The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-01-07
CULLMAN COUNTY
 GROWING RAPIDLY Was Unbroken Wilderness
 Thirty Years Ago GOOD PUBLIC BRIDGES
GOOD PUBLIC
Seat of St. Bernard College and Sacred Heart Academy-culIman Ship ped Nearly $15o,ooo Worth
 of Potatoes Last Year.

''cullman is rapidly coming to be one of the foremost counties in the state in point of agricultural wealth and inn portance." said Mrs. J. H. Gillespie, edi- tor of the Hanceville Hustler who was registered at the Hillman hotel few days ago.
 Thirty years ago the territory now included in this county was bowling wilderness and was considered absolute as late as fifteen years ago the real value of the lands in one section had not been fully realized Many parts of the county were still in a wilderness.
 Tn 1872 a colony of thrifty German farmers, headed by John G. Cullman, came from Cincinnati and located where the city of Cullman now stands. Five families formed the first colony and this number was gradually increased until quite a village had grown up in the midst of the almost unbrolSen forest. But these first settlers prospered and the lands re- sponded with magnificent crops under the careful cultivation of these thrifty plant CTS.
 The Mountain Lands.
 "The great value of these mountain lands was soon recognized and the steady growth of the population has been won derful The county was formed a few years later from the counties of Nor gan, Winston, Blount and Marshal
 While Cullmans fame is principally due to it's field and garden products it has made rapid strides in other diree- tions The citizens are taking a great interest In the good roads movement and the county has possibly the best sys- tenn of public bridges of any county in the state Thousands of dollars have been spent in bridging the streams of the county and all these structures are substantial and costly.
 "Cullman is 8 county of home-owing citizens and large percentage of them are independent. The county shipped nearly S15O,OOO worth of potatoes last year and about sSo,OOO worth of strawberries, besides several thousand dollars worth of blac1berries, raspberries and other fruits. The Cullman strawberry is fa- nous for its size and flavor and is very popular in all markets where it has gone.
  increased and the output this year will be much larger than it was last year with an average season. The potato crop will also be larger this year than ever be- fore.
 Increased Value.
 'grhe price of lands in Cullman county has advanced from two and three dol Jars per acre in the last twelve years to ten and fifteen dollars per acre Every town and hamlet in the coun- lty is now being connected with long distance telephone lines and hundreds of farmers along each line is taking the service and having telephones installed. There are twenty-six rural free mail de- livery routes in the county, which de- liver mail to the people in all sections of the county number of good schools are In operation in many sections of the county, while each district has its local public school, all of which are well attended and are in charge of com potent teachers.
 "St. Bernard's college, situated in the 2 city of Cullman, is one of the largest ' and most popular institutions of learn 2 ing of it's kind in the south and has a ' large enrolment Sacred Heart academy, also situated at Cullman, was completed i last year at cost of $50000, and is now { in it's second term with satisfactory at tendance,
 4 "Cullman county is rapidly pushing to the front and considering its age is one of the wealthiest and most prosperous counties in the state.