Dale County AlArchives Photo place.....Echo General Store April 27 2004
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Christine Thacker http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00033.html#0008100 May 4, 2004, 9:43 pm

Source: Christine Thacker
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Echo
To us who live here, Echo is the center of the universe. To others
it is a cross roads in northeast Dale County. When leaving area
towns, Ozark, Midland City, Headland and Abbeville, the signs all
say "Echo 12 miles".
Echo was first called Marshalls Cross Roads. Samuel Marshall had
built the first house there. Two legends are told about the name, one
from the echo of hammering during the construction of a log cabin in
1846, another the echo of yelling at a lodge meeting. The name became
Official when the Masonic Lpdge was granted a charter in 1868
  Others soon followed Marshall in settling the community. Early
settlers include the Riley, Brannon, Galloway, Stuckey, Brown,
Matthews, Howell, Preston, Deal, Ward, Bell, Barefield, Newton,
Miller and Bailey families. Twenty or more men from these families
and others served in the Civil War. Some who got killed were: James
Ard at Richmond, Virginia; Dock Ard at Perryville, Kentucky; and
Lewis Deal at Gettysburg.
  Some firsts for Echo: Sam Marshall and Son, grocery, Nelson
Stuckey sawmill, Leroy Adkins blacksmith, Francis J. Marshall
Methodist Parsonage, Daniel Hammer Methodist preacher, Mark
A. Cook school teacher.
  It is reported that Mr. Cook and Daniel N. Halstead were very
well educated and could converse in seven languages.
  Echo saw growth following the war. A post office was established in 1867 and 
was served three times a week by a carrier from Ozark to Abbeville. Nelson 
Stuckey was postmaster. Daily service began in 1907 when a rural route out of 
Ozark was started. Barney Lisenby was postmaster. Closing date of the post 
office is unknown. Rural carriers from Ozark, Midland City and Newville have 
serviced the area for many years.
  A Methodist Church was established in 1868 west of the cross
roads, beside the school. That school building was torn down and
school was held in the church until a new school was built in 1882
by Bill Miller. This was to the west of the church and served until a
consolidated school was built in 1928 on Alabama 27 north of Echo.
An earlier church had stood at the intersection of County roads
36 and 67. The denomination is not known, only a few gravestones
mark the location. Echo's newest church is Omega Holiness Church established in 
1979, located on County Road 67. The first pastor is Sister Betty Bell.
  Merchants have come and gone in Echo's 150 plus years, being
very active before automobiles were plentiful. Stores were in the
four corners, with homes connected or nearby. Early merchants hauled their 
goods from Eufaula by mule drawn wagons. By 1920 wholesale firms from Ozark and 
Dothan made deliveries to the stores. Some longstanding merchants of the 20th 
century were George Balcom, Harvey Sewell, Clete
Sketoe, Will Wright (included a cafe), Hernan Howell, Bibb Hughes,Balkam's 
great grandson presently has a Hardware and poultry supply store for the 
benefit of the many growrs in recent times. There are two general stores with 
restaurants and a sawmill.
  Electricity came to the area in 1940, telephone service in 1955,
cable television in 1995. A county deep well and water tank furnish
water for the county system.
  Dr. Snelling was Echo's first doctor. He left because the area was
as too rough. Others were Drs. Hunt, Soloman, Campbell and Treadwell. The last 
was Dr. Seaborn Bell (b. 1/8/1856 d.4/21/1918). He was known as a compassionate 
doctor. He was Echo's only mayor (1903-1905).
  Many from Echo served in World War I. Burl Whittle and Major Riley were 
killed. Freemont Wiggins and Kyle Riley were killed in World War II, and Jimmy 
Barefield was killed in Viet Nam.
  The Masonic lodge was used as a polling place for Beat 9 until 1998 when the 
building was deemed unsafe. At present, voting is in the Echo Community House 
(c. 1960) adjacent to Echo UMC.
  No one from Echo has become a governor, senator or president,
but many successful persons call Echo "home". 

Posted with Permission from Miriam Bell, via phone call, May 4, 2004.
 

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