Toward the end of December, in 1981, Brewton was working on revitalization plans for the city of Brewton. A group from Auburn University had been collecting information all year and presented its final report. The committee discussed the problems and possible solutions. One whole page of The Brewton Standard was devoted to pictures of different locations that needed to be redesigned and some of the possible plans.

Some of this work, such as the store entrances to downtown businesses being put behind the stores, were completed, but other plans never made it to fruition. This may have been during the time Brewton was working, or thinking about working, with the Main Street Project. There are so many rules and regulations when working with historical buildings.

Forty-five years ago, the city of East Brewton announced that city employees would be getting a five percent raise. They also announced that they would be hiring a new police officer.

The T.R. Miller High School Concert Choir presented its annual Christmas musical at Jefferson Davis Junior College.

This is a long standing feature of the school during the Christmas season and is always a very good program.

In East Brewton, the home of Mr. and Mrs. Foy Ray Jr. was destroyed by a pre-dawn fire. Joey Shell said the call came into the fire department at about 4:45 a.m.

A fire is one of the worst disasters that happens to people. They usually lose everything and this happened not too long before the expected visit of Santa Claus. That makes it even worse.

Devon Wiggins was to speak at the Christmas party of the Willing Workers Club of Catawba. Wiggins was the chairman of the Escambia County Commission.

Mrs. Fred (Sybil) Mitchell hosted the Brewton Civic League members at a Christmas party at her home.

“A Documentary History of Fort Crawford,” which was written by Annie Crook Waters was advertised for sale at Eby’s Hardware, East Brewton City Hall and East Brewon Pharmacy.

I have a copy of this little book. It is the most detailed account of the history of the fort that I have seen.

Pam Peterson, who used to be the director of the Brewton Chamber of Commerce, wrote a column for The Brewton Standard in 1981 telling of the planned renovation plans for the city.

Lastly, there was a picture of a newborn baby being dismissed along with its mother from D.W. McMillan Hospital. The baby went home wrapped in a Christmas stocking.

I may be wrong, but I don’t think they do that anymore. I can remember when the Hospital Auxiliary provided each baby born in December with a Christmas stocking as a travel blanket. The Auxiliary used to handle a lot of little extras for the patients at the hospital.