Chester Freeman shares growing up in Cullman County before and during the Depression (audio)

Chester Freeman

 CULLMAN, Alabama -- Chester Freeman, who turns 90 soon, spoke to the Cullman County Historical Society today growing up in the Great Depression near Cold Springs. Download a podcast of Freeman's talk here:  chesterfreeman.WAV

(A video will be posted soon.)

Dreher Furniture and family history in Cullman

A brief snippet of our recent meeting in which Garlan Gudger Jr. shared the history of the Dreher family in Cullman:

Peinhardt Living History Farm (with photos and video)

CULLMAN, Alabama -- Peinhardt Living History Farm welcomed the public Saturday for its annual Farm Day. Visitors could see an old schoolhouse, barn and log cabin, and see sorghum syrup, hominy and more being made. (See more photos on Facebook.)

Cullman's Living History Cemetery Tour

Tim Richter portrays Oscar Otto Richter
 

And here's myself and my wife as Cullman undertaker Oscar Fischer and his wife, Lena. (It was dark by the time the first group reached us so most of the video is too dark to see. The audio is good, however.)

Cullman in the 1880s mural being restored

The exterior wall of the building housing the "Cullman in the 1880s" mural, which houses the offices of the Hames Law Firm has been restored after damage caused by the April 27, 2011 tornado. The artist who painted the mural, Jack Tupper, has said he will repaint the portion of the mural that was destroyed. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Most, if not all, of the original bricks from the building appear to have been saved, as can be seen evidenced in the photo below as Tupper's handiwork appears in haphazard fashion. (It is possible some of the bricks that appear unpainted may be turned backward from their original position, or some may have been lost or destroyed.)

Below are photos of the finished work before the tornado struck and the building after the destruction. You can see the mural at 427 Second Ave. SW. It includes pictures of Kinney Horse and Mule Barn, First Fire Station, Werdt's German Restaurant, Dinckelberg's Santa Claus Store and the First County Courthouse.

You can find an interactive Google map of all Cullman's historical murals and sites as well as a historical video tour of the city by clicking here.
Follow The Cullman County Historical Society on Twitter here and Facebook here.
Photos: Greg Richter and Bethany Kerr

German Farmers Market Mural

A photo of the old German Farmers Market is the latest mural in the series of murals across Cullman. It is located on the building next to the Festhalle Market Platz at the corner of First Avenue SE and Arnold Street. Find it on our Mural Map.

Follow The Cullman County Historical Society on Twitter here and Facebook here.

Heitmueller family history in Cullman

Ray Heitmueller, right, talks about his family as Dr. Bill Peinhardt, historical society vice president, holds up a picture of Heitmueller's farm, above, and ancestors, below.

Ray Heitmueller shared a little of how his family came to Cullman and some show-and-tell items at the April meeting of the Cullman County Historical Society.

Since 1968 Heitmueller has lived on the farm first settled by his great-grandfather in the 1870s. The farm, originally 200 acres, has dwindled over the years -- part of going to Lake George when it was first dammed.

Heitmueller noted that several dialects of German were spoken in the North Alabama city founded by Col. Johann G. Cullmann, and that some Germans had trouble understanding others who were from a different region.

The former Cullman High School teacher also showed a helmet worn by his great-grandfather, Henry Otto Heitmüller Sr., in Kaiser Wilhem's army and a farm implement perfected by his Uncle Henry. The scratcher required a farmer to take only one wrench to the field to make adjustments.

The Heitmueller farm didn't have terrace rows, he noted, but rather had nine rows plowed in different directions with ditches to drain water to a meadow.

Heitmueller also noted that not everyone was fond of the city's founder. Some, including his grandfather, said Cullmann "brought a bunch of Germans here and damn near let them starve to death." Other historical society members agreed that there was such sentiment among some settlers.

Henry Heitmueller's scratcher