The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-22
TOWN BUILDING
 IS INTERESTING Success Depends on Many
 Conditions
ODENvILLE IS PROMISING
Unusual Enterprise Shown in Building Schools and Other Substantial stitutions-Admirabl Lo-
 cated for City of Future.
BY WALTER HARPER.

Ou9nVlle, June Zl.-(Speclal )-Ine ue- liberate, premeditated building of town is an interesting operation. The process is most fascinating in the early stages.
 It is sometimes a long step from the blue print and the small clearing on the side of the branch railroad to the paved streets and the third-story windows, but the best and biggest cities have to make some such beginning.
 The struggle for supremacy between the COW pasture by the brook and the ad- vancing army of brick and cement blocks is one of the features of modern progress. rock thrown at the village COW to drive her from the park grass on the bank plot is part of the interesting war fare.
 In the early stages of town-building every new house is counted with jealous pride. The destruction of even barn by fire is counted as a serious loss. The business of the young town is to bury the face of nature as rapidly as possible and smother out all view of the woods
 But the town, properly located, grows quickly. There is always room at the top for the ambitious and industrious town The development of the town that is founded on hill is cumulative. It gathers moss as it goes. Like the rolling snow ball it gains in volume more rapidly as the surface area increases.
 Gains Ground.
 The town soon gets bank, a few gen eral stores, a soft drink emporium, a newspaper, doctor, a dentist, a high school, block or two of brick sidewalks, half a dozen dudes Ca town is not town without these), bored well, leading citizen, a main street, a political issue, courthouse fight and then its success Is assured.
 It may stop here and be satisfied or it may go on to the proud stage of city with it's bridge whist grating council men, red fire wagons, uniformed police men and multitude of dear young male things dressed in heliotrope hosiery sta toned about at prominent street corners to guard the safety of the honest working girl on her way to and from work. It may even indulge in the malady of mu- nicipal scrofula and have public utili- ties problem for election purposes. Clly III Lnc EHlpFyO. Odenville, Saint Clair county, is a city in the embryo. It Is in the city class because it is properly located on the map and nature had forethought enough to provide the necessary resources in the l youthtime of the world.
 The subsequent coming of the Seaboard Air Line railroad was incidental but it shows great wisdom on the part of the I nf
 Odenville Is TO cents distance from Bir- mingham under the Conner railroad law. It was 84 cents distance under the old law.
 Odenville has something more than it's natural resources that guarantee the making of good town. It has some of the most enterprislng citizens in Alabama that never turn down call for the con- munity interest.
 Small Beginning.
 Three years ago small country store with wayside postoffice was all that indicated probable congestion of inhabi- tants The surrounding country was set tied by prosperous farmers who owned their homes. The community wanted a school building, and in the face of few pessimists who declared that the under taking was too large, a public subscrip- ton was raised for a $4000 building. Be- fore the pessimist realized what was going on the building was completed. By this time two or three more stores had been opened in the place and a village was forming near the schoolhouse The Sea board built a depot for the accommoda- ton of the community.
 About this time the state asked for a location for a county high school build ing for St. Clair. Two other towns all ready established went after the prize | ,l.I VI. CTS around Odenville got together and decided that a high school would help build a town. The pessimist got busy again and began to splash cold water on the community ambition. Here. was proposition that called for $10,000 and liberal plot of ground The sch was too big. But 1t was not too big for the true and faithful. Odenville went after the institution. The first term of the school has just closed in temporary quarters. The new $1O, ,000 brick building will be ready for the next school term. The building occu- pies most beautiful eminence over looking the town and the great Cahaba valley. It is located on a fve-acre plot of ground donated by the people of the town and community.
 Wants Masonic Home.
 But Odenville is not satisfied with this accomplishment. The Masons of Alabama are looking for a suitable place to locate their widows and or phans' home. Odenville wants this plum and has gone after 1t. The pessi- mist has been smothered to death long ago.
 Here is another instance of the pub- lie enterprise of the people of the com munity. Last January McLane Hilton of Pell City and w. T. Brown of Rag land, both owning large interests at Odenville. organized the Bank of Oden- vile. MT. Tilton's idea was to make it branch of the Bank of Pell City. The people and MT. Brown said no. It must be an Odenville institution. Local people, principally farmers in the com munity, were asked to take stock and within two or three days the stock was over subscribed by these people. h. deed some of it was returned to peo- pie anxious to get in on the proposi- tion. The bank was opened for busi- ness January Il and within two weeks the individual deposits had gone over $20,00O. w. T. Brown Is president of the bank. McLane Triton is cashier and A. H. Smith is assistant ashier-z--=
 Hotel Building.
 MT. Brown Is just completing a larS two-story brick building with two largo store rooms on the first floor. The sec