Talk:Vinegar Bend, Alabama

DOCUMENTED INFO (and stands alone based on verifiable, published documentation)

VinegarBend What’s In The Name

In 1848 the M&O Railroad, planning to connect Mobile with the Ohio River traffic , built a construction camp in the bend of the Escatawpa (Dog) River. This area became known as Vinegar Bend.

There are several stories about the origin of the name of Vinegar Bend. One has it that a barrel of vinegar rolled off a flat car and burst open. A brakeman, seeing that the accident occurred where the river (with a bend in it) ran under the railroad (a bridge also with a bend in it), exclaimed, “Vinegar Bend.” Another story holds that the watered down molasses fed to the railroad workmen had turned to vinegar and was dumped into the river.

The History of Washington County, Volume 1, Page 375, article "Vinegar Bend," by Margaret Rockwell — Preceding unsigned comment added by50.240.2.125 (talk) 23:24, 21 April 2016 (UTC)

TALK (This part only should be labeled talk: since it is partially undocumented)

My father and grandfather both worked for the Alabama and Mississippi Railroad shops in VinegarBend. My father went to high school there as well. He said a popular story was that the town marshal would stop anyone with a (whisky) jug in their hand and ask what was in the jug; the most common reply was "Vinegar." So the town (at a bend in the M&O railroad) became known as "Vinegar"Bend.

EARLIER NAMES

The outlaw, Jim Copeland frequented the area in the 1800s. In his confessions to Sheriff Pitts of New Augusta, Mississippi Copeland mentioned when he was young they had spent time at "Vinegar Hill." Vinegar Hill could have been renamed "VinegarBend" in the 1850's when the M&O Railroad built a long trestle there with a curve (a bend) in it. Photos of the bend trestle can be posted.

[The "Vinegar Hill" version seems likely. The hills west of VinegarBend were flush with Scuppernongs (a variety of the Muscadine, Vitis Rotundifolia grape), and many homes and taverns in that area had wine cellars. Good grapes could be turned into grape jelly, lesser grapes into wine, poor wine into brandy, and bad wine into "vinegar."] — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.240.2.125 (talk) 19:48, 29 April 2017 (UTC)

In the early 1900s Noel Ebenezer (Eb) Turner is said to have purchased the existing Sawmill (known as "Baxter's Mill"), filed a plat for the town, and named it VinegarBend. The Plat is on file with the Probate Court in Chatom, AL. along with a couple of revisions. The original map of 41 city blocks was filed June 22, 1906; the 1st revision of 5 additional blocks was filed August 7, 1906; and the 2nd revision of 36 additional blocks was filed June 7th, 1918. I know of no public record of why he named the town that.

OTHER TOPICS

Prisoners (mostly homeless vagrants) were purchase from the jail in Mobile and put to hard labor on the A&M railroad. The VinegarBend Prison was located West of the downtown area on a small rise, or hill. It had barracks for prisoners and guards, and a kitchen and dining area. The guards could buy a good meal cheap. There was a wire fence and a whipping post where lazy inmates were put to the cat-of-9-tails. Some escapees were said to have been shot.

Horse races were held from time to time in four streets forming a block in the downtown area. There weren't a lot of rules: the first horse around the block as specified number of times was the winner. The owner's sons entered the best horses and usually won. There was some prize money from entry fees and there was betting on the side. Sometimes the winner could make money on stud fees as well.

The Bank of Washington County Alabama was located on Main Street in VinegarBend. Eb was one of the directors and dominated bank policy. VinegarBend Lumber Company wages were paid in specially minted brass coins imprinted with a prism shaped stack of lumber on one side. The coins were only spent in VinegarBend, usually at the commissary where prices were higher than the going rate. Occasionally an employee would save some coins and exchange them for U.S currency at the Customs House in Mobile; it may have been risky if one wasn't well liked.

Electrical power was provided to homes and street lights by an electric plant dynamo at the VinegarBend Lumber Company. The lights weren't very bright and it was joked that you had to strike a match to see if one was burning.