MARY BRASWELL: Looking back at November, 90 years ago

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.

The first SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) college admissions test was administered to high school students in 1926. This was also the year Henry Ford announced a 40-hour week for factory workers. See what else was making the news 90 years ago.

— For sale: Terrell County farm, 207 acres, three miles from Sasser; Priced for quick sale at $25 per acre.

— A well-known Screven County physician Dr. E.C. McCall was sentenced to a year and one day in the federal penitentiary for violating the Harrison anti-narcotic act. The doctor admitted to the court he had been a drug addict for 30 years.

— The Albany Police Department was “waging war” on speeders. In one morning alone, nine speeding cases were heard in court. Of that number, eight were fined amounts ranging from $3 to $10. In total, the court collected $41.

— The cornerstone of the Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company’s new building on Pine Avenue was laid. The stone was of white marble and weighed about 600 pounds. Inside the stone, a small box was deposited detailing the history of the telephone industry in Albany, as well as other Albany historical facts.

— A half-holiday was given to Albany High School students so that those wishing to do so could attend the Albany-Thomasville football game. A special train was chartered for the fans. Round trip fare was $2.35. The Indians beat the Bulldogs 33-0.

— Sixteen boys ranging in age from 10 to 16 held a concert at the Municipal Auditorium. The Boys’ Drum and Coronet Corps of the Georgia Orphans Industrial Home of Macon played classical selections, as well as solos and duets. Admission was free.

— Bids were let for paving a 9.9-mile stretch of road in northern Mitchell County. Once completed, the county could boast that all of its 30 miles of the Dixie Highway were paved, from Meigs to the Dougherty County line.

— Weather permitting, the Albany Salvation Army held open-air services on Tuesdays at Pine and Washington, Thursdays at Broad and Washington and Saturdays on Broad, with each service starting at 7 p.m. On Sundays, service was held on Pine Avenue at 10 a.m. and again on Broad and Jackson at 6:45 p.m.

— Worth County Health Commissioner Dr. E.G. Rainey spoke to the Albany Kiwanis Club about the health of children in Southwest Georgia. The top five areas of concern for children ages 1 to 6 were, in order of priority, malnourished and underweight, poor teeth, infection of the tonsils and adenoids, prevalence of hookworms and, lastly, malaria.

— After several “suspicious” fires, city officials in Moultrie offered a $250 reward for information leading to the arrest, with evidence to convict, of any person responsible for setting a building on fire.

— Dr. W.L. Pritchett offered reduced rates for dental work. Full sets of teeth ranged in price from $20-$25. Crowns and bridgework carried prices from $7 to $10. Extractions were free when other work was done. Pritchett’s office was over the Liberty Theater at the corner of Broad and Jackson Streets.

— Starting in the early afternoon, auto races were held at the fairgrounds on Armistice Day. The event was under the auspices of Albany’s Post No. 30 American Legion.

— Located at 531 Broad St. was a doll hospital. Repairs, repainting, new clothes and new stuffing were some of the services provided.

— The Southwest Georgia Fiddlers’ Convention was sponsored by the Morgan Parent-Teacher Association. Included in the day’s event was free barbecue, a basketball game and a Charleston dance contest.

— A ruling handed down by the Southern Methodist Conference stated that young ministers applying for membership must take a solemn oath to abstain from the use of tobacco in any form before their applications would be considered.

— Armour & Co. announced progress on its new cold storage and refrigeration plant at 233-35 Flint St. When completed, the plant would have the capacity to store five (train) carloads of meat. All materials used in the construction were purchased in Albany and all electrical and plumbing work was being handled by Albany firms.

— The Albany American Business Club endorsed a petition to move the Confederate Monument from the intersection of Jackson and Pine. It was decided that with increased traffic and an electric traffic signal, both drivers and the monument were in danger. The lawn of the Municipal Auditorium was chosen as the new location for the monument.

— The Albany High Indians won the championship title of the Southwest Georgia Association for the first time in the school’s history. Bainbridge fell to Albany in the last game of the season by a score of 54-13.

— A Thanksgiving Dinner-Dance was planned for the Tuesday before Thanksgiving from 9 p.m. until 1 a.m. The New Albany Hotel was the venue and reservations were highly recommended. Cover charge for each couple was $1.50.

— City commissioners were informed of a problem at Oakview Cemetery. Apparently the grave sites were being invaded by chickens. The birds repeatedly destroyed flowers placed on graves. Officials agreed to look into the matter immediately.

QUIK QUIZ ANSWER: b) Shopping carts were invented in 1937 and patented the following year.