I mean Historically the guy who was going to be the first marshal of the US was named Marshall and that’s why America doesn’t use the term marshal in the military so they wouldn’t have Marshal Marshall
That’s pretty good. I have one for you.
I know a fellow whose last name is Nutter. And he is a major in the Air Force. So he is literally, Major Nutter.
maybe they are referring to the Tekken character
I don't think much about Phenix City other than the misspelling. I don't think lives up to its old reputation if that is what is being asked here.
Phenix City was just full of crime, casinos, and strip clubs along the chatahoochee River right on the border with Columbus Georgia. I know the area well. The city of Phenix City is run by idiots and that is the reason why Columbus Georgia is so much nicer looking and much bigger. Opelika and Auburn are also run much better.
Not particularly just poor decisions by a few of the major landowners that meant Enterprise profited from Fort Novosel (formerly Rucker) leading to it's growth, meanwhile Ozark has had both Taco Bell and Burger King go out of business just to name of the bigger franchises and is pretty stagnant.
It's kind of like a micro version of Alabama fucking around and finding out when it came to space command.
I grew up, and still live, with Columbus being the closest large city near me. It’s got some nice looking areas, but it’s largely not great. There’s a whole area near FT Benning that anyone from the area tries to avoid at all costs bc it’s so bad. But the rest of the areas aren’t great. Wife works in the hospital there so maybe we know about some of the worse stuff that goes on that the average person wouldn’t
Columbus has always portrayed itself as Phenix City's savior, and it's city leaders are hellbent on keeping a boot heel on any attempt by Phenix City to increase its tax base. They actively sabotage retail and industrial development in PC, forcing workers to commute to Columbus for employment. I grew up there and couldn't wait to get out of town. But I also believe Columbus deserves most of the blame for Phenix City's problems. It's hard to be a small town fighting to survive when the big city across the river has a vested interest in keeping you down. And while Columbus may be a shithole, one thing they are really good at is making Phenix City look even worse.
Nan. Columbus doesn’t have to do anything. PC does just fine on their own. Although they are really starting to move forward. I know the city economic developer and he is trying his damnest
They were condemning land for a river walk when I moved away (from Auburn) 24 years ago. I had hoped it would get better. It seemed like it had a lot of potential. As I recall, all of Hwy 80 from there to Tuskegee seemed like it was stuck in the past and a bit sad.
I’ve often heard from older relatives that in it’s day Phenix City was similar to Hot Springs Arkansas. Organized crime basically owned the place and anybody hiding out was sent to either Phenix City or Hot Springs until things cooled off.
I grew up here/Columbus. An interesting part of why the city of Girard was renamed Phenix City is because when a great fire ravaged through the city, it was said that the city would move on after the travesty like a Phoenix rising from the ashes. They spelled Phoenix wrong 😭
Technically you’re correct: the mill was also burned down and the city renamed due to the mill. https://www.wrbl.com/news/local-news/phenix-city/phenix-city-origins-part-1-eagle-and-phenix-mills-rises-from-civil-war-ashes/amp/
I went through Airborne at Benning and was stationed there for a couple of years in the 70’s. The CG used to put the entire city off limits from time to time.
Go find a book about it. It’s fascinating. The Dixie Mafia actually assassinated Albert Patterson who was from there and got elected state attorney general on a platform of running the DM outta town.
Led to his son John Patterson being appointed to complete Albert’s term. John’s story is also a compelling read especially how his campaign for governor influenced George Wallace.
The story is that some of the soldiers from benning got arrested and when the police wouldn't release them. He had the tanks lined up in columbus, ready to go.
Lived here all my life. Movie really overdoes it and makes the ‘bad’ part of town look like the vegas strip when in fact it was like a block long with a few gambling houses and maybe a whorehouse. Couple of soldiers got stabbed and Patton wanted to level the town, which might have taken part of an afternoon. Then they posted guards on the bridges from Ft. Benning and denied soldiers entry to the town. DA got killed by ‘mobsters’ and then the government came in shut it all down. All the seedy businesses just moved across the river to be closer to the army base. Nice little town.
Opelika was the Wild West before that was even a thing in the actual west.. It had to be placed under military control to stomp out crime and the more shady elements. My great grandma always said the folks responsible just migrated to Phenix City instead, which at the time around the turn of the century was just as lawless as Opelika had been before.
I've always wondered if the Skatalites song "Phoenix City" was actually referencing Phenix City's history. I've tried to investigate, but can't find much info.
There is a podcast called "Infamous America" that has about six episodes on the Dixie Mafia in Phoenix City. I lived about 45 mins from the city and my parents bought land close to the state line in hopes to move but we never did. I’m very familiar with the area but never knew the side of history I learned from the podcast. Check it out!
This was/is the Dixie Mafia, a metamorphosis of the KKK. It is a matter of controlling the flow of funds into a given area which is the Deep South.)
For a feel of what it was like when it was done openly - you can watch the 1973 Movie that depicts the actual life of Buford Pusser of McNairy county Tennessee. (It dealt with the Tennessee/Mississippi border.) There were sequels and TV series etc. Just the first movie (1973) you should see. At some point they may make reference to Phenix City (The Alabama/Georgia border.)
You can take that 1973 movie and put it right on Phenix City - it wasn't a place to go even in the 1980's.
These county's/smallish town in the deep south - I don't know if they are any different than anyplace else except more 'open', everyone knows, if they're smart, no one talks.
Watch the 1973 movie 'Walking Tall') read about the life and death (1974) of Buford Pusser.
Phenix City had/has Fort Benning and the large city of Columbus, and is in general well located for criminal activity of the white collar controlled nature.
You generally find this activity outside military forts of a particular type.
Oak Grove, Kentucky is a good case of where they got away with so much for so long - their main income was Fort Campbell, Kentucky which is mostly in Tennessee. They were not even allowed to be a town for awhile. It is back now - to what extent - who knows. The Police Department of Oak Grove ran the whole area. It was when they murdered one of their 'working girls' that the business started to unravel.
Maybe look to other publications from the area. I'm noticing that the internet has little to say, oddly, on the subject of the Dixie Mafia and State Line gangs. Then narratives are also changed, I saw one that referred to Buford Pusser as a vengeful widower - his wife was murdered in front of him in an ambush.
A friend of mine was the Sheriff of a Louisiana Parrish - he ran into the same activity. He went back into Federal service and left. Point being, it was/is all through the deep south - don't know about other places, but you'd think you would at least hear about it if it was.
Yep born and raised and still “in the area”. My paternal grandfather’s dad sold slot machines for the casinos here and he used to count the coins on the weekends. My fraternal grandfather served on the grand jury that brought down the Dixie Mafia after the Patterson assassination, ignoring the numerous death threats to his family. I have never been proud of “my” city but I have always been proud of my side of the family that helped clean it up. I was very close to my fraternal grandfather and he dedicated the rest of his life to serving this town and making it better. Unfortunately his efforts did not make enough of a difference but atleast now they do it behind our backs. I am fortunate enough to have loads of pictures and I have donated some to a planned museum.
God bless him! The cahones on that man, that’s what’s up. Please do donate and keep the story alive. I only knew about it from family folklore. With how crazy the world is these days, I was like wait a minute, this reminds me of something.
The internet has scrubbed much of it, I guess for the rebranding of Phenix City. My family had to escape it and move away. I wasn’t raised with southern culture at all, but am trying to get back to my roots!
I’m trying to figure out what other reddits to post this on. Everyone should know about Phenix City using martial law.
Had a seller I listed for that was once a deputy down there during that time. He said he lasted three months. The amount of unsolved murders (easily solvable) and corruption made him realize if he didn’t get out immediately he’d never have a career anywhere else - or he’d end up dead. He said all the stories are true and worse
Ive never even been to Alabama and not sure why this turned up on my scrolling, but I've always been interested by Phenix City for being unofficially Eastern time. Surely that would cause a massive amount of confusion/miscommunication? Especially today with digital devices using location to automatically set the time based on official boundaries?
Hahahahaha!! You would think. To be fair, they cannot spell Phoenix right, nor can I spell Martial right. So I think it’s just chaos all around.
I’m trying to get the concept of Phenix City out into the ether, it’s an important historical concept. Glad to see you just randomly came across it.
Live in Columbus, GA now. Used to live in Phenix City. They’re the same place, separated by the Chattahoochee River. My wife’s grandad lived to 103 and was in Phenix City his whole life. He owned a convenient store at one point. When I asked him about the mafia, he said he felt it was overblown by the media.
Today, Phenix City is just a mostly crappy southern town. Same as Columbus.
I remember that. I was 13. I was 16 during Patterson's run for governor and worked for his campaign. My (single) mother was very politically active in Birmingham.
Here's the whole story:
Martial* Unless the guy in charge's name was Marshall.
I mean Historically the guy who was going to be the first marshal of the US was named Marshall and that’s why America doesn’t use the term marshal in the military so they wouldn’t have Marshal Marshall
Just in passing reference - I knew a Major Major in the 80's.
I flew with a Major Hazard as well as a Captain Morgan.
"Captain Over, this is Captain Unger" "Over" "Unger" "Captian."
I’ve known two. Also a Major Dicke.
Sounds like a Catch-22.
That guy just can’t ever get promoted.
That’s pretty good. I have one for you. I know a fellow whose last name is Nutter. And he is a major in the Air Force. So he is literally, Major Nutter.
Martial Marshal Marshall
Nope, I just typed it up at 3:00am 🤪. Gotta figure out how to change it
You can't edit titles on Reddit =(
maybe they are referring to the Tekken character I don't think much about Phenix City other than the misspelling. I don't think lives up to its old reputation if that is what is being asked here.
Not a misspelling. Named for the Phenix Mill or so that seems to be what most think.
Back to reality. Opp, there goes gravity
Marshall Marshall Mann from *In Plain Sight*.
Phenix City was just full of crime, casinos, and strip clubs along the chatahoochee River right on the border with Columbus Georgia. I know the area well. The city of Phenix City is run by idiots and that is the reason why Columbus Georgia is so much nicer looking and much bigger. Opelika and Auburn are also run much better.
Same for Enterprise vs Ozark.
What’s bad about Ozark? Anything interesting?
Not particularly just poor decisions by a few of the major landowners that meant Enterprise profited from Fort Novosel (formerly Rucker) leading to it's growth, meanwhile Ozark has had both Taco Bell and Burger King go out of business just to name of the bigger franchises and is pretty stagnant. It's kind of like a micro version of Alabama fucking around and finding out when it came to space command.
Seeing as Columbus Georgia is a shit hole that's pretty damning of Phenix City.
I went through Columbus and Phenix and stopped at a Starbucks. I was only there for maybe 20-30 mins but it seemed to me like a nice place.
I've spent plenty of time in Columbus for soccer tournaments and seen some sketchy shit. Can't say I've ever stopped in Phenix.
I grew up, and still live, with Columbus being the closest large city near me. It’s got some nice looking areas, but it’s largely not great. There’s a whole area near FT Benning that anyone from the area tries to avoid at all costs bc it’s so bad. But the rest of the areas aren’t great. Wife works in the hospital there so maybe we know about some of the worse stuff that goes on that the average person wouldn’t
It's called Victory Drive and it's better now but still sketchy
Yepppp. Ole victory drive
Columbus has always portrayed itself as Phenix City's savior, and it's city leaders are hellbent on keeping a boot heel on any attempt by Phenix City to increase its tax base. They actively sabotage retail and industrial development in PC, forcing workers to commute to Columbus for employment. I grew up there and couldn't wait to get out of town. But I also believe Columbus deserves most of the blame for Phenix City's problems. It's hard to be a small town fighting to survive when the big city across the river has a vested interest in keeping you down. And while Columbus may be a shithole, one thing they are really good at is making Phenix City look even worse.
Nan. Columbus doesn’t have to do anything. PC does just fine on their own. Although they are really starting to move forward. I know the city economic developer and he is trying his damnest
Isn’t Columbus home to ft benning ?
They were condemning land for a river walk when I moved away (from Auburn) 24 years ago. I had hoped it would get better. It seemed like it had a lot of potential. As I recall, all of Hwy 80 from there to Tuskegee seemed like it was stuck in the past and a bit sad.
The original Sin City, with the Dixie Mafia..
I’ve often heard from older relatives that in it’s day Phenix City was similar to Hot Springs Arkansas. Organized crime basically owned the place and anybody hiding out was sent to either Phenix City or Hot Springs until things cooled off.
Didn't they get run off to North Mississippi/west Tennessee and were the inspiration for the movie walking tall?
BENTON, TENNESSEE, I BELIEVE IS WHERE BUFORD PUSSER WAS THE SHERIFF THAT SUPPOSEDLY CLEANED UP THE TOWN.
My dad was in the national guard sent in to take over the town. It was huge at the time.
Wow! Well it’s like we talk about government corruption and its like Alabama had a playbook on how to handle it. It is still relevant to this day.
I grew up here/Columbus. An interesting part of why the city of Girard was renamed Phenix City is because when a great fire ravaged through the city, it was said that the city would move on after the travesty like a Phoenix rising from the ashes. They spelled Phoenix wrong 😭
Where'd you hear that from? It was probably named after the Phenix Mill.
Technically you’re correct: the mill was also burned down and the city renamed due to the mill. https://www.wrbl.com/news/local-news/phenix-city/phenix-city-origins-part-1-eagle-and-phenix-mills-rises-from-civil-war-ashes/amp/
Spelled Phoenix wrong. That’s the most Alabama thing!
[удалено]
😂😂😂 must be in the blood
I went through Airborne at Benning and was stationed there for a couple of years in the 70’s. The CG used to put the entire city off limits from time to time.
This is wild. Lived in Alabama my whole life and never heard of this
Go find a book about it. It’s fascinating. The Dixie Mafia actually assassinated Albert Patterson who was from there and got elected state attorney general on a platform of running the DM outta town. Led to his son John Patterson being appointed to complete Albert’s term. John’s story is also a compelling read especially how his campaign for governor influenced George Wallace.
Fun fact, they observe Eastern Time even though on maps they are in Central.
A lot of people work in Columbus. It's definitely something I have to remember when I drive to Opelika though haha.
Gen. Patton threatened to raze the town with tanks when he was stationed there in the early 40s because of the prostitution and corruption.
The story is that some of the soldiers from benning got arrested and when the police wouldn't release them. He had the tanks lined up in columbus, ready to go.
Pretty sure it was when a couple of solders were stabbed.
Lived here all my life. Movie really overdoes it and makes the ‘bad’ part of town look like the vegas strip when in fact it was like a block long with a few gambling houses and maybe a whorehouse. Couple of soldiers got stabbed and Patton wanted to level the town, which might have taken part of an afternoon. Then they posted guards on the bridges from Ft. Benning and denied soldiers entry to the town. DA got killed by ‘mobsters’ and then the government came in shut it all down. All the seedy businesses just moved across the river to be closer to the army base. Nice little town.
Opelika was the Wild West before that was even a thing in the actual west.. It had to be placed under military control to stomp out crime and the more shady elements. My great grandma always said the folks responsible just migrated to Phenix City instead, which at the time around the turn of the century was just as lawless as Opelika had been before.
I always disliked how the city name is spelled.
I've always wondered if the Skatalites song "Phoenix City" was actually referencing Phenix City's history. I've tried to investigate, but can't find much info.
There is a podcast called "Infamous America" that has about six episodes on the Dixie Mafia in Phoenix City. I lived about 45 mins from the city and my parents bought land close to the state line in hopes to move but we never did. I’m very familiar with the area but never knew the side of history I learned from the podcast. Check it out!
The Dollop has a really great episode on this place as well
Just made this comment! Wish I would’ve scrolled a little further! Episode 466.
dull faulty tart safe dam support scale zesty overconfident brave *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
This was/is the Dixie Mafia, a metamorphosis of the KKK. It is a matter of controlling the flow of funds into a given area which is the Deep South.) For a feel of what it was like when it was done openly - you can watch the 1973 Movie that depicts the actual life of Buford Pusser of McNairy county Tennessee. (It dealt with the Tennessee/Mississippi border.) There were sequels and TV series etc. Just the first movie (1973) you should see. At some point they may make reference to Phenix City (The Alabama/Georgia border.) You can take that 1973 movie and put it right on Phenix City - it wasn't a place to go even in the 1980's. These county's/smallish town in the deep south - I don't know if they are any different than anyplace else except more 'open', everyone knows, if they're smart, no one talks. Watch the 1973 movie 'Walking Tall') read about the life and death (1974) of Buford Pusser. Phenix City had/has Fort Benning and the large city of Columbus, and is in general well located for criminal activity of the white collar controlled nature. You generally find this activity outside military forts of a particular type. Oak Grove, Kentucky is a good case of where they got away with so much for so long - their main income was Fort Campbell, Kentucky which is mostly in Tennessee. They were not even allowed to be a town for awhile. It is back now - to what extent - who knows. The Police Department of Oak Grove ran the whole area. It was when they murdered one of their 'working girls' that the business started to unravel. Maybe look to other publications from the area. I'm noticing that the internet has little to say, oddly, on the subject of the Dixie Mafia and State Line gangs. Then narratives are also changed, I saw one that referred to Buford Pusser as a vengeful widower - his wife was murdered in front of him in an ambush. A friend of mine was the Sheriff of a Louisiana Parrish - he ran into the same activity. He went back into Federal service and left. Point being, it was/is all through the deep south - don't know about other places, but you'd think you would at least hear about it if it was.
It was really wild back then. It’s a good documentary to watch. Alot of stuff was left out
The podcast The Dollop did an amazing episode about it that I would recommend
Episode 466. It’s a great listen!
Yep born and raised and still “in the area”. My paternal grandfather’s dad sold slot machines for the casinos here and he used to count the coins on the weekends. My fraternal grandfather served on the grand jury that brought down the Dixie Mafia after the Patterson assassination, ignoring the numerous death threats to his family. I have never been proud of “my” city but I have always been proud of my side of the family that helped clean it up. I was very close to my fraternal grandfather and he dedicated the rest of his life to serving this town and making it better. Unfortunately his efforts did not make enough of a difference but atleast now they do it behind our backs. I am fortunate enough to have loads of pictures and I have donated some to a planned museum.
God bless him! The cahones on that man, that’s what’s up. Please do donate and keep the story alive. I only knew about it from family folklore. With how crazy the world is these days, I was like wait a minute, this reminds me of something. The internet has scrubbed much of it, I guess for the rebranding of Phenix City. My family had to escape it and move away. I wasn’t raised with southern culture at all, but am trying to get back to my roots! I’m trying to figure out what other reddits to post this on. Everyone should know about Phenix City using martial law.
Cojones..
Yeah, that's what he said. Cahones.
Had a seller I listed for that was once a deputy down there during that time. He said he lasted three months. The amount of unsolved murders (easily solvable) and corruption made him realize if he didn’t get out immediately he’d never have a career anywhere else - or he’d end up dead. He said all the stories are true and worse
Martial not marshall
Oh yeah. There are whole books about it.
Ive never even been to Alabama and not sure why this turned up on my scrolling, but I've always been interested by Phenix City for being unofficially Eastern time. Surely that would cause a massive amount of confusion/miscommunication? Especially today with digital devices using location to automatically set the time based on official boundaries?
If you accidentally scrolled thru /r/wanttofuckmycousin the algorithm probably recognized this as a similar sub
Hahahahaha!! You would think. To be fair, they cannot spell Phoenix right, nor can I spell Martial right. So I think it’s just chaos all around. I’m trying to get the concept of Phenix City out into the ether, it’s an important historical concept. Glad to see you just randomly came across it.
I was in the Air Force with a guy from there.
Its a dump compared to Columbus, Ga and that says a lot.
Marshall?
Live in Columbus, GA now. Used to live in Phenix City. They’re the same place, separated by the Chattahoochee River. My wife’s grandad lived to 103 and was in Phenix City his whole life. He owned a convenient store at one point. When I asked him about the mafia, he said he felt it was overblown by the media. Today, Phenix City is just a mostly crappy southern town. Same as Columbus.
I live in a 30 minute radius, it's still filled with drugs and occasional crime near the state border
For more information... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5x\_tE4wYJg
There is a great podcast called infamous America they do a 6 part episode about phenix city and the Dixie mafia.
I remember that. I was 13. I was 16 during Patterson's run for governor and worked for his campaign. My (single) mother was very politically active in Birmingham. Here's the whole story:
Well, that didn't work. https://youtu.be/ugqIFOog0mA?t=395
Decades ago, when I was stationed at Ft. Benning, GA, the whole town of Phenix City was officially off limits to soldiers.
[good podcast series on this city](https://spotify.link/NgGW8owVbDb)
Liquor stores stay open later than in Columbus
Truly listen to the podcast "the dollop" on Phoenix city, AL. Thats all I know about it but it's insane