*This article is part of a series of historical stories aimed to tell the authenthic history of the Holley-Navarre Community. Some newcomers may not be aware that the community of Holley-Navarre dates back into the 1800s.. The goal of this series is to help share the stories and genealogy of Panhandle Pioneers, a local nonprofit recently created to promote, preserve and protect our rich local heritage without ignoring those who built our community. Photo of Newsome & Dora (Lowery) Harvell. Courtesy the Coleman Family Collection.
Alfred Harvell fought during the Civil War with Company K of the 25th Alabama Regiment. After the war, he moved to a new homestead on East River in 1871. It was there he built a home for his family and cleared a road through East River Swamp where thousands of logs and many railroad crossties were sent to market from a place which came to be known as Newsome Harvell Landing.
Nowadays, roads in our community are named after his descendants: James M. Harvell Road and D.H. Harvell Circle as well as Harvell’s Crossing Subdivision on East Bay Boulevard – not far from where Alfread sailed his schooner, transporting wood to a tar processing plant at Gull Point…