The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-11-18
THE TOWN OF CAMDEN IS
 TYPICAL OF OLD SOUTH


 ly scattered as Camden. The house.
 holder of Camden who does not own a
 yard and garden of at least ten acres
 in extent owns a very small piece of property, indeed according to local
 ideas. Lots thirty. thirty-five and
 forty acres in extent owned and lived
 upon within the town limits of Camden
 are by no means unusual. It Is a
 surprising statement. but it Is none the less true.
 The two main residences streets wind
 and twist outward for two miles from the heart of the place. They look like | thickiy settled country roads so widely scattered are the Camden homes alonr . l the streets or roads, which lead to the old river landing of Bridgeport and to the old village of Clifton. They are roomy spacious and inviting homes
 which line either side of these two travelled highways. They are set in their big lots with wide yards. broad gardens and sheltcring shade trees some of them date back seventy five years. Most of them are of the ante- belium period and there is hardly one of them that Is not neatly, nicely and well kept. They are painted white and the invariably maintained at their pristine stranger would never in the world sus- pect their age. for they are almost standard of beauty and comfort The Typical southern Home. American public opinion. by general consent, appears to have selected the old pillared- home, the colonial home. with the big round Corinthian col, umns. the little veranda with it's iron supports half way to the roof, and the big double doors as the typical South crn home. This style of home Is no doubt distinctly and essentially South ern, but Is not numerous enough to be as typical of the older order as the broad white one-story buildings with wings and broad verandas. Of this sort were the greater number of the before-the-war homes This type of home architecture was universal in it's one-story. in its wide ground floor and in It's verandas, but 1t gave d generous latitude to the owners in the matter of wings as we'll as in the matter of interior arrangements splendid display of these old homes Is spread before the visitor to Camden and their frequency in this ante-bel1um home proves the point that was sought to be established that the white one-story building with the many-styled wings was the distinct Southern type. A fine specimen of 1t to be seen in Camden is the old Beck home, used for more than two generations and now occupied by Probate Judge J. T. Beck. But for that
  be pointed out in Camden. ...
 Everybody owns a horse and buggy in Camden: They have to have d horse and buggy, the town Is so wide- spread. and If there is one family that believes in social intercourse more than another, 1t is the we'll do fam fly in an old-fashioned Southern town. Visits and exchanges of visits are as much necessity, according to the old customs as meat and drink. and old customs are honored in the observance in Camden. Moreover, when the two principal residence streets are two miles long, the business man or the professional man who lives along one of them cannot get along without the | family horse and buggy.
 Your older Southerner was a great admirer of horse flesh His descend- ants even when they live in the city in | their hearts feel the same love and | admiration of a handsome horse, but in the city they are not able to feed their desire for good horse. But in a place like Camden, where a man has room for big lot, corn and oat patch, If he wants a horse he can keep one, and he generally wants one, So 1t happens that the man who goes to Camden from city IS first aston ished at the undue proportion of horses and buggies to the population and as- tonished for the second time at the excellence of the horse flesh that he ! sees dashing up and down the street before him. -.s;...
 One of tEe States old Towns.
 Camden dates back to 1882, which makes it the one of the oldest court house towns of the State. In the be- ginning of that year the court house was at Canton Bend on the Alabama River. Thomas Dunn, a wealthy citi- zen of the county. lived on what is now | the site of the town. There was and there still is big spring near by A spring In those days was a great con- sideration. Few, very few, wells were dug. because nearly every family had its water supply from the surface | spring. Having such a fine spring, and knowing that the high hills which surrounded the place were healthy and salubrious, Thomas Dunn proposed to the county that If the commission CTS would move the court house from Canton Bend to his farm property. he would deed the county twelve acres | of land. The commissioners thought the offer a good proposition, and on September IA, 1882. the contract was executed, and the moving of the court house was begun, and the town Of Camden got its first impetus.
 leading. citizen of the community A. |, I cultured gentleman and a pioneer phy- sician. Having been made ohatrman 1f a committee to select a name for the new county seat, he prevailed upon the committee to name it in honor of his old home, Camden, S. c.
 Like two-thirds of the court house owns of Alabama Camden is built up- 'n square. Such was the fashion of own building in Alabama's early lays. The town had to be built upon | ! square and the court house had to De the chief thing of inteerst about he square.
 The Old FashiOned Omces. As much socially and intellectually , IS Camden recalls the old South even nore does 1t recall 1t in its physical lspect. One remembers, if he was .. cared in one of the old towns the dis inctive architecture of the lawyers | md the doctors office. He can recall he way they looked in a moment. not arge, built in one story with two ooms one behind the other with a lividing partition sometimes and again with the entire building thrown in one oom, which made 1t no big room after Ill. These old offices. it will be re- alled, usually had a verandah in front. 'hese verandahs were excellent places O sit on during the long summer af- ernoons to talk. in contenment, with hairs tilted back and an eye on the eople taking the late afternoon drives.