Author H f O J, o Title -v ■^ *^i s it: Imprint. 16— 17S72-2 OPO MAURY COUNTY 3lue-grass.Begion of Tenness .JU, ITS AGRICULTURAL AND MINERALOGICAL RE- SOURCES, INCLUDING A VIEW OF THE COUNTY SEAT, THE CITY OF COLUMBIA. HER COMMERCE AND INDUSTRIES, SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES, PAST DEVELOPMENT AND FUTURE POSSIBILITIES, KACTS KOR PRACTICAL IVtlNDS. COLUMBIA : Herald Book and Job Rooms 1884. / MAURY COUNTY. Maury, the third in wealth and population among the counties of Tennessee, being exceeded only by Shelby and Davidson, whose wealth lies principally in the cities of Memphis and Nashville, is rapidly becom- ing the cynosure of a large class seeking salubrity of climate, a prolific soil, and the concomitant advantages that will insure a reasonable degree of healthful existence, and at the same time obviate the disadvantages in- cident to a life in the Northern States or extreme South. The essential requisites to physical vigor and pecuniary prosperity are abundantly supplied in Maury County, as nature has certainly smiled her sweetest upon this chosen spot, and dispensed her l)lessings with a prodi- gality that has made this country equal in beauty and fertility to the cele- brated valleys of the Schuylkill, Shenandoah and Genessee, and the far- famed blue-grass region of Central Kentucky. This county was formed in 1807, and embraces the townships of C^o- lumbia, Williamsport, Hampshire, Culleoka, Hurricane Switch, Bigby- ville, Mount Pleasant, Santa Fe, Spring Hill, Neapolis and Carter's Creek, with a total population of 40,000, of which number about 25,- 000 are white and the remainder colored. The surface of the country is generally undulating, occasionally break- ing into hills, with here and there one endeavoring to assume the dignity of a mountain, by reaching its crest far above the others ; over this area are profusely scattered rich and fertile farms and thrifty communities, while hillsides and valleys are covered with a rich carpeting of blue grass — so valuable for the propagation of superior live stock. The border hills of the county are generally of freestone or sandstone, while the body of the county is limestone at a depth of from 2 to 6 feet below the surface. Duck River, flowing through the county from east to west, is the principal water course, but into this flows the Fountain, Bigby, Silver, Knob, Carter, Snow, Rutherford, Globe, Leipers, Catheys and Turkey creeks, some of which afford excellent water power for the twenty-odd saw mills and grist mills in the county j^ropelled in this manner. These creeks ramify in countless directions, and combined with numerous springs, almost every farm in Maury County has running water upon it, through these agencies. [4] The total krea in acres of this county is 386,309, with a valuation as follows : Value of farms $6,450,807 Value of town property 937,529 Total $7,388,336 The number of acres under cultivation is 242,240, embracing 3,724 farms, with an average per acre of about $15. There is but one other county in the State having an excess of farms, yet Maury has a greater valuation by nearly $1,000,000, thus being the wealthiest in the State from an agricultural standpoint. Taxes are very reasonable, as may be seen by the subjoined statement of the levy for 1884 : For State purposes 30c on $100 For school (State) 10c " For county 25c " For school (county) 05c " For jail 03c " For highways 12c " Total State and county 85c on In this connection, there are 5,480 polls at $2 each, devoted to school purposes. It will be seen that nearly half of the above levy finds its way into the State treasury, yet the county is out of debt, and " county war- rants" worth par. Out of the annual levies, great improvements have been made in our highways, bridges, schools and charitable institutions. There is no single county in the entire South that can show a finer system of turnpikes, there being at present 76 miles of turnpike road, as follows: Columbia and Hampshire pike 12 miles Columbia and Mount Pleasant ■ 16 Columbia and Little Bigby 10 Columbia and Pulaski 5 Columbia and Culleoka 5 Columbia and Sowell Mill 5 " Columbia and Sante Fe '■ 11 Manrj Central 12 Total "^6 miles The charters for the Culleoka and Mooresville pike, and Columbia and Williamsport, have been obtained, which will materially augment the number of miles already in opei-ation. The roads are all of macadam- ized stone and gravel. The railroads of the county are the Louisville & Nashville and Great Southern, running through the county directly north and south. The Nashville & Florence Railway, which extends from Columbia to Law- renceburg, and is being rapidly extended further south, through the rich iron ore beda of Lawrence and Lewis counties. The Duck River Valley Railroad (a narrow gauge) runs from Columbia to Fayetteville, and [5] through one of the richest timber districts in the State, the county al)ound- ing in beautiful cedars, as tall and straight as the famed cedars of Leba- non, also hickory, uak, |)<)[)lar, etc. The native woods of jNlaury County are many and varied, comprising all the useful and ornamental woods, including red oak, black oak, white oak, post oak, chestnut oak, yellow and blue poplar, sugar maple, red cedar, cherry, walnut, lynu, beech, etc. These timbers are in great demand in the North, especially the bark of the chestnut oak, which brings a high price from Northern tanners, and the red cedar, cherry and walnut, which are high jiriced woods. There are hundi'eds of acres of line timber land in Maury County, in close contiguity to water power, which can be had from $2 to SIO per acre. Mineral lands are also plenti- ful, that is iron ore lands, which lie principally in the southwestern part of the county, and extend into Hickman County. The ores are a limo- nite or brown hematite, and on assay have produced 55 per cent, of pure iron, and the deposits are also remarkably free from phosphorus and sul- phur, and lie in beds ranging from two acres to ten acres in area. It is well watered with many springs and streams, which flow westward from the Middle Tennessee basin, and which cut down through the sub-corbon- iferous strata into the lower limestone, thus giving amjjle facilities for ob- taining flux in the manufacture of iron. These beds form a part of the largest body of limonites in the South, and on what is generally known as the Western Iron Belt, comprising an area forty miles wide and extend- ing entirely across the State from north to south. Beside possessing the most comprehensive advantages for erection of furnaces and manufacture of foundry iron, there is also considerable profit in shipping the ores to furnaces in Middle Tennessee, of which there are six, three hot and three cold blast, all using charcoal for fuel. There are large and valuable tracts of these ore lands lying in Hickman and Lawrence counties, contiguous to Maury, which cannot be excelled for excellence of assay and freedom from deleterious substances, being contiguous to water, limestone, and charcoal timber ; and with good facilities for transportation, there is no reason why iron cannot be made as cheap here as in any portion of the South. Nearly every one knows something of the beauty and variety of Ten- nessee marble, embracing as it does nearly 500 varieties, and of every imaginable color, some of which are the richest ever discovered any- where, and prized more than any other marble for the purposes for which fancy colors are needed. In Maury county there are large beds of marble, principally of a black, smoky color, and of the pink variegated and red fossiliferous natures ; these beds lying mostly in Columbia district, and within three miles of the city proper. These beds of marble have never been developed to any great extent, and only await the efl'ect of energetic eflfert to yeld a hand- some profit to the investor. The red Tennessee marble is extensively used in the North for ceme- tery purposes, and it is thought by strangers to be Scotch granite, Avhich it resembles very much ; the variegated is used for ornamental furniture, such as table tops, wainscotting, mantels, mosaic pavement of halls, and [6] tiling. This marl)le is shipped principally in rough blocks, scabbled to size, to dealers in large cities, who saw it up into suitable dimensions to suit the demand ; it is much liigher priced than the Vermont or Italian marbles, and brings from $2 to $3.50 per cubic foot on cars at the quarry. These marble lands can be purchased very cheap, and constitute, when in working order (which involves little expense), one of the most profitable of investments. Limestone quarries abound in profusion throughout the county, the stone being utilized for all purposes. The soil of Maury county is of a calcareous nature to a considerable extent, and is divided into clay (red), black loam, and sandy qualities. The products of this soil are multifarious ; they are wheat, corn, oats, rye, barley, millet, Hungarian, herdsgrass, timothy, sorghum, tobacco, cotton, etc. Wheat can be grown as successfully in Maury County as in any of the Northern States, the quality being very superior, and the av- erage yield of the county for 1883 being about 16 bushels to the acre, and some farmers have produced as high as 38 bushels to the acre. There is one important advantage in raising wheat in this section, viz: It can be placed on the Chicago market at least six Aveeks earlier than Northern wheat, and consequently brings at least five cents more on the bushel. Clover, timothy and all the grasses are grown with great success here. Besides, the soil produces almost all kinds of vegetables and fruits grown outside of tropical climates. Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, beans, cabbages, tomatoes, etc. , are produced in great abundance, and by being produced so much earlier, are placed on the Northern markets long before their crops mature. The farmer here begins his spring plowing in the latter part of Feb- ruary, or first weeks of March, and by the end of that month, has all his planting done ; he is thus enabled to raise two crops per year, and some farmers have raised three crops per year — the first crop being barley, then sowing Hungarian, and then planting a late crop of corn ; two crops of corn can be raised with good results in each case, and in fact, any of the vegetables will produce two crops in one season. Potatoes will yield from 250 to 300 bushels per acre, and many farmers devote a good share of their attention to potatoes, which find a ready sale in the early Northern markets. Fruits grow in abundance on every hand; peaches, apples, pears, grapes, etc. , are very successfully cultivated ; besides, we have strawber- ries — always a sure and profitable crop — raspberries, blackberries, apri- cots, cherries, plums, etc. Maury county leads all others in the State, in agricultural productions. The census of 1880, showing that there was produced No Bushels. Of corn 2,177,071 Of wheat 271,592 Of oats 91,452 Of rye 1,532 Of barley ,- , _ , ._- 6,270 The amount of vegetable productions were Bales of cotton 8,912 Pounds of tobacco 36,384 Bushels of Irish potatoes 35,429 Bushels of sweet potatoes 67,962 Tons of hay 6,569 The value of other products not statistically considered here would ma- terially augment the value of the above by many thousands of dollars, and with the increase of population and wealth since the census, it is not unreasonable to add 10 per cent, to the above, as showing our agricultural product at the present time. To the farmer or gardener contemplating a location in this section, we would say, now is the time to buy land cheap, as improved land may now be had from $10 to $50 per acre, and wild lands from 50 cents to $5 per acre. These lands are simply unsurpassed for fertility, their capabilities of production giving the farmer from six to eight weeks the advan- tage of his Northern contemporai'y in the leading markets of the North, and, combined with numerous other superior advantages, making the road to fortune a royal one. Educational advantages are one of the first things one considers when desiring to change a residence from the bleak climate of the North to one further South, and the facilities presented in a prospective new home for giving his children an education, is a question of vital importance. Maury County is divided into twenty-seven school districts, with a total scholastic population of 14,564, and each district affords schooling from five to ten months in the year, with able teachers, thus giving the young not only an elementary, but an excellent educational training, that is calculated to fit them for an active and usetul life. Among the pursuits engaging the attention of the people of Maury County, that of stock-raising is entitled to prominent mention, as this feature has served to spread her reputation throughout the length and breadth of our laud, and the quality of stock raised exciting the aston- ishment and admiration of all who have given the subject the least atten- tion. The natural and artificial conditions of this section favor stock hus- bandry in a high degree. The matchless grasses, superior natural shelter offered by the hills and ravines, the ample water supply, cheap corn, cheap transportation, cheap lands, and a mild, healthful climate, should satisfy the most ambitious grazer and feeder. Maury County raises and sells more mules than any other county in the United States, also an excessive amount of swine, sheep, horses and cattle. Registered stock was not heard of twenty years ago in Middle Tennessee ; now it is a very common thing. There is considerable of the Bonesetter, Tom Hal, Almout, Traveler, and other noted stock owned here, and Maj. Campbell Brown, at the Ewell Farm, near Spring Hill, now has in training a full brother to Little Brown Jug, Tom Hal, the sire of Little Brown Jug, Bonnie Hunter, fl, half sister of M^Uie Jlun^ ter, and other blooded stock, [8] The Columbia Training Stables, with Ed. Geers, one of the ablest and most widely known trainers, in charge, are noAv handling some of the best horses to be found anywhere. Much attention is being given to raising Jersey cattle, which has proven an exceeding profitable venture. Maj. Campbell Brown, of Spring Hill, is the largest breeder of Jerseys and other blooded cattle in the South, and the Columbia Jersey Cattle Co. is also extensively engaged, besides many others in the county. The short horns, also, for beef cattle, have been raised by a number of our farmers, and Maj. Ben. Harlan, of this county, has generally taken the premium at our State fairs and in the Nashville beef shows for size and quality of his fatted short horns. Mr. T. M. Figuers and Messrs. S. J. Robertson & Son have also re- cently introduced the Holstein breed of cattle, and already have fine herds of registered Holsteins. The principal stock industry is the raising and fattening mules for the Southern market, large numbers of mule colts being brought here by our farmers in addition to those bred here, and this industry has grown until this county is now rated first in the United States for the number of mules raised and shipped. Col. Ridley, our largest dealer, made one sale last year which amounted to $26,000, besides other sales made by him during the season ; and the shipment of mules from Columbia depot, reported by the Freight Agent, for the four months prior to April 1, 1883, aggregated $300,000. The winters here are so short and mild that it takes but little provender to take care of stock, the natural blue grasses, naturally curing on the hill sides and in the vales, and being far superior to the buffalo bunch grass of the grazing lands of the West. All kinds of stock, with these conditions, can be raised profitably, and by that we mean at a profit of 30 to 40 per cent, on the investment. There are plenty of good stock farms in this section that can be pur- chased for $5 to $20 per acre. Stock are comparatively free from disease, and bad management is really the only impediment to unqualified suc- cess. The number of live stock in Maury county in 1880 was as follows : No. horses 7,698 No. mules 8,301 No. work oxen 120 No. other cattle 9,021 No. sheep 19,066 No. swine 53,851 The number of milch cows was 6,280, producing 15,576 gallons of milk, 392,881 pounds of butter, and 1,795 pounds of cheese. There was sheared in 1880 68,995 pounds of avooI. These are immu- table facts and speak for themselves, and the farmer who grows his own corn, and grows the mules, cattle, swine and sheep he feeds, "sticks to the test" and eschews speculation, is as sure of a fortune as the years are sure to come and go. The people of this county are hospitable and intelligent, as much so as will be found in the average population of any part of the country, and [9] perhaps more so than in many localities. This is a siifHcient vidences and ap- pliances of comfort, culture, education and progress, is a long step in- deed. To-day Columbia has a population of fully 5,500, including suburbs. It is laid out with broad and I'egular streets crossing each other at right angles, and many of them luxuriantly shaded with maples and oaks. [12] The city has fully fifteen miles of macedamizerl streets in good repair, and some of the finest public and private structures in the State, evi- dencing a high idea of art in their OAvners and projectors. THE CITY GOVERNMENT is vested in a Mayor, Recorder, City Attorney and City Marshal, who are elected yearly, and a Board of Alderman, each being elected for a term of three years, but the terms are so arranged that those of a portion of the members expire each year. The present executive officers of the city are : J. E. R. Carpenter, Mayor. F. D. Lander, Recorder. W. C. Taylor, City Attorney. John Latta, Jr., City Marshal. This city has one of the finest systems of AVATER-WORKS in the South. They were erected in 1883, at a cost of $50,000, under the superintendence of Mr. Travers Daniel, who has successfully erected systems in various parts of the country. The works are on the natural gravitation plan, the reservoir being located on the summit of Mt. Par- nassus, 203 feet above the court-house square and 300 feet above the pump, on the bank of Duck river. The reservoir has a capacity of 2,000,000 gallons. The pumping engine, from the factory of the Geo. F. Blake Manufacturing Co., of Boston, Mass., is of 85-horse power, with a condensing steam pump, and has a daily pumping capacity of 1,153,000 gallons. There are about six miles of water main in the city of various sizes, aflTarding every advantage for domestic or public use. There are forty- four double nozzle fire hydrants, each nozzle throwing a stream 1 00 feet. This, with a first-class steam fire engine, affords ample protection from fire, also taking into consideration the many garden hose that are owned throughout the city. The water used by the city is not a limestone water J it is j^umped from Duck river, which has its source in the moun- tains, the water coming from freestone knobs, thus making it pure and clear, although the company are about to put in a filter so as to effectu- ally remove all objectionable substances. Water rents are as cheap here as elsewhere, and the Avater better than in most cities in Tennessee, especially those on the Tennessee and Cum- berland rivers. Columbia has a natural 8YSTEM OF SEWERAGE, a heavy rain completely washing all filth and debris away, although there is a large sewer running from the Bethell House to the river, which will be enlarged as occasion requires. The streets of the city are splendidly lighted by gas, as well as the pub- lic buildings and many private residences. Through energetic efiTort the company has been enabled to furnish a superior gas at a reasonable cost. Tne gas made is not a coal gas, but [13] what is known as "fixed oil gas," possessing great brilliancy, the attributes of cheapness as well. The Columbia gas company was organized in April, 1882, with a capital stock of $40,000. They have at present over five miles of gas mains and utilize a reservoir with a capacity of 40,000 cubic feet. Fully alive to the progressive tendency of the age, the city also has a TELEPHONE EXCHANGE, with seventy-five subscribers, being more than many other cities of larger population, and much more in proportion than Nashville or Mempliis. Columbia is connected by telephone with all the principal cities and towns within a radius of sixty miles, and by telegraph with all parts of the world. As a RAILROAD CENTER Columbia is of considerable importance. The Louisville & Nashville & Great Southei-n is the principal road running from Cincinnati to New Orleans, thus giving ingress and egress to any part of the country. The Duck River Valley Railway, (narrow gauge), runs from Columbia, in an eastern course, through Marshall County, touching Lewisburg, the county seat, into Lincoln County, having its terminus at Fayetteville, the county seat. At that place it connects with a branch of the Nashville, Chatta- nooga & St. Louis Railway. This road passes through a rich cedar and hickory country and gives Columbia direct connection with the coal fields of the Cumberland table lands. The Nashville & Florence Railroad extends from Columbia southwest through the counties of Lawrence and Lewis to the town of Lawrence- burg, the county seat of Lawrence county, Florence, Ala., being the ob- jective terminal point. Here this road will touch the Tennessee River, where it is navigable the year round, and connects with the Memphis & Charleston Railroad also. This railroad passes through very rich iron ore-beds, and is projected into others still more valuable. These ores are within easy distance of Columbia, and may be brought here at small cost for transportation and mining. Here then is a splendid opportunity for extensive MANUFACTURING INTERESTS, devoted to making pig-iron. The ore is within twenty-five miles, the coke within easy access by the Louisville & Nashville & Great South- ern, or there is plenty white oak timber in this section for charcoal ; lime- stone is plentiful here and labor cheap, and there is no reason why iron cannot be made here for $12 to $15 per ton. There is also a most excellent opportunity for investment in manufac- turing buckets, and the various things in which cedar is used. In the city here they use cedar wood for kindling, it is so plentiful and cheap. The Duck River road passes thi'ough a virgin foi-est of cedar, hickory, chestnut and oak, and the Nashville cfe Florence railway through hickory, chestnut and oak. Where is there a more favorable location than this [H] for a hub, spoke or handle factory, or, with the immense amount of bark from the chestnut oak, a tannery ? Surely these facts merit profound consideration. It will be seen from the statistics given elsewhere that Maury county raises nearly 9,000 bales of cotton, and there is every reason for the asser- tion that this city is a most advantageous spot for COTTON MANUFACTURING. Why should not a large portion of this cotton be manufactured here ? Why should the people of this State be compelled to pay transportation on the raw matoial to Fall River, Mass., or Manchester, England, and on the manufactured product back again, when the work can be done here as cheap as any place in the world ? Surely if the raw cotton that is shipped from here can be shipped hun- dreds of miles by rail and 6,000 miles by water before it reaches the con- sumer, and can be sold so as to pay a reasonable profit to the factories, carriers, manufacturers, jobbers and retailers, factories here, where the producers and consumers stand face to face, would be doubly remunera- tive. Cheap coal is to be had in abundance, transportation is cheap, and we practically have an outlet to any point of the compass. The proverbial enterprise of the citizens of this city has been re- warded in this respect, and a cotton mill company with a capital of $100,- 000 is now organized and chartered as Columbia Cotton Mill Company, who have erected a mill of 100 looms, and also own and operate Laurel Hill factory in Lawrence county, with .■)6 looms. Capital invested in this manner is yielding from 10 to 25 per cent, on the investment. Middle Tennessee raises nearly 60,000 bales of cotton, and surely this, like Augusta, Ga., is the place for cotton manufacturing. Li other lines of manufacturing, Columbia is not behind the times, and while not boasting of a large number of concerns, yet what she has are solid and in a prosperous condition. Closely contiguous to the city are large areas of red clay, suitable for brick making, which will prove a most profitable industry, as what brick are now made here are made without the advantages of improved ma- chinery. The sorghum raised in Maury county is of a superior quality and rich in saccharine, and with mills equipped like those in Louisiana or at Champagne, 111., granulated sugar could be made at a big profit. The castor bean also grows almost spontaneously in this region, offering a rich opportunity for the manufacture of castor oil. Columbia now has of manufacturing interests — Two carriage factories, One ice factory. One chair factory. One hosiery factory. One woolen mill. Three flour mills, one iiaving a capacity of 12,000 barrels annually, One large furniture factor) and planing mill. [ 15J] One bucket and trunk factory, One churn factory, One hominy, grits and brown flour factory. And numerous others of minor importance. With the natural advantages of timber, iron ore, cotton, sorghum, castor beans, good water, cheap coal, and cheap transportation, this cer- tainly is a spot for profitable manufacturing enterprises. To facilitate the growth and development of the city, a number of her leading and substantial men have formed the manufacturers' immigration association, the object being to induce and assist immigration to this city and section by all legitimate means ; and if necessary they will secure liberal conces- sions to those desiring to locate here. The Association was organized in June, 1883. Its officers are : Wm. J. Andrews, President. Geo. L. Thomas, Vice-President. A. W. Stockell, Secretary. J. P. Street, Treasurer. This Association is untiring in its eiforts to benefit the city, and its labors are already beginning to show excellent results. Any information not contained in this article will be cheerfully furnished by the Secretary. ONE HUNDRED MERCANTILE HOUSES ars in this city, each of a thrifty, enterprising and prosperous nature, many Northern men being included in the number, and representing all the lines of mercantile pursuit. Columbia has three BANKS, all in a prosperous condition, as follows: First National Bank— Capital, $100,000; surplus, $20,000. Second National Bank, organized October, 1882 — Capital, $50,000; surplus, 86,000. Bank of Columbia, organized 1868— Capital, $50,000; surplus, $50,000. These banks have deposits closely aggregating $300,000. There is also a Building and Loan Association here. These are mere testimonials to the wealth and thrif tiness of the people of this city. EDUCATIONAL ADVANTAGES in Columbia are unsurpassed anywhere. The city has a splendid graded public school system, under the superintendence of Prof. Robertson, an educator of experience. The schools occupy an imposing building, whose cost was $14,000. All of the elementary branches are taught here by thorough and competent tutors. Tlius a substantial education may be readily obtained in the city schools, fitting one for all practical business and social life, while for a profession the schools offer a thorough ruda- mentary foundation. In this connection, the city also has schools for colored children, which are well attended. Columbia, besides having a thorough public school [16 1 system, has two noted female colleges — the Columbia Female Institute, and the Columbia Athenaeum, both of which draw their patronage from a number of States, and have an excellent corps of teachers. The for- mer was chartered with college powers in 1835, and is now under the Rectorship of Rev. George Beckett, S. T. D. The latter is in charge of its President, Capt. Robert D. Smith, jointly with his brothers. Dr. William A. and Frank H. Smith. Public morals here are of a high standard, and carefully guarded by the presence of CHURCHES, of every denomination, there being a Presbyterian, Catholic, Methodist, Cumberland Presbyterian, Episcopal, Baptist and Christian churches. THE PRESS of Columbia is in a flourishing condition, there being the '* Maury Dem- ocrat," and the " Columbia Herald," published here; both are weeklies, and Democratic. The " Herald" is a four-page, 36 column journal, pub- lished by the " Herald " Publishing Company. " The Democrat" is a 36 column journal, published by the People's Publishing Company. As a STOCK MARKET, Columbia has a national celebrity, there being more stock raised and sold in this market than any other in the United States. The business has been rapidly increasing, and led to the formation of the COLUMBIA STOCK YARD COMPANY, who constructed yards embracing about three acres, under roof at the L., N. & G. S. Ry. depot, and who now enjoy every facility for handling stock to advantage. The Company began business Sept. 15, 1883, and by report of L. Junius Polk, Superintendent, handled the following amount of stock, to Jan. 15, 1884 : Horses and mules 3,323 Cattle : 612 Hogs ^ 8,101 Sheep 300 The traffic in mules is a leading feature of stock operations here, a large amount of buying and selling being transacted at the stables of Dodson & Akin, and Capt. L. W. Black, and the number of mules alone handled in the Columbia market approximating 7,000 head. Col. J. W. S. Ridley, of this township, sold in May last 155 sugar mules for $28,675. This gentleman is the largest dealer in mules in Maury county. The breeding of blooded cattle is also followed Avith great success in til is vicinity. The COLUMBIA JERSEY CATTLE COMPANY has its headquarters in Columbia, and was organized in October, 1882, with a ca})ital of $20,000. At the end of the first year their profits were $8,394.84 ; with this they declared a cash dividend of 6 per cent., a stock dividend of 25 per cent., and placed $2,194.84 to surplus. [17] To further show the success attending the breeding of Jerseys in this section, we wish to show the result of a test made on "Landseers Fancy," No. 2876, A. J. C. C. H. B., owned by tlie Columbia Jersey Cattle Co. This cow made from December 14 to 20, 7 days, 123 pounds and 10 ounces of milk, and 22 pounds and 71 ounces of unsalted butter, which when salted and worked made 21 pounds and 15 ounces. This test is supported by many witnesses, and ])y a subsequent one day test in the presence of the Mayor of Columbia and the Cierk of the Circuit Court of Maury county, this in winter time and quite cold. This business is yet in its infancy, but good stock farms can be had very cheap near Co- lumbia. Breeding of live stock in this locality is very profitable, as Maury county stock always bring high prices in the Columbia market. CITY DEBT AND TAXES. Columbia is in a very sound financial condition at the present time, there being a debt of only $50,000 — 8 per cent, railroad bonds — being the assistance given to the Duck River Valley Narrow Gauge Railroad. The total amount of taxable property is $1,500,000, and the rate is $1.50 per $100. Insurance is about 1 per cent, on public and private structures. Columbia has been making vast improvements in the past two or three years, and can now show some of the finest PUBLIC BUILDINGS and business blocks in the State ; the most prominent are the new Ma- sonic Block, Bethell House, Rains' Block, Dodson & Akin's Parlor Mam- moth Livery Stable, Opera House Block, and many splendid business blocks, all being constructed of brick or stone. THE HOTELS OF THE CITY are the Bethell House, built by a stock company in 1882, being three stories high, of brick, and embracing every modern improvement and convenience ; the Nelson House and the Guest House, both of which are good houses. Adjoining the Bethell House, and, in fact, a part of the block, is THE OPERA HOUSE, one of the neatest and cosiest in the South. It has a seating capacity of 850, and will hold 1,000. It is lighted by gas, with electric lighters, has large stage, with nine comfortable and roomy dressing rooms, and its acoustics are unsurpassed. It is a place of amusement that would satisfy any community. It is managed by H. P. Seavy. Columbia also has several secret societies in her midst, embracing the Masons, Odd Fellows and others. We have devoted some time and space to a number of subjects that pertain to this locality, and have reserved till now a few remarks on THE CLIMATE of this city and vicinity. Columbia stands upon record as one of the most healthy cities in the South, the death rate being 10 in 1,000. The 2 [18] climate is not subject to either great extreme ot heat or cokl, and the maximum and minimum figures of the thermometer are of short dura- tion. The constant degree of humidity in the atmosphere — without which physicians say no city is healthy — is remarkalile. This gives us green fields when others are drying up and parching. AVhat is known as winter here lasts bare two months, and in summer the days are not too hot and the nights generally cool. Our elevation gives a dry, well drained soil, and clear limestone Avater, uncontaminated with decaying animal or vegetable matter, which with pure air gives us advantages not enjoyed usually elsewhere. In cholera epidemics, when it has been raging all about, Columbia has been entirely free from its ravages. An examination of the census reports will shoAV this one of the healthiest portions of the State. The mean annual temperature is about sixty degrees, and the annual rain fall fifty inches — for Middle Tennessee. THE COST OF LIVING is as cheap, and cheaper, in Columbia than elsewhere. If you are a renter, good houses rents from $10 to $25 per month, although now the demand exceeds the supply, but it is much cheaper to build, as a neat cottage can be built for $400 or $500, or with a thousand dollars you can do much better and buy the lot also. Poplar lumber sells for $12 to $15 per thousand, and brick are $6 to $8 per thousand, with other material in proportion. The ordinary provender of life is both plenty and cheap the year around. The PEOPLE of this city are more cosmopolitan in character than those of many other communities. They represent in a high degree the hospitality, good sense, high social qualities and mental stamina, for which the Tennessean is i:)roverbial. The constant friction between the elements of society steadily going in and out of here, and the citizens of this community has surely and steadily worn away sectional prejudices, dissipated local conceits, and in- deed everything of a provincial nature, and developed in their stead a broad, liberal, comprehensive cosmopolitan order, most refreshing to see. AS A PLACE OF LOCATION. Columbia is destined to be a large city. This entire section is awaken- ing from its "Kip Van Winkle" to the need of immediate and thorough advertisement of its wonderful resources. Northern people are fast becoming conscious of its climatic and other advantages. The spirit of inquiry, like the schoolmaster, is abroad in the land. Home seekers, home builders, and ca])italists are finding their way here, and everywhere land sales are becoming more frequent. There never will be a better time to locate here than now. The timber supply is ample ; the country is w^H supplied with fencing and building material, and the local market is sup- plied with wood at $2 to $o per cord. Pine, oak, cedar, cherry, hickory and walnut is at our doors for general manufacturing purposes. Coal for household and manufacturing purposes can be secured from the great [19] (U)al fields tluit are in close proximity to the city and can l)e furnished here as cheaply as at any city in the country, and in fact all raw material used in manufacturing can be secured very chea])ly. There is no end of building stone, this country being well supplied with quarries of fine building stone ; also plenty of clay for brick of the best kind. The close contiguity of iron ore makes a furnace a thing of much profit here, or a foundry, and plenty of tanbark renders a tannery a most satisfactory investment, and so on ad libitum. The merchants of Columbia can review their operations with just pride for the year just passed, as each line of trade reports an increase of business from ten to thirty per cent. The shipments by freight from this point of cotton alone, from Sep- tember, 1883, to January, 1884, were 3,136 bales. There were also shipped approximately 150 cars corn, 200 cars horses and mules, 125 cars hogs, about 100 cars of cattle, several cars of sheep, besides wheat, and thousands of dollars worth of garden " truck," or vegetables and fruit ; also lumber, pig iron, logs, cotton seed and other merchandise. The honesty, enterprise, intelligence, progi-essive tendencies and uni- versal bonhomie of the citizens of Columbia and Maury county, not less than its commanding geographical position, uniformity of climate, charm- ing landscape, varied productions, its minerals, its railroad facilities and fertility, makes this as desirable a region for the immigrant, the business man and the lover of freedom, health and rational living, as can be found in any portion of the Union. ' DODSON & AKIN, I I DEALERS IN HORSES AND MULES, COLUMBIA, TENNESSEE. IRA C. W^ITT, 'manager, COLUMBIA, = = ^ = TENNESSKE. ni Special Attention to Tourists and Excursionists, [20] E. c. McDowell. j. h. dew. MT)0^^''ELL & DE\V, GENERAL REAL ES TATE AGENTS! LANDS BOUGHT, SOLD OR RENTED ON COMMISSION. OFFICE : No. 30 West Seventh Street, COLUMBIA, - - - - - - - TENN. FOR SALE 497 acres of land in Owen county, Ky., on Kentucky river, navigable, and in easy access of Cin- cinnati and Louisville. 300 acres rich river bottom, two tine orchards, excellent residence, tenant houses, barns, etc. .Splendidly watered. .Sold as a whole or in lots to suit purchaser. 4000 acres in Hickman county, Tenn., within five miles of railroad. These lands are rich in iron ore, tanbark and white o.ak timber. Price $3 per acre. 100 acres in Maury county, Tenn., Civil District No. -.^2. 70 acres cleared, 30 acres in timber, good house, barn, tenant houses, etc., good spring and cistern ; 6 miles from Columbia on the L., N. & G. S. K. K.; 1 mile to station ; church, .school and mills. Price $35 per acre. 20 acres in one mile of Columbia on Mt. Pleasant pike. Beautiful building site. Price 87.5 per acre. 50 acres in District No. 9. 40 acres cleared and in cultivation, 10 acres in timber. Good frame house, 8 rooms, office, kitchen, tenant h juses. 3 miles from Columbia, 1^ miles from railroad. Good spring and cistern, good orchard. Price S80 per acre. .53 acres in District Mo. 21. 40 acres cleared and in cultivation, 2 springs and running water, frame house, 6 rooms, in good repair ; kitchen, smoke-house, cow-house, henery, barn, tenant houses, etc. 3 miles from Columbia, 3<^ mile to school and church. Good orchard. Price $40 per acre. 240 acres in District No. 1. 200 acres cleared, good springs and branches. 12 miles from Colum- bia. Price SIO per acre. 75 acres in 21st Civil District Maury county, 50 acres cleared, 25 acres in timber, well watered. Frame dwelling, 4 rooms and store room, kitchen, smoke-house, cribs, etc. Price $35 per acre. 22 acres in 9th District, cleared land, ou Green Lick Creek. Good water, 1^ miles from Zion Church. Price $20 per acre. 220 acres in 20th District, 200 acres cleared, 20 acres heavily timbered. Good cabins, good water. Price $35 per acre. 10 acres adjoining corporation, on the Santa Fe pike. Well fenced with stone. Price $75 per acre. 210 acres in 16th District. Heavily timbered, well watered, near Cathey's Creek. Also 424 acres in Districts 15 and 16, .300 cleared, well watered, good log house, 7 rooms, good out houses, barn, cribs, etc. Price $19 per acre. 1700 acres, heavily timbered, well watered, in Lewis county, Disirict 1. Splendid iron ore bank. Price $2 per acre. 416 acres in District 22, 365 cleared, on L. N. & G. S. R. R., half mile from Nashville turnpike, 33^ miles from Spring Hill ; can be divided into smaller tracts, all watered, splendid neighborhood. Price $35 per acre. Woodlawn Mill, now in perfect running order, situated on L. N. & G. S. R. R., in magnifice per cent, in metallic iron- While the quantity of this last-named ore is limited, the In-own ores are exceedingly abundant, and occur on ever}'- ridge on the property where excavations in sufficient number have been made. There are no less than 20,000,000 tons of ore, judging from the present indications. The property lies in the very heart of the best iron region in the South, where the deposits of iron ore I'each their greatest depth, and are of most frequent occurrence. The ^Etna property, nearly contiguous, is valued at $500,000 and contains 30,000 acres. This property, acre for acre, is said to be equal to the .Etna property, the only difi'erence being that the railroad passes directly through the latter property, and will leave the Sulphur Eork property twelve miles to the right. There will be no engineering difficulties, however, to encounter in making a branch road, for such a road would run on an easy grade up Brushy Fork, and then down Sulphur Fork to the property. The ore will he exceedingly easy to mine, and the outlet with a branch road, all that can be desired. With the large amount of timber belonging to the property, ample water facilities and ores which raa.y be mined at 50 cents a ton, it is believed that charcoal iron, warm blast, may be made at a small cost. Independently of the railway, a tramwaj" built to Duck River, four mile.s distant, will give water communication bj' which the product may be taken out to the Ten- nessee River bj- barges and then carried to all parts of the Mississippi Valle.y liy boats at a cost of about one-tenth of one per cent, per ton per mile. The timber will yield about thirty to thirty-five cords per acre; some of the lands, however, es- jieciailj' those on the north hill sides, will cut fifty to sixty cords per acre. But two or three iron properties in the South are superior to this as a charcoal property. J.imestone is on the property of good quality. Address, A. W. STOCKELL, A. N. AKIN. Columbia, Tenn. Fairview Training Stables. 2 1-2 MILES FROM COLUMBIA. Trotting aiiJ Pacii Horses for tlie M ROADSTERS AND SADDLE HORSES FOR SALE. go, Fr PEERS, Proprietor, Columbia, Tenn. [22] W. p. INGRAM, President. C. P CECIL, Cashier BANK OF COLUMBIA. CAPITAL, $50,000 SURPLUS, $50,000 JAMES M. MAYES, President. LUCIUS FRIERSON, Cashier. FIRST NATIONAL BANK! CAPITAL, - = - $100,000 SURPLUS, - - - $ 20,000 DOES A GENERAL BANKING | COLLECTION BUSINESS. R. A. OGILYIE, Pies. ROBT. M. McKAY, Vice-Pres. GEO. CHILDRESS, Cashier. SECOND NATIONAL BANK Columbia^ - . - Tenn. (ORGANIZED OCTOBER, 1884J CASH CAPITAL, - . . $50,000 SURPLUS, 7,500 THIS BANK DOES A GENERAL BANKING BUSINESS- ROBliRT M. McKAY. H. P. FIGUERS. M'KAY & FIGUERS, Attorneys at La-w, CO I. TIM BI A. TKNK Will Practice in Maury and Adjacent Counties. Collections a Specialty, Prompt Attention Given to Business En- trusted to Them. [23] LUCIUS FRIERSON, Pres. H. G. EVANS, V. Pies. GEO. L. THOMAS, Secy., Tieas. & G. Man- THE COLUMBIA HOSIERY COMPANY, COLUMBIA, TENNESSEE. SEAMLESS HOSIERY OF ALL KINDS. LADIES', MISSES' AND CHILDREN. Specialty of Men's Half Hose of Fine Gauze. PLAIN AND FANCY COTTON, WOOL, WORSTED OR MERINO. FANCY LINE OF CUT GOODS. GUKST HoiJSK, 16 and 18 S. MAIN ST., COLUMBIA, TENN. Satisfaction Given or no Charge Made. JAMES L. GUEST, PROP'R. GET THE BEST! Buctianau's Pat. Two-Wheeled Bug^y. The Easiest Riding, Most Durable and Convenient Buggy in the World. WM. M. BUCHANAU, COLUMBIA, TEUIT. [24] H. A. McLEMORB & BRO. Commission Merchants! WHOLESALE DEALERS IN TTT'ii.ea.t, Com a^ri-d. :E3:a.37"- ELEVATOR AT DEPOT. OFFICE: BRANCH BLOCK. • GAMBLE & FLEMING. Fruit & Vegetable Evaporators No. 6 Garden Street, - - COLUMBIA, TENN. ^ ORDBRS SOLICnrKD. -^ SAMPLES & PRICES SENT ON APPLICATION. L- TXT- IBIL-^Cir. Livery, Feed and Sale Stable, AND (iBNERAL HEAUUCAKTKRS FOK BUYING AND SELLING MULES. wi TKAMS FOR COMMERCIAL MEM. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 014 649 480 8