MARY BRASWELL: Looking back at late January and early February news

There is always something to report in The Albany Herald, including the waning days of January and the early days of February across the span of many years.

1892

— An Albany man was jailed for pleading poverty in the face of a debt, then spending hundreds of dollars to open a new business.

1913

— The 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, granting Congress the authority to collect income taxes.

1920

— A doctor in the Cairo area believed that the best defense against influenza was total isolation. The physician went to the homes of the sick to treat them and then often stayed to split wood, milk cows, draw water, feed the animals and occasionally cooked a meal so no other people needed to attend to the family. This amazing doctor requested that his name not be published in the newspaper.

1924

— The Thad Huckabee Auto Company of Albany was urging all operators of automobiles to install a windshield wiper. Huckabee Auto would install an “outlook wiper” for $2.50. Automatic wipers were considerably more expensive to install, with the cost as high as $10.

1926

—Contracts were let for 25 new homes in the Eugemar Subdivision off Slappey Drive. The first homes were expected to be ready for occupancy within 90 days. Plans and exteriors varied but all were considered “extremely modern’ with water, sewerage and electricity. Prices ranged from $5,000 to $15,000.

1928

— The Acorn Store at 104. N. Washington Street had Weartex pure thread silk hose with double soles, toes and heels for prices ranging from 95 cents to $1.39 per pair.

— Warrants were issued for 10 prominent South Georgia men. The charge was shooting doves over a baited field located in Baker County about four miles northwest of Newton.

1933

— Records are unclear as to when the first radio broadcast of “The Lone Ranger” took place. Some sources say Jan. 31 and others report Feb. 2. All agree, however, that 1933 was the year.

1940

— Albany was named as one of the terminals for the new route of the Southeastern Pipe Line. More than 7,000 miles of gasoline pipelines were in operation in the United States, but none in the Southeastern states.

1943

— Turner Field made the change from Eastern to Central War Time. All clocks on the base were set back one hour.

— Training for war production was under way at a new building erected at Albany High School for just that purpose. Both men and women were encouraged to attend. Classes included blueprint reading, engineer drafting, aircraft engine mechanics, automotive mechanics and aircraft welding. Instruction in ship electric welding was held in six classes with three instructors, 24 hours a day.

1952

— A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the new education building at Byne Memorial Baptist Church. The new facility, to be located at Society Avenue and Jackson Street, came with a $114,000 price tag. One of the first shovels of dirt was turned by Mrs. A.W. Barrett, whose father, G.B. Byne, founded the church in 1910. Barrett was the first person to be baptized in the church’s auditorium and she and her husband were the first couple married in the auditorium.

1955

— For sale: New three-bedroom home located on Virginia Avenue in Radium Springs Subdivision; FHA and GI financing approved; price: $13,700.

— American Legion Post 30 presented an American flag to the new Northside Elementary School.

1962

— The architect-engineering firm of Robert O. Bailey and Co. of Albany negotiated a federal contract to begin surveying the 15-county area of Southwest Georgia for potential public fallout shelters. The firm was given only three weeks to complete the job.

1966

— The board of trustees for the young Deerfield Private School announced the appointment of Graham Lowe as the school’s first full-time headmaster.

1970

— A building permit was issued for Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center on Palmyra Road.

1977

— For the first time students (and many teachers) could remember, schools were closed in Dawson, Albany and Leesburg because of snow. On the last day of January, a Monday, 1 1/2 to 2 inches fell and struck to the ground.

1978

— A record crowd nearing 1,300 crowded into the Downtowner Motor Inn for the annual presentation by the Chamber of Commerce of the Woman of the Year Award. For the first time ever, the award went to sisters — Bee and Anna Louise McCormack. The guest speaker was none-other than Art Linkletter.

1983

— River House, a residential facility for troubled girls completed its first year of operation. Girls averaged age 15 and were mostly referred by the juvenile court system. Others were referred by parents, police and/or social service workers. In its initial year, 33 of the 39 girls involved with River House completed their respective programs successfully.

1990

— Ward 2 City Commissioner Henry Mathis scheduled drug tests for Mayor Tommy Coleman and the city’s six commissioners. Results showed that the governing body of Albany was free from illegal drug use. Mathis stated the tests were part of his proposed comprehensive ethics package. Coleman called the drug testing “a thug tactic.”

2002

— Phoebe Putney Health Systems purchased Albany Middle School on Jefferson Street from the Dougherty County School System. The property was appraised in 1999 at $1 million. Phoebe paid $650,000 for the school.

— With Darton College’s 25 percent growth over a five-year period, it became the third largest two-year school in Georgia’s University System. Enrollment stood at 3,179 students.

QUIK QUIZ ANSWER: c) 33

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