City of Cullman logo mural

Bethany Kerr's latest mural near Carlton's Italian Restaurant:

(Photo courtesy Bethany Kerr)

Doyle Bullard discusses growing up in Cullman County

Doyle Bullard, right, leads the meeting in singing "America the Beautiful."

Doyle Bullard grew up on a two-mule farm.

"My dad didn't like horses," Bullard told the May meeting of the Cullman County Historical Society. "He said (horses) were too spirited and would run away with the plows."

A longtime educator in Cullman, Bullard shared his experiences growing up on a farm in the Walter community during the Great Depression.

In addition to those two mules, the 40-acre Bullard farm had Jersey cows, hogs and yard chickens, but no electricity until 1938. Bullard's mother bought most supplies from one of three "rolling stores" that came through.

"Actually, we didn't have money to buy anything," Bullard said. His mother bartered the butter and eggs she'd collected that day.

Iced tea and lemonade were treats, the ice obtained by chipping it from a block bought at the Cullman Ice Factory. The block could be kept frozen for days wrapped inside three layers of burlap sacks and insulated with sawdust.

The Bullards relied on a dug well, though some neighbors had drilled wells or used a hillside stream. Only residents of the city had running water, so farms typically used an outhouse, as did the schools. A No. 3 galvanized wash tub made for a bath, and Bullard usually had to share the same bathwater with his brother.

Cotton was the family's main crop, and every community had a sawmill to serve the nearby farms. Mostly, communities had to take care of everything themselves, from growing their own food to digging graves.

"People were very enterprising," Bullard said. "We had to be if we wanted to survive."

Cullman Mural Updates

Click photos to enlarge

Cullman High School, early 1900s by Bethany Kerr

German Bank signage by Steve Carter

Cullman in the 1880s by Jack Tupper

(Photos courtesy Bethany Kerr)

May Historical Society Meeting

The Cullman County Historical Society will meet at 2 p.m. Sunday, Mary 23, 2010 at the Ruehl Building, 601 3rd Ave. SE, Cullman, Alabama.

Doyle Bullard will discuss "A Lifetime in Cullman County."

Cullman in the 1880s mural update

Murals by Jack Tupper. Photos courtesy of Bethany Kerr.

Update on German Bank sign

(Photo courtesy Jennifer Young Harris)

Richard Buettner shares history of Buettner Bros. in Cullman

`Making a phone call in Cullman used to be like picking up the phone in Mayberry and talking to Sarah the operator.

"Aunt Clara, I need to talk to Uncle Herman," Richard Buettner said he used to say when his aunt worked at the telephone company. She'd patch him through without needing to get an exchange.

Buettner's great-grandfather founded what is now known as Buettner Bros. Lumber in Cullman in 1886. The company, known for its iconic green benches seen around town since the 1950s, has been through many iterations since that time.

The company once milled its own lumber, taking the sawmills out into the woods and moving them as needed. They've built everything from chicken coops, beehives, furniture, showcases, church pews and shell homes like Jim Walter. Their screen door business suffered when Lowe's moved in, but picked back up after people discovered the cheaper ones didn't last as long.

Throughout the years Buettner Bros. also has manufactured beer dispensers, miniature pool tables and even a device to hold cluster bombs for the military.

Buettner Bros. opened a Gardendale store in the 1970s, but has since sold it. And as for the famous whistle that used to be heard throughout town, Buettner says the store still has it, but no longer produces steam with which to blow it.

Currently, the business is being run by a fifth generation.

"We've come a long way -- and we're still here," Buettner said.
Richard Buettner displays parts from a beehive. As a child he was paid a penny a piece to nail them together.