How did Troy get its name?
And four other stories ... plus a 'By the Numbers' that tells the story of the first month of the on-line Troy Citizen.
As I mentioned in one of my early dispatches, I’m a big fan of “By the Numbers” sidebar pieces. Since today is the one-month anniversary of the re-booted Troy Citizen, I’ll start today’s dispatch with some statistics about this publication.
Troy Citizen - By the Numbers
30 - days since first article was published
24 - Email dispatches sent to subscribers in last 25 days
20,000 - Cumulative “Page Views” of The Troy Citizen
372 - Total subscribers
61 - Total Paid subscribers
1,000 - First goal for total subscribers
150 - Approximate number of photos posted on site
41 - Photos (and captions) from Troy Appreciation Day Parade
90+ - Number of well-known musical acts (identified so far) who played concerts at Sartain Hall
2 to 6 - Number of news items in each email dispatch
4 - Bylined writers so far
10 - Approximate number of subscribers who have made “Reader Comments.”
Editor’s comment: Another goal is to substantially increase this number.
Most popular stories/dispatches so far ….
1,890 - Page views of “Trojans who look like famous people.”
1,560 - Page views of “Painting the Water Tower” story
1,540 - Page views of Raymond Ledford Feature story
1,180 - Page views of “Lagoon Project” story
900 - Page views of “Most famous Trojans” story
1 - Number of “Substack newspapers” in Alabama
How did Troy get its name?
How did Troy get its name? There’s no definitive answer, but my late father, Bill Rice, Sr., had an opinion, which he shared in a column from the August 2001 Pike’s Peek and in pages 14-15 of his history book Troy 1838-2006.
Before getting to his theories on Troy’s name, Dad provided some information on how other Pike County communities got their names:
“As we know from Margaret Pace Farmer, the name Needmore" morphed from a structure “called Rough Log, a description of the rapidly-built Pleasant Hill Primitive Baptist Church in the area … It was soon decided that the community (store) needed “more of everything,” so the name Needmore evolved.
“Banks is named for the Banks family who resided in the areas where the Alabama Midland Railroad located a depot 10 miles from Troy.
“Goshen was named after the Israelites in Egypt, although it has also acquired an association with the “land of plenty” in modern times.
“Brundidge, as everyone knows, was named after James McGinnin Brundidge, who founded the Masonic Lodge there in 1856.
“…. Athens (Alabama and Georgia) were need from the ancient Greek city of the same name. Andalusia from the region in Spain
“… With the exception of Bug Tussle (in Cullman County, referenced elsewhere in Dad’s article), all of these communities acknowledge the clear source of their names.
“But Troy, we are different.”
As he noted in his two local history books, my late father clearly thought Troy - like Athens and Rome - was named for its famous civic ancestors - ancient Troy “made famous by the Trojan-Greek war, which was fought to return the beautiful Helen of Troy to Sparta.”
However, Dad - tongue in cheek - discusses the other name origin theories he came across in his research of local history.
One of these theories is that Troy was “named by Luke Simmons in 1838, as he said, after Alexander Troy, a one-time attorney general of North Carolina and the father of S.D. Troy of Montgomery. That makes sense, doesn’t it?”
In his Troy history, Dad speculated Simmons might have told this story to curry favor with Alabama’s then governor.
Wrote Dad:
“Simmons, a North Carolinian, would later say that he named Troy in honor of Alexander Troy, once attorney general of North Carolina. He first made this comment while while in conversation with Governor Thomas Watts of Alabama and his son-in-law, Colonel D.S. Troy.
“Col. Troy was the son of Alexander Troy (the former attorney general of North Carolina). This version becomes somewhat dubious, as it could have been an effort by Simmons to curry favor with a governor in the presence of Colonel Troy. It may have merely been an offhand remark by Simmons designed to please the people he was talking to.
Still, this account was made popular by an account of it in The Montgomery Advertiser. However, it seems unlikely that the new city of Troy would have allowed a single person to make a snap decision as to what the new town’s name would be … and then name it after a man few people knew about.
“But of all of the legends about how Troy secured its name, this one seems most likely.”
Other name possibilities Dad dismissed as implausible …
As Dad wrote in his Pike’s Peek column, “There are other claims for the name of Troy.
“Some claim we were named Troy by Luke Simmons from the suggestion of an unknown employee of Troy attorney John Beecher.
“The Beecher employee was supposedly from Troy, New York and liked the name. I thought we hated Yankees in 1838.” (in his book, Dad notes that South Carolina tried to secede from the union in … 1832).
“In any case, I am convinced that legislator and Justice of the Peace Simmons first put the name of our town to paper, and that he did so October 8, 1838 when he substituted for County Clerk John Curtis to record Curtis’s purchase of property (previously known as Deer Stand Hill) on the Square.”
“It is on this Oct. 9, 1838 deed that we first see the name ‘Troy’ mentioned.”
Dad shared his personal opinion in his history of Troy:
“An obvious source for the Troy name, but one that is never accepted is that Troy was named for its legendary predecessor in Greek mythology, the city of Helen and Paris.
“Corinth, Mississippi, then Rome, Georgia, and finally Athens, Georgia and Alabama also secured their town names from legendary predecessors. This seems to have been a popular trend in 1838.
“In any case, Troy was on its way. The town at least had a short name, consequently, everybody could easily spell it.”
I’d also add that our town name separates us from 99.5 percent of other cities in the country - namely, everybody who ever lived in Troy can be referred to with an august nickname. As the Troy University fight song tells us: “We are Trojans one and all.”
*** (Thank you to everyone who’s shared Troy Citizen content with others. Article shares have allowed the “page views” of this Substack newspaper to surpass 20,000). ***
Troy Cable makes news (and maybe history) by televising high school football games … live
By Bill Rice, Jr.
Article excerpt from August 2001 Pike’s Peek
ESPN and ABC, get ready for some competition.
Troy Cablevision recently announced plans to televise 10 local high school football games - live. The live broadcasts of high school football by a local cable company are believed to be the first in state history.
The first live telecast will be August 31st at Memorial Stadium when Charles Henderson hosts Navarre, Florida.
“I’m pretty are we’re the only cable system in the state doing this,” said Steve Camp, director of Troy Cablevision’s Studio 52.
For the past 15 or so years, Troy Cable has taped area high school games for rebroadcast at later dates. In fact, Troy Cable was one of the first cable companies in America to provide this programming for its customers.
As many local residents are aware, “Bogie Vision” - named for the late son of Troy Cable founder Harold Freeman - was an innovation that allowed Troy Cable to dominate the local cable market with most of the programming anchored by Troy’s biggest booster, Mike Amos, who also hosted a very popular morning show on the Cable system for many decades.
As I wrote in a feature story on Mike in a 2021 edition of Troy Life magazine, “It’s debatable whether this cable company would have ever grown to the stature it has today if Mike had not gone to Harold Freeman one day in 1986 and made this suggestion: “You ought to televise Charles Henderson High School football games.”
“… TV-52 has plenty of experience with live broadcasts. For example, city council and commission meetings, parades, local “Morning Shows” and Sunday church services are routinely televised live. However, this is the first time a sporting event will be broadcast live …”
*** End Excerpt ***
Troy University now home to Ivey Center for the Cultural Approach to History
This week’s announcement came from TROY Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr. and Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, niece of Professor Emeritus Oliver Turner Ivey, who developed the approach as an Auburn University history professor.
Funded with a grant from the Caroline Lawson Ivey Memorial Foundation, Inc., the Ivey Center provides training in the approach to pre-service and in-service history teachers and provides curriculum support to classrooms.
“For well over a century, TROY has positively affected the lives of tens of thousands of student teachers and their students around the state, nation and the globe,” Gov. Ivey said. “… I cannot think of a more appropriate time for Troy University to reawaken our children to the profound history they have inherited as citizens of this great nation.”
Chancellor Hawkins used one of America’s most revered Founding Fathers to make a point about the importance of history.
“It was Thomas Jefferson who reminded us of the delicate nature of our democracy,” said Dr. Hawkins. “He said that one of the great needs in America is strong leadership – leadership with ability, integrity and vision – to bring all of us together. That is what true leadership is about, bringing people together. I think we sometimes forget how fortunate and blessed we are to be Americans,” Dr. Hawkins said.
“Educating the masses is the key to preserving this delicate thing called democracy. When we become ignorant of the past and how truly blessed we are, we stand on the threshold of losing that blessing,” he said.
“That is what I see the Ivey Center as being about – bringing to life, in a very meaningful way through the cultural approach, learning. It is our ignorance that will do us in and that is why I’m excited about the Ivey Center and this opportunity.”
The Cultural Approach uses six areas to transform history from static, rote memorization to a more engaging exploration by applying anthropological methods to the study of history.
Professor Ivey’s six “Faces of History” are economic, social, political, intellectual, religious and aesthetic.
Directing the Center is Dr. Linda Felton-Smith, a Troy native, longtime superintendent of Troy City Schools and a State Department of Education retiree.
Although housed in John Robert Lewis Hall with the Sorrell College of Business, the Center will function on a University-wide basis, working closely with the College of Education in fulfilling its efforts at teacher education.
International students are very important to Troy University and, thus, to the city of Troy …
Flanked by international students from Troy University on Nov. 14, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey proclaimed Nov. 17 – 22 as International Education Week in Alabama.
A joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education, International Education Week is an effort to expand horizons, make connections and establish mutual understanding between people in the United States and other countries.
According to the annual Department of State-funded Open Doors report, the total number of international students in the U.S. increased by 7 percent in 2023/24 to a record high of 1,126,690 students.
India was the leading country of origin with 331,602 students, while China was second with 277,398.
According to the report, international students contributed nearly $38 billion to the U.S. economy in 2022. Estimates place the economic impact of international education on Alabama’s economy at approximately $262 million annually.
In her proclamation, Gov. Ivey commended Troy University, “Alabama’s International University,” for its efforts to embrace international education.
“Troy University enrolls students from around the world,” the proclamation reads. “Troy University has enabled all students to benefit from exposure to classmates from different nations and cultures, with the goal of preparing them to excel in the international marketplace that awaits them after graduation. The international students who study in our great nation return home as goodwill ambassadors for Alabama and the United States.”
The top 10 countries with the largest student populations at TROY for fall 2024 are: China, Nepal, India, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Japan, France, Nigeria, Bahamas and the Republic of Korea.
International Education Week activities at the TROY campus wrapped up Thursday evening with the annual International Student Cultural Organization Festival.
- From TROY Office of Pubic Affairs
Troy Regional highlights importance of rural healthcare
Troy Regional proudly joined communities across the country in celebrating National Rural Health Day on November 21. This day honors the unique healthcare challenges faced by rural communities and celebrates the “Power of Rural.”
Troy Regional plays a vital role in the health and economic well-being of Troy and Pike County, impacting not just the health of its residents but also the local economy. The hospital is proud to share key data illustrating its commitment:
356 local jobs directly supported by Troy Regional, as well as dozens of indirect jobs outsourced directly to partners and venders
Approximately $48 million dollars in total economic contribution to the community
102,000 patients cared for annually, delivering critical services such as medical/surgical care, senior behavioral care, inpatient, addiction medicine, laboratory, radiology, wound care, sleep studies, emergency services, industrial medicine, and primary and specialty clinics
“Ensuring that rural communities have access to high-quality, affordable healthcare is at the heart of what we do,” said Rick Smith, Troy Regional CEO. “We are proud of our role in Pike County and the dedicated healthcare professionals serving our neighbors. National Rural Health Day allows us to celebrate their work and remind everyone of the importance of rural healthcare.”
Rural hospital statistics ‘By the Numbers’ …
Source: Alabama Hospital Association
51 - The number of hospitals providing care in rural Alabama to about 2 million citizens each year.
44 - Percent of Alabamians who live in rural areas and depend on rural hospitals and other providers for their healthcare.
8,000 - Number of babies delivered by rural hospitals each year.
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As someone under the spell of history, just think about a land so recently settled that "new" towns were be created across the horizon. While the pioneer people lived tough lives, the excitement over settling a virgin section of land, and then building and naming the town must have been incredibly exhilarating.
In my lifetime, the only "new" town I can think of is Seaside, Florida, which of course doesn't really count since it is a resort area. But still, it does have its own zip code and for all practical purposes is "new" town created from scratch.
Greetings from another Troy -- this one from Ohio. Our history showed that the early settlers ended up enjoying reading Greek mythology and the name Troy just stuck. Fun fact, the town was platted in the early 1810s by a name by the man of Andrew Wallace, his son David would go on to be governor of our next door neighbor, Indiana.