Way Back Wednesday in Calhoun County---March 15-21
The March 15-21 week’s edition of Way Back Wednesday in Calhoun County blog will go around the county to Alexandria, Oxford, “Dark Corners”, and Saks. Many of the photos found in this week’s blog can be seen in Images of America series books: Anniston Revisited, Anniston, or Calhoun County.
Upcoming Event: On Saturday March 18th from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM come to the Shamrockin’ 5K Color Run/Walk and meet author Kimberly O’Dell at the Unity House (the old Boy Scout House) in Zinn Park during the event. There will be copies of Anniston Revisited available for purchase at the event.
March 15, 1959: Alexandria, AL. The Variosa Club announced plans to convert the Margaret Woodruff Library into a community center for Alexandria. The plan was to raise money to enlarge the building. The club had sold the library’s books as part of the contribution to the building fund and there were plans to hold further fund-raising events to support the community center expansion.
March 16, 1917: Calhoun County, AL. Col. Charles P. Summerall completed his tour of the Dark Corners area which was the site wanted by the U.S. Government as a permanent military training camp. Summerall was pleased with the site and was anxious for the war department to approve the purchase of the land to establish a military camp. Later in the year, the camp construction began.
March 17, 1863: Culpeper, VA. Major John “The Gallant” Pelham (1828-1863) was killed at Kelly’s Ford, VA. John Pelham was the son of Dr. Atkinson Pelham, a prominent physician in Alexandria, AL. The younger Pelham entered West Point Military Academy in 1856 but left just prior to graduation because of the impending Civil War. He returned to Alabama and petitioned for an appointment in the Confederate Army. He was awarded the rank of 1st Lieutenant. He quickly worked his way of the ranks and was awarded the rank of Lieutenant Colonel posthumously.
March 18, 1925: Calhoun County, AL. The election results for the school tax that the Calhoun County Superintendent of Education S. B. Gibson had promoted were announced. The county passed the three mill tax in order to provide better schools for the county’s children.
March 19, 1931: Oxford, AL. It was announced that the Boy Scouts from Oxford had been called out to help fight a serious forest fire. The fire had started on the mountain behind the Baptist church and spread rapidly. The scouts were mobilized by their Scoutmaster J. J. Foy. This was the second time these Oxford scouts had been asked to help battle a forest fire.
March 20, 1924: Anniston, AL: The Alabama Military Institute (formerly Anniston University School) baseball team was preparing for the upcoming season by holding practice games with a team from Camp McClellan. The military institute opened in 1923 with a new headmaster, Col. Edward B. Fishburne, who remained at the school until it closed in 1935.
March 21, 1907: Anniston, AL. Joseph Saks’ “The Famous” department store was selling men’s and boy’s suits from $10 to $40. Saks had come to Anniston in March 1887 then established his department store on the corner of 10th and Noble Streets in the 1890s. By 1908, the store had moved Smith Building on Noble Street and became known as the Saks Clothing Co. In the 1920s, Joseph Saks donated land, money and materials for a school for the families on his farm north of the city of Anniston. Later in the 20th century, this farm expanded to become the community of Saks.
