H.C. Powell Purchased Headland in 1879
HENRY COUNTY SIFTINGS
By: T. Larry Smith
Henry County's Official Historian
Vol. 18, No. 05
H.C. Powell Purchased Headland in 1879
The rest of the story has been found after a long search regarding Hosey C. Powell who bought the village of Headland, Alabama in 1879. Hosea "Hosey" C. Powell was born in Georgia on December 26, 1851. His parents were William H. Powell and Francis Hodges Powell, both were born in Georgia. Hosey C. Powell came into the Headland, Alabama area in Henry County sometime prior to 1879. Hosey C. Powell bought the village of Headland from J.J. Head in 1879 after J.J. Head had founded the town in 1871. Hosey C. Powell sold his village of Headland in 1880 to Dr. Wyatt S. Oates after failing to have the village incorporated due to not having enough citizens living within the proposed town limits. Dr. Oates had established his first medical office at Headland in 1875.
Hosey was listed as H. Powell and still living at Headland as a single 28 year old farmer who owned his farm in 1880. Hosey C. Powell later left Headland and settled in Jackson County, Florida. He lived in the Ephesus Church community near Campbellton, Florida. Hosey was married three times to (l) Ida G. Powell 1864-1894; (2) Mary J. Powell 1865-1913; and (3) Nettie Powell. Hosey was father to five known children. By 1909, Hosey was living in Florida when he typed a letter to be used in the hotly contested 1908 Henry County court battles and in the 1909 Alabama Supreme Court case titled "The Town of Headland, Alabama vs. Dr. Wyatt S. Oates" in determining who owned the Headland Public Square, Dr. Oates or the Town of Headland? All of the court fights ended with Headland winning all of the cases, but Dr. Oates would still not agree with the outcome. The dispute was settled in 1909 with Dr. Oates relinquishing his title to the public square while getting title to several town streets and various lots in the Supreme Court settlement agreement worked out by the lawyers. Hosey C. Powell died on May 28, 1922 at age 71 and was buried next his first two wives in the Ephesus Church Cemetery.