USA > Alabama > History of Alabama and dictionary of Alabama biography, Volume I > Part 44
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On August 1, 1905, the Central of Georgia Railway Co. purchased of the Tunnel Coal Co. valuable coal lands in the upper Cahaba coal fields of St. Clair County, and paid for them, as well as for the construction of a branch about 10.5 miles in length, from the Henry Ellen spur near Leeds to Margaret, in the new lands, with an issue of $600,000 in bonds known as the "Purchase Money First Mortgage Upper Cahaba Branch Gold Bonds." The branch was opened for traffic July 1, 1906.
In June, 1909, the control of the Central of Georgia was obtained by the Illinois Cen- tral Railroad Co. (q. v.) which purchased its entire capital stock. It is, however, operated separately and under its own management, as shown by the summary hereinabove.
REFERENCES .- Acts, 1855-56, p. 323; 1859-60, pp. 231-236; 1865-66, pp. 304-305, 548; 1866-67, pp. 100-102; Railroad Commission of Ala., Annual reports, 1889 et seq .; Poor's manual of railroads; Central R. R. & Banking Co., Fifty- eighth Report, 1893; Central of Georgia Ry. Co., Annual reports, 1900-1915; and Fleming, Civil War and Reconstruction in Alabama (1905), pp. 601-602.
CEREALS. Of the six great cereals of the world, maize or Indian corn, oats, wheat, rye. rice and barley are represented in Alabama in the order here given. The three first named are of most importance. The production of barley is almost negligible. The value and influence of cereals can not be overestimated, since they form the principal part of the food of the people, as well as by far the more important food of domestic animals. The production of all cereals in the State seems to have increased from their first introduc- tion, practically coincident with the settle- ment of the State up to 1840, but the records of the census of 1850 show a falling off in barley. rye, and wheat.
For a discussion of the history and statis- tics of barley, corn, oats, rice, rye, and wheat, see those titles.
REFERENCES .- Hunt, The Cereals in America (1911) ; Bailey, Cyclopedia of American agricul- ture, 4th ed., (1912).
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HISTORY OF ALABAMA
CHAKIHLAKO. An Upper Creek town probably located on the creek, now known as Choccolocco, in Talladega County. An exten- sive site near Dam 5, Coosa River, and within a mile of the influx of Choccolocco Creek, is doubtless the location of the town. No other historic point can be identified with this lo- cality. A town of the same name, settled from Okfuski, was situated on Chattahoochee River in the Lower Creek Nation. This lower town name has been modernized as "Shuggo- locco." The name is sometimes spelled Tchukolako.
See Choccolocco; Tchukolako.
REFERENCES .- Handbook of American Indians (1907), vol. 1, p. 232 Gatchet, In Alabama His- tory Commission, Report (1901), vol. 1, p. 411.
CHALAKAGAY. An Indian town estab- lished in 1748 by a hand of Shawnees from Ohio. It was built very near the site of the present Sylacauga (q. v.), in Talladega County. Gov. Kerlerec in a report of 1758 states that the town had then been estab- lished 10 years. He further states that it was 30 leagues from Fort Toulouse, and had 80 warriors. A later census, in the "Missis- sippi Provincial Archives," locates it 25 leagues from the fort, and assigns it 50 war- riors. Locally the name is said to mean "Buz- zard roost," but its Indian etymology has not been definitely determined.
See Shawnee Indian Towns; Sylacauga.
REFERENCES .- Mississippi Provincial Archives (1911), vol. 1, p. 96; Congres International des Americanistes (1907), vol. 1, pp. 85-86.
CHAMBERS COUNTY. Created by the legislature, December 18, 1832, from the Creek Indian cession at Cusseta, executed March 24, 1832. The county contains 588 square miles or 376,320 acres.
It was named in honor of Henry Chambers, an early Virginia immigrant to Madison county, a member of the first constitutional convention of the State, and a Federal Sena- tor from Alahama 1825-1826.
Early in 1833, James Thompson, of Jef- ferson County, elected without opposition by the legislature January 9, 1833, judge of the county court, came to Chambers for the pur- pose of organizing the county. The election was held near the center of population, about seven miles northeast of the subsequent loca- tion of Fayetteville, now Lafayette. Nathaniel H. Greer was elected sheriff; William H. House, clerk of the clrcult court; Joseph J. Williams, clerk of the county court; Booker Lawson, John Wood, Willlam Fannin and John A. Hurst, commissioners of revenue and roads. On the first Monday in April, 1833, Judge Thompson and Commissioners Fannin, Wood and Hurst met at Capt. Baxter Taylor's, organized and held the first commissioner's court ever held in Chambers County. John Edge was elected by the court to take the census of the county. The court also elected Elisha Ray, county auctioneer, Capt. Baxter Taylor, treasurer, John Bean, coroner, and William McDonald, surveyor. The first cir-
cult court was held at Capt. Taylor's on April 20, 1833.
At the election held for the organization of Chambers County, March 4, 1833, in ad- dition to the county officers, three court house commissioners were also elected, Thomas C. Russell, James Taylor and Bax- ter Taylor, whose duty, under the law, was to select a suitable place for the seat of jus- tice. The place finally chosen was in a primeval forest, the NW 14, sec. 13, T. 22, R. 26, on the dividing ridge separating the Tallapoosa and Chattahoochee waters, and within two miles of the center of the county. There was at that time an act of Congress authorizing the entry of 160 acres of land for county purposes in newly acquired terri- tory. The Commissioners entered the above tract of land, and the county surveyor, Wil- liam McDonald, lald It off into town lots. He first laid off a square on which to erect the court house. This done a public sale of lots was had on the premises on October 23, 1833. The sale was largely attended, and the lots sold for good prices. A large sum was realized, sufficient to pay for the huild- ing of both the court house and jail without anything additional. Soon after the selec- tion of the county site, the commissioners had a temporary court house built of split pine logs, about twenty feet square. This house answered the purpose for two years until the court house was completed. It was also used as a church by all denominations that wished to do so.
Location and Physical Description .- It lies in the east-central portion of the state. Ran- dolph County bounds it on the north, on the east is the state line across which lie Troup and Harris counties, Georgia, on the south is Lee County, and on the west Tallapoosa County. It is embraced within parallels 33° 6' 15", and 32° 4' 4" north latitude, and meridians 85° 45' 5" and 85° 20' 1" west longitude. The county is very nearly square, with an average width of 20 miles north and south, and an average length of 24 miles east and west. The lowest elevations are proh- ahly at Bibby Ferry, on the Tallapoosa, and at Blanton, on the Chattahoochee, each with 500 feet, while the highest is a point one mile northwest of Buffalo, 885 feet. The average elevation of the county is probably 700 to 750 feet above sea level. The topography varies from rolling to very hilly, although there is a uniformity of elevation and freedom from extremes. The county lies entirely in the southern extension of the Piedmont Plateau. The topographical features are resultant from ages of denudation and weathering. In the north the surface Is hilly, steep and broken. In the south it Is hilly to rolling with an abundance of steep divides in all sections. In general the topography consists of a serles of rounded hills, with occasional knobs and hroken ridges. The county is drained by the Chattahoochee and Tallapoosa rivers about equally. Its principal creeks are Stroud. Vesey, Hardley, Wells, Oseligee, Kattem Hill, Moores, and Osanlppa, which drain Into the Chattahoochee. The following drain into the
222
HISTORY OF ALABAMA
Tallapoosa: High Pine, Chikasanoxee, Car- lisle, Sandy, Chatahospee, County Line and North Fork. The county has no swamps, and
the surface drainage is uniformly good. The several streams afford abundant and un- utilized water power. The county embraces a variety of soils, ranging from sandy loams to very heavy clays. They are residual, de- rived from the underlying rocks of the Pied- mont Plateau, or alluvial, representing stream deposits. The soils were originally very pro- ductive, but through loss of organic matter have much deteriorated. However, agricul- ture, trucking and stock raising are profit- able. The forest growth consists of a lim- ited growth of longleaf pine, Spanish oak, white, red and post oak, and other hard woods. The climate is mild and equable, with ample and well distributed rainfall. It has a long average growing season of 233 days, not only sufficient to ripen all crops, but which permits the growth of two or more ordinary crops upon the same land in a sin- gle season. Details of the character and ex- tent of productions are noted in the statistics below.
Aboriginal History .- There are notable evi- dences of aboriginal life in several sections of the county, particularly along the Coosa River and its tributary streams. Within historic times some settlements existed on the Chat- tahoochee. Tukpafka, the village from which was settled Niuyaxa, the Chattahoochee Creek town, Chula ko nini, Huli taiga and Tchu- kalako were on the Chattahoochee River and while they may have had settlements on the Georgia side they are known to have also had villages on the western side of this stream. The most of those named are listed as Lower Creek towns, but it is highly probable that some, being settled from the Coosa River towns, were allied with the Upper Creeks. Oakfuskudshi, a branch town of Okfuski was in the Coosa settlements in the western part of the county. Nearly all of the streams and some towns bear names suggestive of pre- vious Indian occupancy. Most of the mounds of former times have been leveled by cultiva- tion, but chipped implements and stone mor- tars are yet to be found in many localities.
Settlement and Later History .- The first white man who had a settled home in the county was Nimrod Doyle, an Indian country- man, who lived with his half breed family on Ocelichee Creek, where he owned a mill. The county seems to have received settlers or squatters in 1832, soon after the Creek ces- sion. They appear to have entered the county by what was known as Chapman's trail, so called from a man named Chapman, who owned a ferry near Old Fort Williams on the Coosa, and who had blazed out a trail from that place to West Point, Ga. The road crossed the Tallapoosa River at Chisholm's Ferry, and passed through Chambers County some three miles above the present town of Lafayette. The settlers made their homes in northern and eastern parts of the county where there were but few Indians. Capt. Baxter Taylor settled on Chapman's trail,
three and one-half miles northeast of Fayette- ville.
Confederate Commands from County .- The commands listed below were made up in whole or in part from this county.
Infantry.
Co. A, "LaFayette Guards," 7th Regt.
Co. A, "Cusseta Greys," 14th Regt.
Co. C, "Tom Watts' Greys." 14th Regt.
Co. D, "Yancey Greys," 14th Regt.
Co. E, "Gilmore Greys," 14th Regt.
Co. F, "Billy Gilmore Greys," 14th Regt.
Co. G, "Wiche Jackson Blues," 37th Regt.
Co. I, 37th Regt.
Co. I, 47th Regt.
Co. K, 60th Regt. (Formerly Co. C, 1st Battn., Hilliard's Legion).
Co. F, 61st Regt.
Cavalry.
Co. I, 8th Regt. (Formerly Capt. W. T. Smith's Co. B, Moses Cav. Squadron).
Miscellaneous.
Co. B, "Chambers Cavalry," 8th Confeder- ate Cav. Regt. (Formerly Co. F, Brewer's Miss. and Ala. Cav. Battn.).
Co. K, "Goldthwaite Rangers," 8th Confed- erate Cav. Regt. (Formerly Beall's 1st Cav. Battn. or Mounted Men).
Co. A, "David Clopton Rangers," 10th Con- federate Cav. Regt. (Formerly Co. A, 5th Battn., Hilliard's Legion; and served as es- cort for Gen. A. P. Stewart from Nov. 5, 1863).
Co. E, 23d Battn. Sharpshooters (Formerly Co. E, 1st Battn., Hilliard's Legion).
Farm, Livestock and Crop Statistics, 1917. -The statistics below are given for illustra- tive purposes, and, in tabular form, without any attempt at comparison or analysis. They were gathered under the direction of the Bureau of Crop Estimates, U. S. Department of Agriculture.
Number of all farms, 1,600.
Acres cultivated, 169,500. Acres in pasture, 67,100.
Farm Animals,
Horses and mules, 6,910.
Milk cows, 5,220.
Other cattle, 7,630.
Brood sows, 2,310.
Other hogs, 10,210.
Sheep, 900.
SELECTED CROPS (ACRES AND QUANTITY).
Corn: 66.080 acres; 827.900 bushels.
Cotton, 74,200 acres; 17,190 bales.
Peanuts, 1.810 acres; 23,600 bushels.
Velvet beans: 6,110 acres; 29,470 tons.
Hay: 6,350 acres; 5,320 tons.
Syrup cane: 2,570 acres; 214.710 gallons.
Cowpeas: 9.650 acres; 26.800 bushels.
Sweet potatoes: 1,280 acres; 109,900
bushels.
Irish potatoes: 100 acres; 4,190 bushels. Oats: 2,350 acres; 9,070 bushels.
Wheat: 3,110 acres; 16,320 bushels.
.
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HISTORY OF ALABAMA
Post Offices and Towns .- Revised to July 1, 1917, from U. S. Official Postal Guide.
Abanda Langdale
Buffalo
Milltown
Cusseta
River View
Fairfax
Shawmut
Fivepoints
Standing Rock
Glass
Stroud
LaFayette
Waverly
Lanett
Welsh
Population .- Statistics from decennial pub- lications of the U. S. Bureau of the Census.
White.
Negro.
Total.
1820.
....
1830 ..
10,188
7,145
17,333
1850 ..
12,784
11,176
23,960
1860. .
11,315
11,899
23,214
1870 ..
8,974
8,588
17,562
1880. .
11,364
12,075
23,439
1890 ..
12,460
13,858
26.319
1900 ..
15,139
17,415
32,554
1910 ..
17,396
18,660
36,056
Delegates to Constitutional Conventions .- 1861-James F. Dowdell, William H. Barnes.
1865-Toliver Towles, Jonathan Ware.
1867-Oliver Towles.
1875-E. G. Richards.
1901-J. J. Robinson, J. Thomas Heflin, J.
B. Duke.
Senators .-
1834-5-Lawson J. Keener.
1837-8-William Wellborn.
1839-40-George Reese.
1843-4-James E. Reese.
1845-6-Charles Mclemore.
1847-8-Robert Mitchell.
1849-50-Charles Mclemore.
1851-2-Charles Mclemore.
1853-4-Charles Mclemore.
1855-6-E. J. Bacon.
1857-8-Robert Mitchell.
1861-2-William H. Barnes.
1865-6-William H. Barnes.
1868-H. H. Wise.
1871-2-H. H. Wise.
1872-3-J. J. Robinson.
1873-J. J. Robinson.
1874-5-J. J. Robinson.
1875-6-J. J. Robinson.
1876-7-J. J. Robinson.
1878-9-J. J. Robinson.
1880-1-R. S. Pate.
1882-3-R. S. Pate.
1884-5-N. D. Denson.
1886-7-N. D. Denson.
1888-9-W. A. Handley.
1890-1-W. A. Handley.
1892-3-H. W. Williamson.
1894-5-H. W. Williamson.
1896-7-T. J. Thomason. 1898-9-T. J. Thomason.
1899 (Spec.)-T. J. Thomason.
1900-01-J. D. Norman.
1903-James David Norman.
1907-J. W. Overton.
1907 (Spec.)-J. W. Overton.
1909 (Spec.)-J. W. Overton.
1911-J. D. Norman.
1915-B. F. Weathers.
1919-A. W. Briscoe.
Representatives .-
1834-5-Nathaniel H. Greer.
1835-6-Leroy McCoy.
1836-7-Charles Mclemore.
1837 (called)-Charles Mclemore.
1837-8-Charles Mclemore.
1838-9-William L. Crayton.
1839-40-Toliver Towles; Arnold Seale.
1840-1-Charles Mclemore; Leroy McCoy.
1841 (called)-Charles Mclemore; Leroy McCoy.
1841-2-Charles Mclemore; Mathew Phil- lips.
1842-3-Charles Mclemore; Wm. S. Mor- gan.
1843-4-Charles Mclemore; William Hol- stein.
1844-5-Ward Hill; Nathaniel Grady.
1845-6-Ward Hill; Nathaniel Grady; Green D. Brantly; Leggett Robinson.
1847-8-Toliver Towles; Fortune W. Chis- holm; Green D. Brantly; Daniel S. Robertson. 1849-50-J. M. Kennedy; Fortune W. Chisholm; Josephus Barrow; Benjamin L. Goodman.
1851-2-W. W. Carlisle; P. M. Allison; George R. Hendree: Calvin Pressley.
1853-4-Gibson F. Hill; Daniel S. Robin- son; Jesse B. Todd.
1855-6-Toliver Towles; John R. Alford; George F. Taylor.
1857-8-G. W. Allen; Samuel Jeter.
1859-60-A. J. Carlisle; Warner F. Mea- dors.
1861 (1st called)-William A. Johnson; Thomas L. Penn.
1861 (2d called)-William A. Johnson; Thomas L. Penn.
1861-2-William A. Johnson; Thomas L. Penn.
1862 (called)-William A. Johnson; Thomas L. Penn.
1862-3-William A. Johnson; Thomas L. Penn. 1863 (called)-J. J. Mclemore; J. C. Towles.
1863-4-J. J. McLemore; J. C. Towles.
1864 (called)-J. J. Mclemore; J. C. Towles.
1864-5-J. J. Mclemore; J. C. Towles.
1865-6-James L. Robinson; J. C. Mea- dors.
1866-7-James L. Robinson; J. C. Mea- dors.
1868-W. L. Taylor; B. McCraw.
1869-70-W. L. Taylor; B. McCraw; W. F. Browne ( elected to fill vacancy).
1870-1-Jonathan Ware; R. B. Lumpkin.
1871-2-R. B. Lumpkin; J. Ware.
1872-3-J. H. Barrow; H. R. McCoy.
1873-'J. H. Barrow; H. R. McCoy.
1874-5-W. T. Harris; Joseph Stevens.
1875-6-W. T. Harris; Joseph Stevens.
1876-7-Wm. C. Darden; Wm. H. Denson.
1878-9-N. W. Armstrong; A. W. Griggs.
1880-1-W. C. Thomas; W. L. Wilson.
1840.
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HISTORY OF ALABAMA
1882-3-G. W. Shealy; J. J. Robinson.
1884-5-W. P. Finley; T. J. Stevens.
1886-7-James D. Norman; Joseph Steven.
1888-9-N. D. Denson; M. V. Maley. 1890-1-J. H. Harris; Gibson Whatley. 1892-3-W. A. Dent; W. P. Findley. 1894-5-C. M. Cole; J. H. Harris.
1896-7-J. T. Heflin; G. W. Newman.
1898-9-J. Thomas Heflin; John H. Stodg- hill.
1899 (Spec.)-J. Thomas Heflin; John H. Stodghill.
1900-01-J. H. Harris; E. M. Oliver.
1903-Lewis Stephens Scheussler; William Crawford Thomas.
1907-S. L. Burney; E. M. Oliver.
1907 (Spec.)-S. L. Burney; E. M. Ollver. 1909 (Spec.)-S. L. Burney; E. M. Oliver. 1911-Y. L. Burton; W. C. Thomas.
1915-Y. L. Burton; J. W. Grady.
1919-J. V. Trammell.
See Chatahuchee Creek Indian Town; Chu'- laka nini; Confederate Monuments; Catton Manufacturing; Counties; Creek Indians; Cusseta; Huli Taiga; Lafayette; Lafayette College; Lanette; Lee County; Okfusku'dshi; Soil Surveys; Standing Rock; Tukpafka.
REFERENCES .- Acts, 1831-32, pp. 9, 49; Brewer, Alabama, p. 160; Berney, Handbook (1892), p. 274; Riley, Alabama as it is (1893), p. 107; Northern Alabama (1888), p. 178; Alabama, 1909 (Ala. Dept. of Ag. and Ind., Bulletin 27), p. 84; U. S. Soil Survey (1911), with map; Ala- bama land book (1916), p. 47; Ala. Official and Statistical Register, 1903-1915, 5 vols .; Ala. Anthropological Society, Handbook (1910) ; Geol. Survey of Ala., Agricultural features of the State (1883) ; The Valley regions of Ala- bama, parts 1 and 2 (1896, 1897), and Under- ground Water resources of Alabama (1907) ; Rev. E. G. Richards, "Reminiscences of the early days of Chambers County," in The Lafayette Sun, 1890.
CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE. Voluntary organizations of business and professional men, and other citizens, for the purpose of promoting interest on the part of the public in their cities, towns or communities, and having a number of local activities of a civic nature. Boards of trade, or organizations of like character, in which business men have a common object to be served by associated effort, are of early origin. Trade guilds, so- cieties of the crafts, and unions of various sorts are representative of some of these early efforts and forms. The conception of a civic organization, in which all classes of business, trades, professions and other inter- ests are united for a common community purpose, is of comparatively modern origin. In their new forms they were still known as boards of trades, commercial clubs, or busi- ness men's leagues, and it has only been in the last two decades that there has been an effort to standardize the type hy the desig- nation of chambers of commerce. The United States chamber of commerce represents an effort to unify and coordinate, for the larger collective good, all commercial organizations of any and every name and form of activities
throughout the United States. In some states there are state-wide chambers of commerce.
The activities of chambers of commerce are many and varied. Generally stated they in- clude the promotion, in every legitimate way, of the industrial, civic and other welfare of the community. While such organizations appear in many forms, all devote themselves to the collection and publication of trade sta- tistics and data concerning their localities, the encouragement of immigration, the at- traction of new business enterprises and in- dustries, the holding of conventions, atten- tion to transportation and other commercial facilities, the encouragement of better health, sanitary, educational and business ideals and standards, and the promotion of civic im- provements such as libraries and museums, parks, playgrounds, and swimming pools.
The entrance of the United States into the European War has served to emphasize the place of the chamber of commerce as a me- dium of representation between the Govern- ment and the community. The Federal Gov- ernment through its officials as far as possi- ble deals through the chambers of commerce in all questions affecting camps, canton- ments, aviation fields, industrial enterprises, public health and sanitation, and law and or- der enforcement. Thus chambers of com- merce have further acquired an added reason for existence, and their activities and their leadership in civic and community enterprise have heen emphasized. They are thus shown to occupy a substantial and permanent place in the organized life of America.
Early Efforts .- The city of Mobile repre- sents the first effort in Alabama for the or- ganization of commercial interests for a com- mon purpose. On February 17, 1854, the legislature chartered the Mobile Chamber of Commerce, with the following incorporators, all of whom were merchants of the city: John J. Walker, William H. Pratt, William H. Red- wood, Robert W. Smith, Charles Walsh, James Battle, Daniel Wheeler, Martin Toulmin, James Crawford, William A. Smith, Benjamin F. Marshall, Lucien Mead, George W. Tarle- ton, Peter R. Wyckoff, N. Harleston Brown, O. Eustis, Jones M. Withers, John Gibson, Murray F. Smith, William A. Dawson, Daniel McNeill, Miles S. Charloch, Henry O. Brewer, James G. Whitaker, Robert A. Baker, Thomas Adams, David Strodder, A. Lawrence Pope, L. T. Woodruff, Thomas Lesesne, William B. Weaver, Cornelius Robinson, William H. Barnwell, John H. Marshall, Charles W. Dor- rence and James Sands.
As declarative of the objects of the organi- zation the preamble is given in full: "WHEREAS, a large number of the mer- chants of the city of Mobile are desirous that a charter be granted them creating a cham- ber of commerce, belleving that such an insti- tute is required hy the mercantile community as tending to diminish litigation and to estab- lish uniform and equitable charges; and con- sldering that the establishment of a chamber of commerce may thus tend to the general advantages of the citizens of the state, as well as to the furtherance of the commercial inter-
1819
THIS TABLET MARKS THE SPOT WHERE ALABAMA ENTERED THE UNION
ERECTED BY
BOULDER AT HUNTSVILLE, MARKING SPOT WHERE ALABAMA ENTERED THE UNION
Vol. 1-15
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HISTORY OF ALABAMA
est." The organization thus designed might more properly be called a merchants trade association, since, as is noted, its main pur- pose was "to diminish litigation and to estab- lish uniform and equitable charges."
The next record found is of the incorpora- tion of the Selma Chamber of Commerce, December 7, 1861. Its objects are stated in the power granted to "do and perform all proper acts and business in relation to the regulation of commerce in said city, and in the adjustment of all difficulties arising in trade and business between merchants and traders in said city, and such other proper and lawful business and acts, as usually per- tain to chambers of commerce in cities." It was doubtless modeled on the Mobile organi- zation of 1854, ahove described. It could hardly be said to parallel the work of the modern commercial body.
Its incorporators were: Charles Lewis, C. E. Thames, J. R. John, T. W. Street, N. Wal- ler, C. B. White, J. B. Harrison, J. L Perkins, W. M. Byrd, T. N. Cunningham, T. C. Daniel, J. T. Hunter, W. A. Dunklin, H. H. Ware, J. C. Graham, W. J. Lyles, D. R. Purviance, J. N. McCure, W. S. Knox, M. J. A. Keith, J. E. Prestridge, George O. Baker, J. M. Laps- ley, P. J. Weaver, A. F. Wise, M. J. Williams, W. Y. Lundie, A. E. Baker, J. W. Blandon, J. D. Porter, Dent Lamar, J. W. Lapsley, H. H. Bender, B. J. Duncan, W. B. Haralson, W. B. Milton, A. T. Jones, John Robbins, F. S. Bec- ton, W. R. Ditmars, A. Boyle, E. Cason, S. F. Hobbs, R. C. Goodrich, John M. Parkman, J. A. Sylvester, A. J. Goodman, G. W. Wilson, T. A. Hall, W. Johnson, N. Smith, Merritt Burnes, A. L. Haden, R. Hagood, W. P. Brown, W. B. Gill, W. R. Bill.
Mobile .- The real beginnings of Mobile's commercial organizations appear to date from the Mobile Board of Trade, 1868, with Col. Lewis T. Woodruff as president. During the period of depression in the seventies, the board investigated conditions, stimulated business, and sought to apply wholesome rem- edies. Harbor improvement, the improve- ment of the state river system, the encour- agement of shipping, manufactories, and other activities were promoted by the board, and the city passed through its period of depres- sion, and has witnessed a steady material ad- vance.
It also widely advertised Mobile and the contiguous country about the gulf coast as a winter resort, hoth for health and pleasure, for invalids and others from the colder sec- tions of the country. About 1880 it pub- lished an excellent pamphlet on the subject, prepared by Dr. William H. Anderson. In promoting the city and its trade territory, the board of trade and the cotton exchange joined forces.
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