The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-02-23

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 This territory, large part of It, be- ing shared by it's sister city. Eufaula, Twas Troy's. Long wagon trains would come from as far south as Geneva this week to Troy and next week to Eu- Ifaula. From the Florida line people would drive to Troy to eellstheir cotton and buy their supplies. They were ldays and days on the roads. The old lcamping places by a big spring or a Iclear running branch are yet to be seen. And wagon trains of the same sort would come from as far east as the Chattahoochee River, camping nights lalong the road and travelling from day light till sundown. They were ia miliar sights these wagon trains. along the main travelled roads of Southeast Alabama, a quarter of century ago.
 The Coming of New People.
 But new railroads brought new con- ditions to the old established towns. IThey brought Tn new people, but as fast and even faster as they brought in new people these railroads built new towns. And for which as soon as a new railroad was built big slice of the old territory of the told towns was topped off.
 l New railroads brought in new con- dition and old towns had to face new I conditions- whether or nay. Trade con" ditions had to be ,revolutionized. The I immense retail business, a retail busi- | ness which was half wholesale in fact, ] had to give way in the face of irresis. | table circumstances. There were no | longer extended wagon trains from the Florida line and from the Chatta- hoochee River. The goods these wagon trains had hauled were now hauled much cheaper by the railroad. Troy met, understood and learned the new order. Her wholesale business increased as her retail country trade decreased. And again if business could not come to Troy, Troy would go to business Her wholesale houses, her retail houses expanded into the new field of railroad operations. Her mer- chants established branch houses and persistently pursued the retreating market.
 And for Troys advantage her own immediate territory waxed stronger and greater. The new country offer ed no inducement to any Pike County farmer who had the proper sort of energy. And many observing farmer who came in with the railroad ad- vancement found that he could get just as good land in Pike County as he could farther south or farther east. The agricultural territory about in- creased and increased as if it was new country. part of the new farming I section of the State. which 1t was not. And the same thing goes on, the i'm crease continues.
 A City of Schools.
 In the meanwhile Troy continued to grow and to prosper. It kept on ex- 1 banding through these apparently ad- verse evolutions until from the village of a few hundred people in 1869 1t widened into the city of over 5000 peo- pie In 1904. The many private for tunes which were built up under the old conditions when Troy was the frontier trade town, and which gave the place a reputation for wealth and stability were not swept away when new and apparently adverse changes | were inaugurated. Tn a new way new fortunes were built up and the towns standing as Q place of riches and 1 stability was unimpaired.
 To the we'll informed Alabafnian, to the man who knows his State the place definitely and emphatically suggests | education and refinement. Troy, re. finement and education are linked together in the minds of those who know and have known the towns of Alabama in past years. It is called to mind as town in which commerce has not throttled culture, and in which 1 business has walked hand in hand with education. Regarded as 0 city whose people could get the best that was in new and novel conditions and yet re- main true''to the older conceptions of culture. the place has much to be proud of.
 The Boast of Troy.
 In the solidarity of it's society. in it's allegiance to older ideals, in an older acquaintance with wealth and with cd ueation, the older town, as Troy Is, has more in this to boast than the newer and quicker towns which have not yet mad time to attain to a full extent these desirable characteristics.
 The high standing of Troy as an ed ucational, as a cultured center, is due m no small measure to the existence of both splendid public school system and the State Normal School. Each has made no small contribution to make possible this proud boast of Troy. The handsome buildings of the Normal School close to the railroads and over looking the union station, are familiar 10 all who have travelled through South east Alabama. They represent, these impressive buildings, a cost of ss9 500, and they were erected by the patriotic citizens of Troy. The school now hs { an enrolment to the number of 4IO pupils who come from forty counties lt has faculty of eighteen teachers Prof. E. M. Shackelford is the present head of the school. It's present field or usefulness it's successful results. are larger than ever before in it's history
 Equally true is this of the city pub lie school system of Troy, which is under the control of Prof John P. Sell man. Professor Selman came to Trov from Pensacola, 8 thoroughly eauipped Ian energetic and persistent school man. The school has an enrollment of SSO pupils and the property devoted to its use Is valued at about S30,000 A good public school is q firm basis for a towns I future and an inducement to prospect- i've citizens, the value of which may not be over-estimated. The good fea lure of Troy in it's schools Is that of which the town Is most proud.
 Equally fortunate was the place when It's builders came to select q site for the city A high ridge was chosen The town is said to be the highest Aaee in South Alabama and one can well believe the assertion. Compared to some of the surrounding country Troy Is almost as if 1t had been built upon mountain. It is above tho ma. larla or the swamps and bEanches and the breezes from the Atlantic or the Gulf meeting no obstacle or hindrance sur the curtains in the homes of Troy on the hottest nights that summer brings. The ridge is irregular and a