Newspaper Page Text
SECTION
ONE
Official Organ Ben Hill County,
WHY Fi Id? There’'s A R
« Itzgera l ere' s easoll
COUNTY SEAI OF BEN HILL COUNTY.
2, gl < 4 . -
Population of City, - - 8,000 Tax Valuation in 1895, - $l,OOO
.io. L & _
D Population of County, 15,000 Tax Valuation in 1912, $3,466,980
/)2»] . ° ¢ :
ercentage of Home Owners 1n Fitzgerald Larger Than Any City of Its Size in the State.
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$200,000 Water and Light Plant, owned by the city has made it possible to make Fitzdel ald the best lighted city at no cost to the taxpayers. A mile of “White Way in
the business center and hundred 1000 Candle power arc lamps illumin the streats at night.
A complete sanitary sewer system COVers the city and has made Fitzgerald's health conlition perfect. \
$125,000 Scheol Property, buildings and equipment with 27 white teaclters and 3 collored give more than 1000 pupils primary and high school training.
The Religious side of the City is manifested by 2 Methodist, 1 Baptist, 1 Presbyterian, 1 United Brethern, 1 Roman Catholic, 1 Christian Science and 1 Christian Churches.
34 Miles of streets and side walks are maintained by the city, and over one mile of pavement in the business center give Fitzgerald the name of “City Beautiful.” Three
Public Park reservation and the Fair Grounds will ultimately furnish Greateg Fitzgarald with its play grounds for young and old. '
Fraternal Orders and Womans Clubs add to the social life of the City, The Od& Tollows own a fine hall and business property in the heart of the city. The Masonic Orders
have a well equipped lodge room. The Elks, Knights of Pythias, Maccabegs and Woodmen of the World, The Patriotic Sons of America, G. A. R. and Confederate Vete
rans have their posts. The ladies have their W. R. C. in a home of their owa, ¢hs U. D. C. and the Daughters of the Revolution. The Eastern Star and Rebecca’s give
the wives and daughters of the Masons and Odd Fellows occasion for frequent sgeial gatherings.
Located in Fitzgerald Are: |
|
Three up to date Department Stores :
Ten Dry Goods & Clothing Stores
Twenty-one Retaii Grocery Scores !
Two Jewelry Stores oo
Seven Drug Stores
Seven Furniture Stores
Three Millinery Stores
Up to date Book Store
Three Merchant Tailors
Four Variety Stores ‘
One Electrical Supply Co
Three Buggy & wagon Concerns
Three Garages
Modern Opera House
Five Hardware Stores
Four Hotels :
Five Markets '
Two Newspapers
‘Three Lumber Companies
Up to date Restaurants
Four Barber Shops
D Two Livery Stables :
Two Plumbing Establishments
Three Big Sale Stables
Three Undartaking Establishments
‘“Two Bottling Works
Two Modern Steam Laundreis ;
Two Photo Studioes ,
Four Strong Banks with resources of over $lOO,OOO
‘The Atlanta, Birmingham & Atlanta Railway Co’s $,000,000
R. R. Shops with a payroll of $25,000 a month. Employing 350
mechanics :
The Fitzgerald Cotton Mills, operating' 10,000 spindles and
20 broad looms fiom which a 1000 people get their living
Five large Cotton Warehouses
Iron Foundry o
Three Fertilizer plants, manufactoring 8,400 tons Fertilizer
yearly :
Two up to date Oil Mills :
Three Cotton ginneries, with an output of 200 bales dailey
Large Cotton Compress ]
Five Hustling Wholesale Grocers, whose combined business for
the year 1911 amounted to $100,000,000
Three lines of Railroads - - :
Model Telephone System
Two Telegraph Offices ‘
; One Exprass Office. i
SPECIAL TRI-COUNTY FAIR EDITION
HE LEADER-ENTERPRISE
7 ERAT.D BEN HILI COUNTY, GEORGIA, NOVEMBER 15, 1912.
SEMI-WEEKLY
). THE PACE-MAKER
FITIGERALY. THE PAGE-
The youngest of the Cities of Georgia,
Just “Sweet Sidecw” with her skirts yet bare
ly covering her knees, she already ranksaimnong
the FIRST CLASS. The strides made by this
young ‘Giant among the Pines’ cannot boap pre
ciated uniess one has watched this Georgia
Babe from it’s cradle. The founders of this
Colony blazed the way for progress and Im
provement, moral, educational and commercial.
Out of this primitive Ping forest, rich in
climate and soil, they carved this “City Beauti
with it’s churches, its schoolhouses, it’s public
buildings, its Banks and commercial Institu
tions, Warehouses and Factoriss, giving em
ployment to thousands of people and made
homes for people from every clime. On this
land, where sixteen yearsago,roamed the deer
and pan:h:r, hundreds of prosperuos business
houses border paved streets and the “White
Way”. Sixteen years ago, where the old set
tlers still swappad coon skins for sugar and
tobacco and marketed their little produce on
ox carts twenty and forty miles away, we
now have four banking insiitutions, supplying
the currency to make and harvest a crop great
er than the combined output of 10 counties of
those early days and the sons and daughters
of the Men of yore now drive power cars and
are the leaders in this onward march of Fitz
gerald’s procession.
Settled originally by Veterans of the
Union Army and their families, to whose loy
alty to their new home is due the credit for the
life and growth of the infant town, and whose
leaders wisely planned for the future, this col
ony was built after a pian, ten thousand acres
divided into a thousand farms and every farm
planned to have its road, roads that ‘traverse
the colony domain like a network of the streets
of a city. Eager to leave the rigor of the bieak
northern winters and charmed by the balmy
climate of this pine region, the colonists from
the north were soon acclimated and turned this
wilderness into happy hem:s of a contented
people. It didn’t take Georgians long to recl
ize the possibilities of this territory and thous
ands have come and joined their fortunes with
these northern settlers and this blending of
the sactions made a Union to which is due the
steady growth of the city and the permanent
improvement of the country. No section of this
country has ever witnessed the develiopment
of a community such as Fitzgeraldand Ben Hili
County, save in sections wiaere minerals and
oils abound.
Pluck, Push and Perseverance aided by
soil and climate are the primary agencies that
make Fitzgerald famous.
AR AR AAU LU LULWU LU EAUUL UL UL
Fitzgerald’s Public Schools The Pride of
State. Free Tuition and Free Books
I Every Child Entitled to Education.
E Preeminent among the factors that make Fitzrerald the Mecca
!for many of the Fathers and Mothers, with children to raise and ecu
’cate, is our magnificent system of public education, We have the
;buildings and the equipment unsurpassed in aoy town of the size of
Fitzgerald, but above ail we have the system and the facuity that
makes for the best inferests of the children and the t:onsequént satis -
faction to the paEent-patrons of our Schools, Without perceptibly
inereasing the ‘ax rate of the city, we have succeeded in previding
FREE SCHOOL BOOKS AND FREE TUITION to every child of
school age, of every description, white or black, rich or poor, The
founders of this city recognized the accompaneing humiliation that goes
with t_,he request for free books by the poor of tha ¢ mmumty and to
reliev‘e this embarrassmert and to absolutely assure all children 1n the
city an opportunity to receive an education, they established the
custom, which since has been made the organic law of the city, to sup
piy all children with FREL BOOKS no other city in the State has ever
made such a forward step to secare public education. Through our
efficient Board of Education the faculty of our schoolé has been so
improved during recent years, so that at this time the school is recog
nized by leading educators as a model for public instruction. The
University of Georgia has placed our High School in the *‘First Class’’
an honor not enjoyed by a high school in any city of similar size to
F.tzgerald,
Our Primary Grades are in charge of ladies wbo are accomplish
ing ““Big Things” with the little tods in their care. Every step up
ward is plunned and taken with a view of fitting the pupil to easily
accomplish its allotted work and as they reach the moreadvanced
classes the thorough work of the Primary teacher is felt and appre
ciated. Fitzgerald’s graduates, while as yet limited in numbers, &re
not surpassed in the attainment of success in the various vocations
filled by them. In the civil service of the Government, in Banks,
Colleges and Manufacturiag estatlishments and in the professicns
both young men and y ung women of Witzgerald High School have
proven their Alma Mater. In addition to the regular literary courses
provided, the High School has a business department, equipping the
scholars for the practical. The Student Savings Bank, the only one of
its kind in operation, is au evidence of the efficiency and progressive .
spirit that possesses the faculty and Board of Education of the Schools
of Fitzgerald. .
A feature much enjoyed by the children of all grades are tke
school libraries attached to each Ward School Building..
TUESDAY
FRIDAY
VOL. XVIL. NO. 88
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