SILVERHILL
NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS
1902-1915
The following is the Text Only Version of newspaper clippings that mention Silverhill and the people of Silverhill. They were taken from The Baldwin Times, Fairhope Courier and The Onlooker of Foley, Alabama.
1902
DAPHNE.
Mrs. T. P. Shontz is having a wharf built in front of her residence. It will extend out into deep water, and we understand a boat will be secured to run there from Mobile.
Mr. Francis E. Drake has purchased the north half of the Lea lot from Col. Hord and will soon erect a handsome residence thereon.
Mr. A. J. Gailord is putting a new roof on his house and will paint and otherwise improve its appearance. He also intends to erect a large barn shortly.
Large numbers of homeseekers have been passing through Daphne during the past few months, en route to different points in South Baldwin. One evening recently, thirty-two persons arrived on the boat on their way to Silver Hill, where they expect to locate.
DAPHNE.
Sunday the steamer Heroine came over from Mobile with a load of happy excursionists to witness the feat of a man walking on the water. The man performed the feat successfully, and afterwards threw bombs into the water, thus transforming the water into spouting fountains. This was all enjoyed by the spectators after which they turned their faces homeward.
Mr. John M. Green returned from Chicago last Thursday, bringing with him an old army comrade. He was also accompanied by Mrs. Strength, who will soon make her home out in Section 24. And still they come.
The ladies of Daphne contemplate giving a masqued ball. They intend issuing invitations, and those without will not be admitted. It is to be hoped that this will do away with one of the objectionable features, that of the roughs, which usually accompany these dances.
The Ladies Aid, of Daphne, will meet Friday, May 15th. All the members are requested to be present.
Last Sunday night we were greeted with a surprise. A collection was taken up at church, for the benefit of both home and foreign missions, and but $35.55 was donated. I once overheard an old federal soldier say this: "It is a shame we had to lick those men for they surely are brave and true." Now if this be true, where has the bravery and truth gone? Is it not brave to rally to the call for aid from those around us and those in need across the waters? Are you not going to be true to the religion of your forefathers? "Cast your bread upon the waters and it shall return after many days."
Mr. R. H. Bryers is again on the sick list.
Mr. John Schweitzer, a practical horse shoer, has bought out A. R. McGill and is at the shop Mondays and Saturdays, until further notice.
A large crowd of Swedish-Americans came over on the boat Thursday afternoon on their way to Silver Hill. If they keep on coming, more ground will be needed in the neighborhood.
Estray Notice.
One bay mare, dark with a streak along the top of her back, branded with a horse head on the left shoulder, and wearing a round brass bell with a three-inch strap around her neck, weighing about 900 lbs, strayed from my place at Silver Hill around the middle of May. A liberal reward will be paid for her return to me.
C.A. Anderson
ESTRAY NOTICE
Strayed from my place at Silver Hill, Alabama, on November 23rd, 1902, one bay mare with a light star on her forehead and branded with a horsehead on her left shoulder. A liberal reward will be paid for her return.
JOHN ERICKSON,
Silver Hill, Alabama.
The travel from Silver Hill and its vicinity in this direction is steadily increasing, and the residents of Silver Hill are very eager to have their mail, which currently goes from Battles to Marlow and then to Silver Hill, sent directly from Fairhope on the same day. This change could easily be implemented, allowing the mail to be delivered to Silver Hill by eight o'clock, which would be a significant advantage.
Proof of the good results of advertising in THE TIMES is found in a letter to the editor, a portion of which follows: "I have found my horse. It was through THE BALDWIN TIMES I found her." So writes Mr. John Erickson of Silver Hill, Alabama.
Log Cart Wanted.
A log cart in good condition is wanted at Silver Hill. Please state the price and indicate where it can be seen.
OSCAR JOHNSON,
Silver Hill, Alabama.
NOTICE NO. 23,673
Land Office at Montgomery, Alabama, October 28, 1902. Notice is hereby given that the following-named settler has filed notice of his intention to make final proof in support of his claim, and that said proof will be made before the Judge of the Probate Court at Bay Minette, Alabama, on December 12, 1902, viz:
Edward R. Sunday, Homestead Entry No. 34,474, for the E 1/2 of the SW 1/4 of Section 5, Township 6, South of Range 4 East.
He names the following witnesses to prove his continuous residence upon and cultivation of said land, viz:
E. L. Ard, Frank Sunday, Mark Ard, S. S. Cobb, all of Silver Hill, Alabama.
Robert Barber, Register.
Mrs. Oscar Johnson, of Silverhill, has been in Fairhope for a couple of weeks, receiving treatment from our doctors, Mershon and Sheldon. She is currently staying at Dr. Atkinson's.
Mr. Oscar Johnson, of Silverhill, came over, one day last week, and took home with him Mrs. Johnson, who has been under our physicians' care here for two or three weeks, with gratifying results. Mr. Johnson, who is one of the leading spirits in the remarkable development of Silverhill, paid the Courier office a pleasant call, and, while here, left his subscription to the paper. Mr. Johnson is fully appreciative of the valuable service rendered the whole Eastern shore by the steamer Fairhope, in giving direct service to this landing and bringing the fare down to 25 cents at all; and said he was sure now that the road between Fairhope and Silverhill was in good condition, a much larger share of their business would come this way.
1903
Dr. Atkinson and Mr. Johnson drove over to Dr. Slosson's, one day recently; but not finding them at home, drove on to Silverhill, and took dinner with Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Johnson.
Mr. Oscar Johnson of Silver Hill was here on business several days this week. Mr. Johnson is the founder of the flourishing settlement at Silver Hill and has been the means of bringing many good settlers and capital to Baldwin county.
1904
Messers. C.A. Vallentin and Gustav Holmberg of Chicago, representatives of the land company which is settling so many Swedes at Silver Hill, east of Fairhope, made the Courier office a call recently while passing through our city and secured several views of Fairhope, which will be utilized in pamphlets and stereopticon-illustrated lectures, describing this section and the route to be taken to reach Silver Hill.
1905
THE CALOOSA IS BUSY.
Mobile Herald, Feb. 2.
The steamer Caloosa left this forenoon for points on Fish river loaded to the guards with general merchandise. The cargo amounted to about 700 packages, of which 600 were for a mercantile firm at Silver Hill. This is practically the second boatload of merchandise that has been taken to the firm since last Sunday morning. This gives a fair insight into the amount of business that is being done between Mobile merchants and the colony settlements in Baldwin county.
(The packages were probably going to the Peoples Supply Merchandise Store in Silverhill owned by T.A. Johnson.)
Mr. Oscar Johnson, of the Silver Hill colony, was in the city Thursday. He reports that his section is receiving many new settlers, and shows numerous signs of improvement.
(Oscar Johnson would have been doing business in Bay Minette.)
The first local ball game of the season was played on the Massey grounds on last Saturday, between the Silver Hill and Fairhope teams. It was a good game and resulted in a victory for the home team by score of 7 to 10. Tomorrow the same teams play at Sonora.
Fairhope and Silverhill baseball teams played a game at Silver Hill Saturday. The game stood 7 to 9 in favor of Silverhill.
Mrs. L. Cummings is here from Iowa visiting her brother, Mr. J. M. Pilcher and family.
Miss Irene Lucier is reported very sick.
The Fairhope baseball team play Point Clear team Friday and Silverhill Saturday on their diamond at Mr. Massey's place.
The second game between the Fairhope and Silver Hill teams, played on the Silver Hill grounds last Saturday, was won by the Silverhillians by a score of 9 to 7.
Farmers Institute at Silver Hill
A farmers institute will be held at Silver Hill on Monday, July 17th, under the direction of Prof. C. A. Cary, director of Farmers Institutes. Three or more professors of the Alabama Agricultural College and Experiment Station will be present and give most practical information on cotton, fertilizers, forage crops, cattle, horses, sheep, hogs, fruits, vegetables, rotation of crops, etc.
Mr. P.W. Paulson of Silver Hill will establish a creamery there. He expects to put up a silo, using velvet beans and cow peas especially. He was in Fairhope yesterday and purchased Mr. Berglin's gasoline engine to cut silage and run a separator.
(Mr. P.W. Paulson may have started a creamery at his farm. The Silverhill Creamery began operating in April 1910 under the ownership of Claus J. Frisk.)
GOOD ROADS MOVEMENT:
A Practical Proposition that Would Greatly Benefit Fairhope and All of Central Baldwin Co. At a meeting of the Baldwin County Good Roads Association, held at Robertsdale last Saturday, a movement was set on foot that will, if carried out, greatly benefit not only Fairhope, but a large portion of Baldwin county.
Messrs. Geo. M. Bancroft, R. F. Powell, E. S. Ross, and F. W. Rose, all of Fairhope, attended the convention, and Mr. Powell, as spokesman, succeeded in having a resolution passed to hold a good roads convention in Fairhope on Saturday, December ninth next, for the especial purpose of considering a proposition to build a first-class wagon road between Fairhope and Robertsdale, by Silver Hill.
From the support given the proposition by Dr. Greeno, president of the association, Mr. Sanford of the Robertsdale Improvement Co., Oscar Johnson of Silver Hill, and other enterprising and influential citizens, we believe that a hearty co-operation of the people in the localities interested can be secured for such an undertaking.
Mr. Powell expressed himself as quite certain that if a good road were built between these points he could secure parties who would put on a high-powered automobile to run daily, connecting the bay and railroad.
We understand that a branch railroad is to be built between the road running into Robertsdale and the one running to Pensacola, thus it will be seen that such a move would not only open up a large section of the country back of us, but people from Mobile going to Pensacola and other places, would come this way in preference to going around the long route by rail, saving considerable time and expense.
Our people should therefore not only attend the convention to be held here Saturday, Dec. 9, but in every way possible help to bring this project to a successful issue.
1906
Overland from Bay Minette:
The editor returned from Bay Minette on Wednesday, via Robertsdale and Silver Hill. It was our first trip down through that section since the new railroad was put through. The road traverses a beautiful country, for the most part following the high table land which extends down through the center of the county, an ideal country to build a railroad through - so far as physical conditions are concerned. Two stops are scheduled on the time-table between Bay Minette and Robertsdale - Stapleton and Loxley. At neither was there much evidence of settlement or development, beyond working up into cross-ties and lumber what yet remains of the magnificent forests which once covered all this section.
Robertsdale, which lies almost due east of Fairhope about fifteen miles, and about twenty-four miles south from Bay Minette, has enjoyed a very rapid growth. A number of very presentable buildings have been put up and more are going up. A nice hotel building is being lathed preparatory to plastering, and a very nice dwelling, the most pretentious in the place, in process of construction, we were told, was for Mr. F. L. Sanford, secretary and manager of the land company which controls a large tract of land there which is selling off rapidly. This land company is also actively encouraging and promoting other enterprises there, all of which are expected - and designed - to enhance the value of land for the benefit of the land company.
A considerable part of the prosperity of Robertsdale is no doubt due to the fact that it is within about three miles of and the nearest railroad point to Silver Hill, the flourishing Swedish colony. We rode across from Robertsdale to Silver Hill with the mail carrier.
The country between Silver Hill and Robertsdale is much of it quite rolling, not well suited for farming, though it may some day be found valuable for some kind of fruit growing. Our driver told us that land about midway between the two points was being held at $25 to $35 an acre.
Arrived at Silver Hill, we had some time to wait before Mrs. Gaston arrived with our daughter Leah, and it being noon we repaired to the very comfortable hotel kept by Mr. Nordin, for dinner.
A large number of thrifty Swedes with much more than the average possessions of new comers have located in and about Silver Hill. There are in the village a couple of stores - one of them, that of the People's Supply Company, one of the best stocked and best kept in the county, a millinery store, blacksmith shop, hotel, two or three churches, a nice school house, and numerous nice residences, for the most part well painted and well kept up. Numerous comfortable farm houses are to be seen scattered through the woods in all directions.
A little to the south and west of Silver Hill is the comfortable and hospitable home of Dr. Slosson, one of the pioneers among the northern settlers in Baldwin county, having antedated the first Fairhope settlers several years. The doctor has a saw mill and extensive land-holdings, and it is always a pleasure to stop for a visit with him and his good wife, but our time did not permit us to do so on this occasion.
It was nearly sundown when we reached the suburbs of Fairhope, where we stopped first at Mr. Yarnell's a few minutes to see his fine lot of chickens, and secure some eggs for setting, and a few moments at President Brown's, and then continued on home.
Our satisfaction with Fairhope was enhanced by this trip. Ours is the gem of Baldwin county towns, and is destined to continue to be such.
We are sorry to record the fact that Dr. Henry Bors, an eminent physician who came to Fairhope about two years ago and who is a Single Taxer and an excellent citizen, has decided to move his family to Silver Hill. We are sorry to lose the doctor and his excellent family, but wish him every success in his new field of labor.
Dr. Borsi came in from Silver Hill on Friday to see how his family and Fairhope friends were getting along. He came on horseback and says it will be weeks before a team and buggy can go through, because of trees felled across the road by the wind. Silver Hill, he reported, did not appear to fare so badly as Fairhope, but Robertsdale was badly wrecked.
1907
Mrs. Dr. Borsi was over from Silver Hill the last of last week, looking after the Borst property here. They are all well and up to that time the measles had not broken out at Silver Hill.
Dr. and Mrs. Borst and children came in from Silver Hill Sunday morning. The doctor returned to Silver Hill on Monday but Mrs. Borst remained over until yesterday.
Mr. Stimpson told me the other day that this is a great forage region and he knows. Gradually we are increasing our stock and improving it wonderfully. I believe the good cow, fed on our home grown feed, is the secret of our success. We have one dairy at Silver Hill. If I could walk so far I would go out there and tell you about it. I have never had a taste of the butter they make there for it is always sold before I get to our Mershon's big store.
Wesley Cooper and Mrs. Fisher widow of the late Dr. Fisher, of Silver Hill were married by the Rev. A.E. Shupe, at the Wilson House on Wednesday. The newly married couple remained at the Wilson House until Thursday morning when they went to Mobile returning that evening and proceeding on to their home near Silver Hill.
Economic importance of Our Resort Business.
The economic importance of our resort business was strikingly illustrated one day this week in Mershon's store. Mrs. Dr. Borst was in from Silverhill and one of the clerks asked her what eggs were worth there. She said 16 cents a dozen. The same day they were in sharp demand at Fairhope at 30 cents.
Eggs are or should be among the staple products regularly marketed from every farm even if not made a speciality of.
Assuming that an average of a dozen eggs a day was marketed from the farm and that the difference between the Fairhope price and the Silverhill price, or that at any interior point got enjoying our advantages as a resort, were but half what it is today, or seven cents, there would be a difference in favor of the farmer living close to Fairhope of $25.55 a year.
This is nearly twice the rental charged by the Colony on a twenty acre tract, two miles from the center of town.
The advantage shown to the Fairhope farmer in the matter of eggs is duplicated in many other things.
Dr. Borst and family, of Silverhill, took the steamer Fairhope for Mobile this morning.
Dr. and Mrs. Borst and George, were in looking after their property on Thursday, returning to Silver Hill the same day. They are as good friends of Fairhope as ever, though no longer residing with us.
Shipping quality and facilities. - Mr. Forsman of Silver Hill, which is ten miles or over east of Fairhope, shipped the past season 125, 24 quart crates to Mobile via Fairhope. This means a journey by wagon of ten miles and by steamer 15. These were Lady Thompson berries. The Klondyke and other varieties above mentioned are more solid and better shippers.
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