Baileyton's
roots go back to the
Reconstruction days when some
dirt farmers from Georgia and
Tennessee, including Robert
Bailey who was later to lend
his name to the settlement,
veered off the beaten path and
homesteaded the virgin
wilderness some five miles
south of the Marshall County
line and five miles east of
Morgan County. On April 16,
1870, Robert Bailey bought
forty acres of land (just
south of the present Post
Office and now bisected by
Hwy. 69) for $1.50 per acre
from the L&N Railroad.
Over the
next two decades, axes wielded
by Robert Bailey, Franklin
Guthrie, Tom McClarty, Lynn
Pope, Matt Blackman, John
Walker, Gilbert C. Cordell,
Matt Heaton, W. A. Albritton,
W. H. Martin, Bob Worthy and
others converted the forests
into crude log cabins and
rough frame houses. Cleared
land on which cotton, corn,
potatoes, oats, tobacco, peas,
cattle and sheep were raised
surrounded this land.
The
Farmer's Alliance, a statewide
farmer’s organization,
established a County Alliance
Store at Baileyton in the
1880's. Thomas McClarty, a
prominent local farmer, saw
miller and politician, was
named manager of the store
which was located in the
southeast corner of the
present junction. J. D. and
Will Albritton owned a third
general merchandise store. J.
W. Holmes operated a sawmill
and gristmill in 1889 and Dr.
Gregler had a medical practice
in the community.
In January
1889, W. M. Barber petitioned
the county for better roads
from Baileyton to Cullman
"because the area was
becoming thickly populated and
the roads were so narrow
wagons had to go into the
woods to pass."
Thanks to
our founders for starting such
a great community to live in.
In the following pages you
will find that Baileyton is a
thriving community with much
to offer. You will learn about
the governing body, lodge,
Fire and EMS, schools, church
and annexation of the town.
TOWN GOVERNMENT
The town of
Baileyton was incorporated on
January 31, 1973 with a
mayor-council form of
government. Mr. A. R. (Rolfe)
Burks, a Baileyton native,
served as mayor from 1973 until
his death in 1990. Members of
the first town council included:
Bobby Martin, Burl Shedd, Ralph
Walker, James Howell and Leon
McElroy. Others serving on the
council down through the years
include: Robert Roper, Troyce
Hadley, Roy Shedd and Greg
Hendrix. Billy John White served
as town clerk from 1973-1990.
Following
Mayor Burks' death, Dr. Paul C.
Bailey, great-grandson of
Baileyton's founder, Robert
Bailey, was to fill the
remaining two years of Mr.
Burks' unexpired term. Mayor
Bailey was elected to a
four-year term in 1992,
re-elected in 1996 and again in
2000. Council members for the
term 1996-2000 included Bobby
Martin, James Fulmer, Joe
Golden, Wendell Guthrie and Joe
Hendrix were elected for the
1996 – 2000 term. The Town of
Baileyton recently elected its
government officials to include:
Wendell Guthrie, Bobby Martin,
Sandra Parker, Donald VanZandt,
and Joe Golden. Mrs. Ruth Walker
Rodgers has served as town clerk
since 1990.
The present
town hall was purchased from
Walker Brothers Building Supply
in 1975. Two years later the
Town purchased 43 acres of land
from the Sam Guthrie estate and
began developing a park.. It was
officially named the A. R. Burks
Recreational Park in honor of
the town's first mayor. One of
the first official acts of the
new town council under the
leadership of Mayor Rolfe Burks,
was to purchase a brand new fire
truck. Lige Ryan owned the first
cotton gin in the area, followed
by Robert Bailey. Both were
operated by mules and required a
whole day to gin one bale of
cotton.
Some
accomplishments of the residing
government include the new Post
Office that was moved into in
1998, Peoples bank opened a
branch in the Baileyton
SuperMarket, the Baileyton
Pharmacy opened in 1999,
Baileyton Medical Clinic opened
its doors in 1996 and 23.5 acres
of land was purchased by the
town for an Industrial Park to
be established. At the present
time, three businesses reside on
this land. The businesses
include: Custom Impressions,
Accu-pak and Parkside
Restaurant. Plans are in the
process for growth at the
Industrial park and also Peoples
Bank is building at the
intersection of Alabama Hwy 69
and Fire Station Road across
from the Post Office.
POST
OFFICE
The name of
Baileyton was bestowed upon the
Post Office established on August
21, 1882, with John Tilley as
postmaster. It was discontinued to
Ryan on April 6, 1883 and
re-established six months later
with Gilbert C. Cordell as
postmaster. The Post Office was
located in Cordell's general
merchandise store just west of the
present Post Office on the
Baileyton-Fairview road (adjoining
the old Loda G. Burks property.)
The two-story frame building is
believed to be Baileyton's first
store. Old photos with the Post
Office sign out front show that it
was later owned by W. H. Martin
whose daughter, Marietta, was
postmistress from 1899 to 1907.
John B. Burks
contracted for a Star Route from
Cullman to Warrenton in 1891 and
established headquarters at
Baileyton. The route to Warrenton
in Marshall County by way of
Joppa, May Apple, Arab and Grassy,
and a second route to Cullman by
way of Welcome, Etha, Lloyd and
Simcoe established the first daily
mail service between the
two-points. Carriers were Loda G.
Burks and F. E. Burks who carried
the mail in saddlebags on
horseback.
Two rural
routes were established in 1904
with L. G. Burks and J. L. Taylor
as carriers. Within a year, two
routes served by T. B. Hodge and
J. H. Smith had been added. Early
transportation was by horse and
buggy. The routes were later
consolidated and L. G. Burks
served as carrier. Both E. W.
Tipton (1905-1938) and E. M.
Hancock (1938-65) have the
distinction of serving this route
for three decades.
The Baileyton
Post Office was moved into the
first Post Office building on the
main highway in 1936. It was a
fourth class station until July
1944, when it became a third class
facility, which is the present
status. A new building on the
original site (Hwy. 69) was opened
in 1968. The one rural route
covered 59 miles daily in 1972.
In 1998,
Baileyton Post Office was
modernized when we saw the doors
of our new Post Office open for
the first time. The Post Master is
Patty Harbaugh. The facility is
centrally located at the
intersection of Alabama Hwy. 69
and Fire Station Road.
SCHOOL
Local citizens
built a subscription school around
1885. The one-room unpainted frame
building was located across the
road north of the cemetery on land
donated by Gilbert C. Cordell.
Professor Doggett taught the
school in 1888-89. Prof. B. C.
Burks, P. P. McAnnally, Miss Daisy
Ryan and Miss Ollie Burden were
among the teachers in the 1890's.
Fifty students were enrolled
during the winter session of 1900.
In 1916, a
two-story, four-room school was
built east of the present post
office (on property now owned by
Howard Burden.) The school went to
the eleventh grade but was reduced
to nine grades around 1927. Two
additional rooms were added when
Mt. Pisgah and Eidson Chapel
schools were consolidated with
Baileyton in 1930-32.
An appearance
at this school in 1936 by an
unknown entertainer named Sarah
Ophelia Colley of Centreville,
Tenn. led to the birth of one of
the (Nashville) Grand Ole Opry's
most famous and beloved stars who
related the story on a national
television program, "This Is
Your Life," in 1957.
It all began
when a local couple, Jim and
Matilda Burden, went up to Miss
Colley after the show and invited
her to spend a few days with them.
During the visit, Mrs. Burden
entertained her guest with many
homespun tales told in a pure
southern style. When Miss Colley
later repeated the stories to her
friends in Tennessee, they were
delighted and kept urging her to
repeat them at every opportunity.
Gradually, Miss Colley created a
comedy act which she made famous
as Minnie Pearl. After joining the
Grand Ole Opry in 1940, Miss
Colley (now Mrs. Henry Cannon)
returned for a show date at Minnie
Pearl's birthplace.
The Hulaco
School was consolidated with
Baileyton in 1947. Two years
later, a modern brick and glass
with eight classrooms and a
combination-auditorium was
constructed on the site of a
former air strip across the road
west of the cemetery. A lunchroom
was added in 1953, followed by a
library and additional classrooms
in 1964. The gymnasium was
severely damaged when a tornado
ripped through the area in 1977.
Extensive renovations were made
along with repairs.
The 1970-71
enrollment was 228 students. James
W. Meherg was Principal over eight
faculty members, a librarian and
one Head Start teacher with twelve
preschoolers.
Following a
tornado on February 16, 1994,
which completely destroyed the
Joppa school, the faculty and 80
students were transferred to the
Baileyton school and housed in
temporary classrooms for the
remainder of the 1993-94 school
year. The Joppa faculty and
students officially consolidated
with Baileyton at the beginning of
the 1994-95 school year under the
leadership of Edward Dahlke,
principal at Baileyton.
Due to a
countywide mandate by the State
Board of Education, the ninth
grade of all Jr. High Schools in
Cullman County were transferred to
area high schools at the beginning
of the 1996-97 school year.
Baileyton thus became a
kindergarten through eighth grade
facility with a student enrollment
of 251. There are currently
sixteen teachers and one aide in
nine classrooms in the main
building and four portable
classrooms. Other staff members
include a part-time librarian, two
part-time custodians and five
full-time lunchroom workers.
A new school
for grade kindergarten through
eight has been constructed and
moved into during January 1998.
Dr. and Mrs. Myron McEachern of
Tampa, Florida donated forty-two
acres of land for the new school
in memory of Mrs. McEachern's
father, Jesse Smith, whose father
originally settled the property.
The entire tract of property,
located across from Baileyton
Methodist Church at the junction
of Highway 69 and Grandiflora
Road, was deeded by the Town of
Baileyton to the Cullman County
School Board as the site for the
new school. The C. D. Walker
family of Baileyton (owners of
Walker Brothers LTD., ) made a
contribution of $2,000,000 toward
the construction of the new
school.
Parkside School
was moved into in February of 199
with Mr. Edward Dahlke at the
helm. After a successful start to
a new school, Mr. Dahlke retired
in the summer of 1999 and now
enjoys farming and traveling. Mr.
Ronald Barnes was hired in 1999 to
take over as Principal of Parkside
School. Mr. Barnes is a Graduate
of Jacksonville State, Alabama
A&M and the University of
Alabama. Parkside presently has
335 students. Some folks say that
Parkside has the best lunches in
Cullman County.
CHURCHES
The Baileyton
Methodist Episcopal Church was
organized in 1881, in the home of
Robert Bailey. As attendance
outgrew the small quarters,
services were moved to the Bailey
cotton gin located just south of
the present Post Office.
The Methodist
congregation transferred worship
services from the cotton gin to
the school house after its
establishment in 1885. Fifteen
years later, a handsome clapboard
church with a tall steeple was
built west of the general
merchandise store/Post Office
building on the Baileyton/Fairview
road. The land was purchased from
J.W. Holmes and trustees W.M.
Ward, J. B. Burks and John
Ogletree signed the deeds, dated
August 21, 1900. Witnesses were
A.H. Holder, R. M. Biggers, and S.
A. McClarty.
The Rev. G. C.
McGlathery (1885) and the Rev.
George W. Green (1887) are the
first pastors of which there is a
record. A parsonage was built
behind the Elrod cotton gin on
land donated by Jacob Elrod
sometime during this period. For
several years the Baileyton Charge
was made up of the Baileyton,
Fairview, Pleasant Grove, Pleasant
Ridge, Holly Pond, Joppa and
Higgins Chapel (Brooklyn churches.
Fairview and Holly Pond were
removed when their parsonages were
built. Union Hill was added in
1943. Pleasant Ridge, located in
the edge of Morgan County was
discontinued in 1949.
A storm
severely damaged the Baileyton
Methodist Episcopal Church, South
in 1946. The following year a
block church with full basement
was erected at the present site on
the Cullman-Guntersville Hwy (69)
north of the Post Office. Brick
veneer, a completely remodeled
sanctuary, classrooms, kitchen
facilities and central heat and
air conditioning were added in
1966. A parsonage home next to the
church was purchased in 1950. It
was sold in 1971. A new brick
parsonage located on the
Brooklyn-Holly Pond road was built
in 1981 on property originally
owned by the son of the church's
founder.
BAILEYTON
CEMETERY
The oldest
marked grave in the Baileyton
cemetery is that of Jeana
Burden, infant daughter of J.
W and A. P. Burden, who died
August 29, 1886. Family names
in this cemetery include
Bailey, Burden, Burks,
Cordell, Elrod, Ford, Guthrie,
Hendrix, Jones, Tipton, Allen,
Anderson, Lambert, Oliver,
Hadley, Harris, Walker,
Williams, White and others. In
1987 the Baileyton Cemetery
was incorporated and following
this a committee, headed by
Dr. Paul Bailey began raising
funds to establish perpetual
care for the cemetery. This
fund currently holds $37,000.
The land is a community
cemetery that was not deeded
until 1935. The land is a
1-acre lot that was previously
owned by H.E. Martin and Ross
Lumber Company, who sold the
land to Baileyton for $50 each
½ acre. The idea for the land
deed was brought about by Mr.
Ernest Tipton, grandfather of
James Hoyt Tipton.
Although
many of Robert Bailey's
descendants are buried here,
he and his wife, Mary Ford
Bailey, are buried at Summit
cemetery in Marshall County.
Robert Bailey died in 1885.
LODGE
A petition
for Baileyton Masonic Lodge
No. 472 dated March 3, 1889,
was signed by James M. Heaton,
Thomas M. Entrekin, B. J.
Garrison, W. C. Winn, John W.
McKelvey, J. W. Chambers and
James K. P. McCasley. It was
recommended by Cullman Lodge
No. 421 as the Mother Lodge,
and the charter was granted on
Dec. 3, 1890. James Heaton was
elected the first Master. The
old Masonic building in the
southeast corner of the
crossroads was one of
Baileyton's earliest
landmarks. The first floor of
the two-story building housed
a general merchandise store
until it was razed and
replaced by a brick building
in 1964. The Baileyton chapter
is the third oldest Masonic
Lodge in the county. The
Baileyton Order of the Eastern
Star was organized in 1947.
Dr. John T.
Winn, a native of Georgia,
established a medical practice
and drug store in 1898 and
served the community until
1936. Joseph Elrod brought a
shingle factory to the
community in 1900. Shortly
thereafter, Robert and Jacob
Elrod established a cotton gin
in the present location on the
Baileyton-Fairview road. It
was destroyed by arson in 1929
and rebuilt. It remained in
operation until the 1960's.
When cotton production in the
area began to dwindle as
poultry and cattle production
grew. The Empire Nursery,
established north of Baileyton
in 1926, by R. L. Baker, was
among the first in the state.
Mr. Baker, who came to
Baileyton in 1896, moved to
California in 1913 and entered
the nursery business. He then
came back to Baileyton and
started an apple orchard
against the advice of experts
who warned that the soil and
climate were not right. He
also scorned the advice of
experts and grew pecans. These
same experts were later to
pronounce Baker's fruits and
nuts to be among the finest in
the United States.
In 1930, he
planted an experimental apple
orchard with about thirty
varieties to test the
adaptation of northern
varieties in the south. He
then crossed northern and
southern varieties to get the
best qualities of both and
some that were suited to this
region. By 1939, he had nearly
100 varieties that showed
great promise. Baker also
crossbred twenty-five
varieties of peaches and
developed nearly one hundred
new ones in an effort to
produce peaches suitable for
every soil and climate in the
United States.
The
business section of Baileyton
has expanded greatly over the
years. In 1970, boasted a
modern supermarket, two
general merchandise stores,
two Laundromats, four beauty
shops, two barber shops, two
garages, a radio-TV repair
shop, a butane gas company,
cafe, building construction
and supply (with sixty
employees), cotton gin, horse
stables, tin shop, four
nurseries, fabric shop,
furniture store, trading stamp
redemption store and drag
strip.
Forty-nine
members chartered the
Baileyton Civitan Club on
April 10, 1971. James Meherg
was elected the first
president.
Town
Annexation
In 1991-92,
the town annexed some
additional areas into the town
limits, bringing the official
population to 614. This
population increase raised the
total revenue for the town to
more than $200,000 annually.
The town
purchased twenty-five acres of
land on Highway 69 from George
and Willie Screws in 1992 for
the development of an
industrial park. Two
commercial buildings were
constructed in 1995. An access
road was constructed in 1996
with an $80,000 grant from the
State Department of
Transportation. One of these
was occupied by a company
employing----people in
December 1996.
At the
town's request in 1996, the
State Department of
Transportation widened Highway
69 to provide a turn lane
through the business section.
Curbs and gutters were also
constructed. The town also
constructed a building
adjacent to Baileyton Town
Hall in 1996, to house a
medical clinic staffed by
personnel from the Cullman
Internal Medicine Group. The
clinic officially opened
November 1, 1996 and currently
serves an average of twenty
persons per day.
Baileyton
is a thriving community with a
number of small businesses.
The largest single business is
Walker Brothers, LTD. which
has around 200 employees with
an annual payroll of $6
million in 1996. A new
postal facility has been
constructed at the northeast
junction of Highway 69 and
Fire Station Road on the site
formerly owned by E. W.
Tipton. It was
completed in 1997 and moved
into immediately thereafter.
A new Peoples Bank is being
constructed on the Northwest
corner of Alabama Highway 69N
and Fire Station Road. With
much hard work and dedication
from the community, Baileyton
will continue to grow and
prosper.
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