Randolph County AlArchives History .....Halpin's Court Ground ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/al/alfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Linda Ayres http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00031.html#0007674 August 29, 2022 Halpin's Court Ground Delta Randolph County Alabama. Thomas Dallas Halpin along with other men in the community built a schoolhouse around 1875 in this location. It was said he was a teacher there. In later years around 1894 the school was moved to Wesley's Chapel church it later closed in 1941. It was also said he was a Justice of the Peace. The family story is Thomas D. Halpin himself served as a judge an heard some cases. In about 1889-1890 Thomas D. Halpin talked his niece's husband Stephen W. Maddox into selling whiskey in his General Store for people to make "Cough Syrup". The problem began when some people started making "Cough Syrup at least once a week or more. The word got back to County Sheriff. Thomas D. Halpin & Stephen W. Maddox were arrested for selling alcohol without a license. S.W. Maddox paid the fine and went on about his business. T.D. Halpin took his case to the Supreme Court of Alabama, because he felt he had done nothing wrong [So the story goes] but he lost his case. He had to pay the fine, plus spend a few days in jail. After that he said he was going to make sure the wheels of justice turned to the right direction in his beat. T.D. Halpin and other people in the community decided to turn the school building into a precinct courthouse. Thomas Dallas Halpin himself was involved in court case in 1898 at the courthouse. According to the family story. It all started one morning when his wife Nancy was cooking eggs for breakfast, after she placed the eggs on his plate, he told her "The eggs were undercooked, you need to cook them some more" she did, placed them on his plate again, but this time he said, "The eggs were overcooked", he told her to start over. Nancy started cooking eggs all over again, but this time when the eggs were about done, she threw them in his face, then she hit him over the head with the skillet. After the judge heard the case, he simply told them to "Get apart and stay apart!". Sheriff's Sale Randolph County Alabama: By virtue of an Execution issued out of Chancey Court Randolph County Alabama and to me directed whereby I am commanded to make the amount of certain judgment recently obtained against Thomas D. Halpin in favor of Nancy [Maiden name: Neal] Halpin.... To sell land in Section 32, Range 10, Township 18 of Randolph County in front of the Courthouse door the 7th Day of November 1898. R.H. Harris Sheriff. Nancy Halpin vs Thomas D. Halpin Randolph County Chancey Court decree of divorce reference as to alimony and deed declared fraudulent. August-1899. A woman known as "Lady Taylor" spent most of her time going to see Raymond Fuller [JP] to start a lawsuit. One time she took a shortcut through a man's pasture on her way to see Mr. Fuller about a lawsuit, when a bull started to chase her. While running away, trying to crawl through the pasture fence as fast as she could. Ms. Taylor got cut very badly from the bob wire fence. Then tried to sue the man that owned the pasture because his bull chased her causing her to get hurt. There were all kinds of cases like that from stolen chickens to burned barns. The Courthouse also served as a voting house. The voting house was later moved Wesley's Chapel school. Thomas Dallas Halpin was listed as an Election Manager in 1898 for Halpin's Beat 13. In later years he left Randolph County to live with his son where he died in 1926. Once upon a time not just court was held at the Halpin's court ground building, there were singings, rivals, weddings and even rattlesnake rivals into the late 1920's. The building also served as a temporary jail until the Randolph County sheriff could be contacted to pick a prisoner up. In later years the building was used as a Holiness church. Arnold 1920 Thomas Dallas Maddox [Nephew of T.D. Halpin] owned the land where the old courthouse building was he later turned the building into a renter house for many years. In 1932 T.D. Maddox's home was destroyed in the great tornado, the old courthouse building which was only about one-eighth a mile away was barely damaged. Halpin's Beat is now known only as Beat 13 of Randolph County. Halpin's court ground was located on the right side of county dirt road 214 at the turn-off on county road 313 on the road to the backwater. The old building was removed in the mid-1970's when the Maddox family decided to sell the land to Kimberly-Clark. There is nothing there now but pine trees. You might could find a few rocks from the foundation or chimney. Anyone passing by there today would be shocked to hear the history of the place. Lineville Headlight Dec 05, 1913: Halpin's Beat in Randolph County we dare say, is the only county beat in the state outside the courthouse towns which has a courthouse. The citizens of that precinct have come together and built a courthouse, in which all Justice of the precinct is held. In some country precinct of this state the Justice court is held in the spring, summer and autumn months under spreading caks. If the cases are disposed of by nightfall, the stars and the moon and the contending lawyers furnish the light. But not so in Halpin's beat. There were only about 100 voters in Halpin's beat but so many lawsuits arise and are tried in that beat that the good citizens decided they needed a courthouse and they got together and built one. On last Friday the writer left Lineville with Hon. O.B. Cornelius of Ashland to try some cases at Halpin's beat courthouse. It did not take Mr. W.S. Street who is an expert chauffer long to whirr us by the fine farms and pretty farmhouses as well as the less pretentious buildings that line the road all the way between Lineville and Halpin's courthouse, and to land us safely at the court grounds. On our way to this country courthouse, we met scores of wagons laden with the fleecy staple. On the return trip, the same wagons were met loaded with goods purchased from the Lineville merchants. We were especially impressed by the numbers of acres of land between Lineville and Halpin's courthouse which have been sown with oats this fall. The farmers in this section are sowing more oats than ever before. Upon arriving at Halpin's courthouse we found the hill covered with people who had come out to hear the contending litigants. It reminded one of the crowds that attend the Randolph County Circuit Court. In the point of numbers and interest as well as in the size of the Dockett, the Halpin's courthouse is a close rival to the bigger court at Wedowee. Justice Phillips presides with dignity over the Justice court held in Halpin's courthouse. The Tallapoosa River runs through Halpin's beat, and the hills and the beautiful Tallapoosa river makes a picturesque section. It is said that more moonshine whiskey is manufactured in Halpin's beat than any other beat in the county. But on this point this deponent saith not, because of his own, knowledge be knowneth not. But I do say that the good people who inhabit the hills and banks of the beautiful Tallapoosa River which runs through Halpin's beat are to be commended for building the only precinct courthouse in the State of Alabama. Water S. Smith