Old Molino Jail: There’s A Lesson In There Somewhere (With Photo Galleries)
November 16, 2009
Molino was once a bustling little town complete with a mayor, a car dealership, a dentist, a bank, three doctors, a canning factory, a couple of mills, a railroad station — and criminals, mostly men with a little too much booze in them following a good payday.
The time was 1913, and Molino was incorporated as a town. A town hall and jail were constructed. But less than two dozen years later, a devastating fire and the Great Depression put an end to Molino’s roaring times. The town was dissolved in April, 1933, and the town hall and jail were given to Escambia County. Escambia County was charged by the Florida Legislature to maintain the fair grounds as a public park and the jail and city hall were to be maintained by the county “for use of peace officers of the said county”.
The town hall is long since gone; it was believed to have stood in front of the jail. But the jail still stands with one iron cell inside a small brick building. For years, it was hidden away yards from Brickyard Road, near Molino Road. Schoolchildren had an opportunity to visit the jail about 10 or 15 years ago. Since that time, it was almost forgotten behind thick brush.
For early 2008 photos from the inside and outside of the jail. click here.
Almost forgotten, but not by Lil King, Tom Helms and other members of the Molino Historical Society. King spent hours in Tallahassee looking for evidence that the jail belonged to Escambia County. It was a dollars and cents move. The historical society did not have the funds to restore the jail, but Escambia County would.
King uncovered the document she was hoping to find, known as House Bill 322. The jail did in fact belong to Escambia County.
The ownership revelation allowed the county to use county crews and prisoners from the Escambia County Road prison to clean the property. When NorthEscambia.com first visited the jail in February, 2008, reaching it was a trip down a little path through very thick brush. The kind of brush that only a machete and manpower would allow a human to pass. The trip was a near crawl. The photographer that was there from the city was nervously uncomfortable.
Over the course of that February day, road prison crews chomped away at the woods and the vines. clearing the lot for the first time in at least over a decade. The jail, once held prisoner by the growth of time, was once again free.
The small brick building was in remarkably good shape after all these years. The tongue and groove wood ceiling looked virtually undamaged. The roof needed some minor repair; and there was some water damage to wood around the bar-covered windows. The front door was missing.
There is just a single room in the old jail. It contains a single cell in the room, with a small area to walk around three sides of the cell. The door of old cell still swings freely, and does not even squeak. There is no obvious sign that the building was ever heated in winter and no bathroom. A February night in the Molino jail would bring cruel and unusual to mind.
The faint outline of the 1927 date written in the concrete doorway (pictured left) at the time of the repair is still visible today. The jail was repaired after an explosion took off the door, possibly in an escape attempt, King said.
The road prison inmates dubbed the old jail as their “Camp One”, a play on words because the road department’s north end facility in Bratt is called Camp Five.
The inmate cleanup and restoration work at the jail were supervised by Jeff Bohannon, superintendent of the Escambia Road Prison. He said he was proud to be able to help clean up the lot for the historical society. And the prisoners on the work crew were equally proud to take part.
“You are contributing to a part of history,” Bohannon told the prisoners as they prepared for a lunch break during one cleanup effort. “I know you get out and do this kind of cleanup thing everyday, but this is special. When you get out, you can come back where with your kids or grandkids and show them what you helped do.”
“I really appreciate each one of you. What you did today, and what you do everyday,” he said.
Several prisoners responded with a “thank you, sir”.
Inmates started their restoration with the front door — after all, a jail just isn’t a jail without a door. “It was built by the prisoners,” King said in March of 2008. “They are quite accomplished young men and some are already experienced carpenters and masons. I was happy to see the brick over the door put in; it gives a ‘finished’ look.”
For inmate Troy Cutts, 37, the Molino jail project has been a release from the road prison. Cutts was a carpenter before landing himself in the road prison. Part of his work on the jail included staining the new wood to look old. When gets out of jail, he wants to show his daughter the work he did on the old Molino jail.
There’s a good life lesson in there somewhere.
For early 2008 photos from the inside and outside of the jail. click here.
For photos of the jail restoration (courtesy Tom Helms) and a current day look at the jail, click here. Pitctured top: The single iron cell inside the 1913 Molino Jail. Pictured top inset: The faint outline of “1927″ in a repaired area of the door. Pictured bottom inset: The new sign at the old jail. Pictured below: The restored Molino Jail. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Old Molino Jail Restoration Celebrated
November 14, 2009
Area history buffs gathered in Molino Friday morning to celebrate the restoration work done on the old Town of Molino Jail — a nearly 100 year old single-cell structure that was hidden away for years.
The jail was built about 1915 and repaired in 1927, said Lil King of the Molino Mid-County Historic Society. The faint outline of the 1927 date written in the concrete doorway at the time of the repair is still visible today. The jail was repaired in 1927 after an explosion took off the door, possibly in an escape attempt, King said.
The jail, located on Brickyard Road, a short distance northwest of Molino Road, had been hidden away behind thick growth for years before being “uncovered” in February, 2008. Since that time, inmate carpenters and craftsmen from the Escambia County Road Prison have worked to restore the jail.
“It still looks old,” said Tom Helms, member of the Molino Mid-County Historic Society. “All work was done without giving a new look to any of it. Even the new facing rafters were stained to look weathered.”
The small brick building was remarkably good shape when county crews uncovered it in 2008. The tongue and groove wood ceiling looked virtually undamaged. The roof needed some minor repair; and there was some water damage to wood around the bar-covered windows. But all of that damage has now been repaired by the road prison inmates.
There is just a single room in the old jail. It contains a single cell in the room, with a small area to walk around three sides of the cell. The door of old cell still swings freely, and does not even squeak. There is no obvious sign that the building was ever heated in winter.
The Town of Molino was established in 1913 and was dissolved after hard financial times during the Great Depression. In 1933, the Florida Legislature abolished the town and distributed the assets of the town to Escambia County.
In the document pictured to the left, known as House Bill 322, the Legislature directed the county to keep the fair grounds as a public park and that “the jail and city hall be maintained by the said County of Escambia for the use of peace officers of the said county”. Click the photo to the left to read a copy of the document.
The city hall was believed to be located directly in front of the old jail, but it is no longer standing.
It was after King located this document while researching Molino history in Tallahassee that they historical society was able to get the county to clean up the lot around the jail since it became clear the county owns the property.
Pictured top: The single cell inside the old Town of Molino Jail. Pictured top inset: A side window of the old building. Pictured bottom inset: House Bill 322 directed Escambia County to maintain the jail. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Ernest Ward Honors Veterans, Presents $2,580 To Honor Flight
November 14, 2009
A tearful service honored veterans Friday morning at Ernest Ward Middle School, as the school presented $2,580 to Emerald Coast Honor Flight.
“Today we honor you for the sacrifices you have given for our country,” Ernest Ward Principal Nancy Gindl-Perry told the dozens of veterans in attendance at the annual program.
Walnut Hill resident Billy G. Ward, who recently took an Emerald Coast Honor Flight to the World War II Memorial in Washington, told the students that the Honor Flight was an experience that he will never forget.
“There was a fountain out there; that was beautiful,” Ward said about the World War II Memorial. He also related the experience of returning to the Pensacola airport to see hundreds of people providing a hero’s welcome for the 102 veterans on the recent honor flight.
The two words he will most remember about the entire Honor Flight, he said, were “mail call”.
“It was two words that I had not heard in such a long time,” Ward (pictured left) said of the mail call aboard the flight bound for Washington. “Every soldier knows those two words.”
During the mail call aboard the honor flight, the veterans were presented with letters and cards from area schoolchildren, thanking the men for their service to our country.
Gindl-Perry announced Friday that Ernest Ward take part in “Penny Wars” again this year with goal of sending at least two more veterans on an upcoming Honor Flight next April.
When Ward took the Honor Flight to Washington, he had a NorthEscambia.com camera with him. To read about his trip and see his pictures, click here.
Pictured top: Ernest Ward Middle School Drama Club members reenact a scene from the Vietnam Ward. Pictured top inset: Students portray an modern-day scene from Iraq. Pictured bottom inset: Veteran Billy G. Ward recently took an Emerald Coast Honor Flight to Washington. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
700 Flags: Bratt Elementary Holds Honor Walk
November 13, 2009
One by one, students at Bratt Elementary School placed about 700 small American flags in front of the school Thursday morning. Each flag carried a handwritten tag in honor or in memory of a man or woman that has or is serving our country in the military.
“I honored my dad,” said Colton Dockens, a second grader, after he completed the Honor Walk, placing his flag among the hundreds of others. His father recently returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan. “It means a lot to me.”
Students contributed at least $1 for each flag, with all proceeds going toward sending a veteran on an upcoming Emerald Coast Honor Flight. Bratt’s goal was $800, but they surpassed that — raising over $1,200 to help send veterans to the World Ward II Memorial in Washington.
The flags will be displayed in front of the school until November 20.
For a photo gallery from the event, click here.
Pictured above: Savannah Spence places an American flag Thursday morning during Bratt Elementary School’s Honor Walk. Pictured below: Nona Wilson places on of about 700 small American flags to honor a military member in front of the school. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Parade Honors Area Veterans
November 12, 2009
The skies were gray, but the red, white and blue were shining brightly Wednesday afternoon as people from Atmore, North Escambia and surrounding areas honored veterans with a parade.
National Guard units, floats with veterans, a band, beauty queens, fire trucks, a congressman and more took part in the annual event.
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery from the Atmore Veterans Day Parade, click here.
Pictured above: A group of veterans ride in this afternoon’s Veterans Day parade in Atmore. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Retiring Veteran Honored
November 12, 2009
Rickie Bonner never expected anything out of the ordinary when he headed out to raise the flag at Alto Products on Veteran’s Day. It had been taken down on Monday because of Tropical Storm Ida. With the storm gone, it was being put back to fly at half-staff to honor the fallen at Fort Hood. What he found brought a tear to his eye.
Rickie Bonner, who is Alto’s senior director of operations, was doing something he has done for ten years at Alto. Among his other, more demanding job duties, he took responsibility for flying the American flag at the Atmore plant many years ago. On Wednesday morning he found a plaque on the flag pole in his honor. Rickie is retiring from Alto soon and this was a way his fellow employees choose to honor him. His co-workers had hoped to surprise him with a small gathering as the plaque was presented, but things didn’t go exactly as planned.
“I wondered what was under the white sheet of paper taped to the pole”, said Bonner. “I was very surprised when I found the plaque.”
“I appreciate Rickie’s ten years of dedicated service to Alto,” said David Landa, president of Alto Products in Atmore. “We could always count on Rickie to be responsible for our flag. We wish him well in his retirement”.
Perhaps being responsible for the flag is just a part of who he is. Bonner served in the US Army. He served in the Vietnam conflict for one year and is a combat wounded veteran. Among the honors he earned for his service to his country are two Bronze Stars with Valor, an Army commendation, the Purple Heart and one Air Medal for combat air time.
“I served a lot of air hours in a helicopter to earn that medal,” Bonner said.
When he speaks of his time at Alto, he has good things to say. “I’m very grateful to have worked for a fine company, outstanding managers and David (Landa),” he said. “I appreciate the team atmosphere and have enjoyed the ten years I’ve worked at Alto.”
“I’ve enjoyed working with Rickie over the years and thank him for his service to Alto,” said Bill Busch, Chief Operating Officer of Alto Products. “He is really a great guy who will truly be missed.”
Pictured top: Retiring Rickie Bonner was honored Wednesday for ten years of service at Alto Products in Atmore. Pictured inset: The plaque on the company’s flag pole honors Bonner. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Fort Hood Shootings: Local Mom’s Son ‘Was Close’
November 12, 2009
When tragedy struck at Fort Hood last week, one area mother spent several anxious hours waiting to hear from her son.
Bobbie Hobbs of Pollard, a small community east of Flomaton, could not understand how 11 people could be killed and 31 could be wounded by an gunman on an American military base.
She received a phone call from her son-in-law in Ohio. He had seen the events unfolding on television. Her thoughts immediately turned to her son, Sgt. Joseph Johnson, his wife and young child.
“We went around the world trying to get him. We did manage to get his wife and one-year old child,” Hobbs said. They were at a daycare off the base.
“It was scary,” she added. It was four or five hours before she could confirm that her son was uninjured. Sgt. Johnson would not tell his mom exactly where he was or what he was doing during the shootings at the Fort Hood’s “Soldier Readiness Center”.
“All he would say was that he was close,” Hobbs, who works at Alto Products in Atmore, said.
“It was a long scary day,” she said. “He has been to Iraq twice. I can understand that he was in danger over there, not here in the States.”
Pictured top: Jamie Anderson holds a candle for her daughter, Solana, 4, as her grandmother, Jo Ellen Freleigh, of New York, protects her candle from the wind at Fort Hood during candlelight prayer vigil to honor those who were killed and wounded. Pictured inset: Soldiers attend a chemical light vigil held in remembrance of comrades and loved ones who were killed and wounded in the shooting tragedy at Fort Hood, Texas. Photos courtesy U.S. Department of Defense for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Students Honored For Artistic Abilities
November 12, 2009
Dozens of North Escambia area students were honored for their artistic abilities at the 2009 Pensacola Interstate Fair.
The following students received awards:
Category — Mixed Media
Parish Kelley, third place, Northview High
Parish Kelley, Honorable Mention, Northview High
Cally Hayes, Honorable Mention, Tate High
Rachel Waldroup, Honorable Mention, Tate High
Category — Drawing
Dusty Kennedy, first place, Jay High
Parish Kelley, Honorable Mention, Northview High
Category — Digital Arts
Cody Maxwell, third place, Jay High
Gisele “Bai” Ronquillo, second place, Tate High
Jessica Bennett, Honorable Mention, Tate High
Erica Davis, Honorable Mention, Tate High
Mallory McDonald, Honorable Mention, Tate High
Amy Lacour, Honorable Mention, Tate High
Christa Lee, Honorable Mention, Tate High
Category — Sculpture
Travis Prescott, third place, Jay High
Gloria Ramey, Honorable Mention, Jay High
Myrinda Carver, Honorable Mention, Jay High
Amanda Gilmore, Honorable Mention, Jay High
Emily Smith, Honorable Mention, Tate High
Category — Beginning Arts
Drew Kennedy, Honorable Mention, Jay High
Dylan Nadsady, Honorable Mention, Jay High
Sawyer Gandy, Honorable Mention, Jay High
Jordan Bray, Honorable Mention, Jay High
Ciara Golden, Honorable Mention, Jay High
Dakota Ellis, Honorable Mention, Jay High
Hannah Johnson, Honorable Mention, Tate High
Ian Harrington, Honorable Mention, Tate High
Dylan Smith, Honorable Mention, Tate High
Wendy Stradley, Honorable Mention, Tate High
Erica Davis, Honorable Mention, Tate High
Category — Ceramics
Daniel Morris, second place, Tate High
Joe Fischetti, third place, Tate High
Cheyenne Robinson, Honorable Mention, Tate High
Grace Mingo, Honorable Mention, Tate High
Category — Photography
Spencer Taylor, first place, Tate High
Emily Creahan, Honorable Mention, Tate High
Lindsay Creahan, Honorable Mention, Tate High
Torie Passione, Honorable Mention, Tate High
Tyler Acosta, Honorable Mention, Tate High
Veterans Day: Three North Escambia Memorials Honor Those That Served
November 11, 2009
Three memorial walls in North Escambia — in Century, Barrineau Park and Molino — stand as tributes to veterans from across the area.
Century
About thirty of those that served from the Century area are now honored on the Century Veteran’s Wall of Honor that was unveiled in a 2008 Fourth of July ceremony at Century’s Roadside Park on Highway 29. For more information about adding a name to the wall, call the Town Hall at (850) 256-3208.
Barrineau Park
“In a way, it makes me sad,” Nancy Fillingim, the local resident that proposed the Wall of Honor inside the Barrineau Park Community Center, said. The picture of her husband, Aubie Fillingham, was one of the first photos on the wall. He spent 20 years in the Navy as a boiler technician and a criminal investigator. Pictures of his four brothers are also on the wall.
In all, over 100 Barrineau Park area veterans are honored on the Wall of Honor.
The wall was a project of the Barrineau Park Historical Society. Nita Berry, president of the organization, said the community has been very supportive of the project by providing the pictures. “It was something we could do to honor our veterans,” she said. “It’s a very small thing compared to what they did for us.”
For more information on the Wall of Honor, contact Nancy Fillingim at (850) 587-2266.
For a photo gallery from the Barrineau Park Wall of Honor, click here.
Walnut Hill
The largest such memorial in the North Escambia area, the Veteran’s Honor Wall has stood in front of the Walnut Hill Community Center since its dedication in 2003. There are about 275 names on the wall, including 13 names of soldiers killed in action. The wall honors those from the Walnut Hill area that have served in the nation’s military.
The Walnut Hill Ruritan Club began planning the wall in late 2001, and they decided that it would be a community project at no cost to the veterans listed.
“If you are a veteran, you deserve to be there,” Walnut Hill Ruritan Club Past-President Billy R. Ward said. “You’ve already paid your debt; we wanted this wall to honor the veterans.”
On the Walnut Hill Veteran’s Honor Wall, everyone is equal. It was decided that no service rank would be included on the name plaques, just the branch and years of service.
The Walnut Hill Veteran’s Wall is located in front of the community center at 7850 Highway 97.
If you know a veteran from the Walnut Hill area (including Bratt, Davisville, Oak Grove and Enon) that should be included on the honor wall, call Billy R. Ward at (850) 256-2907. Or mail the veteran’s name, address, city, state, phone, branch of service, dates of service and your name and phone number to: Walnut Hill Ruritan Club, P.O. Box 35, Walnut Hill, FL 32568.
For photographs that include most names on the Walnut Hill Veterans Honor Wall, click here.
NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
New Veterans Monument Planned For Atmore
November 11, 2009
By Veterans Day 2010, a new memorial will stand in Atmore in tribute to those that have served in the military.
The memorial, a two-year joint project of the Atmore Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Atmore American Legion Post 90, is currently being completed by Weaver Monument Company in Flomaton. It is expected to be finished by the end of the year.
The memorial will be placed at the Atmore City Hall.