MARY BRASWELL: Looking back at July 1936

Each week Albany Herald researcher Mary Braswell looks for interesting events, places and people from the past. You can contact her at (229) 888-9371 or [email protected]. Follow @ABH_MBraswell on Twitter.

In July 1936, the Great Depression showed signs of ebbing. Many work programs were still quite active, putting food on tables where there had been little or none in recent times. See what else was deemed newsworthy 80 years ago this month.

— The Federal Alcohol Tax Unit reported that Georgia led the district in the amount of mash and whiskey seized and persons arrested for the month of June. During the month just ending, 116 cases involving 212 persons were made. Whiskey in the amount of 4,559 gallons and 92,130 gallons of mash were seized from 93 stills, which were destroyed.

— A.R. Chilton, expert horseman and riding instructor, took over the Boardman Riding Stables on Dawson Road. The name was changed to the Pecan Grove Riding Stables. Chilton planned to offer riding lessons for all ages as well as serve as a breeder service. The stud in service was Chester Carlisle No. 14028.

— Crown Hill Cemetery offered family lots with permanent care for as low as $25 each.

— Swimming at Radium Springs cost 25 cents or $5 for 28 swims. A season pass was $25 with unlimited swims.

— Albany Police arrested eight men and one woman for breaking into cars. Charges included car-breaking, theft, receiving stolen articles and selling stolen articles. Most of the $600 worth of stolen goods were clothes. One of the men turned out to be an escapee from the Lanier County chain gang.

— Garrett’s Theatre in Arlington was undergoing major renovations. Owner B.M. Garrett promised the “new” theater would be one of the most up-to-date of its kind in this part of the state.

— Clay County commissioners voted to levy no property taxes for the year. There were no convicts to keep up with, and schools were in good condition, as were the roads and bridges. The county had no bonded indebtedness and a nestegg of $25,000 in the bank. It was believed that Clay County was the only county in the United States that would be collecting no taxes.

— Watermelon shipping from Lee County was slowing as the month progressed. An estimated $20,000 to $25,000 of “new money” had come into Leesburg from watermelons by July 8.

— As Albanians suffered through a drought, citizens were asked help keep young trees alive. The Albany Garden Club stated that if each homeowner watered the trees in front of their own homes, many could be saved. A great number of the oaks, red-buds, crepe myrtles and dogwoods were planted along Jefferson Street.

— Grady Superior Court reported that one criminal case had been heard in Cairo since September 1934. Presiding Judge B.C. Gardner of Cairo gave the reason for such inactivity as the abundance of home-owning farmers who work and “have no tolerance or place for the criminal.” The last big trial in 1934 was when four men -held up a bank in Cairo, all outsiders.

—Eugemar, one of Albany’s newer and most popular subdivisions, held a two-day auction for building lots. As a sign of improving economic times, this was the first such real estate auction in several years. The subdivision was accessible by the paved Dawson Highway and had modern conveniences without city taxes.

— A steel worker at the Cudahy packing plant fell 40 feet when a steel beam he was standing on fell. Other than a lacerated chin, it appeared that the man was uninjured, including not a single broken bone.

— Sisters of the late T.L. Pattison, residing at his home on the corner of Jefferson Street and Residence Avenue reported finding two paint cans stored in an unlighted closet beneath a stairway. When opened, the cans were tightly packed with money. Most of the cash was in bills but there was also considerable silver and some gold pieces. When counted, the two cans held $37,817.50. As per the man’s will, one-half went to Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital . The remainder was split between two orphanages.

— Over the course of the last four years, the WPA had installed 132 sanitary units on concrete slabs in Dougherty County. Another 455 units of wooden construction had also been installed.

— Several blocks within the Rawson Circle sector of the city were scheduled for paving before the summer’s end.

— Extreme heat was causing the deaths of many across the country. As of July 17, the toll of heat-related deaths reached 4,200, with many of those being residents from Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois.

— Penney’s held a mid-summer clearance sale. Specials included: Boys’ ox hide overalls — 49 cents; Hand-embroidered batiste gowns — 34 cents; Silk hose — 41 cents, and all wool swim trunks for boys — 89 cents.

— Work was winding down on the athletic stadium in Albany. With many WPA workers on the job, almost all the concrete had been poured. The press box roof was completed and the floor was expected to be completed within a few days. Sodding of the field and the slopes of the stadium was also near completion. An opening date had not yet been announced.

— An ice cream social and cafeteria supper was held on the lawn of St. Teresa’s on Residence Avenue. Cost was 50 cents per person.

— Frances Smith, director of the city playground at Tift Park, made an urgent request for children’s swimsuits, new or previously worn. Smith stated that many children miss out on the cooling fun of the pool simply because they have no swimwear.

— Hays Dog Hospital just outside the city limits of Albany on Dawson Road, was an elaborate affair. Because this part of the state was considered the sporting dog capital, Dr. I.M. Hays choice this location to construct what many considered the most complete and modern canine hospital in America. Special wards were established for dogs awaiting diagnosis, nervous dogs, post-op, rehabilitation and even breeding.The hospital’s grounds were manicured lawns with a wide variety of ornamental plants, all completely fenced.

QUIK QUIZ answer: d) 10 feet, 3 inches … Alfred Ford said he shot the alligator twice with a shotgun and five times with a pistol. To make sure everyone believed him, Ford brought the gator to the Herald office in the back of his truck and off-loaded it for all to see. The critter was still moving slightly as he was displayed outside the newspaper’s office.

A local man killed an alligator at the spillway of the old power dam at the Kinchafoonee Creek in 1936. How large was this reptile?

a) 6 feet 8 inches

b) 7 feet 2 inches

c) 9 feet 5 inches

d) 10 feet 3 inches

Answer at the end of the column.