The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-11-11
The Two Towns Form One
 Compact Community
LARGE BUSINESS INTERESTS
Resources Help to Make the Decaturs Well Located, and, Having Indus trial Advantages, They Are
 Destined to Increase.

1 tne new electric system Will pS oPPiN"' and thus the twin cities will be brought 1 closer to each other. The power of elec- trcity is here to be forcefully illustrated. l It is going to unite in bonds of closer friendship and closer union in general 1 two cities of upward and ambitious tend ency, each within itself
 l Naturally, industria1ly, financially and religiously speaking there is really but one Decatur, but a municipal line is drawn which makes two-the original Decatur of anti-bellum birth, now gal vanzed into modern activity and now on the high road to wealth and greatness, and New Decatur, born of late years in- beriting the very spirit of activity and energy, and never having suffered the disturbance of war, vigorous in it's youth, hopeful in it's ambition. The vis- itor must necessarily look upon the two l closely-joined cities as one, and must be Impressed with the idea that before many months the municipal line dividing the two will be withdrawn and then there will be one large, fiourishing city here on the banks of the majestic Tennessee. Wide Areas. The wide areas required for the many industries already established in the De-. caturs suggest the thought that 1t Is city of magnificent distances" From the banks of the Tennessee river to the enormous shops of the Louisville and Nashville railroad is a distance of about two miles. Quick transit by electricity will shorten the distance immensely, and make more convenience and compactness, without diminishing the wisely provided areas for further increase of the num- Der of manufacturing enterprises and of the population which must come with 1 them.
 | The very fact that Decatur is located I in the beautiful and productive Tennes- see valley, famous for its healthfuness and the richness of its soil; that it is 1 located upon the very banks of the Ten nessee river which is nayigabe at all seasons of the year. and that 1t is near rich forests of timber coal iron, lime stone, is enough to convince the most skeptical or pessimistic observer that na- ture intended this as the proper location for the building of a hourishing city. l Then, no matter if Decatur did finger long as village and as a small town. men of brain and of means have seized the opportunities here presented and with a foundation strong and enduring are
 
 ready one of the most important in size and strength in the state. The Decaturs claim a population today Of about 120O0 people, and this popula- tion is increasing at greater rate than ever before. In fact, the best building | record here ever made any year was the | first nine months of 1903 The writer is reliably informed that 4O0 residences have this year been erected and that there is mi $40 front feet of stone and brick busi- ness houses have been built, and there is not a vacant store house here.
 Decatur enjoys all modern comforts and social and commercial advantages. Besides the river trade, with two lines of boats running at all seasons of the year-one up and the other down the river-and the larger steamers during high water, Decatur is the junction of the Louisville and Nashville and the Southern railways; and sixteen passen- ger trains stop here each day--to and from the north and south on the Louis- vile and Nashville and the east and west on the Southern.
 Water works electric light, telephone exchange, splendid system of sewer age and other public utilities give the place city-like appearance. and illus trate faith in the future of the place.
 Two public schools in each of the De- caturs, splendid managed by boards of education, separated entirely from the city administrations and practically out of politics, afford free tutorage to all children of school age of both races. of course separately.
 Mercantile Firms. Twenty-Five or thirty active mercan- tile firms flourish in the older Decatur, ha of fIa army of men, women and children em- ployed in the manufacturing concerns here located, and in the agricultural dis trict surrounding.
 Two banks-the First National and the Morgan County bank-furnish ample financial facilities for the people,
 Asked what gives the Decaturs this present prosperity, this rapid growth, this busy hustling stir, and the hone that in these reople lie prominent citi- zen answers that there are eighteen or twenty manufacturing enterprises here located, giving employment to thousands of men at remunerative wages, and which are open and in full blast, to-wit:
 L. 6 N. Shops.
 The Louisville and Nashville railroad ships, giving employment to nearly 2O0U men.
 The American Oak Extract and Tan ming company, the largest tannery east of the Mississippi river. the buildings covering seventy-five acres of ground, and the company giving employment to about 800 men and shipping its product to the great markets of the country. Two largely capitalized steam brick manufacturing plants, employing large forces and shipping their products daily to the large cities.
 One furniture factory turning out im- mense quantities of goods for shipment
 Three large saw mills engaged in the saving of hardwood, cut from the forests near Decatur.
 The largest barrel stave factory in all the south.
 One basket and box factory. Two foundry and machine shops, which produce the largest castings in the mar kets and find ready sales for all their products.
 Two modern blaming mills. One oil mill.
 One large cotton gin. One cotton compress.
 And many smaller enterprises. Your correspondent, in writing from Hartselle. was, by some error, made to say that the delightful little town of Hartselle was 'the cotton center of this. Morgan county" whereas 1t was meant to say "the cotton center of that section of Morgan county"
 County Metropolis. The real center of trade in Morgan county is Decatur. As to cotton Decatur will compress this season 65,0O0 bales of the staple, and this is one of the most