This history of the neighborhood plays a vital part in the identity of its residents. If you have lived in the neighborhood for many years, the neighborhood history is a heartfelt reminder of days gone by. If you have just come to call the neighborhood home, it is a way to learn more about the new community you have joined. If you are interested in writing a brief history of the neighborhood to share with the community, please contact us! We also would like to have old photographs that we might add to the site. Old pictures of the school, churches, stores & businesses, family reunion photos, farming, logging, etc. |
- Morgan CityThis community was first known as 'Get Up' and later changed to Rescue. In 1929 US Highway 231 was built and as a result, the community moved about a quarter mile east to the new highway. It was renamed Morgan City.
In April of 1963 the Brindlee Mountain Men's Club was formed. Its purpose was to promote the growth and progress of Union Hill and Morgan City. The first Board of Directors included Kenneth Hubble, J. L. Henderson, Doyle Slaten, Oval Childers, Robert W. Abercrombie. Officers were: Kermit Young, President; Lamar Henderson, Vice-President; Roland Henderson, Secretary; and Henry A. Nappier, Treasurer. There were a total of 28 members.
This group helped get a post office substation in Morgan City, had road signs installed in both communities, organized the Brindlee Mountain Water Authority, sponsored Little League Baseball for boys and Community League Softball for girls, and purchased property then built a community ball field complete with a new road (Park Road) to the field. Numerous fund raisers were held to pay for the group’s projects.
Morgan City’s post office, a branch of the Lacey’s Spring Post Office, opened Oct. 1, 1964 with Clara Griffin as the first postmistress. Mrs. Griffin operated Griffin’s Fabric Store for 18 years. The post office branch only operated a few years.
Another well known business in Morgan City was Brooks Grocery, owned and operated by Henry Brooks for about 25 years. Just south of the community another store was operated by Bud Clark, at the top of Cleve Terrell Hill. The namesake for the hill, Cleve Terrell lived at the top of the hill and ran a saw mill and grist mill near his home.
In the early days of automobiles, this hill became a favorite destination of young men and their dates on Sunday afternoons. With its steep grade, the young men would accelerate down the hill, hoping to impress the young ladies with the speed of their cars. This was considered the “in thing” to do back then.
In 1984 a new tradition was started by Larry Sutton. FOUNDER’S DAY was born to help promote business in Morgan City. The tradition continues today with food, yard sales, a beauty pageant, arts & crafts vendors, entertainment, and a parade and much more.
- WhisenantJust north of present day Morgan City was the community called Whisenant. A post office operated there from 1886-1888. The postmaster was Hamilton D. Whisenant. Mail after 1888, mail was routed through nearby Get Up. Jim Day Whisenant operated a Fertilizer business for many years.
-From A HISTORY OF MORGAN COUNTY, ALABAMA by John Knox.
- WolffThe earliest name on record for what is now the Union Hill community is Wolff. Records show that some of the land was homesteaded during the 1830s. Joe Criscoe was a Constable in the early days of the community.
Early settlers in the area were of emigrants from Germany. The Henry Miller and William Wolff families donated land for the first church and school in what was called Wolff’s Beat.
Other early families who settled in the area include Criscoe, Garrison, Hughes, Dunn, Bowling, Maces, Henderson and Cook..
Before the Civil War a stage coach road crossed the mountain nearby. A tavern for the stage passengers was built. The community also had a boarding school.
Mike Lemons was a postmaster in the Wolff Post Office which operated until 1905.
- -Compiled by Janet Calhoun for “Trails & Traces, People &
Places” by the Arab Historical Society.
- Newsome SinksThis area of east Morgan County was named for William Newsome who is probably the first settler to enter the area in 1838. This was rugged territory with many ridges, vales, creeks, cliffs, rocks, gulches, ravines, and sink holes (thus “sinks” was added to Newsome). The area is roughly 4 miles long (north & south) and varies from one quarter mile to just over a mile wide in some points (from Union Hill to Morgan City).
Small creeks sink and run under ground finally resurfacing under a cliff at Hughes Spring and continue down Hughes Valley to join Cotaco Creek.
Dickey Hughes, for whom the spring, valley and cave were named, ran a blacksmith and woodworking shop. He made countless hickory chairs and four-poster beds from wild cherry trees.
Not far from the mouth of Newsome Sinks is Hughes Cave. One of the large rooms in the cave was used as a “dance hall” in the early 1900’s.
This cave was a valuable source of saltpeter (used in the production of gunpowder) during the Civil War. Records show that George Criscoe supervised mining saltpeter from Hughes Cave.
William Newsome was quickly followed by the Criscoe and Prince families who settled in the area. Early records show the names of Black, Bowling, Compton, Coulter, Helms, Hughes, Henderson, Raines, Lamons, Simpson, Ryan, Lassiter, Russell, Draper, McAnally, Rivers and Wilson.
Britton Bowling ran a tanning yard in Newsome Sinks during the Civil War. They prepared leather for saddles, harness, and other needs of the Confederate Army. The tanning operation was burned by Union Soldiers.
- Information provided by Kermit Young and H. Compton and “Trails & Traces, People & Places” by the Arab Historical Society.
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Pine RidgeThe Pine Ridge community grew from the settlers of Newsome Sinks. This area was settled slowly since the woodlands had to be cleared, wells dug, and buildings constructed. The first public building (erected in 1904) in Pine Ridge was a combination school / church (no denomination).
One of the first teachers in Pine Ridge School was William Hugh Black. He later became Superintendent of Education in Marshall County in the late 1930’s and early 1940’s. It was at this school the name “Pine Ridge” was first used and started replacing “Newsome Sinks” as the community name. The name is said to have been suggested by George Parsons.
Around 1911, Walter, Johnie, and Omar Black started a newspaper in their home. It was called “The Optimist” and was published weekly. Subscribers paid 30 cents for an annual subscription. Inflation hit and the price went to 50 cents in 1912 when the brothers realized they needed more room than their home had and moved the newspaper to Arab.
A community telephone system was established in 1911 and lasted until the depression hit in the late 1920’s. Brindlee Mountain Telephone Company brought service again in the 1950’s.
Pine Ridge did not have electric power until after World War II when Arab Electric Cooperative ran lines to the community.
A water system was organized and came into being through the efforts of the Brindlee Mountain Men’s Club. Pine Ridge got public water in 1967.
The Pine Ridge Missionary Baptist Church was organized in 1939.
- Information provided by Kermit Young and “Trails & Traces, People & Places” by the Arab Historical Society.
- Union Grove (Morgan County)Many people in the area may have forgotten, but the area in the vicinity of Farm Supply Rd and US 231 was (and still is by some) referred to as Union Grove. This was its original name (not to be mistaken as part of the Union Grove community in Marshall County).
Union Grove Baptist Church was organized in 1889 (Now Brindlee Mountain Baptist Church). A community school was built, Science Hill School. The school was in a wooded area and had two teachers, Lola Boyd and Mary Barnard. It typically had 30-35 students.
Miss Boyd boarded with John & Ophelia Pritchett. Mr. Pritchett was a well known farmer and his wife was had a reputation as being a very good cook.
Mrs. Barnard was the wife of Frank Barnard.
Another teacher there was Meryl Smallwood who later married John Henry Park.
Jim Dave Whisenant operated a general store there, selling groceries, building supplies, fertilizer and had the old “Hand Pump” gasoline pumps.
Verlon Whisenant later owned the store.
Another business there was Morgan City Farm Supply, operated by Henry Brooks and his son-in-law, Elvin Light. Henry sold seed & fertilizer and Elvin sold hardware. That building now houses the Morgan City Animal Clinic.
- -Information from Virginia Scott, Daphine Light, and Lola Boyd and “Trails & Traces, People & Places” by the Arab Historical Society.
- Huskey MountainThe first Huskeys came down the Tennessee River from the Smoky Mountains on a raft with a load of hoop poles for a barrel factory and stopped at Ditto’s Landing. They gave the name to Huskey Mountain which rises above the river on the assent toward Brindlee Mountain. A beautiful view of the river looking toward Huntsville is on one side and a view of Greenbriar Cove is on the other.
The Huskeys contributed farmers and steamboat men to the area. Capt. Fred E. Huskey, the first to settle, was a steamboat captain. His son, Omar, was a steamboat engineer. They walked down the mountain to the landing to board their steamboat.
- Information from Marilyn Box, “A History of Morgan County, Alabama” and “Trails & Traces, People & Places” by the Arab Historical Society.
- Get UpThe community known as Get Up was located near the present intersection of US 231 & Rescue Road. The Get Up post office was established on March 18, 1887 with Thomas Hood Ditto as the first postmaster. Others serving as postmaster include Alonzo Prince (most of 1893 and again in 1906), William J. Black (Dec. 1893 – Nov. 1904), Robert Wilson (Nov. 1904 – Nov. 1906). The post office was discontinued on Nov. 15, 1906 and reestablished on June 21, 1907 with Joseph A. Short as postmaster. On Jan. 30, 1908 Joseph M. Briscoe became the final postmaster at the Get Up post office; it closed on June 15, 1909 with service taken over by Union Grove.
Prior to the Civil War, the Mississippi Meridian Stage Coach Line ran a route from Huntsville, crossing the Tennessee River at Ditto’s Landing and came up Brindlee Mountain near the Wolff (present day Union Hill) community. The stage coach then travelled to the Get Up community where a stage coach inn had been erected. Travelers made a rest stop there before continuing on to Elyton (Birmingham) by way of the main north-south thorough-fare (now known as Rescue Road) through Newsome Sinks, Mt. Tabor and Oleander. It’s believed the inn operated until the late 1800s.
J. A. Thomason wrote a history of Get Up in 1936. He listed local merchants as Allen Kidd, W. J. Black, Robert Wilson, Brooks & Anderson, Halowan King, Ernest Black, Henry Dickson, J. S. Thompson, J. M. Briscoe and Ray Edwards. He also mentioned two blacksmiths, W. P. Wells and William Miles.
An ad in the 1912 Optimist told of J. M. Briscoe’s store carried a line of men’s & boy’s clothing, dry goods, & groceries. He also bought and traded furs, hides, bees wax and tallow. The ad listed his store as being ½ mile south of Get Up.
Around World War I, the community changed its name to “Rescue”.
- Information from Christine Crawford Tidwell, J. A. Thomason and “Trails & Traces, People & Places” by the Arab Historical Society.
- Brown’s PointBrown’s Point is an area along the northern end of what is now Telephone Tower Rd. near Union Hill. It was named by Colley Brown who homesteaded 220 acres. Along with farming, the area had sawmills and syrup mills. A general store was operated by Finnamore Wilson.
The first road through Brown’s Point was an old stage coach road called Walling Road. It came from Leeman’s Ferry (which crossed the Tennessee River at a point very near where the boat launch ramp is presently located in the Civilian Recreation Area of Redstone Arsenal) up past present day Highway 36 in Lacey’s Spring and up Walling Mountain and on to Brindlee Mountain then down into Cotaco Valley.
A Post Office named Walling was opened in 1890 with William T. Walling as postmaster. It was located near a stage coach stop and operated until 1904.
- Information from Buford Brown, “A History of Morgan County, Alabama” and “Trails & Traces, People & Places” by the Arab Historical Society.
