Bexar, Alabama
Encyclopedia
Bexar, Alabama is a rural, mostly agricultural community in extreme west Marion County, Alabama
, about 3 miles from the Alabama - Mississippi
state line.
, scene of one of the bloodiest battles fought on North American soil. Bexar first appeared on the Alabama state map in 1853. The major road through Bexar was U.S. Hwy 78, connecting Birmingham
and Memphis, Tennessee
. However, the road was improved and rerouted about 1 mile north of Bexar in the 1960s. All that remains today in Bexar are homes, a few churches and the vacant buildings that once housed the post office and general store.
was established August 12, 1843, making it the oldest post office in Marion County. Richmon Pearce Goggans served the longest of any postmaster here, from 1905 until 1953. Postal service was discontinued on February 15, 1974. Mrs. Willie Lou Lochridge served as the last Postmaster from May 1971 till the end. The local community rallied around the post office in an attempt to thwart the end of postal service but were not successful. At the time the post office was closed, it had a modern building for the times, having been built in 1962. Former postmaster Pearce Goggans was the guest of honor at the dedication of the new post office, and U.S. Rep. Carl Elliott gave a speech. The Bexar post office served a large area of Western Alabama and Eastern Mississippi. The old Bexar rural delivery area is now served by the post offices in Detroit
, Vina
, Hamilton
(all in Alabama) and Tremont, Mississippi
. The ZIP code
assigned to the Bexar post office was 35547.
students to Hamilton High School up until the 1950s. At the time it was closed it only served to 8th grade. There have been three Gravel Springs Junior High School buildings. The last one was dedicated in 1947 and still stands. The school grounds are owned by a local family and serve as a gathering place each Christmas and Decoration Day for the family. After the school was closed, the buyers utilized two of the class rooms on the southern end of the school to manufacture horse trailers for a few years and thus the exterior wall was knocked out. Other than that, the building looks much the way it did when it was closed in 1985, both on the exterior and interior. The other school that served the Bexar community over the years was known as Ada Hanna High School. It was established in 1921 as the Marion County Training School and then the Rosenwald School. The first teachers at the school were Professor G.H. Hanna and his wife, Ada—hence the name of the school. The Marion County Board of Education gave permission for a new school to be built to replace the outdated Rosenwald School building and on September 19, 1965, the Ada Hanna High School was dedicated. However, in 1967, with desegregation
, the AHHS began phasing out grades. The students were transferred to Hamilton with the school being shut down completely at the end of the 1969 school year. The building was used as a place for local children to play basketball in the school gym for a few years, then was used as a manufacturing plant. It has since fallen into severe disrepair after a fire gutted most of the school building. The remnants of the school are still standing, though they are very overgrown with weeds and trees.
Marion County, Alabama
Marion County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Marion County was created by an act of the Alabama Territorial General Assembly on February 13, 1818. The county is located in the northwestern part of the state, bounded on the west by the state of Mississippi. It encompasses . Marion County...
, about 3 miles from the Alabama - Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
state line.
Origins
The community was founded around 1830 and named for the Mission (then known as San Antonio de Béxar) which was the location of the Battle of the AlamoBattle of the Alamo
The Battle of the Alamo was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna launched an assault on the Alamo Mission near San Antonio de Béxar . All but two of the Texian defenders were killed...
, scene of one of the bloodiest battles fought on North American soil. Bexar first appeared on the Alabama state map in 1853. The major road through Bexar was U.S. Hwy 78, connecting Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
and Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
. However, the road was improved and rerouted about 1 mile north of Bexar in the 1960s. All that remains today in Bexar are homes, a few churches and the vacant buildings that once housed the post office and general store.
Postal service
The Bexar post officeUnited States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
was established August 12, 1843, making it the oldest post office in Marion County. Richmon Pearce Goggans served the longest of any postmaster here, from 1905 until 1953. Postal service was discontinued on February 15, 1974. Mrs. Willie Lou Lochridge served as the last Postmaster from May 1971 till the end. The local community rallied around the post office in an attempt to thwart the end of postal service but were not successful. At the time the post office was closed, it had a modern building for the times, having been built in 1962. Former postmaster Pearce Goggans was the guest of honor at the dedication of the new post office, and U.S. Rep. Carl Elliott gave a speech. The Bexar post office served a large area of Western Alabama and Eastern Mississippi. The old Bexar rural delivery area is now served by the post offices in Detroit
Detroit, Alabama
Detroit is a town in Lamar County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 247.-Geography:Detroit is located at .According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....
, Vina
Vina, Alabama
Vina is a town in Franklin County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 400.-Geography:Vina is located at .According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...
, Hamilton
Hamilton, Alabama
Hamilton is a city in Marion County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 6,786. The city is the county seat of Marion County.-Geography:Hamilton is located at , along the Buttahatchee River....
(all in Alabama) and Tremont, Mississippi
Tremont, Mississippi
Tremont is town in Itawamba County, Mississippi, United States. It was founded in 1852. The population was 390 at the 2000 census. It was the birthplace of country music singer Tammy Wynette.-Geography:Tremont is located at ....
. The ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
assigned to the Bexar post office was 35547.
Schools
Bexar has been the home of two secondary schools. Gravel Springs Junior High School (home of the Golden Tigers) was established in 1907 and educated the children of the surrounding countryside until 1985. It was the last "country school" in Marion County. Gravel Springs "graduated" sophomoreSophomore
Sophomore is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the second year of study at high school or university.The word is also used as a synonym for "second", for the second album or EP released by a musician or group, the second movie of a director, or the second season of a...
students to Hamilton High School up until the 1950s. At the time it was closed it only served to 8th grade. There have been three Gravel Springs Junior High School buildings. The last one was dedicated in 1947 and still stands. The school grounds are owned by a local family and serve as a gathering place each Christmas and Decoration Day for the family. After the school was closed, the buyers utilized two of the class rooms on the southern end of the school to manufacture horse trailers for a few years and thus the exterior wall was knocked out. Other than that, the building looks much the way it did when it was closed in 1985, both on the exterior and interior. The other school that served the Bexar community over the years was known as Ada Hanna High School. It was established in 1921 as the Marion County Training School and then the Rosenwald School. The first teachers at the school were Professor G.H. Hanna and his wife, Ada—hence the name of the school. The Marion County Board of Education gave permission for a new school to be built to replace the outdated Rosenwald School building and on September 19, 1965, the Ada Hanna High School was dedicated. However, in 1967, with desegregation
Desegregation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. This is most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in...
, the AHHS began phasing out grades. The students were transferred to Hamilton with the school being shut down completely at the end of the 1969 school year. The building was used as a place for local children to play basketball in the school gym for a few years, then was used as a manufacturing plant. It has since fallen into severe disrepair after a fire gutted most of the school building. The remnants of the school are still standing, though they are very overgrown with weeds and trees.