The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-04-08
FORT PAYNE NOT
IN NEED OF BOOM
Growth viii be Steady and
Sure
TOWN HAS GREAT FUTURE
Air of Prosperity Pervades This City,
of Which Much Has Been Written,
and People Determined to
Make 1t Great City.
TOWN HAS GREAT FUTURE
BY FRANK v. EVANS.

Fort Payne, April Especial This is
not the Fort Payne of the sos. with it's
monstrous initiation and booming pro-
clivities but the Fort Payne of today.
Stronger now than then, because not top
heavy. 1t has taken root and no longer
needs the aid of the boomer. Henceforth
the growth may not be so rapid, but
1t will be steady and sure
So much has been written about Fort
Payne las it was' that most Alabam-
ians are thoroughly familiar with its
early history. Fort Payne las it is" will
therefore prove of most interest Per-
haps not one of the numerous boom
towns of the south was more rapidly
and unnaturally forced into existence
than was this one. The Fort Payne Coal
and Iron company was organized in 1888
and purchased thirty-two thousand acres
OF land in this vicinity. The capital
stock of the company was fixed at five
million dollars, and all of it was willing
ly taken. The prime movers and the big
investors in this company were New
Englanders. They chose well a locality
for q prosperous, industrious city, but
they forced too rapidly the growth; and
the whitening down had to follow. How
ever, the original company bulded well
a beginning, as the handsome and sub
stantial hotel, manufacturing and mer-
camille buildings attest, standing today as
monuments to early effort and purpose
to build here real city.
Fort Payne is ninety-one miles north of
Birmingham and fifty-one miles south of
Chattanooga This is another of the
Wills valley towns-in fact the largest
and most important 1t is the county
site of DeKalb county and an important
trading point.
High Altitude.
The location of the town, though mostly
in the valley is from 800 to 1900 feet above
sea level The mountain and valley
scenery is magnificently grand and in
spring, and the water supply flows from
springs close by on the mountain side.
No wonder such charming surroundings
attracted the eyes of visitors; nor that
these rich agricultural lands and beds of
iron ore coal and lime rock drew capt.
tai to Fort Payne. 1t was natures gifts
which magically charmed the new
corners and forced them to make their
large investments
Enough, however, of the earlier Fort
Payne.
On the 18th of June last under tho
guidance Of Mayor Frank Y Anderson
the property of the old Fort Payne Coal
and Iron company, including its lands
town lots and fine buildings. passed into
the hands of the Fort Payne company, If
which organization ]. A. w. Smith is
president; F. r. Eaton, vice-president;
c. M. Hayes, secretary, and f. Y. An
derson. general manager and treasurer
all of Birmingham. This new company ut
once began the work OF improving the
property. All the citizens Of Fort Payne
followed the lead. and there has been
wonderful change for the better here so
that there is really today a new Fort
Payne, with a strong and lasting basis,
growing each day and destined yet to be :
come city of Importance and strength
And this, too, without the boom idea.
Lots are beng sold at reasonable prices
and liberal inducements are offered 20
Eome-seekers, manufacturers and general
investors
Life and Activity.
There is life and activity here once
again. The writer found busy and work.
ing on full time a large number of me-
chanics. The large Standard Stove Works
company has its parent plant here, and
80 numerous are the orders that just now
1t is doubling its capacity. The DeKaiD
Fire Brick company is also working full
force and turning out daily thousands of
valuable brick. which have a reputation
cutie extensive. BY the way. the clays
are obtained here at Fort Payne and are
pronounced to be of most excellent quail
ity.
The Alabama Cooperage company is an
ether nourishing manufacturing institu-