A -Htc]^0I^3FH 'fl.hMMn.-^^ and MINERAL, ABRICDLTDBAl, INDDSTHIAL, AND SOCIAL ADVANTAGES AND EESOIBCES. ISSUED BY LEFTWICH BROS. & CURTIS, June Ist, 1888. THE OLDEST BANK IN THE) W. p. CAMPBELL & CO. Bankers. TCftlMCOCCr UAIirv ( Court street, Florence, Ala. ^TENNESSEE VALLEYi ) Speolal attention given to collections. * MOBILE REGISTER PRINT / RAILROADS. HOW TO REACH FLORENCE. Florence is nearly midway between Memphis on the west and Chat- tanooga on the east, Nashville on the north and Birmingham on the south. It can be reached now only by the Memphis and Charleston. Florence is on the north bank of the Tennessee River, nearly oppo- site Tuscumbia on the south. Passengers from the east or west must change cars here for Florence. The Louisville and Nashville will be running trains by June 15, 1888, then *no change will be necessary from St. Louis, Louisville, Cincinnati or Nashville. The Sheffield and Birmingham will also be running trains from the south before the above date, so that direct communication can be had with all points south. The Florence and Milan road is surveyed and will connect with the IMobile and Ohio and the Illinois Central on the northwest. The Florence and Montgomery is also surveyed and will give a direct route to Montgomery and all points south and southeast. These two roads will soon be built and then give Florence, what has been most needed, ample railroad facilities. Regular packet lines are also run on the Tennessee River from St. Louis, leaving there Monday and Thursday of each week ; also, regular semi-weekly packet from Paducah and Evansville. These boats are com- fortably fitted up for passenger travel at moderate rates and make quick and regular time. A line of 'busses meet all trains and boats for all parts of the city. Street railroads will also soon connect the station with the business part of the town. The "Florence" is the leading hotel, having been completed only a short time. Its appointments are neat and new. Rates 62.50 per day. The Exchange is the "old reliable," it has, however, been refitted and refurnished and put in good condition, and is comfortable and home-like. Rates $1.50 i)er day. Good boarding houses can be had, by day or week, at from $2.50 to $4.00 per week. Dwelling houses are very scarce but rent not very high, from $5.00 to $20.00 per month, according to size, location and convenience. Any further information gladly f u^ xiisK.ed. Correspondence solicited. LEFTWICH BROS. & CURTIS, t^ *#S^S??3^5fe#S??S)fe???=fe9^S^sT?#^S??#S??jfe???5&5^5fes'fe##??SS?SS??S^^S??sfe^##S%#sT?S%sfe9^3?«^«!?3#5ifesfe5?? ISSUED BY w JjDi XL^XJJ I. & CDRTIS REAL ESTATE, INSURANCE, -AND — stook: -A.Km boktid bk,ok:ek.s. OFFICE: Corner Seminary and Tennessee Streets, FLORENCE, ALA. June ist, 1888. s&j'fesfe^^sfe^^!fejfe^j??ifes??#^sfe^##^j??#s^s'fe?fe^-??s#s??#sfesfe5??#?&?'fe?fe#sfe#s7?s^#^^sfe##^ fJiyHlS PAMPHLET is prejyared to facilitate our correspondence JL and to answer in part, thousands of letters from nearly every State and Territory in the Union. We have ansicered various ques- tions fairly and as fully as space will permit and have confined our- selves to ichat we Jcnow to he facts, leaving fiction and exaggeration to those who live in localities ichere it is necessary. It is not published in the interest of, nor paid for by any land or other syndicate, but as a matter of business for ourselves, and to ftir- nish reliable information to thousands of home-seekers that desire to secure homes in a healthful, congenial climate and rich agricultural and mineral country, ichere land is plentiful and cheap and only icaits the hand of the husbandman to mal-e it blossom liJce the rose. In the midst of the richest section of the fertile Tennessee valley, at an elevation far above the miasma of the valley, lies the beautiful city of Florence, with its schools and churches, its refined and intelli- gent people, its homes surrounded by the shrubs and flowers of this southern clime, its smooth drives and shady loalks, its abundance of pure water bubbling forth in its cooling freshness from its bosom, and surrounded by its wild, varied and picturesque scenery, inviting the mechanic and tradesman, the man of business and the man of leisure, to come and enjoy what Nature has so lavishly given her children. It seems icrong that thousands of fertile acres should lie here idle and thousands of mothers and babes suffer for the sustenance that strong, willing hands could produce. So many misleading statements have been sent broadcast over the land that people are loth to believe anything they may read. ''That this has been done 'tis true, and pity 'tis, 'tis true," and in consequence many suffer in silence rather than risk their little all in seeking for a home in a more congenial clime. Such we would request to write to W. P. Campbell, banker, Hon. W. B. Wood, or Gov. E.A. O'Neal, all of Florence, in regard to the statements made here. We lived many years in Iowa and know from experience that it is no small trial to go to an unknown and untried country and will gladly furnish any information or assistance to those desiring it. a L. CURTIS. Florence, Ala., June 1st, 1888. 'Florence, Alabama,: i^ITi. 200 feet above the Tennessee River. This plateau is somewhat M; rolling and slopes not only to 7/ard the river on the south, but SITUATION. <;^^^LORENCE is most agreeably situated on a plateau of about ilit toward Cypress Creek on the west, Cox's Creek on the north, Sweetwater Creek on the east. Thus it is nearly surrounded by rapidly flowing pure water, giving the best of natural drainage. The streets are wide, well graded, and paved with gravel found in the city. The town is about half a mile from the railroads and manufacturing industries, which lie along the river. Florence has been for man}'^ years the home of many of the most wealthy and aristocratic families of the South. As a place of residence it is unsurpassed. Its beautiful situation, its picturesque surroundings, its numerous schools and churches, its refined and hospitable people, its mild and salubrious climate, all combine to make Florence one of the most attractive dwelling places in the South. BUSINESS ADVANTAGES. Nor is it less attractive in a business point of view. It has no competitor for many miles east or west, nor for forty miles on the north. Lauderdale county, as well as several counties in Southern Tennessee, is tributary to it. At least one thousand square miles of territory^ that will easily support two hundred thousand people, de- pend on Florence for supplies. Where can be found another town with such an extensive agricultural, mining and manufacturing terri- tory tributary to it ? It must of necessity be a distributing point for the products of the country drained by the river system of which it is at the head. By its natural situation it must be the centre of the great railroad system of the coal and iron fields of Northern Alabama, and the main distributing point for the immense industries arising from and depending on these. The future of Florence is, indeed, bright, and to what extent these natural advantages will be utilized, depends wholly on the energy of the people. Here must be the centre of sup- plies for the multitude of producers that furnish the thousands of operatives and business men with the produce of the farm, orchard and garden. Here these thousands of operatives must be clothed and fed. About half a million dollars worth of cotton is marketed here annually, and this can and will be increased many fold, as only a small part of the cotton land is under cultivation, and this produces FLOKENCE, LAUDERDALE COUNTY only a fraction of what it is capable of doing under a better system of cultivation. MANUFACTURING. To the manufacturer, Florence offers still greater inducements. Here Nature has been most lavish with her treasures. Immediately south of Florence lie the great Warrior Coal Fields, of which the State Geologist says: "The available coal of the Warrior Coal Fields is three times that of the estimated available bituminous and semi-bituminous coals of the great State of Pennsylvania ; and that if the coal was spread out evenly over the entire State of Alabama, it would cover it more than two feet in thickness, and that at the present rate of consumption of coals of all kinds, it would last the entire world over two hundred and seventy years. This available coal at the mouth of the mines is worth one hundred and fifty billions dollars, of which at least thirty billions is profit or net money. This net money is nearly two hundred times the total assessed value of the property of the State of Alabama ; and would buy every foot of territory in the State at nine hundred dollars per acre." This is undoubtedly the most extensive and most valuable coal deposit in the known world. This is only a few miles from Florence and is in direct communication by the Sheffield and Birmingham railroad, and will soon be by the Florence and Montgomery Railroad. We pre- dict a day not far in the future, when the Warrior Coal Fields will be recognized the world over as the richest and most important of all mining districts, and when its coal and coal industries will be the chief factor in the prosperity of a great and growing State. Only a few miles on the north lie the great brown hematite ore beds of Northern Alabama and Southern Tennessee ; these ores are noted for their richness and ease of working, and are being shipped to Birmingham by way of Columbia, Tenn., and to other points hundreds of miles away. They make the finest iron now made in the United States, and since steel making from the iron in the South has become an assured fact, the possible greatness of this country can hardly be realized. There are now seven furnaces building within four miles of Florence, and some idea may be formed of the immense amount of material that will be required to run them from the fact that it will take two miles of solid train to handle the material and product of these furnaces for a single day. There is probably no place in the South where pig iron can be made as cheap as on the Tennessee River, between these great deposits of coal and iron. Limestone, sand, timber and water all lie at the furnace doors. The iron can be shipped to New Orleans AND NORTH ALABAMA. or St. Louis for one dollar per ton, while Birmingham and other interior towns pay about three times this sum. Another item in favor of Florence is its entire healthfulness and freedom from malaria, also its situation in the midst of a great agricultural region that will furnish cheap and plentiful food for the workmen. It is also equally well situated for wood-working establishments ; on either bank of the river above are large quantities of valuable timber that can be brought down to the factories without motor or force. For fifty miles north on the Nashville and Florence Railroad, and for hundreds of miles south on the Sheffield and Birmingham, and Florence and Montgomery, are almost unbroken forests of pine, oak, poplar and other valuable woods. The Cypress Creek furnishes unlimited water power that may be easily and cheaply utilized as its banks are high and bed solid rock. This is now used in running a large cotton mill, but an abundance of power remains idle and can be profitably used for factories of different kinds. There is power enough in this creek to run all the spindles in the South and some to spare for other purposes. Shrewd business men and capitalists have long known and appreciated these advantages. Several cotton mills and factories were built but the war destroyed those and put a stop to all further progress in this direction. At the close of the war the people were too poor and too much discouraged to turn their atten- tion to manufacturing. It was not a matter of choice but of necessity that caused them to turn their attention to supplying their immediate wants. For twenty years the South has been slowly but surely gain- ing wealth, knowledge and prosperity. A new era has now opened before her. Progress is to be seen on every side and her people are wakening to their best interests. Mills, factories and furnaces are being built as fast as men and money can build them ; coal and iron mines are being opened, railroads and towns building, farms that have long been idle are reclaimed and cultivated. In November, iSS6, the Florence Land, Mining and Manufac- turing Company was organized, and Hon. W. B. Wood, of Florence, was elected President. He is a gentleman of large experience, well known integrity, and great liberality and kindness of heart. To him, more than to any other, does Florence owe her prosperity. The capital stock of the company is $3,000,000, and its object to develop the agricultural and mineral resources of the surrounding country, establish manufac- turing industries, increase transportation facilities, and to build a city where was then the town of Florence. The company has sold a thousand lots, one hundred and fifty houses have been built at a cost G FLORENCE, LAUDEKDALE COUNTY of $150,000, fifteen miles of streets have been graded and graveled, one railroad already built and several others secured, two million dollars worth of manufacturing industries that employ more than a thousand men have been located. Among those already in operation may be mentioned a large Cotton Factory, Cotton Compress, four Brickyards, two Saw Mills, two Planing Mills and Wood-working Establishments, one Furniture Factory, the Florence Woodenware Works, the Russell Handle Factory, Sash and Door Factory, Steam Laundry, Electric Light Plant, two Lumber Yards and Water Works. Among those in course of construction are the North Ala- bama Furnace, Foundry and Land Company's lOO-Ton Coke Furnace which will be in blast sometime during the summer, the W. B. Wood Furnace Company's 150-Ton Coke Furnace which will be completed during the year. These furnaces when completed will employ about four hundred men and add much to the growth and prosperity of the city. The Florence Stove Manufacturing Company's Plant is also in course of construction and will employ a large force of skilled labor and will be completed by June 15th. Among those under contract are the Southern Charcoal and Chemical Plant, the Refrigerating and Brewing Company, another 100-Ton Iron Furnace by the North Alabama Furnace, Foundry and Land Company, a Steel Plant and Rolling Mill, Paint Works, Cracker and Candy Factory, Ice Factory and Carriage Factory. Many others are in process of negotiation and will in all probability be secured. The State Normal College and Synodical Female Col- lege are also located here and are under competent management and have able and accomplished teachers. In addition there are good public schools for white and colored, and several private schools well attended. CLIMATE. The climate is that golden mean between the extreme heat of the south and the cold of the North. The summers are long and pleasant, the winters short and mild, there is seldom frost before the first of December and no cold weather before Christmas. The win- ter then lasts from four to six weeks, and half the tin)e no fire is necessary. Ice scarcely ever forms and snow seldom falls. The nights in summer are always cool and agreeable; thunder storms of rare occurrence and blizzards and cyclones are unknown. The extreme heat of summer is about 96° and the average about So° ; the extreme cold this winter was 14'^ above zero and the aver- age about 50^. There is, however, considerable cloudy weather during winter when it is quite chilly, but no such sudden changes of AND NORTH ALABAMA. temperature as frequently occur in the Prairie States of the Northwest can be experienced here as the extreme range of temperature is less than half what it is there. Flowers bloom every month in the year, fruit trees blossom in Februar3\ Corn is planted in March and strawberries ripen in April. HEALTHFULNESS. There seems to be misapprehension in the North as to the health- fulness of the climate and the reception of Republican and ex-Federal soldiers in the South. It is doubtful if the vital statistics of the world can name a healthier spot than the plateau and mountain districts of Northern Alabama. Epidemics are quite unknown, chills, fever and malaria, the scoui'ge of the South, are not found. The mildness and salubriousness of the climate, the pure air and bright sunshine, the perfect drainage and abundance of pure water, and the outdoor habits of the people are all conducive to good health and sharp appetites. The ex-Federal soldier is as safe in Alabama as in Iowa ; politics is very little discussed and the question is never asked whether you are a Republican or not. All are cordially re- ceived and welcomed with true Southern hospitality and received into the society to which they belong. SCHOOLS. There are, however, some things even in this favored country that might be changed for the better, and in all fairness, the disad- vantages as well as the advantages should be given. First among these is the lack of the efficient public school system that has done so much for the States of the Northwest. The cities and towns have good schools and many places in the country also. There are four normal schools supported by the State. In many districts iu the country good private schools are open several months in the year and the question of a better system of public schools is being agitated and will certainly soon be in operation. The mistaken idea that colored and white children attend the same school, in the South seems to pre- vail at the North. This is as far from the truth as anything can pos- sibly be. The colored people, as they should, have their own schools taught by colored teachers, and colored children are never allowed to attend the white schools. The society in the country is very different from what it is at the North and West ; while many good people are found, the lack of popular education has left its im- print on them. None are more kind, hospitable and friendly, than the country people of the South, many of them, too, are intelligent and some well educated, but a greater difference will be found be- 8 FLOKEXCE. LAUDERDALE COUXTV tween the dwellers in the city and country at the South than at the North. This should not be, as no place is more pleasant than a country farm in the South. Here you are not snowed in and confined to the house by bliz- zards six months in the year, but can work, ride or drive with pleas- ure, in winter as well as summer. Tropical as well as semi-tropical fruits grow to perfection. This is a land of roses if not of milk and honey, and is susceptible of won- derful improvement, as nature has done so much and the people so little toward making it beautiful, productive and pleasant. LAUDERDALE COUNTY. Lauderdale county is agreeably diversified with hill, dale and valley. It has a frontage of nearly loo miles on the Tennessee River whose valley is about ten miles wide, with occasionally a bluff or plateau extending to the bank and forming the most beautiful, varied and picturesque scenery, to be found anywhere, not excepting the far-famed Hudson itself. The whole country is watered with numer- ous crystal springs that form limpid streams which find their way to the Tennessee through many a beautiful and fertile valley. The soil of the bottoms is a dark, reddish, sandy, alluvial de- posit, washed from the surrounding mountains during many ages, and deposited by the overflow of riv-er and streams. These bottoms are free from rock and can be worked with modern farm machinery as well as the prairies of Illinois. For fifty yeai'S they have produced their annual crop of cotton and corn without fertilizing and with the most lax system of farming, still forty bushels of corn or two-thirds bale of cotton can be grown per acre and this could be increased with the careful culture and care given crops in the North. The up- land is not so fertile, the soil is a light sandy loam, with red clay subsoil and an occasional fragment of limestone or boulder and some gravel ridges that are worthless for cultivation. This land is not adapted to cotton or corn, but with careful culture and a little fer- tilizer will produce good crops of either. It is, however, better suited to crops that are more easily grown and more profitable, such as vegetables, fruits, oats, roots and grasses. Clover grows luxuri- antly, and besides being profitable to raise for itself, it fertilizes the land and puts it in excellent condition for other crops. Two crops can be grown in a season and can be readily sold for $20 per ton. No crop is surer, and surely none will pay better than this. Think of this, you farmers in the frozen North, where land sells for ten times as much as it does here and where you can only AND NORTH ALABAMA. 9 raise one crop and get about half this price for it. Will you let prej- udice stand in the way when you can better your condition? Straw- berries, grapes, apples, peaches, pears, and, in fact, all fruits grow to perfection, command high prices, and are profitable. Grapes and strawberries are particularly prolific and grow with little care or at- tention. This is a timbered country, consisting of pine, oak, pop- lar, gum, chestnut, walnut, cherry and hickory. Many of these make fine cabinet woods as the natural grain takes a fine finish. Walnut and cherry are especially fine for this purpose. Lumber can be bought at the mill at from $8 to $io per thousand, and as timber is found everywhere, a comfortable house for a small family can be built at an outlay of from $50 to $75 ; this, of course, does not include the work in building or getting out material, but the ac- tual cash expenditure. Many comfoi'table and neat-looking log houses are used that did not cost one third of that sum. CROPS AND STOCK. The land is largely owned in plantations ranging from a few hun- dred to many thousand acres and probably not one-tenth of it is under cultivation. The county can be easily made to support one hundi'ed thousand inhabitants and has about one fifth of that number. No 'attempt is made to raise anything but cotton for market, and a little corn for home use. Nearly all the corn, hay, vegetables and fruits used are shipped in by river or railroad and sell for high prices, when they could and should be grown at home and the freight, profit and cost of handling put into the pockets of the growers. Nothing would pay better than a fruit and dairy farm and market garden. Milk sells for ten cents per quart, good butter can scarcely be had at any price and will readily sell for thirty to forty cents per pound. Stock-raising would also pay well, as little or no dry feed is nec- essary. This is a natural grass country and stock can be raised much cheaper than where the winter lasts from five to seven months. The stock here needs much improving as very little else than scrub stock is found south of Kentucky and no pains is taken to improve the breed. Hogs also do well, as the woods furnish plenty of feed for them, but the " Rail-splitter" is the most common one found. Here is a rich field for some good stockman to make himself fa- mous and rich by bringing in and breeding fine hogs, cattle and hor- ses. The system of farming in the entire South needs a radical change in crops, implements and methods. " It is hard to teach old dogs new tricks." The southern farmer is not quick to grasp the situation. What the south needs is an immigration of practical farm- 10 FLOHEXCE, LAUDERDALE COUNTY ers that have energy, that are not afraid of work, and have a few hundred dollars, with a desire to make themselves homes, and at the same time build up and improve the country. Clover, fruits and vegetables, must be grown and the land put in better condition by rotation of crops, fertilizers and better methods of farming, and im- proved implements must take the place of the old time " bull- tongue," double-shovel and eight-inch one-mule plow. This system of farming is most astonishing to a northern man ; he does not won- der that such poor crops are grown, but that anything can be grown at all. Ten or twelve acres is a one-horse crop of cotton or corn and takes a man and horse a whole year to grow and market it. There is no reason why improved implements should not be used, double teams instead of single ones, by which fifty or sixty acres should be cultivated instead of one-fifth of that amount, and each acre made to produce much more than it now does. Nothing will bring the supe- riority of the country more vividly to mind than to imagine the condition of a man in the Northwest that has no means of support except what he raises on ten or twelve acres of land, out of which he pays his taxes, feeds his team, supports his family, and meets the en- tire expenses for the year. Anyone knows that this would be simply impossible there, but is the actual condition in thousands of instances here. If, under this system, a bare subsistence can be procured, what may not be done under proper cultivation and management? Land is now cheap, but will not long remain so. Florence is fast becoming one of the great industrial and railroad centres of the South ; railroads are building, the Tennessee River being opened, new deposits of coal and mineral are being discovered, and, as a con- sequence, the vast areas of fertile lands now useless and idle will be brought under cultivation, new roads, fences and houses, will be built and the whole country undergo a wonderful transformation. This will, of course, increase the actual value, but the great advance will be from the fact that the country will be made attractive and thus a demand be created for the property. Demand and supply regulate the price of land as well as everything else, now the supply is in excess of the demand as only the worst is to be seen, but the great advantages have to be known to be appreciated, and then the demand will exceed the supply and prices will go to the opposite ex- treme. " A word to th£ wise is sufficient." The tide of emigration that has been flowing westward for the last decade is surely and rapidly turning southward. The Government land is being narrowed to small compass and is generally inaccessible, and much of it poor in quality. The severity of the winters at the North has caused AND NORTH ALABAMA. 11 great destruction of life and property, and is yearly growing worse. People are beginning to realize the vast and varied resources of the South ; that the people are kind, hospitable and friendly, that the climate is mild, healthful and invigorating, that the land is cheap, tillable and productive, that the timber is varied and valuable, that the coal is widely distributed, accessible and inexhaustible, that the iron ore is rich, abundant and available. Do you wish to manufac- ture? Come South w^here all the raw material lies ready at hand. Do you wish to merchandise? Come South where profits are large and competition little. Do you v^ant to invest your surplus money? Come South where fortunes are made in a single day. Do you want to live at your ease? Come South and enjoy the beauties of nature. Do you want to farm? Come South where you need not work all summer to accumulate enough to carry you through six months of blizzards. Do you want to know if these statements are true? Come South and see ? Since the article on the industries of Florence was written, one of the largest and most important industrial organizations in the South has been perfected. The Florence Railroad and Improvement Company, with a capital stock of $4,000,000, owned by some of the wealthiest capital- ists and business men in the country. By its articles of agreement with the Florence Land, Mining and Manufacturing Company, $1,000,000 is to be expended in improvement and manufacturing industries in Florence within two years. The influence that this will exert on the town and surrounding country can hardly be estimated. It means increased transportation facilities, new manufacturing indus- tries, new business houses and residences, a rapid increase in popu- lation, and a corresponding increase in values of property. It means that we have room for and need more business men, mechanics, teachers, farmers, gardeners, fruit raisers and dairymen. It means a steadv, solid, vigorous growth for the most beautiful, pleasant and healthful city in the South. 12 FLORENCE. LAIDEKDALK COUXTY i:7:r^:(ii-ii REV. M. L. FRIERSON, President. MISS SALLIE COLLIER. Lady Principal, ASSISTED BY A CORPS OF COMPETENT TEACHERS. r^xTS ^P" THE OLDEST AND MOST POPULAR INSTI-^UTIOXS IN THE ^ SOUTHWEST. Embraces full literary course. Rare advantages ^ in music, art, French and German. Students board in the 1 family of the President. Every attention paid to health and comfort, while all the graces of womanly character are sedu- lously promoted. Rev. M. L. Frierson, the President, is an educator of large ex- perience, having occupied, for the last thirteen vears, the chair of English language and literature in the State Normal College at Florence. Miss Sallie Collier, the lady Principal, is a teacher of established reputation throughout the Southwest, and possesses singular power, not only in training the mind, but also in cultivating the taste and moulding character. Young ladies under her charge, bear the im- press of her fine personality- and rare culture. The grounds are ample, secluded and charming, affording abun- dant out-door exercise and free air. This venerable institution was founded by Mrs. Caroline Lee Hentz, the celebrated authoress, and was for twenty 3'ears subse- quently under the presidency of that able and scholarly divine Rev. Wm. H. Mitchell, D. D., by whose labor its reputation was estab- lished. The health of Florence is proverbial. It is a city beautiful in itself, with surroundings of inexhaustible beauty. Its noble river, with emerald islands sleeping on its bosom ; its bold hills and laurel- clad bluffs, revelling in forest verdure; its silvery streams chequering the landscape and the tasteful grounds of its pri\ ate homes, make it a poem of natural beauty and a perpetual suggestion of aesthetic culture. For particulars apply to Rev. M. L. FRIERSON. IL AND NORTH ALABAMA. 13 Oi 1, 1 I E" ir Q ID » I W P\ C!" DiiijbBi a^rKifioa I. « ^ .^^^^ 9 Miles from Florence, 4^ Miles from L. & N. R. R. YOUR ATTENTION IS INVITEO TO THIS ! VuK fifty years these waters have had unparallel success in the cureed of Dropsies, Scrofulous Affections, Dyspepsia in all its forms, Chronic Skin Diseases, and diseases peculiar to women. In all affections of the urinary organs it is superior to any other water in America. Its patronage is from every State in the Union. It has customers in Mexico, Canada and New Brunswick. It has achieved its reputation by merit and not by advertising. Its bene- ficiaries send it patronage by their personal recommendations. Many invalids come to be healed at Bailey who had never heard of it till some friend, who had been cured of some similar disease, insisted upon its trial. Its situation is high, -dry, cool, shady, and drained in every direc- tion, and free from malaria and musquitoes. The summer tempera- ture is lower than that of more northern latitude. The hotel with its surrounding buildings can accommodate three hundred guests. The best of country fare is supplied by the large farms, orchards, gardens, vineyards, flocks and dairy, belonging to the establishment. Ample pro^•ision is made for amusement. A fine band serves the ball room. The surrounding walks and groves are lovely. The little river, called Shoal Creek, is a gem of beauty, with its high, rocky, moss covered, fern fringed, tree embroidered bluffs on one side, and rich cultivated fields on the other. Parties prospecting in the South cannot do better than make Bailey their headquarters and central point of departure. Correspondence solicited. ELLIS & CO. BA.iXiE"sr smiisro-s, -a-la.. 14 FLORENCE, LAUDERDALE COUNTY If llliS WAfll. i The Great Kidney Cure! The Great Dyspepsia Cure! The Great Scrofula Cure! The Great Dropsy Cure! THE GREAT NATURAL NERVE SEDATIVE! T\ drug known to the science of medicine is so certain or so bene- ficial in its action on the kidneys as the ROCK SPRING WATER of Bailey Springs, Ala. Its action is eliminative. It enters directly into the blood, purifies it of all poisonous material, and carries the disturbing elements out of the system through the proper channel for their ejection — the kidneys. Thus the germs of scrofula are washed from affected structures, and to diseased parts a new vigor and chemical nourishment are supplied that insure re- covery. In dyspepsia the water gives new energy to the digestive func- tion, and removes from the blood the vicious products of the pre- viously imperfect process. AS A UTERINE TONIC and RESOLVENT it has no equal. Its efticiency in removing dropsical effusions is simply wonderful. Its power as a NERVE SEDATIVE is shown not only by its tran- quilizing and sleep producing effect, but by its efficacy in relieving HAY FEVER and SPASMODIC ASTHMA, especially when used directly from the springs. In using it, drink a tumblerful before each meal and one at bed time. Gradually increase to twice that quantity. It is shipped in cases of twelve three-quart bottles, in five-gallon glass demijohns encased in wood, and in ten and twenty-gallon kegs. The glass packages are the best. PRICES. Bottles, per case, ----- $7-5° Five-gallon Demijohns, - - - - "3-25 Ten-gallon Kegs, ------ 5.00 Twenty-gallon Kegs, - - - - - 8.50 Cases of Bottles, refilled at - - - - 4.25 Five-gallon Demijohns, refilled at - - - 2.00 One dollar and twenty-five cents allowed for the five-gallon demijohns delivered to us in good order, freight prepaid. For further information, address ELLIS & CO. >>iHlf^l u^ ^^ f^ ^'^^ i;; 7*r.' P^g5 i^^ m ^v AND NORTH ALABAMA. LIST OF PROPERTY. We give below a few pieces of property from our list in differ- ent parts of the county to give some idea of the price at which it can be bought. This property is now (June i, iS8S) on the market at the listed price. Any further information in regard to this or any other property will be gladly furnished. 98 — 366 acres, 50 improved, i house, 4 rooms, 3 tenant houses, stream of water through place, good spring, new fence, plenty of timber, eleven miles from Florence, one mile from railroad — $1,500, one-half cash. I30 — 80 acres, 8 under cultivation, balance timbered, log cabin, upland clay subsoil, five miles from river, ten miles from Florence — $400, cash. 135 — no acres, 30 under cultivation, good timber, 4 rooms, house nearly new, good outbuildings, good young orchard, spring with water-power to run 25 or 30 horse-power machinery, splendid fruit or stock farm, one-and-a-half miles from railroad, twelve miles from Florence — $700, one-half cash. 141 —352 aci"es, 50 acres cleared, plenty of timber, good land, well watered with branch and several springs, good neighborhood, near church, school and postoffice, twelve miles from Florence — $1,000, one-third cash. 161 — 40 acres, no improvements, good timber, four miles from Florence — $500, one-half cash. 180 — 200 acres, wild land, seven miles from river — $210, cash. 185 — 305 acres, 175 improved, 150 level and free of stones, balance somewhat rolling but fit for cultivation, 30 acres timber, good dwelling, 3 tenant houses, stables and cribs, ginhouse and gin in good repair, wagon scales, blacksmith shop, small orchard, plenty of water, four miles from river, twelve miles from Florence — $10 per acre, one-third cash. 186 — 187 acres, half under cultivation, good oak and poplar timber, all fenced, 15 acres clover, land somewhat rolling and broken, clay subsoil, house, 2 rooms, i log cabin, buildings not much value, four miles from river, eighteen miles from Florence, good road — $10 per acre, one-fourth cash. 195 — 200 acres, 75 cleared and fenced, half of balance good tim- ber, well watered by springs, branches and wells, i dwelling, 6 rooms and kitchen, i tenant house, i store house ; this will make one of the most beautiful farms in the county, has small orchard and fine place for fruit, in good neighborhood, on good road, joins No. 141 and can be sold with it if desired, cheap at $1,200. 16 FLORENCE, LAUDERDALE COUXTV 197 — 100 acres, 40 cleared, 20 fenced, plent}- of timber, no build- ings, near railroad, eight miles from Florence — $10 per acre, one- half cash. ic)S — 160 acres, 80 cleared and fenced, good dwelling house and out-buildings, railroad runs through place, on good road, five miles from Florence — $20 per acre, one-half cash. 199 — 73 acres, 30 cleared and fenced, creek on one side, near railroad, three miles from Sheffield and Tuscumbia, six miles from Florence, south side of river, cheapest tract of land in this locality — $12.50 per acre, one-third cash. 200 - So acres, 3 acres cleared, log cabin, good road, quarter mile from school and church, railroad surveyed through it, thirteen miles from Florence — $250 cash. 203 — 3000 acres wild land, fifteen miles south of Florence — $3 per acre, one- third cash. 204- 400 acres, 300 under cultivation, all well fenced, 12 acres of clover, 10 acres peach orchard, 4 acres apples; adjoining this place is an almost endless range of mountain pasturage ; one dwell- ing house, S tenant houses, plenty out-buildings, good smoke house ; this is one of the finest farms in the Tennessee valley, and especially adapted to fruits, clover and vegetables, and would make a valuable stock farm, two miles from county seat, town of 1000 inhabitants, good schools and churches, one of the best neighborhoods to be found in the South ; will make a beautiful and valuable home ; a rare bargain at $20 per acre. 205 — 780 acres, about half under cultivation, fine river bottom land, dwelling house and several tenant houses, well watered ; has frontage on Tennessee River of more than a mile, fifteen miles from Florence — $10 per acre, one-third cash. 165 — 30 acres, nearly all cleared, would make good fruit farm, market garden or dairy farm, good location, one mile feom Florence, $75 per acre, one-third cash. 208 — 326 acres, 70 cleared, fenced and cultivated, 200 acres good timber, log house, 4 rooms, stables and out-houses, watered by springs and creeks, thirteen miles from Florence, near church, school and postoffice — $1,300, $600 cash. 209 — So acres, 35 cleared and fenced, some timber, part broken and rough, contains iron ore, watered by springs and creeks, log house, 2 rooms, stables and cribs, sixteen miles from Florence — $400 cash. 2 10 — 80 acres, 35 cleared, 20 acres bottom land, good spring, some- what broken, dwelling, 3 rooms, stables and cribs ; near church, school and post office, seventeen miles from Florence — $240, half cash. AND NORTH ALABAMA. 17 311 — 135 acres, 45 cultivated, part upland, balance creek bottom, good springs and creek ; frame dwelling, 3 rooms, frame storehouse 30x40, tenant house, i room, stables and cribs; Florence and Milan Railroad surveyed through this farm ; good neighborhood, good loca- tion for country store ; sixteen miles from Florence — $900, half cash. 350 — 3 100 acres, long-leaf yellow pine and hardwood, 300 acres in high state of cultivation, dwelling and out-houses, farm settle- ment; pine will cut 5,000 feet to the acre, hardwood the same ; five outci'oppings of coal, running from 3>^ to 7 feet in thickness, sup- posed to be the famous " Henry-Ellen " vein; the property is situ- ated on the Georgia Central Railroad, twenty-five miles from Bir- mingham — price $10 per acre ; terms to suit. 351 — 100,000 acres long-leaf yellow pine on M. K. C. & B. R. R., commencing twenty-five miles from Birmingham and extending along above route ; will cut 8, 000 feet to acre; not culled ; can sell in tracts of from 100 acres up with mill site on each, each tract on railroad — price $3.75 per acre for small blocks, or $1.50 per acre for entire tract ; terms easy. 353 — 3,500 acres timber land lying one mile from Tennessee River; about thirty-five miles below Florence; will cut 15,000,000 feet of poplar, yellow pine, white and red oak, and hickory, will also cut 5000 cords of tan bark ; there are rich deposits of iron ore ou this tract, timber and ore easily accessible ; mill site on bank of river and right of way to same conveyed with above ; healthy location, cheap and reliable labor — price $1.50 per acre, half cash. 353 — 1,600 acres, 600 acres open land, balance in timber and grasses, dwellings and out-buildings that cost over $15,000; most beautiful park and grounds in North Alabama, watered by two creeks and numerous springs of pure freestone water ; magnificent stock and grass farm, over four miles of wirs fencing on place; lies within three miles of Florence, good neighborhood, churches and schools — price $13.00 per acre, terms one-third cash ; this is a bar- gain, come and see it. 254 — Fine timber and mineral lands, in tracts of from 1,000 to 5,000 acres, lying on and near Tennessee River, about forty miles below Florence, at from $1.35 to $1.75 per acre, terms easy; write for further particulars. ^00— Grand chance for a practical saw mill man. Saw and planing mill, now running, with an established business, located on Tennessee River, fifty miles below Florence. A I3x30 engine, 43x36 two-flue charcoal boiler, double saw mill, log turner, cut-off saw, bool wheel, log car, "T" rail tramway, lumber car 34-inch 18 FLORENCE, LAl'DEKDALE rOl'XTY AND NOJJTH ALAI5A.MA. face surfaces, Hoyt double surface flooring machine, Egan re-saw, Egan self-feed rip saw, side edger, Boston blower, saw mill shed 44x80 feet, planing mill shed 40x70 feet, i lumber shed 20x90 feet, I lumber shed 18x30 feet, 1 lumber shed on bank of river 24x40 feet, I 90-saw cotton gin, i 60-saw cotton gin, 2 Schofield power presses, gin house 35x70 feet, new Fairbank's scales, about 20 acres of land on the bank of the Tennessee River, with 5 dwelling houses, flour mill building 30x40 feet with 3 floors. The above machinery all in first-class running order and is now doing a good business, manufac- turing the best lumber of any mill in this ssction of country. The gins yield an annual income of from $1,000 to $1,200, running only about four months. This mill is cutting from one and one-half to two million feet per annum. There is a splendid pocket of deep water, out of current which will hold three thousand logs at once. There is an ample supply of poplar, yellow pine and oak timber, for ten year's business that can be had delivered at mill at from $4.00 to $6.00 per thousand, one-third and one fifth rule. Trade already es- tablished. Good market for full cut of the mills. Labor plentiful, cheap and reliable. Location healthy; pure freestone water. This property lies adjoining a live town of about 1000 inhabitants. Freight rates from mills to points on Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, as follows: Siding $1.50 per thousand feet, yg-inch ceiling $2.00 per thousand feet, ^-inch ceiling $2.50, i-inch stuff and over $3.00, re- ceived by boats on bank of river. Steamboats make this point the whole year. Price $7,500, half cash, balance twelve months with satisfactory security. This Is a decided bargain and will bear close investigation. 225 — 1,580 acres poplar and white oak timber on Tennessee River, three miles from Cerro Gordo, Tenn., and eight miles from Savannah, Tenn. ; will cut 5,000,000 feet merchantable lumber; a good chance for some mill man — price $1.50 per acre, half cash. 201 — 90 of the most beautiful business lots in Florence, on Ten- nessee, College, Alabama and Sweetwater streets — $20 per foot in- side lots, $25 per foot corner lots, one-third cash. 203 — 100 residence lots 50x160, about half mile from corporation line on Wood avenue, one of the principal residence streets on which the dummy line will run — price $So to $120 each, one-fifth cash, balance in monthly payments of $5.00 without interest. 207 — 40 residence lots on Wood, Royal and Wills avenues 50x150; these lots are in good location and are desirable — $150 to $200 each, one-third cash. 192 — 5 acres, between Court and Seminary, near M. & C. R. R depot; splendid site for a fine hotel, will be sold in lots to suit — $2,000 per acre, one third cash. NORTH ALABAMA imm, nwm m lii COMPANY. This Company was organized in November, 1887, with capital stoclc of $1,000,000, mostly owned in Kentucky, Virginia, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. The estimated wealtli of the stockholders of this Com- pany is $20,000,000. The Company owns a large number of valuable lots in Florence and several thousand acres of flue mineral lands a few miles north. It is now building an Iron Blast Furnace, daily capacity of 100 tons, which will be in blast about November 1, 1888. Ore mines will be opened on their lands as soon as necessary for the use of the furnace. A num- ber of neat and comfortable cottages have been built for the employees, and a neat and commodious office for the use of the Company's officers. Under the able and efficient management of Maj. J. H. Field, this Company promises to do much toward the development of the iron and other manufacturing industries of Northern Alabama. NORTH ALABAMi FDRNACE, FOHNDRI AND LAND COMPANY. Dr. J. S. Lawton, President, ATLANTA, GA. J. H. Field, Gen'l Manager, FLORENCE, ALA. One of the most attractive establishments in Florence is the Stationery House of Joseph L. White. Mr. White has been in business in both New York and Chicago, and his experience en- ables him to buy and sell at the lowest rates. His artistically arranged show cases always exhibit the latest novelties. Lovers of good smoke can always be suited there. Tennessee Street, 1 door west of Seminary Street. Attorney-at-LawlSolicitor in Chancery, PROMPT ATTENTION GIVEN TO ALL LEGAL BUSINESS. Office west of Court House, FXjOK.EISTOE, AT . A . ESTABLISHED 1888. PLUMBER, GAS AND STEAM FITTER, —DEALER IN— VALVES, PUMPS, BOILERS, ENGINES, INSPIRATORS, Jets, Shafting, Belting, Lead Pipes and Fittings, Bath lubs. Water Closets, Basins, &c. Practical ])luiiiber and repairing in all its branches at reasonable prices. COURT STREET, 0pp. Exchange Hotel, FLORENCE, ALA. i^USTIN & RAGON, CARPENTERS AND BUILDERS, Estimates, Plans and Specification Furnished on Application. WORK EXECUTED WITH NEATNESS AND DISPATCH. P. O. BOX 204. FLOREITOE, J^J-,J^. FLORENCE HOTEL. NEW HOUSE. NEW FURNITURE. ELEOTEIO ANNUNCIATOES AND OTHEE MODEEN IMPEOVEMENTS. PATTY Sl crow, PROP'RS. J. M. CROW, MANAGER. RATES $2.50. SATISFACTION GUARANTEED. Opp. Court House, FLORENCE, ALA. PEYTONA LIVERY AND SALE STABLE. RUNS HACKS BETWEEN FLORENCE AND BAILEY SPRINGS, AND FOR THE ACCOMMODATION OF PERSONS VISITING THE CITY OF FLORENCE. J. T. FARMER, PROP'R. Court Street. FLORENCE, ALA. ESTABLISHED 1854. JOS. MILNER, DRUGGIST, HEADQUARTERS FOR PAINT, OILS, DRUGS AND STATIONERY, School Books, Gold Pens, Toilet Articles, dtc. Soda and Mineral Waters. COURT STREET, FLORENCE, ALA. KARSNER & INGRAM, DEALERS IN General Hardware, Stoves, Tinware, GLASS AND QUEENSWARE. KEEP CONSTANTLY ON HAND FULL SUPPLIES OF ALL Builder's Tools and House-Furnishing Goods. SATISFAOTOKY OONTRAOTS ON EOOFING AND GUTTERING. COURT STREET, GERRIT H. SMITH, ATTORNEY-AT-LAW, FLORENCE, ALA. I FLORENCE, ALA. A Complete Abstract of Every Lot AND EVERY TRACT OF LAND IN LAUDERDALE COUNTY. Maps of Irregular Tracts Furnished, And General Information as to Boundaries and Lines Given. NOTARY PUBLIC IN THE OFFICE. ADDRESS GERRIT H. SMITH, ATrORNEr AND MANAGER. FLORENCE MARBLE WORKS. C. B. ELDRED, IMPORTER AND MANUFACTURER OF Monuments, Statuary#Cemetery Work, Cor. Mobile and Seminary Sts., FLOREITOE, J^X^J^. THE OLDEST BANK IN THE TENNESSEE VALLEY. W. P. CAMPBELL & CO , BANKERS. SPECIAL ATTENTION GIVEN TO COLLECTIONS. COURT STREET, A. P HOLTSFORD, CONTRACTOR AND BUILDER, PLANS AND SPECIFICATION FURNISHED ON APPLICATION. ALL WOEK DONE IN THE LATEST AND MOST APPEOVED MANNEE. Orders left at Office of LEFTWICH, CURTIS & NYE, will have prompt attention. HAMPTOlSr &} McCLURE, DEALERS IN STAPLE AND FANCY GROCERIES. FRUITS, CIGARS AND TOBACCO, SPECIALTIES. FULL LINE or SHELF GOODS AND FEESH OOUNTEY PEODUOE. GIVE US A TRIAL ORDER— WE CAN AND WILL PLEASE YOU. COXJRT STREET, FX.OIiElSrCE. A-XiA.. HALL & YOUNQ, LIVERY, FEED#SALE STABLE. THE BEST APPOINTED STABLE IN NORTH ALABAMA. PAETIES DESIRING PIRST-OLASS RIGS, PROMPT ATTENTION AND CAREFUL DRIVERS, ARE REQUESTED TO GIVE US A TRIAL. Carriages meet all Trains and Boats. Prices moderate. Office and Stable cor. Court Square and College St., FLORENCE, ALA. K RENCE ° ANING MILL J. W. NICHOLS & CO., Prop'rs. AlUINDSWOOD-WORKINGAIiDPLANINGOOII[TOOn ALSO— DEALERS IN ALL KINDS OF Hard and Soft Finished Lumljer, Flooring, Ceiling and Siding. CONTRACTORS AND BUILOERS. ALL ORDERS RECEIVE PROMPT ATTENTION. THE OLDEST AND BEST WOOD-WORKING ESTABLISHMENT IN THE CITY. W. S. CA^NADY, TONSORIAL PARLORS NEWLY AND NEATLY FURNISHED. FIRST-CLASS IN EVERY PARTICULAR. FIRST DOOR SOUTH OF COURT HOUSE. FLOREISTOE, AL^. MCCLUSKEY & YOUNG, LIVERY, FEED AND SALE STABLE. SPECIALTY MADE OF TURN-OUTS FOR COMMERCIAL TRAVELLERS. Run 'Busses to all Trains and Boats. GOOD TEAMS AND CAEEFUL DRIVERS. TENNESSEE STREET, FIuOI^ElsrCE, Ji^X^A.. C. L. SWEET, CONTRACTOR AND BUILDER. PLANS AND ESTIMATES FURNISHED ON APPLICATION. MY WORK IS MY RECOMMENDATION. All orders left with LEFTWIOH, CURTIS & NYE, will receive prompt attention. REISMAN & FRIEDMAN, AKE THE LEADINCi OF FLOIlElSrCE. In their extensive and varied stock will always be found a good line of LADIES' AND GENTS' FINE SHOES, -AND- NKWEST STYL.es IN DRESS AND STAPLE OOODS, CLOTHING DEPARTMENT FULL AND COMPLETE, POLITE AND HANDSOME CLERKS ALWAYS IN ATTENDANCE, Cor. Tennessee and Seminary Streets, FLORENCE, ALA. EXCHANGE HOTEL, KEPITTED AND REFURNISHED. FREE HOT AND COLD BATHS. RATES $1.50 PER DAV". SPECIAL RATES TO COMMERCIAL TOURISTS. ELLiS & KILBUKN, PKOPRIETOKS, Cor. Court and College Sts., FLORENCE, ALA. ID. O. O'STEEin^, DEALER IN STAPLE AND FANCY GROCERIES, Anl EyerytWni llsnally Kept In a Flr^t-Class EstatJlisMeiit. Customers will always find a full stock of clean fresh goods. GOODS DELIVERED IN ANY PART OF THE CITY. HEADQUARTEBS FOR Fine Millinery, Fancy Goods and Notions. NEW AND SEASONABLE GOODS ALWAYS IN STOCK. LADIES ARE INVITED TO CALL AND EXAMINE. K.. IZr. J-OlvTES, ID. ID. S., OFFICE INTELLIGENCE ROW OVER SIMPSON & JONES' LAW OFFICE, EFTWICH BROS. & GDRTIS DEALERS IN ALL KINDS OF ROUGH AND DRESSED LUMBER, e Lath and Shingles. Doois, Sash and Blinds, MOULDINGS, &c. Framing Lumber, all dimensions per 1000, $13.50 Beveled Poplar Siding, dressed per 1000, $12.00 to 16.00 Flooring and Ceiling, dressed, tongue and groove, per 1000, 15.00 to 20.00 Poplar and Pine Finish, dry, double surface per 1000, 20.00 to 30.00 Poplar and Cypress Shingles per 1000, 3.25 to 4.25 WE BUY OUR MATERIAL FROM FIRST HANDS, HAVE OUR YARDS ON RAILROAD, And make a specialtf of Contfaclor's Work and large Coniracis, ALL GOODS DELIVERED FREE. GEORGE A. LEFTWICH, MANAGER LUMBER DEPARTMEKT, OFFICE — COR. SEMINARY AND TENNESSEE STREETS FLOI?,ElSrOE^ J^XjA^. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS THE REAL ESTATE EX Jil 521 2 -OF FLORENCE, ALABAMA. Homes, BMsioess Lots, Mesidlence Lots, MiMerariLaiiis, Timtoer JLamis, trading Laniis, lauiproTei Farims, oi BargaiMS for Investors, Uiiimprovecl Agrfcualtiaral Lands, At prices within reach and terms to snit the poor as well as the rich. We invite close Investigation of our properties. All correspondence will receive prompt attention. Strangers visiting the city are invited to make this office their head- quarters. Address or call on LEFTWICH, BROS. & CURTIS, Corner Seminary and Tennessee Streets, Florenck, Ala. Ukferknces: Hox. W. B. Wood. W. P. Campbell & Co., Bankers, Florence, Ala. Hon. N. a. Mrkrill, Pres't First National Bauk, DeWitt. Iowa. Hon. H. T. Toulmin, Judge U. S. Court, Mobile. Ala. KARSNER & INGRAM, Dealers in GENERAL HARDWARE, STOVES, TINWARE, GLASS and QUEENSWARE. Kee)) constantly on hand full supplios of ALL BUILDRRS' TOOLS AND HOUSE FURNISHING GOODS. Satisfactory contracts on Rookino and Guttkkino. Court Street. Florence. Ala.