[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 198 (Wednesday, December 11, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1575]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





 HONORING 100 YEARS OF THE BOLL WEEVIL MONUMENT IN ENTERPRISE, ALABAMA

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARTHA ROBY

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 11, 2019

  Mrs. ROBY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and celebrate the 
100th Anniversary of the Boll Weevil Monument in the City of 
Enterprise, Alabama.
   In 1882, John Henry Carmichael founded the city of Enterprise. Early 
on, Enterprise thrived primarily due to agriculture, specifically the 
cotton crop. Cotton was the catalyst that spurred the development of 
water and electric systems, the growth of the schools, and the opening 
of new businesses in the community. Enterprise, Alabama like many other 
towns and cities emerging in the southern United States, were 
economically dependent on the prosperity of the cotton crop.
   The Boll Weevil, a small insect native to Mexico, made its way to 
the southern United States in the early 1900s, devastating cotton buds 
and destroying the viability of the crop along the way. Enterprise was 
not spared, as the Boll Weevil ravished Coffee County's cotton 
production and the city's agricultural foundation. The farmers and 
families of Enterprise suffered greatly from this economic blow, but 
they remained determined and solution-oriented.
   In pursuit of relief from the economic hardship for the citizens of 
Enterprise, banker H.M. Sessions, county Agent John Pittman, and 
scientist Dr. George Washington Carver encouraged agricultural 
diversification. With favorable soil and weather conditions, relief 
came in the form of peanut seeds, which were brought to Enterprise in 
1916 and grown by local farmer, C.W. Baston. In just one year, the 
peanut industry exploded in Enterprise, yielding over five million 
dollars and making the city a top peanut producer nationwide.
   The Boll Weevil Monument that many in the community pass by every 
day was erected to recognize the role of the Boll Weevil in 
transforming Enterprise and compelling its citizens to ``triumph over 
adversity.'' This central monument symbolizes the adaptability, 
resiliency, and determination that embody the character of Enterprise 
and its citizens, past and present.
   Madam Speaker, it is my privilege to join my constituents and the 
residents of Enterprise to honor the centennial of the Boll Weevil 
Monument on Main Street. This monument stands as a reminder to us all 
of what can be accomplished in the face of adversity. I am proud and 
forever grateful to represent this city and the people of the Second 
Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives.

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