Wet Or Dry? 1949 (Part 3 of 3)

There was yet another county-wide local option election on the question of alcohol sales and transfers in 1949.  It is not clear from the County Court’s Record Book who the petitioners were or what their motives were.  On August 2, 1949, County Judge A. B. Parker considered “certain petitions” for such an election and ordered that election to be held on August 30, 1949 (County Court Record “T,” at page 500).

On September 2, 1949, Lafayette County Election Commissioners A. S. Bray, T. M. Black and A. L. Mashaw reported the results of the election to the County Court (County Court Record “T,” at page 505).  The “drys” won the election by the most lopsided margin of any local option election to that time, 1,234 dry to 269 wet.  The only precinct in the entire county that voted wet, by a margin of 21 to 16, was the Boyd Hill precinct in the northwest part of the county.

One of the more interesting facets of this particular election is the list of poll workers in each precinct, the great majority of whom were paid the princely sum of $4.00 for their efforts on the day of the election.  Results from the precincts in the southern part of the county and the poll workers for each precinct are listed as follows:

Bradley:  10 wet, 147 dry; Charlie Crabtree, J. R. Cochran, Homer Enyart, Mrs. Allie McDonald, Miss Birdie Crabtree, Mrs. Bessie Cochran.

Gin City:  3 wet, 47 dry; Byrd Powell, Herman Barnett, Mrs. Herman Barnett, Wylie P. Cryer, Mrs. Clyde Jackson, W. L. Blunt.

Hackney:  0 wet, 27 dry; Mrs. Mabel McGill, Mrs. Roy Barker; Mrs. L. G. Middlebrooks, Mrs. W. E. Rich, Mrs. W. A. McGee.

Canal:  1 wet, 15 dry; C. G. Taylor, L. M. Poole, Mrs. L. M. Poole, J. L. Wilson, Johnie Keahey.

Canfield:  6 wet, 31 dry; Ura Lynn, R. M. Moncus, Mrs. W. R. Smeltzer, Mrs. Odell Clary, L. D. Stuart, W. E. Copeland, Jr.

State Line:  0 wet, 19 dry; E. C. Allen, Mrs. E. C. Allen, Mrs. Jessie Watkins, Clyde Berry, Lee Maness, J. F. Tyler.

Walkers Creek:  13 wet, 33 dry; Phoenix Fish, N. L. Fish, J. N. Barnes, Earl Owens, Jess Taylor, Marvin Whitehead, E. H. Orr.

With this election in 1949, Lafayette County, including Bradley, remained “dry.”