in flying colors and on April
5, 1940, the bonds,
to highest bidder, were sold at Mayor's office to Brodnaz
and Company, Inc.
Lions and Kiwanis greatly aided in project.
1940 ELECTION ON SEPT. 16
Mayor James McDONALD succeeded himself as Mayor again
in 1940, and his
cabinet included Aldermen: Gaither TIDWELL, M. V. WHITE,
Sr., R. W. HARRIS,
Jr., Ivan HILL and Rayburn WEBSTER. Election officials
were: Claud CADDELL,
Geva CANTERBURY, Hobson REESE, Maurice COUCH, and Ferman
COUCH. TIDWELL was
made city clerk and Ivan HILL, city treasurer. THE MAYOR'S
salary was
raised to seventy-five dollars per month, F. H. COUCH
resigned as City
Marshall and was replaced by Fred BULL, and Lon MOBLEY
was hired as
policeman, also John WEEKS. both R. W. HARRIS, Jr. and
Ivan HILL resigned,
later, to enter military service of World War II. HARRIS
was replaced by
Claude CADDELL and Almon HOSCH replaced Ivan HILL. It
was also in this
period that Luther HOLCOMB was hired as policeman, then
replaced by Larking
STEWART. Marshall MAY had been named Fire Chief during
this period but was
elected to fill the vacancy of Rayburn WEBSTER on the
council as WEBSTER
also resigned because of military duty.
NEW BOARDS CREATED
With the war years, came new boards in Winfield, among
them the: War Price
Rationing Board begun March 1, 1943; the new Tax Equalization
Board, E. C.
HOLLIS, Charles T. LUNSFORD and Bud NICHOLS. The town
also let the Marion
County War Committee have the front office of the City
Hall for the
duration of the war, March 6, 1944, and paid five dollars
per month for
clerical hire.
Election officials for the City Election of September
18, 1944 were Willis
WARD, O. W. EARNEST and W. F. WHITE, Mayor McDONALD and
Aldermen TIDWELL,
WHITE, HOSCH, CADDELL and MAY all succeeded themselves
with TIDWELL as
clerk and CADDELL as treasurer.
J. E. SMITH replaced HOLCOMB as policeman during this
administration, and
later Dan W. HUDSON was hired as night policeman. G.
H. TIDWELL resigned in
1946 as Alderman and was replaced by M. C. HOLLIS, Jr.,
present Mayor of
Winfield.
A NEW JAIL BUILT IN 1936(sic)
On February 26, 1946, the Town Council passed a resolution
to build and
maintain a modern city jail, and on June 3, Will THORNTON
and George
THORNTON bought property from the town and agreed to
build the modern jail
and on December 1, 1947, an ordinance was passed stating
that W. S. and
George THORNTON would be exempt from special and admission
taxes at the
Pastime Theatre for a period of at least four years for
their part in the
construction of the new jail.
WATER SYSTEM PURCHASED
On March 25, 1946, the Council began negotiations to
purchase the Water
System from Warrior Water Works, and on June 3, they
entered into the
actual purchase agreement, the sale to be consummated
by noon on August 31,
1946, for $62,000.00. Ivan HILL, L. C. JOINER and R.
W. HARRIS, Jr. were
appointed to the Water Board of Winfield.
SEVERAL CHANGES, ORDINANCES
July 15, 1946, Town imposed a license tax on businesses
selling gasoline in
corporate limits, and another cigarette tax was imposed
as(sic) next
meeting; ordinance making pool halls illegal on December
2, 1946; January
6, 1947 Rayburn WEBSTER, Hill MOSES and A. L. HOLT appointed
as committee
for curb and gutter project which required the borrowing
of $6300.00 for
the project. Joe KILGORE, Hall IVIE, Joe and Jack GUIN,
and J. M. HIGHTOWER
were appointed as paving committee which required the
borrowing of
$3,000.00 for this project (to be repaid by cigarette
and gasoline taxes).
On December 15, a total of $16,000 had been borrowed
for curb and guttering.
There was quite a list of changes in the Police Department
at this period.
J. W. WESTBROOKS was hired at one hundred and twenty-five
per month and J.
L. MOBLEY's salary as Chief of Police was raised to one
hundred and fifty,
then reraised to one hundred and seventy-five. Joe PALMER
was hired at
WESTBROOKS salary. The(sic) Junior TYRA was hired at
$155 and Clarence
HARRIS raised to that same figure. In May 1947, J. L.
MOBLEY resigned and
on Mary 12, Fred BULL and Bud WARREN were both hired
at $150. Then HOLCOMB
resigned again and was replaced by V. P. SMITH at salary
of $110, plus
twenty dollars for use of his private automobile, and
Fred BULL was paid
twenty-five for use of his car.
On September 1, R. M. WILBANKS of Alabama Power met with
the council on the
Contract for the new street lighting system which is
enjoyed today. On
September 16, L. C. JOINER presented a petition for a
change of the town
government from Mayor and Aldermen to a City Commission.
TOTAL ASSETS IN 1946
The total assets of the Town of Winfield, on October
7, 1946, were listed
as $32,500.00 including eighty-five acres of Airport
land, two acres of
city park land and the Community Building, City Hall
and Jail, fire truck
and hose, and Chevrolet City truck with dump.
CIVIC-TOWN PROJECTS
On July 20, 1942, a committee composed of Miss Edith
EGAN, Mrs. Hazel
CASEY, Hershell ROBERTS and A. G. WILLIAMS, was appointed
to work with the
town council in the Winfield Cemetery maintenance and
beautification.
February 1941, the Kiwanis and Lions presented a town
Beautification
Project and asked the cooperation of the town.
COMMUNITY HOUSE AND SCOUT HOME ALSO COOPERATIVES
During the years of the W.P.A., Mrs. R. E. MOORE, Sr.
had hoped that in
cooperation with the W.P.A., that a Community House could
be built near the
famous Winfield Spring, in the area back of Grayson HILL's
Store, and she
had former Mayor Walter CURL had even drawn tentative
plans, but because of
some change in W.P.A. the plans were not completed. Then
in 1939, Mrs. C.
M. YATES, who served on the Marion County Welfare Board
with Mrs. R. E.
MOORE, Sr., told Mrs. MOORE of a possible cooperative
plan with W.P.A. to
get the proposed building. Mrs. MOORE met with Mayor
James McDONALD and the
Council on September 4, 1939 and plans were discussed
with P.W.A.
Authorities. It was agreed that the Town of Winfield
would furnish $2820.00
and the government would furnish $3,916.80. Mayor McDONALD
and Alderman R.
W. HARRIS, Jr. drove to Spruce Pine, Alabama, and agreed
to purchase the
natural stone from Griffin for $4.25 per ton, and a Mr.
HECK contracted to
build the building, located on the original City Park
property, which now
temporarily houses the Winfield Unit of Alabama National
Guard until the
new Armory is completed.
The Lions Club, along with the aid and permission of the
Town Council,
sponsored the modern building, also located on the City
Park property,
which is the home of the Winfield Boy Scouts. Plans for
this edifice were
begun in 1947.
On April 19, 1943, the Town governing Body also pledged
support of the
Winfield Hospital plans which will be related in full
in another story.
This was one of the really big projects involving all
clubs, officials and
the town which agreed on April 19, to doante(sic) $500.00
toward
construction.
MAYOR M. C. HOLLIS, JR. ELECTED SEPT. 20, 1948
Managers for the Town election of 1948 included P. WEBSTER,
J. B. BYARS,
Willis WARD, R. E. KIRKLAND, Charlie BULL and J. E. SMITH,
and Attorney Bob
MOORE had been previously appointed to draw up a list
of qualified voters.
Results of this election brought a new administration
including: Mayor M.
C. HOLLIS, Jr, who still serves today as Mayor of Winfield;
and Councilmen:
lbert(sic) HOLT, James T. PERRY, Rayburn WEBSTER, Charles
WHEELER and H. H.
WEST. The Oath of office was administered on October
4, and Rayburn WEBSTER
was appointed clerk and James PERRY, Chairman Pro Tem.
Attorney R. E. (Bob)
MOORE, Jr. was retained as City Attorney. The police
force included J. W.
WESTBROOKS, hired at $160 per month, Herman FIELDS later
replaced Dalton
GARNER at $150; and Johnny STOMPS at $125. Lee GANN and
Jack LEDLOW were
hired for streets, parks and town duties. E. B. BOLEY
was hired as Yuletide
police.
After meeting with the Board for several assemblies, the
Council agreed to
appropriate $24,000 within thirty days, and a special
tax was levied on all
motor vehicles, a one-cent tax on all bottled drinks
and a one percent
sales tax was passed on February 19, for the purpose
of raising the needed
funds for the new building cost. Later, an ordinance
to impose additional
special privilege or license taxes, and excise taxes
equalling fifty
percent of state sale and use tax, to be used solely
for building of the
Elementary School. This resolution also authorized the
Mayor and Clerk to
borrow $40,463 to complete the amount necessary to build
the school. Then
on May 19, 1952, the town purchased the property and
the remaining part of
the old school not destroyed by the fire for $15,000
with the understanding
that the money be spent for the lunch room, and a labortory(sic)
and
repairs of the High School of Winfield. then on December
30, 1952, the old
Elementary School boiler was sold for $800.00.
Plans for the modern school that stands today were drawn
out: built out and
opened for the first school term in August 1952.
OTHER CHANGES
November 7, 1950, Earnest MOSS was appointed to the Water
Board; R. E.
MOORE, Jr., as City Attorney, presented plans and maps
recommended to
extend the City Limits of Winfield; Rayburn WEBSTER resigned
from the City
Council and C. W. HUBBERT replace(sic) him, and Albert
HOLT was made Clerk;
Dalton GARNER replaced J. W. WESTBROOKS as Chief of Police,
and Cecil
TIDWELL replaced KIVETTE as policeman; M. L. LUCAS replaced
James PERRY on
the city Council after PERRY resigned; Ivan HILL was
appointed Director of
the Winfield Water Works Board.
1952 ELECTION ON AUG. 18
T. A. CARNES was manager of the 1952 City Election, and
other officials
included: Claude CADDELL, returning officer; and Charlie
BULL, Hobson
REESE, Pervy WEBSTER, inspectors; Jessie WARD and James
HILL, clerks. Mayor
M. C. HOLLIS, Jr. and Councilmen: A. L. HOLT, Odus SULLIVAN,
M. L. LUCAS,
C. W. HUBBERT, and Lymon GOOLSBY, who are serving at
the present time were
elected. J. Frank BURLESON was hired as City Clerk but
replaced by Mrs. R.
C. SIZEMORE on March 2, 1953. Mrs. SIZEMORE remains as
City Clerk, and Dan
THOMAS, former Alabama State official, serves as City
Auditor. R. E. MOORE
Jr., was retained as City Attorney but resigned after
he was appointed
Circuit Judge of the Thirty-First District. He was replaced
by Attorney
Earl a. ALFORD, Representative Rankin FITE also served
as Advisor to the
Council.
Other changes brought W. P. JORDAN as night policeman,
then later Herman
FIELDS and Thelton HOLLIMAN joined the police force;
then later Frank WEEKS
was also a member of the force. Sim TIDWELL was hired
as Cemetery Guardian.
In August of 1954, the Police staff included D. T. GARNER
as police chief;
and Vado KIVETTE and Thelton HOLLIMAN. The present Police
Department
officials include Chief Thelton HOLLIMAN; Assistant chief,
James O. VAUGHN;
Patrolmen, Arnold COATES; Hozie SIMMONS; David LEMONS;
and David OWEN.
City Street and Sanitation Department, Doug LYNN; Water
Works Department,
Dug REESE; Rescue Squad, Chairman, Beverly HOLLIS, Co-Chairman,
Mike
GREENE; Fire Chief, Ray WESTBROOKS; Assistant Chief,
Audrey RILEY and Laben
PERRY fireman.
Going back to 1953, other important projects begun under
the HOLLIS
Administration include the negotiations for getting the
Nation Guard Unit
here which began February 2, 1953, and at that same time,
plans were gotten
underway for obtaining ten acres of the Airport Land
for a new City Park.
Sparked by L. C. JOINER, the Winfield Chamber of Commerce
with the
cooperation of the Council, all businesses(sic) houses,
all civic and
social clubs and the entire populace practically, the
plans were carried
through for the City Swimming Pool which has been enjoyed
for the past two
summers. On June 29, 1953, L. C. JOINER itemized the
expenses of the
building of the pool at $9,342.80, and the Council appointed
Principals J.
S. BRINDLEY and Gordon CRAWFORD, Coach Estes HUDSON and
Duke WARREN as
Supervisors of the pool and recreation. Other clubs,
as revealed in the
individual club histories have carried out plans for
tennis, and other
courts for pastime at the park and barbecue pits have
been built at
appointed places. Under the Supervision of W. D. HUNT,
former Vocational
Teacher in Winfield, trees have been transplanted for
beautification.
It was also during this period that the Town officials
working with the
Chamber of Commerce, then under the presidency of L.
C. JOINER, and other
civic groups, weer able to located the Champ Trouser
Company on the spot
where the old Elementary School stood. Today, Winfield
Manufacturing
occupies this area. Completely remodeling the part of
the old school left
after the fire of 1951, the Champ Industry covered almost
the entire hill,
with the modern wings being added to the original building
by the City of
Winfield.
In September of 1953, Bill COTNEY, Ed Hollis Ivan HILL,
R. W. HARRIS, Jr.,
representatives of the proposed Winfield Livestock Commission,
met with the
Town Board and negotiated the purchase of the land adjoining
the Airport
for the building of the present Livestock Sales Barn
which has greatly
encouraged and raised the market for livestock farmers
in this entire
section (separate story by Mr. Cotney).
Also during this period, the City Limits extension was
planned and Winfield
Parent Teachers Association members conducted a City
Census which was
officially tabulated at 3,037 population, making Winfield
currently classed
as a city instead of a town, Mrs. R. SIZEMORE, City Clerk,
stated.
Besides the present City Governing Board and Police Department
already
listed, Sam COUCH, Homer HOOPER, Olen CUNNINGHAM, Parker
SPANN, and Billy
GILBERT, make up the Winfield School Board.
To sum up the story of progress, the words used by W.
W. (Bill) COTNEY and
Dr. R. L. HILL may well describe best, "Winfield is a
wonderful little city
filled with a cooperative spirit. When Winfield needs
something, the
citizens and clubs get behind the project; the city council
gets behind the
project; everybody gets behind the appointed leaders
and WE BUILD toward a
bigger and better PROGRESSIVE WINFIELD."
Monya,
That was so interesting. A sad note to this article
is that the Illinois
Central RR has gone out of business. The tracks
have been taken up. I
don't remember the Doodle Bug, but in my mind, I can
still hear the sound of
an old freight going down the tracks of the IC from where
we lived. Vina
School was near the tracks and we children one run down
to the end of the
athletic field to wave at the engineers, etc. when the
trains passed by.
Thanks so much for posting these articles.
I have a video of Marion County which my cousin purchased
and sent to me.
The title is "Historical Sites of Marion County, PrimeTime
Productions,
Copyright 1998. It mentions the IC RR and shows
a picture of the trestle
which has now been torn down. The video features
many sites in Marion
County as well as interviews with citizens. I have
no idea if the video is
still for sale nor where to purchase it.
Jimmie
----- Original Message -----
From: "Monya Havekost" <MonyaH@conterra.com>
To: <ALMARION-L@rootsweb.com>
Sent: Friday, November 17, 2000 8:43 PM
Subject: [ALMARION] Doddle Bug article
> The Journal-Record - Bicentennial Edition
> Thursday, July 1, 1976
> Section B, Page 1
>
> "DODDLE BUG" WAS ONCE THE ONLY TRANSPORTATION
>
> When you mention "Doddle Bug" in the presence of anyone
who grew up around
> Haleyville, Hackleburg, Hodges, Vina or any of the
way stations between
> Haleyville and Corinth, the term evokes a nostalgic
memory, especially
> during this Bicentennial year, when memories bring
back the past 200 years
> of the Nation's history.
>
> The area was always railroad-oriented, because a good
number of the men
> worked for the Illinois Central.
>
> Beginning in 1903, when the first Illinois-Central
train puffed across the
> Brushy Creek Trestle north of Hackleburg, and ending
in 1941 when the
> little local ceased being listed in the timetable of
the I.C., the "Doodle
> Bug", as it was affectionately known to the people,
served a multiple
> purpose.
>
> It was made up in Haleyville, and began its run at
7 a.m.
>
> Once a week, Dr. John ROBINSON, a Haleyville dentist,
rode it to
Hackleburg
> and spent the day working. (His son Fred, remembers
going with Dr. John,
> and trembling with fear as the train slowed and swayed
across the 200-foot
> wooden trestle.)
>
> Along the route, children flagged the train and rode
it in to Hackleburg
> to attend school, catching it back home on its late-afternoon
return trip.
>
> Twice a year, spring and fall, mothers took their children
up to Corinth
to
> outfit them with clothing. Business-men rode up to
Corinth to do their
> banking, there being no easily-accessible bank nearer.
Cotton-growers took
> samples to the brokers in Corinth, and sick people
rode up to see doctors
> there.
>
> Not all the traffic was of a business-type, however.
>
> Whole school classes caught the "Dood" and went on
class-picnics. One
local
> lady in Hackleburg recalls riding two miles out to
Wiginton in the
morning,
> spending the day with a friend, and riding back in
the evening.
>
> Couples would go up to Corinth on a fine Sunday, eat
lunch, stroll around
> town or otherwise entertain themselves until time for
the return-run at 5
> p.m.
>
> Mrs. Margaret PARKER of Fayette now 90 years young,
whose husband was
> engineer on the train, says that her daughters and
their friends were
> considered most fortunate, because they were allowed
to ride the train on
> into the yards where it was run onto the round-table
to be turned about
for
> its return-run.
>
> And Bill BEDFORD, a Russellville attorney, remembers
being allowed to ride
> in the cab of the engine when he was about two years
old: a highpoint, he
> assures you.
>
> Other faster, more luxurious trains ran the I. C. rails,
such as the
> Seminole, and the city of Miami.
>
> But the little "Doodle-Bug", with its engine, mail
and baggage car, and
its
> passenger car is the one everyone remembers with undying
affection.
>
> The Illinois Central has merged with the Gulf, becoming
the Illinois
> Central Gulf Railroad; the long wooden trestle has
been long-since
replaced
> with one of steel; and paved roads and modern automobiles
have obviated
the
> necessity of the local.
>
> The ICG's press representative says that no pictures
of the little local
> exist in his files; but there are many mental pictures
in the minds of
> those who rode it.
>
>
The Journal-Record - Bicentennial Edition
Thursday, July 1, 1976
Section B, Page 2
EDUCATION HAS MADE GREAT STRIDES IN MARION COUNTY
Education had made great strides of progress in all the
sections of Alabama
and Marion County and this is certainly true in Winfield,
also, as is
evidenced in the buildings and methods of teaching today
compared to the
first schools in Winfield.
No record is available as to where the very first settlers
attended school,
but after the railroad was built in 1887, and more families
began to
migrate to the small town of Winfield, almost immediately
the few citizens
saw the need of providing schools for their children.
It seems well established that Mrs. Mattie EARNEST, under
the principalship
of a Mr. GARRETT.(sic) She began her teaching career
in 1889 as Miss Mattie
WESSON, after completing her college work at the Florence
Normal. The
former Miss WESSON and Mr. GARRETT taught in the old
school south of the
Methodist Church, near the home of Mrs. Mary SMITH, and
Miss WESSON served
as assistant principal along with her classroom teaching.
Some of the first students in this school were also some
of the earliest
settlers who were then in their teens or some above that
age. Included
were: Mr. and Mrs. Newt WHITEHEAD, Mrs. M. W. HARRIS
(Then Jo WHITEHEAD),
Bob WHEELER, Cora WARD, and Jesse COUCH, who later became
principal of the
Brilliant and Winfield Schools. Lynwood EARNEST, who
was also a student of
"Miss Mattie", later married his teacher, then went to
medical school and
returned to practice in Winfield for many years. He was
the son of Dr. J.
F. EARNEST, one of the earliest doctors of Winfield.
Miss Mattie resigned from teaching after her marriage
and later wrote for a
number of magazines and other publications. She died
on January 14, of this
year, after reaching the age of eighty-four.
This first school was a plank building, one large room,
that was built with
funds raised by the citizens, according to Mrs. Newt
WHITEHEAD.
John WINDOM was believed to be the next teacher in the
same building until
the time it burned in 1893. After this time, school was
held in the
churches and among the teachers in those year were Professor
ZEIGLER,
Professor Hass SHERER, according to Mr.s R. E. MOORE,
Sr. and Dr. R. K.
SHIREY taught in the Church of Christ. Others were: (If
more are membered).
Continuing in the churches until the early 1900's, the
next school was
built next to where Mrs. VANN now lives. John McKENZIE
and also Professor
J. H. COUCH taught there according to Mrs. R. E. MOORE,
Sr.
The third school building was built near the home of Albert
HOLT and the
Chiropractic Clinic of Dr. Boyd JACKSON in South Winfield.
Mrs. MOORE said
that J. H. COUCH, Humphrey BISHOP, and C. R. WELDEN were
there with Mr.
WELDEN as principal. Al the teachers in that school were
not available but
a list taken from the School Booklet printed in 1812-13-14
listed C. R.
WELDEN as principal; C. D. HUGHES, assistant principal;
Mrs. Fannie BEEKER,
Second assistant; Miss Corinne TUTHILL, Primary Department;
and Miss Anice
BOYSTON, Music department.
The Board of Education during that year included: J. R.
COCHRAN, Chairman;
Dr. R. L. HILL, secretary and treasurer; T. C. McCLESKEY,
M. S. ASTON, and
R. F. WHEELER.
In this same school, Mrs. R. E. MOORE, Sr., then Miss
Jennie Lee REESE,
began her teaching career in Winfield in 1908, after
she had received her
degree from the Florence College in 1906 and taught in
Walker County for
two years. Mrs. MOORE taught in this school from 1908
to 1912, the year of
her marriage to Mr. MOORE, then of Brilliant and Engineer
on the Illinois
Central Railroad.
Mrs. O. W. ODEN, then Miss Nora EZZELL of Belgreen, also
began her teaching
in this same school in 1914, and taught for two years
and until her
marriage to O. W. ODEN who was connected with the drugstore.
Principal WELDEN was instrumental in getting the larger
school built where
the Winfield Manufacturing Company now has its factory.
This school served
the children of Winfield from 1916 until the time it
was almost completely
destroyed by fire on the night of January 8, 1951.
According to Mrs. MOORE, the principals who served this
school, included C.
R. WELDEN, Humphrey BISHOP, John KUYKENDALL, a Mr. MILLICAN,
William MOORE,
J. H. COUCH and Gordon CRAWFORD, the principal who was
serving at the time
the building burned and is the principal in the new ultra-modern
Winfield
Elementary School which was enlarged the summer of 1955.
After the building burned in 1951, the grades were again
taught in churches
and the small remaining part of the school which did
not burn.
The new building was built in 1951 and opened for the
first school term in
August of 1952. It contained one of the most modern and
well-equipped of
lunchrooms, large beautiful entrance, principal's office
and teacher's
lounge, nice rest rooms, library music room, and classrooms
for the six
grades and small private piano room which was used by
the Kindergarten
during the past year. The addition of four classrooms
and possibly another
was completed during summer 1955. These new rooms housed
the three first
grade classes had Kindergarten with separate bathrooms
for the different
rooms which indeed was an asset to the growing school.
Mr. William MOORE, who came to Winfield in 1923 and served
as principal of
the Elementary and High School for a period of twelve
years. He was
instrumental in getting the present Winfield High School
built in 1925 and
served as the first principal, and Miss Zora ELLIS, a
past A.E.A.
president, taught English in the school during its first
term.
The High School principals since Mr. MOORE, have been:
C. C. EDMONDSON, R.
J. LAWRENCE, A. C. WALKER and J. S. BRINDLEY. Additions
have also been made
to the high school since its original structure was built
in 1925,
including the Home Economics Department, a gymnasium.
On the present school board are Sam COUCH; Olen CUNNINGHAM,
Homer HOOPER,
Parker SPANN, and Billy GILBERT.
A most sentimental part of the Winfield Education system
is the fact that
many of the present faculty members are descendants of
some of the very
first families in the town of Winfield. And another important
factor in the
Progress of Education in Winfield, is the great support
of the City
Governing body and the cooperative citizens who designate
special taxes
earmarked for the improvement and progress of the schools,
such as was
evidenced in the program for meeting the city funds for
much of the recent
building.
The Estes Hudson Stadium is another example of public
spirited cooperation
and support of the citizens as the Winfield Stadium is
one of the most
modern in this section and the support which has been
given to the Winfield
High School Band.
LOAN FUNDS
There will be no shortage of loan funds in he(sic) Southeast
this year, but
lenders will be concerned about the ability of borrowers
to repay and will
supervise loans closely. Following the pattern in all
of the U. S.,
interest rates on farm loans will stay high.
______________________________
Subject:
[ALFAYETT] Doddle Bug article
Date:
Fri, 17 Nov 2000 21:43:59 -0500
From:
Monya Havekost <MonyaH@conterra.com>
To:
ALFAYETT-L@rootsweb.com
The Journal-Record - Bicentennial Edition
Thursday, July 1, 1976
Section B, Page 1
"DODDLE BUG" WAS ONCE THE ONLY TRANSPORTATION
When you mention "Doddle Bug" in the presence of anyone
who grew up around
Haleyville, Hackleburg, Hodges, Vina or any of the way
stations between
Haleyville and Corinth, the term evokes a nostalgic memory,
especially
during this Bicentennial year, when memories bring back
the past 200 years
of the Nation's history.
The area was always railroad-oriented, because a good
number of the men
worked for the Illinois Central.
Beginning in 1903, when the first Illinois-Central train
puffed across the
Brushy Creek Trestle north of Hackleburg, and ending
in 1941 when the
little local ceased being listed in the timetable of
the I.C., the "Doodle
Bug", as it was affectionately known to the people, served
a multiple
purpose.
It was made up in Haleyville, and began its run at 7 a.m.
Once a week, Dr. John ROBINSON, a Haleyville dentist,
rode it to Hackleburg
and spent the day working. (His son Fred, remembers going
with Dr. John,
and trembling with fear as the train slowed and swayed
across the 200-foot
wooden trestle.)
Along the route, children flagged the train and rode it
in to Hackleburg
to attend school, catching it back home on its late-afternoon
return trip.
Twice a year, spring and fall, mothers took their children
up to Corinth to
outfit them with clothing. Business-men rode up to Corinth
to do their
banking, there being no easily-accessible bank nearer.
Cotton-growers took
samples to the brokers in Corinth, and sick people rode
up to see doctors
there.
Not all the traffic was of a business-type, however.
Whole school classes caught the "Dood" and went on class-picnics.
One local
lady in Hackleburg recalls riding two miles out to Wiginton
in the morning,
spending the day with a friend, and riding back in the
evening.
Couples would go up to Corinth on a fine Sunday, eat lunch,
stroll around
town or otherwise entertain themselves until time for
the return-run at 5
p.m.
Mrs. Margaret PARKER of Fayette now 90 years young, whose
husband was
engineer on the train, says that her daughters and their
friends were
considered most fortunate, because they were allowed
to ride the train on
into the yards where it was run onto the round-table
to be turned about for
its return-run.
And Bill BEDFORD, a Russellville attorney, remembers being
allowed to ride
in the cab of the engine when he was about two years
old: a highpoint, he
assures you.
Other faster, more luxurious trains ran the I. C. rails,
such as the
Seminole, and the city of Miami.
But the little "Doodle-Bug", with its engine, mail and
baggage car, and its
passenger car is the one everyone remembers with undying
affection.
The Illinois Central has merged with the Gulf, becoming
the Illinois
Central Gulf Railroad; the long wooden trestle has been
long-since replaced
with one of steel; and paved roads and modern automobiles
have obviated the
necessity of the local.
The ICG's press representative says that no pictures of
the little local
exist in his files; but there are many mental pictures
in the minds of
those who rode it.
______________________________
Subject:
[ALFAYETT] Farming/Experimental Station article
Date:
Fri, 17 Nov 2000 23:03:16 -0500
From:
Monya Havekost <MonyaH@conterra.com>
To:
ALFAYETT-L@rootsweb.com
Not much in the way of geneaology information here, but
a glimpse into the
issues that affected the livelihood of many of our families.
Monya
The Journal-Record - Bicentennial Edition
Thursday, July 1, 1976
Section B, Page 1
FROM BROON(sic) SEDGE, BRIERS, AND GULLIES, BILL COTNEY
RELATES ABOUT THE
FARMER'S
The Upper Coastal Plain Substation, usually referred to
locally as the
Experiment Station, is one of eight such branch stations
in the Alabama
Experiment Station System of the Alabama Polyechnic(sic)
Institute -- one
being located in each of the major soil areas of the
state.
This station was created by an act of the 1943 Alabama
Legislature. Work
was started on January 1, 1945. It contains 735 acres
of land of which
about 475 acres are in crops of all kinds. Some seventeen
different soil
types are found on the station, being one of the main
reasons for the
selection of this particular block of land for the station.
The land was
bought and donated to the Alabama Experiment Station
of Fayette County.
Funds for the operation of it come from an annual appropriation
made by the
Alabama Legislature to the Alabama Polytechnic Institute
for this
particular station, and from the sale of products produced
and sold from it.
At the time operation was started, some two-thirds of
the open land was
idle and producing only broom sedge, briers and brush.
Some of it was badly
gullied. As funds, facilities, and labor would permit,
this has been
reclaimed and planted to the crop or crops thought best
for the particular
area involved.
Results of this have brought some surprises. Some of the
land, once
considered very poor, when brought into cultivation,
reasonably well
fertilized and with winter legumes included in the rotation,
is now
producing fairly high yields of cotton, corn, oats, and
other crops.
Hillside land, once producing sedge and brush, is now
producing good
services for hay and grazing. Bottom land have been cleared,
fertilized and
limes, planted to permanent pasture crops, and are now
producing excellent
grazing for cattle. Other areas have ben left in timber.
All of this brings
to our attention the fact that all of the land in the
Upper Coastal Plain
soil area, when planted to adapted crops, fertilized
and limed as needed,
and with reasonable management, will produce additional
imcome(sic) to add
to the agricultural wealth of the area.
A few years ago, cotton brought in most of the cash income
to farms in this
area. In planning the work on this station, it was felt
by those in charge,
that cotton faced a decline in acreage. this happened
to the extent that in
1953, with no acreage controls, only about fifteen percent
of the open land
in the Upper Coastal Plain soil area was planted to cotton.
This year, with
cotton acreage controls, it is even less. This simply
means that additional
income must be gotten from those acres not in cotton
if we are to have a
reasonably decent income. On most farms this means adding
livestock and
livestock products suited to the farm feed production
program to convert
this feed into ta salable product. With this in mind,
most of the work on
this station has been directed toward the development
of feed production
programs that would support the production of hogs, milk,
eggs and beef.
For instance, work on this station has established that
about an acre of
good alfalfa and an acre of crimson clover is sufficient
to furnish grazing
most of the year for a sow and her two litters of pigs
per year grown out
to market size. Other crops, such as white clover, oats,
kudzu, etc., in
their session will do about as good job. Earlier work
on other stations had
already established the fact that good green grazing
would reduce the corn
required to grow a market hog by nearly one-half. Also
work on this station
has shown that corn can be efficiently hogged off in
the field. On the
other hand, tests have shown that grain sorghum is not
hogged off
efficiently, but should be combined and fed to hogs.
In the production of milk, it has been found that much
hillside land
planted to sericea can be used profitably for hay and
grazing. At the same
time it has been found that sericea is not too good as
a grazing crop for
milking cows during the summer and fall dry periods.
During these periods
it needs supplementing with sudan grass, kudzu alfalfa,
or other grazing
crops to help maintain milk production. However, beef
cattle will maintain
themselves on sericea during these dry periods better
than dairy cattle.
Work with poultry has established the fact that more than
seventy percent
of the feed that laying hens will eat can be home-grown
in the form of oats
and corn.
Other work being done included the continuous testing
of new and old
varieties of cotton, corn, oats, wheat, grain, sorghum,
alfalfa, pasture
and other crops to find those varieties best suited to
this area. Also
fertilizer and lime tests are conducted to determine
kinds and amounts of
fertilizers best to use. Tests with winter grazing crops
are under way to
determine those crops or combinations of crops giving
the earliest and most
winter grazing. Three years work on cross-breeding hogs
is just being
concluded. Many other tests are under way to determine
practices that will
improve production and income of farms.
What are some of the results? Some five thousand to seven
thousand farmers
visit this station each year to see and discuss work
under way. These are
brought there in organized groups by County Agents and
other agricultural
works and are from twelve to fifteen counties in this
area. In addition,
many farmers visit the station individually for some
specific information
needed.
However, this station is only one member of a team in
the agricultural
workers, farmers, bankers, and interested businessmen.
With this continued team effort, and with reasonable weather
conditions,
this area has a bright future for continued growth toward
a balanced crops
and livestock agricultural.
______________________________
Subject:
[ALFAYETT] 1st Sunday School/Lebanon Methodist
article
Date:
Fri, 17 Nov 2000 23:24:31 -0500
From:
Monya Havekost <MonyaH@conterra.com>
To:
ALFAYETT-L@rootsweb.com
The Journal-Record - Bicentennial Edition
Thursday, July 1, 1976
Section B, Page 1
FIRST SUNDAY SCHOOL AT METHODIST CHURCH
The first Sunday School of the Hamilton Methodist Church
was originally
organized on Sunday April 7, 1878 at Lebbanon(sic) Church,
located about
two miles west of Hamilton.
W. R. WHITE was the first Sunday School Superintendent
and served for over
fifty years.
The first class was made up of the following people: Miss
Emma KEY, Miss
Della KEY, Miss Annie HUGHY, Miss Nannie HUGHY, Miss
Emma CASHION, Miss
Sillie CARPENTER, Nora CARPENTER, Johnnie HUGHY, Johnnie
CARPENTER, Tommie
CARPENTER, Willie DUNN, Alice M. WHITE, and Pleas CRUMBIE.
The second class consisted of: Bula CASHION, Lalie KEY,
Mollie CRUMBIE,
Artie CARPENTER, Rebecca SMITH and Warren CARPENTER,
______________________________
Subject:
[ALFAYETT] Holy Spirit Catholic Church article
Date:
Fri, 17 Nov 2000 23:53:46 -0500
From:
Monya Havekost <MonyaH@conterra.com>
To:
ALFAYETT-L@rootsweb.com
The Journal-Record - Bicentennial Edition
Thursday, July 1, 1976
Section B, Page 1
THE HOLY SPIRIT CATHOLIC CHURCH
Holy Spirit Catholic Church on Highway 78 West is a relatively
new
structure servicing the needs of Catholic people and
others in the Counties
of Lamar, Fayette and Marion. It also stands as a focal
point in these
counties for fellowship and growth in unity with all
Christian Faiths, for
service to the community at large, and for all
people still seeking a
church home. Through it's extension resdiency(sic) in
Russellville, it also
serves Franklin and Lawrence Counties in Alabama.
In December 1960, Rev. Michael QUEALY (later killed as
a chaplain in the
Vietnamese War) offered Mass, that is, the Eucharistic
worship service, for
the first time in Winfield in a downtown building. It
was later moved to
the two-car garage at the home of James V. HAWKINS, and
then moved to the
southside half of the McDONNELL building on South Main
Street. Services had
previously been held for the 25 Catholics then living
in the
Winfield-Guin-Fayette area in private homes and a mission
trailor(sic) in
the city of Fayette.
In the spring of 1964 construction of the present Holy
Spirit church and
apartment residency began on the two and two-thirds acres.
It was bought by
13 Catholic families. Among these wee Brad and Betty
ALEXANDER of Guin,
Mrs. Nelson KEMP of Winfield, and Shirley and Helen PALMER
of Hamilton.
Nelson KEMP of Continental Conveyor Co., Mayor Lymon
GOOLSBY of Winfield
and Ivan HILL of the Citizens Bank helped expedite this
land purchase. Mr.
Ed ORTH, and(sic) executive of Birmingham paid for the
church. He also
helped plan and carry out its construction under Rev.
Ed FOSTER who
directed the parrish(sic) in Winfield as a mission at
that time from Mobile.
On April 4, 1965 Archbishop TOOLEN, Catholic Bishop of
Alabama, blessed and
dedicated the church. Citizens of various churches attended.
Subsequently,
the sisters of the Society of the Most Blessed Trinity
from Birmingham held
instruction classed(sic) for the children. Rev. Michael
J. DYER was the
priest immediately in charge of this Winfield mission
church.
During the years from 1968 to 1972 Holy Spirit church
was a mission of St.
Cecilia Parish in Jasper under the care of Rev. Patrick
O'DONOHUE. In
September 1972, it became a new parish center under Rev.
Pat BREHENY as
Pastor and there began the care of the three counties
of Marion, Fayette
and lamar. In December adult religious education began
with assistance from
the Glenmary Religious Education Department, Nashville,
Tenn. The first
Midnight Mass and reservation of the Blessed Sacrament
was held on
Christmas. In June, 1973 the first Bible school program
was had at the
parish, with the aid of the Birmingham Diocesan seminarians.
In October of the same year a mission was established
in Russellville as a
part of Holy Spirit church to care for the people in
Franklin and Lawrence
counties. Rev. Robert CAMERON came as Assocaite(sic)
Pastor to Fr. Pat
BREHENY. In December Sunday service was extended temporarily
into Fayette
and held at the Episcopal Mission chapel, and into Hamilton
at the United
Methodist Church. A mobile home was added in October,
1974, in Winfield for
extra residency space and parish programs.
In August 1975 a home was rented in Hamilton for three
Sisters of Charity
of Nazareth, Kentucky, who came to coordinate the religious
education and
social ministry of the parish in the five counties. Srs.
Julie BRISCOLL and
Marie SWEENEY work in religious education and Sr. Pat
CHUCKERY cares for
the social ministry. In September Rev. Robert VALENZA
came to replace Bob
CAMERON in Russellville.
At the present time there are 250 Catholics being reached
from Winfield,
and about 70 from Russellville. The parishoners(sic)
with their two priests
and three Sisters are anxious to grow in their commitment
to God and to
each other, and in addition, to other Christian Faiths
in service to the
community, and to all people seeking to find a church
home.
______________________________
Subject:
[ALFAYETT] ALLMON and HARRIS graves
Date:
Sat, 18 Nov 2000 14:09:17 -0500
From:
Monya Havekost <MonyaH@conterra.com>
To:
ALFAYETT-L@rootsweb.com
Hi,
In a letter written 8 July 1858 to my g-g-grandmother
Mary Frances Amelia
HARRIS MUSGROVE, her brother William Thomas Owen HARRIS
writes:
"I wish you would inquire if any one knows bro. James
Daniel's [HARRIS]
grave it is at Bethel Grave yard & I think at the
head of Mr. Allmon's. I
would be glad to learn & think we ought to have a
tombstone erected at it.
One would cost about $15 besides the hauling from Columbus
& that would not
be much when some the Marion folks are down there with
a wagon."
James Daniel Anderson HARRIS was b. 4 Dec. 1834 and died
6 Dec. 1837. He
is the younger brother of Mary Frances MUSGROVE and William
T. O. HARRIS.
His grave probably is still unmarked.
Does anyone know at which Bethel church Mr. ALLMON is
buried? My family
lived in northern Fayette Co. and the Winfield area of
Marion Co. If I can
locate the grave, I would like to have a stone installed.
Best regards,
Monya Havekost
The Journal-Record - Bicentennial Edition
Thursday, July 1, 1976
Section B, Page 4
Winfield was incorporated as a town in Marion County,
Alabama located on
the Frisco Railroad sometime between 1887 and the 1900s,
the exact date is
not definitely recorded because of several different
fires including the
one in the Marion County Courthouse that destroyed the
county records, and
even the state records also were destroyed by fire. From
the Winfield City
Hall, full records from May 1928 on to the present time
were available.
Ez TRULL, well-known builder and contractor in Winfield,
stated that his
father, W. Jasper TRULL, who came to Winfield in November
1891, became the
first Mayor of Winfield in 1902 and served several terms
during those early
pioneer days after the railroad was built in 1887 and
the town grew to the
position of needing a governing body. W. R. LODEN followed
Mr. TRULL as the
second Mayor.
Several people including Ez TRULL, M. L. LUCAS and
Mrs. R. E. MOORE, Sr.
agreed that somewhere around 1910, Tom A. ROBERTS was
in the Mayor's office
as the third head of the town. That was the term that
the present Town Hall
was built. On the Board of Aldermen, under Mr. ROBERTS,
were J. P. EARNEST,
W. A. BLAKNEY, W. M. CURL, H. K. CADDELL, and R. K. SHIREY,
who served as
clerk.
Under this administration, J. E. (Birt) SMITH was town
marshall. Up to this
time, the town had had several people who served in the
capacity of
"Keeping the Peace." Mrs. R. E. MOORE, Sr. had learned
from several of the
earliest citizens that Calvin WEATHERLY was said to have
served as the
first policeman, Shirl ASTON [David Sherill "Sherl" ASTON]
had served for
many years as Constable and a Bill MOORE had also been
an early policeman
but the definite years wee not known when each served.
Mrs. R. C. SIZEMORE, a former City Clerk, stated that
the corner stone of
the Winfield City Hall bears the date, September 1, 1912,
and lists the
Mayor T. A. ROBERTS and the above aldermen and S. T.
CARROLL as the
Contractor who built the building that still remains
today.
T. B. WARD said that he followed his uncle, Tom ROBERTS,
as Mayor of
Winfield for two terms. Mr. LUCAS remembered J. B. WHITEHEAD
as following
Mr. WARD. It also seems well-agreed that Walter C. CURL
followed WHITEHEAD
as Mayor from 1924-26, during the period that the first
streets of
Winfield, were paved. Up until this period the streets
had been quite muddy
and, Mr. Ez TRULL tells the amusing story about
Mr. John WHITE hooking up
his old mule, known as "Aberdeen", and plowing main street
from the depot
to First Avenue. The merchants would donate sacks of
salt and all the
citizens would tramp the salt until smooth to form a
crude form of "paving"
to keep down the mud and dust.
W. C. CURL succeeded himself as Mayor in 1928, and in
his cabinet,
according to the City Hall Records, wee R. E. KIRKLAND,
George W. McDONALD,
R. C. SIZEMORE, W. L. ROBERTS, and J. E. CADDELLE. W.
T. PATE was in charge
of street and marshall work, and J. H. HILL was listed
as Town Marshall. J.
W. WESTBROOKS was also listed as serving sometime during
that
administration as marshall.
Several interesting items were listed in the books of
this administration
including the Mayor's salary which was fixed at $50.00
and the marshall's
pay was $75.00. In May 1928, Winfield's first traffic
guides were bought by
the CURL administration of $27.50, and also purchased
was the one hundred
and sixty-five gallon electric pump which was installed
in the city well on
main street, which furnished water for the town until
the franchise was
granted to Warrior Water Works September 17, 1928, to
furnish water for the
townspeople.
During this period, in cans and garbage was picked up
in wagons on Fridays,
and if weeds near the street were not cut and cleared
by the property
owners, the town did the clearing of the unsightly brush
and charged the
property owner for the service. In August of 1928, Fourth
Avenue and
Eleventh Street were graded and gravelled at sixty-three
cents per yard.
On August 6, 1928, the Town Board voted to fix the speed
limit at twenty
miles per hour, and the fine for violating this limit
was to be not less
than one dollar nor more than twenty-five dollars. This
was later changed
to fifty dollars. In September, the board also passed
the ordinance that
all business houses on blocks 10, 11, 14, 15, be built
of block, stone or
brick, and that any dwelling houses on these blocks should
cost no less
than one thousand dollars.
FIRST SPEED LIMIT IN WINFIELD CITY ELECTION SEPTEMBER
17, 1928 (sic)
Of course there were city elections before this time,
but since the records
were destroyed, this was the first election recorded
in the City Hall
Books. T. C. McCLESKEY, W. R. ROSE, H. M. WEBSTER [Houston
Monroe WEBSTER]
wee listed as managers and N. S. WHITEHEAD and George
McDONALD, clerks.
Following this election, H. M. COUCH was sworn in as Mayor,
October 1,
1928, by former Mayor CURL, and Aldermen were Wyman BOWLING,
J. T. BEEKER,
G. W. McDONALD, and R. C. SIZEMORE. Earnest FITE of Hamilton
was named
Winfield City Attorney. R. C. SIZEMORE was appointed
clerk and J. P.
EARNEST, treasurer.
A new ruling was made fixing the following salaries: Clerk,
$180.00 per
year; treasurer, $120.00 per year; aldermen, $50.00 per
year. J. W.
WESTBROOKS was appointed Day Marshall at $100.00 per
month and Jim H. HILL,
Night Marshall, at $75.00 per month.
FIRST FIRE DEPARTMENT
The First fire department, then called fire club, was
organized February
18, 1929, and March 17, Solon WHITEHEAD was appointed
Fire Chief and Kelley
MILES, assistant. During this first term of the "Bucket
Brigade", WHITEHEAD
and MILES were paid $25.00 per year and exempt fro the
five-dollar street
tax. In 1930, however, the rule was changed to $50.00
per year for
WHITEHEAD, and MILES was paid two dollars per fire.
END OF USE OF PUBIC WELL
Probably quite a sentimental day for many old timers
was the boarding-up of
the old town well on November 18, 1929. by vote of the
town council, W. T.
PATE hauled old railroad ties and boarded the well that
had been used since
the beginning of the town, and on January 6, 1930, the
pump which had been
removed, was sold t the highest bidder (the town board
had stated that at
least fifty dollars must be gotten for the pump.) There
was no record as to
who bought the famous old pump. The well-known well was
located in the spot
where the large round manhole can be seen on Tenth Street,
walking across
from the ODUM's 5 and 10 to the Citizens Bank.
M. L. LUCAS TAKES OVER
In the election of 1930, J. Holley ROBERTS and Gat CARPENTER
served as
clerks, and A. W. McDONALD, Houston WEBSTER and P. W.
WEBSTER, managers, M.
L. LUCAS was elected to the Mayorship and sworn in by
outgoing Mayor COUCH
on October 6, 1930. His cabinet included: R. C. SIZEMORE,
Kelley MILES,
Albert MAY, Solen WHITEHEAD and J. Morris HIGHTOWER,
Sr. and Kelley MILES
as clerk and R. C. SIZEMORE as treasurer. Foster BEASLEY
was named Day
Marshall and James BURNETTE, who had been hired at the
last of Mayor
COUCH's term, as appointed night policeman, with their
salaries lowered to
seventy-five and fifty per month, respectively.
FIRST WINFIELD TOWN BUDGET
M. L. LUCAS, a former member of the Winfield City Council,
said that it was
during this term as Mayor in 1930, that the town of Winfield
had its first
budget or financial statement. Mr. LUCAS and his cabinet
realized that the
town was growing rapidly and that the methods of deriving
income necessary
to meet the expenses of the town's advancement was far
below what it should
be to make "the finances balance." In fact, the town
owed about thirty
thousand dollars at the beginning of the LUCAS administration,
according to
Mr. Lucas, and the administration borrowed three thousand
dollars from the
Winfield State Bank to operate on, and began figuring
new ways to bring in
income to the town. At the end of the LUCAS administration
in 1934, the
town was only thirteen thousand in debt and all current
expenses had been
met. Through city tax, street tax, fine money, privilege
license, paving
and bridge funds, the financial statement totalled receipts
in the amount
of $30,784.38, and expenses including salaries, utilities,
fire department,
street work, bonds and notes inherited from previous
years, the total
disbursements amounted to $30, 784.38, and expenses including
will be place
in the Journal Window as, according to Mr. LUCAS, the
first to be printed
in the record of the town. (sic)
The move to new ways of income got underway on October
20, 1930 when the
administration moved to adopt the ordnance fixing the
rate of taxation and
levy assessment on all property within the corporate
limits of Winfield.
The tax was fifty cents on each one hundred dollars worth
of property.
FIRST CITY TRUCK
Seeing the need for a City Service Truck, Mayor LUCAS
suggested on November
3, 1930, that the city purchase a truck, and the council
deliberated over
the suggestion for two days before deciding in favor
or(sic) the actual
buying of this truck.
The Privilege License ordinance was passed in Winfield on January 5, 1931.
FIRST TOWN SEAL
As far as is known, the first official Town Seal of Winfield,
was purchased
from ROBERTS and Sons in Birmingham, January 29, 1931,
for the sum of
$5.56, according to City Records.
On March 2, 1931, the town bought from Eurica Hose Company,
over five
hundred dollars worth of Fire Hose. The public had made
up money shortly
before that time to purchase the first fire truck of
Winfield (a record of
this project was not available but it seems that a great
deal of credit was
due the general public and a number of citizens who took
the lead in the
behalf of the project).
Some of the ordinances passed in this period that have
been continued to
the present time, and some that greatly affected the
health and progress,
of Winfield, included: Sanitation rules on June 1, 1931;
ordinance
requiring dogs to have Rabies shots on April 4, 1932;
the law prohibiting
cafes to operate with out certified approval of County
Health Department.
CHANGE OF OFFICIAL SALARIES
In August 1932, the Mayor's salary was advanced to $300.00
per year; the
town clerk, $120.00 annually; and the town treasurer,
$90.00 annually;
aldermen, $50.00 annually.
Following the election of October 3, 1932, M. L. LUCAS
returned as Mayor
and Councilmen were J. M. HIGHTOWER, Sr. Clarence HUBBERT,
C. C. COUCH; R.
C. SIZEMORE, clerk; and R. G. CARPENTER, treasurer. H.
F. BEALSEY(sic)
served as Day policeman, and Julius ESTES, nigh police
(at sixty and forty
dollar salaries, respectively). Leon TERRY was added
to the fire squad as
the third man. Bud WESTBROOKS was also rehired as policeman
in 1933.
BEGINNING OF SEWAGE SYSTEM
On August 18, 1933, the town of Winfield authorized J.
B. McCRARY
Engineering Corporation to prepare plans for the Winfield
Sewage System,
the actual work of which was done later.
AIRPORT PLANNED
A special meeting of the Winfield Town Board was called
on December 19,m
1933, for the purpose of locating an Airport near Winfield.
Marvin PEARCE
read the telegram from Sumpter SMITH about the
airport project and
explained how it was to be handled in connection with
C.W.A. and Board
motioned to lease or purchase the land.
JAMES McDONALD TAKES OVER
On October 1, 1934, Mayor James McDONALD was sworn in
for this first term
as Mayor of Winfield, and on his Board of Alderman wee:
C. C. COUCH, R. C.
SIZEMORE, J. G. PEARCE, R. W. HARRIS, Jr. and C. A. HOSCH.
Mayor McDONALD
was voted a salary of $500.00 per year (paid by month)
and was required to
donate at least fifty percent of his working day to the
town and assumed
the duties of clerk and treasurer. Morgan HAWKINS was
named City Attorney
and on December 3, 1934, was appointed to make improvements
on Jail and
remodel the City Hall with money to be publicly subscribed.
CIGARETTE AND GASOLINE TAXES
November 19, 1934 was the beginning date of the first
cigarette and
gasoline taxes levied by the Town of Winfield. Plans
were also gotten
underway for much of the present paving on this date
(Federal Relief
Administration furnished labor and matched city money
for paving). Also in
connection with F.A.P. was the curb and guttering in
October 1936.
NEW ORDINANCES OF PROGRESS
October 29, 1936, the Winfield speed limit was coordinated
with the Alabama
Highway Code for through traffic on First Avenue; Ordinance
prohibiting
loitering, idling and loafing on streets and sidewalks,
November 1936;
ordinance to define and enforce traffic signals and fine
was set at not
less than one dollar plus cost.(sic) and not above one
hundred dollars.
October 1937, Ordinance raising licenses twenty-five
percent thus giving
approximately one thousand dollars extra town income;
present electrical
code was recommended and approved by Alabama Power; Special
meeting on
April 14, 1941, granting J. N. COX and H. W. VAUGHN and
Associates a
franchise to construct and maintain a telephone system
in the town of
Winfield, under the name of Alabama Telephone Company;
decision to pave the
sidewalks, 1937, under the W.P.A. project (the minimum
cost was twenty-five
cents per foot); ordinance taking Hill Addition into
city limits,
september(sic) 19, 1938; December 1938, bought land from
J. D. CANTERBURY
for City Park for seven hundred and fifty dollars; March
20, 1939, Marvin
PEARCE, W. C. CURL and J. H. HILL elected to Tax Equalization
Board. Also
during this period Richard WHITE was appointed night
policeman, a nd Furman
COUCH retained as day policeman. On June 19, the city
requested the Hon. R.
L. HILL, Representative, and Sen. Z. L. WEATHERFORD to
pass local law
rearranging the corporate limits of Winfield, and a map
of the town was
made by C. R. FRANKS.
NEW FIRE TRUCK RECEIVED
On April 2, 1941, a special meeting was planned for the
receiving and
accepting of the New Winfield Fire Truck, by Mayor James
McDONALD, and
Aldermen: Ivan HILL (chairman and treasurer of fire truck
purchase); G. F.
TIDWELL, M. V. WHITE, Sr., R. W. HARRIS, Jr., and Rayburn
WEBSTER. The
truck which serves the people of Winfield, today, was
purchased from Peter
PUSCH and son in Kinosha, Wisconsin for $3100.00 and
the company allowed
fifty dollars on the old hose, and the down payment was
donated by money
from citizens of Winfield. Jack HUGHES was made Fire
Chief; Joe Edd
McCONNELL and Hershell ROBERTS, assistants. Also a 500-gallon
pumping
engine was bought in 1941.
______________________________
Subject:
[ALFAYETT] Boston Area Dates to 1880s article
Date:
Mon, 13 Nov 2000 23:04:29 -0500
From:
Monya Havekost <MonyaH@conterra.com>
To:
ALFAYETT-L@rootsweb.com
The Journal-Record - Bicentennial Edition
Thursday, July 1, 1976
Section B, Page 4
THE BOSTON AREA DATES BACK AS FAR AS THE 1880'S
Many of the communities in the areas around Boston, date
way back in the
1880's and maybe before, such as the Goldmine, Piney
Grove, Mt. Joy, Old
Salem, Popular Springs, Center, Pearce's Mills, Mt. Pleasant,
Bethel, Sunny
Home, Brock's, Burleson, Mount Brook, Gum Springs, etc.
Mr. and Mrs. J. T. GIBBS and Mr. and Mrs. John MOORE of
Route 1, Brilliant,
between Goldmine and Piney Grove, were most helpful to
the Journal Staff in
establishing some facts in churches and schools in those
early days.
Sam BOWEN, husband of Bette GIBBS BOWEN and father of
the late Sterling
BOWEN, taught one of the first schools in the area north
of Boston, known
as Mt. Joy, in 1888. John Jesse GIBBS, father of Wilburn
GIBBS, Maude GIBBS
BYNUM, and the last Willie GIBBS HINZ, taught the next
schools in the
section, a number of years at the Old Salem School and
then many years at
the Goldmine School. He taught his youngest brother,
J. T., Mr.s J. T.
GIBBS, and even his own wife Amanda BEAUCHAMP GIBBS,
before their marriage.
He had previously prepared himself for the teaching positions
by attending
High School and Glen Allen and Guin, and had his higher
learning at the old
Agricultural College in Hamilton.
In these little one-teacher schools in the early years,
the teachers were
paid around twenty to twenty-five dollars per month,
by the County, and
they taught anywhere from one hundred to two hundreds(sic)
students in the
little ill-equipped schools of one room. as (sic) far
as it is known, the
students attended school because they were strictly eager
to learn, and J.
T. (Jim) GIBBS learned the same math and algebra under
his brother's
techings(sic), and since that time, until he was able
to solve any
difficult problems that his children brought home in
all their high school
and college years. it is almost incredible when one thinks
of a lone
teacher being actually able to teach the large number
of students ranging
from the beginners to sixth grades, all ages, but the
older students were
able to helpout(sic) in holding some of the classes of
the lower grades,
and so the full school dya(sic) progressed and the students
learned much.
Even after Jim GIBBS was out of school, he and Tuck ASHMORE,
another
student who finally went on to study medicine and practice
in Eldridge for
many years, exchanged any hard arithematic(sic) or algebra
problems they
happened to run across in their later years in the effort
to "stump" one
another with difficult problems. They both usually kept
figuring until they
came up with the correct answer which they proudly returned
to the sender.
According to Jim GIBBS and his wife, the former Minnie
Belle BEAUCHAMP, Kel
FITE followed John Jesse GIBBS as the second teacher
of the Goldmine
School, and then in line after Mr. FITE, were: bill CANTRELL,
Sally THORN,
Letha THORN, John CLARK, Jim LOGAN, Anderson GAY and
the last was Elsie
WHITEHEAD HAWKINS.
The Piney Grove School, established several years, later,
was first taught
by Charlie BURGESS, then Sally THORN, and in line after
Miss THORN, were:
Beatrice MIDDLETON, Nanny SANDLIN, Lee PALMER, Carrie
WAKEFIELD McCALEB,
Nerva WILLIAMS GAY, Augusta HOLLEY, Autie CAGLE, and
Edith COUCH, the last
teacher, taught for many years and up to the time that
the school was
consolidated with the Brilliant Elementary School. Miss
COUCH taught in
Winfield after leaving the Piney Grove School, and is
currently on the
staff of the Wilson School.
John MOORE of Route 1, Brilliant, attended the Mt. Pleasant
School back in
those early years and a list of teachers there were Mat
WESLEY, John
CONNER, Will LETSON and Mrs. WILSON, and he also attended
the Webb School
taught by John CONNER and Charlie FRANKS. Mr. MOORE's
wie(sic), the former
Velma INGLE went to the Gum Springs School. Her teachers
were Jesse GORDON,
Dave LAMBERT, Albert YOUNG, Miss Fildie HUGHES and Gus
BURGESS, present
Postmaster of Winfield Post Office, and after Mr. BURGESS,
Lena WEST, who
taught in the Brilliant Elementary in later years, followed
by Mr. BURGESS
and a Miss BOTTOMS of Hamilton, a Mr. BEASLEY and Mr.
Bull WESLEY followed
by Miss WEST.
Sterling and Bob UNDERWOOD were the noted fiddlers of
the communities, Jack
FOWLER; could beat a snappy drum, and John COCHRAN would
team with them as
leader of the band at the school functions in the Goldmine
School. At the
end of the school term, it was the custom for the students
to march in line
for the final ceremonies. Sterling and Bob UNDERWOOD
at the "fiddles", Jack
FOWLER at the drums, and John COCHRAN leading with the
United States Flag,
would head the line of students in the School parades
and marches.
The great sport of the young crowd, back then, was baseball.
Jim, tim and
John Jessee GIBBS, Lewis Harm FOWLER, Billy, John and
Ellie BEAUCHAMP, and
Sterling BOWEN wee among the players of the team that
played at the STOKES
place. They also played a game known as "Town Ball" in
which the ball was
knocked with a paddle-like bat. Among the other forms
of recreation
included "Base", "Mumble-Peg," and of curse, the old
"Huskin' Bees," but
the greatest and most interesting form of recreation,
which was in a way
very serious, was debating.
Debates were held in alternating places in Old Salem,
Goldmine, and Piney
Grove, and among the debates weer Jim GIBBS, Bill COCHRAN,
Charlie BURGESS,
Jim COCHRAN, Henry RAWLS, Young and Lum GREEN, and others.
The debates
covered a varied field of subjects, and of curse politics,
and were held on
Friday and Saturday night after week-long research had
been done in
preparation for both the affirmative and negative sides
of the questions.
Thee were three judges for each debate and Jim GIBBS
expressed the opinion
that these debating sessions were the assemblies that
really brought the
audiences.
Among the earliest families in those years included: The
UNDERWOODS,
HUSTONS, GIBBS, BEAUCHAMPS, BOSTICKS, LOGANS, GILBERTS,
HANEYS, STOKES,
THOMASES, ASHMORES, MILSES(sic), HALEYS, LAMERTS, ESTESES,
HUGULEYS,
MOORES, INGLES, GREENS, McGUIRES, WHITES, STANFORDS,
WHITMANS, COCHRANS,
BURLESONS, FOWLERS, RAWLSES, and TIDWELLS.
The Goldmine Community had two churches in those early
years, the people of
early Boston having come to Goldmine before the churches
were established
in Boston. There were the Methodist Church and the Church
of Christ located
at Goldmine (The church(sic) of Christ is till(sic) there
today). The Free
Will Church was located at Mt. Joy, the Primitive Baptist
at Popular
Springs, and the Missionary Baptist had churches at both
Old Salem and Red
Dirt. All denominations could use the Piney Grove Church
except Mormans.
There was a period of years when the Piney Grove
church was inactive, then
in the 1930's Mrs. J. J. (Amanda) GIBBS, the REv. L.
G. ALVERSON, Mr. and
Mrs. Andrew MILES, Mr. and rs.(sic) Samuel GAY and other
interested
families held an assembly to reorganize the Methodist
Church. The Rev.
ALBERSON, Pastor of the Brilliant Methodist Church and
for a number of
years Principal of the Brilliant School, served as the
pastor of the Piney
Grove Church, Mrs. Amanda GIBBS led the singing, and
also taught Sunday
School; Samuel GAY served as Superintendent, Mrs. GAY,
Mrs. Andrew MILES,
Mrs. Bufa CAGLE, Miss avonnah(sic) LITTLE and Miss Rachel
GIBS(sic) taught
sunday(sic) School Classes, and the little group of Methodists
grew until
at the present time, a modern church has been erected
south of the original
church held in the old School building. The Church of
Christ, which also
reorganized shortly after the Methodist, held services
in the same school
building until they built a modern church just northwest
of the old school
on the property of Albert Gibbs, Among the early members
of the Church of
Christ wee the CORKRENS, DICKINSONS, GREENS, FARRISES,
BURLESONS, and
DOSSES, The family of tim and Mary GIBBS became members
at the time they
moved from the Burleson community, and many other added
since.
The Bethel Church and the BROCK Church have both had churches
of Christ for
long periods. Among the leaders of the Bethel Church
have been the HOLDTS,
MILESES, CAULDES, LAMBERTS, DICKINSONS, CORKRENS, and
LOGANS, etc. and at
the BROCK Church are the BROCKS, DIKESES, BURLESONS.
Among the Goldmine
leaders are the SELFS, GILBERTS, LOGANS, McCALEBS, MILESES,
GREENS,
CORKRENS, BERRYHILLS, etc.
At the Gum Springs Free Will Baptist, there are the John
MOORES, Trellis
MOORES, Mr. and mrs.(sic) Max GIBBS, the SEXTONS, the
HALCOMBS, the MCKAYS,
and the TUCKERS among the regular members.
