Centreville Press By Jim Oakley May 27, 1973 May 27, 1973, a day Bibb County and all of Alabama will never likely forget. At precisely 7:25 pm, the worst disaster in the entire history of Bibb County struck suddenly and most devastatingly in the form of a killer tornado. Brent was the hardest hit area… Continue reading Brent Demolished by Tornado
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Special Day Nice for Brent People
(From the Tuscaloosa News) Happy days are here again in Brent. That was evident Monday as Brent celebrated the rebuilding of the town, which was destroyed in the May 27, 1973, tornado. The shopping center area where thousands stood for hours to hear three of the nation’s top singers perform was leveled by the 1973… Continue reading Special Day Nice for Brent People
Rambling Thoughts
By Jim Oakley, Jr. | Editor and Publisher The big day at Brent Monday can only be termed a tremendous success. Though at the start of the festivities the thermometer at Brent Bank said 32 degrees, a large crowd of enthusiastic people were on hand and as the temperature rose so did the size of… Continue reading Rambling Thoughts
The City of Brent – “Proven By Tempest”
The City of Brent was founded in 1898 in the southern portion of Bibb County along the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Rail line. The town was named after Brent H. Armstrong, a surveyor for the railroad. Brent was later incorporated in 1913 during the administration of Probate Judge W.L. Pratt. The mayor-council form of government… Continue reading The City of Brent – “Proven By Tempest”
Brent Congregation Enacted Sermon They Never Heard
Centreville Press – Reporter Dr. Arthur Walker was preparing to deliver his last sermon as interim pastor at Brent Church. He had chosen a topic suitable not only as exhortations but for a group of high school seniors being honored at the service. The title? “Be Thou An Example.” The thesis was taken from Paul’s… Continue reading Brent Congregation Enacted Sermon They Never Heard
Smiles Come Mighty Hard
The Tuscaloosa News Monday, May 28, 1973 By: Charles Land News Managing Editor The woman and her husband and children poked through the tangled mass of metal, wood, furniture and clothing that had been their mobile home, salvaging what they could. That wasn’t much. There simply wasn’t much left of the Prentice Trailer Court after… Continue reading Smiles Come Mighty Hard
Brent Merchants Rebuilding
By David Hedstrom – Centreville Press Reporter, May 16, 1974 Several Brent citizens are rebuilding stores destroyed by the tornado of May 27 at a new shopping center, which will be located near the Brent Banking Co., on the opposite side of Highway 5. Mr. Preston James, Jr., has already built the 5,000 square foot… Continue reading Brent Merchants Rebuilding
Rebuilt on Faith
Centreville Press – Reporter January 5, 1976 Brent – It was hard to comprehend the devastation that night of May 27, 1973, the night Brent was destroyed. Workers had hacked a narrow path through the fallen trees, splintered lumber and chunks of concrete where a short time before a tornado had whizzed along Brent’s main… Continue reading Rebuilt on Faith
Storm Freaks
Centreville Press – Reporter It seems with every tornado a lot of freakish things always happen and ours Sunday night was no exception. A 10-inch pine splinter was driven into a brick wall at Brent Banking Company. Numerous reports about widows being blown out while bottles sitting on the windowsills remained untouched. Several reports came… Continue reading Storm Freaks
Brent Under Curfew
Col. Millard Dailey, Jr., Commanding Officer in charge of National Guard operations following Sunday’s Tornado, has issued two consecutive 8:00 p.m. curfews. The purpose of the curfews is to prevent people from walking or driving into the Brent area for possible looting purposes. Col. Dailey said the nightly curfews would be in effect until all… Continue reading Brent Under Curfew
County Declared a Disaster Area
Centreville Press | May 31, 1973 At the request of Governor George Wallace, President Richard Nixon Tuesday placed Alabama on the disaster list as the result of Sunday’s tornadoes. Bibb County has been named as one of these areas. This means emergency housing, low-cost loans, food, emergency workmen’s compensation for lost pay, and many other… Continue reading County Declared a Disaster Area