Sharing Brantley

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About Sharing Brantley

I grew up in this small town and have many memories, most good. As a young man, I became restless and moved away but a part of Brantley stayed with me. I would like to share photos and some of those memories with all of you.

Do you have a connection to Brantley? If so, I hope you enjoy this group and maybe join and add your own photos or stories. There are no limits as to the quantity of photos or stories. The more, the merrier. However, I do ask that you not add anything offensive and keep your photos and comments clean.


http://www.glitter-works.org











Brantley,Alabama was Incorporated 1891

In 1890 a Central Georgia railroad right-of-way was surveyed from Troy
to Searight,Alabama. A group of men led by T.K.BRANTLEY was interested
in a town site somewhere along this right-of-way. After studying
several locations the site was selected for the town known as Brantley.

The town was founded June 22,1891 when 40 acres of Thomas H WYATT
estate was bought by the Brantley Land Company.Brantley was Incorporated
and its corporate limits extended 3 miles in each direction from its
public well which is located in the middle of the street in the center
of downtown Brantley.The town had two names before it was incorporated,
first it was called Sasserville and later in years it was called Marcus.

The original town plot was survryed by Judge William SANFORD & Matthew
Downer PACE of Troy,Alabama. At this time the plot was covered with a pine
grove.The two buildings on the original land plot was a two room building
occupied by Buster Wyatt, and a one room log building with a mud chimney
which was used as a school house in the summer.

The first lot sold from the original land plot was bought by Frank and
Bob TISDALE.They owned and operated a bar near the present cemetery by
the name of Tisdale's Gizzard.

Math WRIGHT, a member of the Brantley Land Company,bought a lot and
opened a furnishing house in 1901.He lated sold to Joe Rainer who
established a business there.

T.K.BRANTLEY opened a furnishing house & built a house on the southwest
corner of the Brantley Land Plot.He owned the first trede stables.

Hyram SACKS, a peddler from Troy opened his drygoods on benches & later
bought a lot & had a business on the corner at present tsday's stop light.
Mr SACKS was a Jew,other jews located in Brantley were MITTENTHAL,
RUBENSTEIN and FREEMAN.

Bill HOWARD owned the first furniture store.
Mr.ZIEGLER owned the first livery stables and later sold to Mr.BENNETT.

Two black men estabished a business in Brantley in early years,The first
was a baber shop and operated by a Mr SIMMONS. The first restaurant was
operated by a man named BOGAN.

A drygood store in town was operated by John BEARD and a grocery store
operated by Dave PAYNE.
J.R. CATON owned a garage that was made fom tin.
JOHNSON Bar Room was located near the barber shop.
Oliver and Judge MORGAN operated a warehouse
In 1903 a fire swept through all these stories on the west side of
the street,each business rebiult.

A drygood store operated by Henry MORGAN and W.M.KNOX.This business was
later turned into a boarding house by John BEARD and later by Joe ROWE
and Mamie PAYNE.

A Hotel was operated by Mr CHAPMAN.
The first gasoline was sold by HENDERSON and RAINES in Brantley.
The first printers were Marvin DODSON and Mr. TERRY.
The first jeweler was a Mr.ADAMS.
The first plumber was O.P.SMITH
In 1900 Mt SUMMERLIN owned a turpentine still on the southwest part
of the original land plot.
The first planer mill was owned by SMITH Lumber Company in 1922.
H.C.WILEY & J.D.GARDNER opened law offices in the early years.

Hryam MOODY was the first postmaster. He opened the postoffice called
Cohort in a small house in his own yard before Brantley was estabished.

Sherman JOHNSON became postmaster later & erected another Post Office
Building on Main street.

The jail house was first located near the area of the current City
Hall Building.Beside the jail was a market owned by Mr.GRIFFIN.

The first permanent depot agent in Brantley was Frank HINTON. He gave
the town its first name,Sasserville.

The first night watchman was Nathan MORGAN.Bill JOHNSON was watchman
when lamp post was on the streets.It was his duty to climb a steplatter
each night and light the lamps.He also rang a bell which stood in the
center of the crossroads every hour of the night.

The first cotton gin was owned by Bob and Ferney TISDALE,Later sold
to Byrd SASSER,who also owned the first steam grist mill.

Junior RICHARDS was one of the first railroad employees taht lived in
Brantley, he also half-soled shoes for residents of Brantley. he job
for the railroad was to operate the water tower,to make steam for
the trains.

Joe RAINES had the first bank and served as its president in 1905. Mr.
McSWEAN later became president.The bank went broke in early 1930's.
A new bank was opened 1946 the current bank Brantley Bank & Trust.

Brantley's first marshall was Ples.TISDLAE. he was killed on the
street in 1895. Dick SUMMERLIN was the second marshall. He was also
killed while serving as marshall.

The first telephone exchange was owned by Gid TISDALE. The first
telephone operator was Mrs.HEATH. Following her was Rubye RICHARDS
and Bettye LORD.The building they worked in was a "smoke house"
joined onto the trade stables.

The first Mayor was Buster WYATT who served 2 months and resigned. John
BEARD became Mayor, Joe WYATT was one of the first Council members,
W.M.KNOX was first City Clerk, Henry WYATT was first Justice of the Peace.

Bud MORGAN, Rich GILCHRIST and the COLQUETT Brothers each ran a
general merchandise business in Brantley. The population was 803 in
the year 1910 and by 1940 it growed to 1126.

The first Fraternal organization was the Masons and the Woodman of
the World later.

The first to die in Brantley after it was incorporated was Claudie
ANGLICAN She & her husband came to Brantley to run a sawmill.Mrs
ANGLICAN's body was carried back north to their former home for
burial.Shortly Mr Anglican sold his mill to MARTIN & HOWARD.They later
sold the mill to Tom COOPER and Mosley CROSBY. They operated until Mack
BENTLEY moved his mill from Theba and bought them out & set up his.

The first person buried after Brantley became a town was the daughter
of Mr.ZIEGLER.She was buried in the TISDLAE cemetery now known as the
black cemetery.This cemetery had been used for a number of years before
the founding of Brantley.A Primitive Baptist Church was nearby.

In 1904 a new cemetery was established,The land for the cemetery was
donated by Mariah WYATT,Charlie HILTON,father of Gladys STEPHENSON,was the
first person buried there.

Donnie LYNN & John PAYNE was the first couple to be married in Brantley.
Beckie SASSER was the first child born in Brantley.
Mr.BRADWELL was the first school superintendant,He came to Brantley in 1898.
A Mr.HUGHES taught from 1892-1898 another was Mr.THIGPEN.
The first Christian service offered in Brantley was held in a small
tabernacle built and donated by Mack BENTLEY.A Baptist minister, Rev.
MURRELL held dervices there.

The Primitive Baptist Church lot was bought from the Byrd SASSER estate in
1905. The church was established and built by Frank TISDALE a deacon,another
deacon was Jim SORRELL Henry WYATT was the first peacher.
The Brantley United Methodist Church was origanized in 1895,as Methodist
Episcopal Mosley CROSBY,I.G.BRADWELL and C.M.HILTON founded the church.The
first pastor was H.H.McNEIL.

The Brantley Baptist church was the first church to be established in the
new town in 1892 in the home of Frank JOHNSON.Charter members were Mr.& Mrs
R.M.GILCHRIST,Mr.& Mrs Math WRIGHT, Mr.& Mrs Frank JOHNSON, with Reverend
Yarborough as pastor.The first person to be baptised in the church was Mrs.
D.S. HOGG.The two story pastorium next to the church was completed about
1900.The Reverend E.C.FENN and his family were the first to occupy it.

Bob CHAPMAN was the first dentist to come to Brantley. Dr.Dan stephens came
and established a denist office.Dentists would come from Troy on certain days
of the week,they were Dr.KNIGHT.Dr.HOLT,Dr.ABERCROMBIE and Dr.Hugh McKINNON
who soon set up practice and moved to Brantley.

The first medical doctor to move to Brantley was Dr. BELSER in 1902.Others
following were MOXLEY,COSTON,MAY,HORN,TRANUM,GILCHRIST,MORGAN,PRUETT,
DAVIDSON,NICKSON,MALOUF and R.F.DODDS.

The first seen by people of Brantley came in 1912.

www.geocities.com/Heartland/River/1757/index.html
www.townofbrantley.com/