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Florence is situated on the north bank of the
Tennessee River, at the foot of the Mussel Shoals,
and consequently at the head of navigation of
the Lower Tennessee River. It is the county seat
of Lauderdale County, and has long been an important town. Its population is now estimated at
3,000.
In the year 1818 a company of men, operating
under the name of the Cypress Land Company,
bought from the United States the land whereon
the town is situated. In the year following the
purchase of the site, the land company had a great
auction sale of town lots. The prices realized
were almost fabulous, considering the amount of
land then open for settlement. The land was divided into lots of a half-acre each, and one of
these brought the sum of *3,500, the purchaser
being James Jackson, who was afterward one of
the foremost citizens of the place. A lot on the
river bank, near the present railroad bridge, together with the ferry privilege, was sold to John
J. Winston for §10,100. The total amount of sales aggregated $319,513.
It is naturally a matter of wonder, want were
the expectations in regard to Florence that caused
real estate to bring such enormous prices. The
men who had in hand the work of building up
the young city were men of wealth and note, and
the weight of their reputation possibly had something to do with it, but more particularly did the
unrivaled location and the wonderful natural advantages of the place lend aid to the project. It
must be remembered that at this time Memphis
was simply a ferry landing, Nashville a small village, and Louisville a town of only a few thousand
inhabitants. All this vast domain west of the
Allegheny Mountains and south of the Ohio River
was at that time just being opened up to the white
settlers. The East was sending out emigrants in
a steady stream. The land was found to be peculiarly adapted to the raising of cotton, the cultivation of which had just begun to be a matter of
importance. The forests were filled with fine timber of endless variety, the woods and streams with
fish and game. It was, therefore, not unreasonable to conclude that here, at the head of navigation of a large river, in the center of a magnificent agricultural country, there would soon be
built a great city. In the absence of railroads,
the Tennessee river, nature's great highway,
would furnish transportation, and the founders
of Florence no doubt often pictured it as a busy
metropolis, its streets filled with rushing throngs,
and the air resounding with the hum of many industries.
During the first decade of the young city's
history, her growth was tremendous. Capital
began to flow in. and moneyed men began to show
their faith by their works. Florence was the
great distributing point for all the merchandise
brought back from the North in exchange for the
agricultural products annually sent thither. Large
warehouses were built on the banks of the river to
receive freight and goods consigned to Huntsville,
Athens, Fayetteville, Term., and other interior
towns; beautiful residences were built, storehouses
were being erected, aid a large wholesale as well
as a retail trade was growing up.
At this time (1832) the cultivation of cotton in
territory east of Florence had become so great
that it was found necessary to have increased
facilities for transportation, and the question of
digging a canal around the Mussel Shoals began
to be talked of. Congress made an appropriation
of land for that purpose, and by the year 1840
work had so far advanced as to enable flat-boats to
pass through the canal, but when the first steamboat attempted to enter, the locks were found too
short. In the following year a break occurred,
and the Federal and State (Governments having
both refused further aid, the work was allowed to
go to destruction. However, the General
Government again began the building of a canal,
this time on a larger scale. This great work has progressed as rapidly as could be expected, and it
is thought will be completed during the present
year.
Another enterprise almost as important as the
canal, and one begun at about the same time, was
the building of a bridge across the river. This
was completed at a great cost about the year 1840.
The bridge was partially destroyed by a tornado
in 1854, and in 1855, exactly one year after, the
remainder was swept away. In 1858 a railroad
bridge was built, which was burned by Confederate troops during the war. Since that time the
Memphis & Charleston Railroad Company have
built a third bridge, which is still in use.
Although farming and stock raising was the
principal occupation of the people contiguous to
Florence. The trade of these people being the principal source from which the town derived its support,
yet there were several manufacturing establishments of no mean importance erected in the
county. Samuel Vanlier built an iron furnace
near the northern edge of the county, and the
iron manufactured by him was brought to Florence in wagons, and shipped to market by river.
Flowing by the western part of the place is Cypress Creek, a noble stream that has its rise in
Tennessee : on the banks of this creek were erected
cotton mills, woolen mills and lumber mills.
Almost within sight were the two extensive cotton
factories of Martin, Weakley & Co. All of
these establishments, with the exception of one
factory owned by the latter firm, were destroyed
during the war, and have not since been rebuilt.
The one cotton factory remaining passed into the
hands of the Cypress Mills Company, and was
run by them until recently, when it was purchased by a syndicate of foreign capitalists, who
are at present operating it to great advantage.
The Kernachan mills is another cotton factory
situated also on the Cypress Creek, and was more
recently erected. It is now operated to its fullest
capacity, and pays a handsome dividend.
The iron foundry of Wright & Rice was another
one of the important enterprises of early days.
While the chief advantage of early Florence
was its remarkable facilities for water transportation, yet her citizens were not slow to recognize
the importance of quicker communication by
means of railroads. Her people subscribed liberally to the building of the Memphis & Charleston
Railroad, expecting that the line at this place
would run on the north side of the river.
When the road was located on the opposite side, they
secured the building of a branch from Tuseumbia
and the reconstruction of the bridge across the
Tennessee River. The importance of having a
northern outlet by means of a railroad leading to
Nashville, has long been recognized, and the want
of this, together with the failure of the Government to complete the canal, more than anything
else conspired to hold the town at a stand still
for forty years. Various attempts have been
made to have this road built, and the citizens
of Florence have always been ready to contribute liberally to its construction. It has only
been since the organization of the Florence Land
Company and the locating of many new enterprises
at Florence, that capitalists have looked favorably
upon the building of this line. The Louisville &
Nashville Railroad Company, with an eye to the
ever increasing freight traffic of Florence and
Sheffield, finally closed a contract with representatives of the two places, by which they bound them-
selves to build, equip and operate the road. The
greater part of the work is already completed, and
trains will be running over the new line in a short
while.
Save for a short time during the war, Florence
has never been without a newspaper. The Florence Gazette was established in 1819, by W". S.
Fulton, and has been, since its foundation, a conservative democratic paper. Its founder was also
the first editor, and judging from the public records, Fulton must have been a leading spirit in
the early history of the place. He was the first
Judge of the County Court, and also the first postmaster of the place. He was followed by numerous other men as prominent as he, and, possibly of
his successors, the one most widely-known in
newspaper circles, was If. C. Galloway, now of
Memphis, and until recently, the editor-in-chief
of the Memphis. Colonel Galloway went
to Florence from Moulton, Ala., and from Florence
to Memphis, where he now lives in honored retirement. There have been many other papers published in Florence, among the number were the
Florence, the American Democrat, the
Florence Journal, and the Lauderdale Times. In
the latter days, many papers have suddenly bloomed
forth, and almost as suddenly faded away. The
interests of the town are now zealously guarded by
three excellent weekly papers: the Gazette, the
Banner and the Wave.
The principal churches of the place have always
been the Presbyterian, Methodist, and the Episcopalian, but since the recent growth began,
other denominations have come in. The Catholics have already erected a church, and Baptists are now preparing to build
houses of worships.
The first pastor of the Methodist Church, and,
probably, the first one of the place, was Nathaniel
Garret, and, since his time, there is a long list of
men, who have been, and are yet, more or less
prominent throughout the South. Among the
number were Dr. If. H. Hirers, who was also
president of the Weslcran University: Rev. J. P.
Barber. Dr. It. A. Young, Dr. Hardie Brown, and
others equally as well known.
The first pastor of the Presbyterian Church
was Dr. Campbell. From the articles of faith
which were adopted, and which are to be found
on the county records, we learn that the church
was organized on July 1837. The trustees
were five in number, and all intimately and prominently connected with the early history of the
town. John McKinloy, who was afterward a
justice of the Supreme Court of the United
States, James Irvine and John Simpson, two leading citizens, Robert M. Patton, a merchant and
afterward Governor of Alabama, and Dr. Xeal
Bowell, a highly respected and prominent physician of the county, formed the board. Rev. J.
L. Sloss and Dr. \V. H. Mitchell, both accomplished divines, have filled this pulpit. The present pastor is Rev. M. L. Frierson.
Rivers as president, the new institution of learning began a prosperous career under the name of
the Wesleyan University. The school flourished
until the war, when both preceptor and pupil were
caviled upon to shoulder the musket. An attempt
was made to reorganize it after the war, but owing
to the impoverished condition of the country it
never succeeded. The building and grounds were
afterward turned over to the State Board of Education, and in the year 1873 the State Normal
College was established. For the support of this
institution the State makes an annual appropriation and since its foundation the school
has been in a most flourishing condition, steadily
growing in popularity and strength. Its graduates are scattered all over the State, and their
system of teaching has had a marked influence
over the public schools of Alabama. The president of the faculty is Prof. T. J. Mitchell.
There have been good female schools in Florence
since the founding of the town, and among the best
of these was that taught for a long while by Mr. X.
M. Ilentz and his accomplished wife, Mrs. Caroline Hentz. They moved away in 1842, much
to the regret of the people, and took up their residence at Tuscaloosa. After their departure, the
Florence Female Academy was opened, which was
afterward merged into the Florence Synodical
Female College, which was under the control of
the Memphis Synod of the Presbyterian Church.
The citizens were again called upon to assist in
erecting buildings, and two handsome brick edifices
now stand as evidence of the high estimate placed
upon female education. The school had for a
number of years, as its efficient principal, the Rev.
Dr. W. H. Mitchell, who was also pastor of the
Presbyterian Church. It U a quite well-known
fact that this institution was the especial care of
the late lamented ex-Gov. R. M. Patton, who
was the President of the Board of Trustees till his
death. He lent the weight of his influence and
his purse unstintingly to its support, and his name
is still held in most affectionate remembrance by
its many pupils. The school is now under the
charge of Miss Sallie Collier, and still retains its
reputation as an institution of learning and refinement.
The civil administration of Florence has always
been in the hands of honest and capable men.
There have been no defalcations, no dishonesty in
high places. When the people find they have an
efficient officer in charge it has been their custom
to re-elect him with persistent regularity. The
same is true of the County officers. William W.
Garrard, who was one of the foremost of the early
settlers, held the office of Clerk of the County
Court for twenty years. He was succeeded by
Wiley T. Hawkins, who remained in office for
ten years, till the County Court was abolished
and the office of Probate Judge created, which
office he filled for twelve years till his death.
The city government is in the hands of a mayor
and five aldermen who are elected annually.
The present mayor is Hon. Z. P. Morrison, a
Virginian by birth and a man highly esteemed for
his integrity of character and great executive capacity. He was first elected in 1881, and has held
the office since that time. To him more than
any one else is the town indebted for the reputation it enjoys as being a well governed community
and comparatively free from crime. Since his
coming into office the streets have been greatly
improved, drainage perfected, the city has been
lighted, and various other improvements have been
made.
Enough has been said to give an idea of the Florence of the past; but the wide-awake business man
asks, " What of the future?" " A beautiful town,
a refined community, and good schools are very
much to be desired; but what of the business
prospect?
The same reasons that, seventy years ago,
brought the place into existence still hold good,
and the great changes wrought in the industrial character of the South, during that time,
have added others equally as strong.
A glance at a map will show that Florence is
the center of a circle, of which Birmingham,
Memphis, Nashville and Chattanooga, standing
at the average distance of 125 miles, are points on
the circumference. The Tennessee River might
be called the diameter of this circle; and completed lines of railroad, running from each of
these points, form its radius. Within this circle,
on the north, is to be found the brown hematite
ore of Tennessee, and on the south and east are
deposits of coal practically inexhaustible. The
farm lands of the Tennessee Valley are the most
productive in the South, and throughout Lauderdale County are large forests of timber yet
untouched. The trade of this region must have a
center: there must be a distributing point, and
that point must have transportation facilities.
Florence replies to the demand with the Tennessee
River and three completed lines of railroad.
Nature has been lavish in her gifts to North
Alabama, they are hid underneath the surface, it
is true, but they are here nevertheless. And it
was to develop these resources that our forefathers,
seventy years ago, pushed through thicket and
wilderness till they halted on the banks of the
beautiful Tennessee, and like the red man said:
"Alabama: Here we rest."
A celebrated newspaper writer, speaking of the
place, says: " Five years ago Florence was as dead
as a town could be killed, but now it is brim-full
of energy and enterprise."
What brought about the change?
In 1880 her citizens, having seen Sheffield spring
up from almost beneath her feet, began again to
put their wits together, to evolve some plan for
the advancement of the place. The result was
the formation of the Florence Land Mining and
Manufacturing Company. This company had, as
a basis for its organization, a large number of
valuable town lots, extensive tract of mineral
lands, and about §300,000 in cash subscriptions.
Its object is the building of manufacturing enterprises of all kinds, inducing immigration, and, in
fact, the general development and improvement of
the place. The president of the company is Hon.
W. B. Wood, a man who has always been a leading spirit in every movement, looking to the good
of the place. The great object in the organization of this company was to obtain a concentration of effort. The citizens, with a strong and
abiding faith in the success of the enterprise,
subscribed liberally to the capital stock. It was,
in fact, a popular uprising, a determination of
the people to combine their forces, and to work
together for the common good.
The scheme has been a success. The town has
been well advertised, the claims of her people have
been recognized and capitalists have not been slow
to invest where such handsome returns have been
assured. Within the last twelve months the town
has almost doubled her population: her taxable
values have largely increased.
The enterprises which have already been established, will, when completed, give employment to
over two thousand men, thus assuring to the town,
in the early future, an additional population of
ten thousand souls.
In addition to those manufacturing establishments already spoken of, there are other corporations that have invested largely in Florence. The
North Alabama Furnace, Foundry and Land Company, organized in the spring of 1887, is now building an iron furnace, whose daily output will be
one hundred tons. The furnace will be completed
in the present year. The stockholders of this
company are among the wealthiest men in the
South, and it is the purpose of the company to increase, as early as practicable, the amount already
invested by building other furnaces or rolling
mills as the occasion may demand. The capital
stock is *2,000,000, and the president of the company is Major A. S. Lawton, of Atlanta, GA.
The Florence Woodenware Works, and the
Russell Handle Factory, are two manufacturing
establishments under the management of Mr. H.
W. Russell. There is abundance of material in
easy reach to supply these factories. They are
now in active operation, and are yielding a handsome profit on the investment. The building of
these concerns is but the first step toward utilizing the vast forests of timber in North Alabama,
and a decade more will show the number greatly
increased.
The W. Wood Furnace Company is erecting
what will be when finished, the most complete
furnace plant in Alabama. It will be of tons
daily capacity, and its early completion is an
assured fact. The company has as its superintendent of construction an experienced furnace
builder, in the person of Maj. John M. Norton.
The Florence Cotton Compress, erected in 1887,
was built entirely by local capital. There are
annually received at Florence, 1",000 bales of cotton. The building of a compress, and large warehouses, will materially increase this amount, and
add much to her prospect of becoming the most
important cotton market on the Tennessee
River.
There are other enterprises in Florence that
attest the steady and substantial growth of the
place. A system of water works have been built,
which supplies the town. The dull glow of the coal oil lamp has
given place to the brilliant rays of the electric
light. A furniture factory, planing mills, and
saw mills have been erected, and their product
fails to fill the orders for home consumption; and
there might also be added many other industries
of minor importance.
This is preeminently a building age. In Alabama the development has just begun. Decatur,
Sheffield and Florence have well advertised the
the many advantages of the Tennessee Valley, and
the rapid growth of these places attest the strength
and truth of their assertions. There can nowhere
be found a locality more desirable as a place of
residence, nor any field where such inducements
are held out to the business man of the rising
generation.
The wise old heads that founded Florence, and
predicted for it such a brilliant future, have long
since passed away, and, even now, the moss is
forming on their headstones. Their dreams will
yet be realized. A rejuvenated city, merging
from the stagnation, will
fulfill her destiny.
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