The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-10-07
Was Just Wide Place in Road"
 When Spied
BUILT UP BY SHEER FORCE
In the Last Year 1t Has Spent Hun dre6s of Thousands of Dollars for New BuiIdinqs-Geor.
 oa Example.

Mansfield, Ga.-The expenditure of sev- eral hundred thousand dollars for build ings in one year would seem like rather small proposition for Atlanta. Savannah. Macon Augusta and other cities of similar size ard importance. but for young mid ale Georgia town of less than 1000 inhabl- tants such az outlay in one line cf indus trial activity must be regarded as an uu- usual accomplishment and unmstGkabis evidence of progress and prosperity.
 Such Is the remarkable record that Is just being made at Mansfield, on the Gen. tral of Georgia railroad in the eastern sec tion of Newton county.
 Three or four years ago, when Mansfield was scarcely more than wide place in the road. E. L. Almand, an enterprising young man of Conyers, came here and organized a company, consisting mostly of farmers in this community, for the es- tablishment of a general mercantile busl- ness This concern was capitalized at s200cn. To many this appeared to be too big a venture for so small town anu the prediction was freely made that the end of the first year would find the firm in a state of bankruptcy. But during the yesr more than s75,ooO worth of goods were sold to the industrious planters of Jasper, Newton and Morgan counties. who settled their accounts with the firm promptly in the fall when the crops were harvested The Almand Supply company was thus enabled to pay it's stockholders the larg- est dividend ever declared by a similar corporation.
 Served as Object Lesson.
 The success of this enterprise served as an object lesson of the towns advantages and possibilities as a mercantile trade cen- ter, and within the following year more than q half dozen such stores were es- tablished. each of which has done a large amount of business and made handsome profits for the capital invested.
 The rapidly increasing volume of mer chandse business created necessity for a bank. Again E. l.. Almand displayed his faith in Mansflelds future by lending his efforts to the establishment of the Bank Of Mansfield, capitalized at s25,0O0, with G. l.. Hurst president: F. l.. Almand. vice president, and T. w. Freeman, cash fer With the bank in operation the commercial spirit of the town was quickly stimulated A splendid cotton market was opened up which resulted in the towns receiving in one season 5000 bales of cot ton less than POGO bales having been mar keted here during the previous year. The seed market was also enlivened and 150 cars of cotton seed were shipped from this point during the 1905 season. The next enterprise launched was the Middle Geor- gia Fertilizer Works, which has done a profitable business during this, its first year of existence Then came another
 f .l,. ranks with the most prosperous banking institutions of this section.
 Business Done $4oo,ooo.
 The aggregate volume of business done by the merchants here this year will foot up sicO,0o0. Since September l, 1905, be- tween fifty and seventy-ffve modern busl- ness structures and handsome residences of the most improved type have been built by the enterprlsng citizens of Mans field.
 A Methodist church has been completed at a cost of $o50o, and was dedicated on the fourth Sunday in August by pr. James E. Dlckey. president of the Emory college.
 It has been authoritatively stated that the railroad projected from here to Social Circle will be pushed to completion within the next eight or ten months. With the accomplishment of this undertaking it is practically certain that the town will get an oil mil, cotton factory and other man. ufacturing concerns that will add materi- ally to the towns growth and prosperity.
 [, is also probable that an effort will be made to secure the Agricultural college of the Fifth congressional district at this place. In the fertility of the soil and variety of crops that are produced sue cessfully few communities in the district could make stronger claim for this in stitutoa