The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-06-22

tabiished their homes and main- taine1 them in that lavish style which made them famous. And here after the war came many others who had lived on the plantations during the almost feudal splendor of the slav- cry period. The memory of the older people hark back in these days to the old plantation scenes.
 The visitors are told of the great care and thoughtfulness which were given to the slaves comfort and we'll being. He is told of the way in which the quarters" were laid out, that miniature city Of log cabins, with streets cross- ing and recrossing each other. Within these streets the negroes thronged, hours of the evening. The larger plan tations, and there are several of this sort in West Alabama, had features which now belongs to the functions Of the government of a city. There was, for instance, on some of these West Alabama plantations a complete hos [. pital for the treatment of the slaves. The plantation owners employed doc- tors of a high degree of skill and Q trained and intelligent negro nurse was in constant attendance Moreover. some of these same places maintained a nursery in which the children of the slaves were fed and cared for while their mothers were at work in the fields or about the Big House."
 The Days of slavery.
 The mothers or the young children were never sent to work tar In the fields from the nursery and they were given permission and frequent oppor- tunities for visits to the younger chil- dren.
 In. addition to all this these larger plantations maintained big bakeries for the benefit of the negroes. Not only was the bread for the entire plantations baked there but both the breakfast and the dinner of the small army of slaves at work in the cotton and corn were cooked and sent out to them.
 The interest of Greensboro and the interest of the plantations were inter woven first, last and all the time. Not only did many of the wealthy land owners, such as the Nelsons, the Crooms, the Harveys, the Tunstalls. the Stollenwercks, the Walters, the Mo- Crearys. the Webs, the Waltons, the Irwins and others live In Greensboro with their families, but the supplies of the big agricultural communities were brought here and their products were often sold upon the streets of the little city. For good or evil the plantation shaped the destiny of the beautiful town and influenced Its high E0clal llLe ana assisted ln the FalstnS of the high standard of the communi- tvs intellectual life.
 The railroad came into Greensboro as far back as 1870. Built from Marion 1t passed through Perry and Hale Counties to tap the main line of what is now the Southern at Akron. It passed through the cultural little com munitJ Of Newberne, which many years before had one of the first roads in all of West Alabama. Even before the war and before Greensboro and Marion had @ railroad this little town which lies between the two places and is nine miles from Greensboro had a road running to Uniontown and being the terminal point the business of the great farming section fin which both Greensboro and Newberne is located flowed in and out the little farming town. But the old road to Uniontown was ripped up during the war, 1t is said. to give the Confederate Govern ment rails and equipment of which 1t was so badly in need.
 Built by Forrest.
 It is interesting to note that the man who brought the railroad across from Marion into Greensboro was the great Confederate cavalryman, General Ma than Bedford Forrest.
 Greensboro now has a splendid trad ing territory. Large as 1t is it may not be so extensive as the trade terri tory of some of the cities of the sec ond class, but no little city has a richer trade range. It extends twenty miles