John Edward Witherington (1866-1944) and wife, Alice Jane Ellis (1873-1959), owned and operated a post office in the Witherington Plantation commissary. Witherington applied for and helped map the first rural route in Conecuh County. Witherington and the Post Office Department representative measured the route by using a flexible piece of metal which would click once per revolution of the buggy wheel. The wheel was, of course, measured, and in this way the mileage was worked out. After the rural route was established, the plantation post office, which had been called China, was closed. This is how the old China School got its name, from the old China Post Office.

Notes from Betty Sparks : "Eugenia may have dates. She told me that Aunt Alice tried many different names and all were already in use. Then she came up with "China" and that one wasn't in use so that's how the name 'China' came to be. If Eugenia knew that, she may know the dates as well. It was still called "China" in my father's day (1916 on) because that's how he always referred to it" - The Eugenia she is speaking of is Eugenia Brown.

Submitted by Bill King