"The business section of town has grown considerably too,” he said then. There was nothing here (gesturing to the area around Shirley Avenue). There were just the stores on the main street. In 1917, the time when young Fincher began his career in the newspaper business, the Bulletin was housed in a basement under what was Cosper's Jewelry on West College Street. The city owned its own electric generating plant and power was only turned on during the dark hours. The presses were powered by gasoline engine. People “gotabout” back then by horse and wagon mostly, though there were a few automobiles around. Some, like Fincher himself, simply walked everywhere.

He said there were about 450 subscribers when he started working. At the closing, there were about 2,500. The cost for a year’s subscription was 50 cents. The cost (locally) for a year subscription was $9.00, under the cost of many other weeklies. (mailing incurred additional cost) Advertising then cost 10 cents an inch. In the later years, an inch would cost you $2.10 an inch. Fincher also recalled many times that payment would come in the form of eggs, or chickens or other goods people had on hand. Folks didn’t have much money to buy a subscription or to add during the Depression.

In October 1970, the Bowdon Bulletin celebrated 80 years with a “beautiful birthday cake” provided by Douglas Martin, Jr, manager of the Southern Bell Telephone Company, Carrollton, and accompanied by Ted Kennedy, District Manager. In addition to Col. Yarbrough, other editors have been L.R. Hurst, Mr. Causey, R.K. Pitts, C.M. Garrett, Gerald Golden, J.J. Thomasson, Kate Smith Golden and Glovis Gore South.

Mrs. Golden, who was listed in Who's Who in America, filled the capacity of editor for a number of years. She began her career with feature stories in the Atlanta Journal Magazine. Her husband was W. B. Golden, who had the Golden Farms, and was at the Bulletin part-time. Mrs. 

Margaret Eady was Society Editor and was with the Bulletin beginning in 1960. She met her husband, Bobby Eady, while at work at the newspaper and they were married in 1962. He was an ordained minister and was with Dorsey Manufacturing Co. The couple had two sons, Freddy, age 6 and Allen, age 3 in 1970. Marvin Fincher, who also worked with the Burson Printing Company, was in charge of the mailing list and had been with the Bulletin since grade school. Fincher could be found during working hours and often after hours and on Sundays and holidays.

G. W. Burson learned to print at the Bulletin when he was nine and stood on a stool to reach the type. He would later own a printing company, the Burson Printing Company. His wife, Beatrice Joyner Burson, was in partnership with him The couple had one son, Robbie.

Don McWhorter was the Sports Editor and a graduate of Bowdon High School in the class of 1970. His parents were Mr. and Mrs. Frank McWhorter.

The Bowdon Bulletin had many significant columnists in its eighty years. The late Prof. Vachel D. Whately wrote the March of Time from 1938 until his death on September 19, 1946, succeeded by Mrs. H. M. Bird whose weekly column pertained to current events, particularly religious, educational, civic, and appeal fund drives. Dr G. B. Coley was a special writer during 1961 and 1962 ,and his articles were widely read.

Carroll County and Her People

Pvt. Joe Cobb

Excerpts from page 38

New Mexico is a District on the Alabama line, Joel is the Post-office and Justice's Court ground; it is a good farming country, and is inhabited by moral and industrious people. One of the oldest and most honorable men was Isiah Beck. He lived to a ripe old age and left several sons, all good citizens; there lives the Buchanan, Chambers, Cooks, Grizzard, Holcomb, Lee, Lester, Lovvorn, Moons, McLendon, Morris, Perkins, Philips, Robison, Simpkins, Thorntons, Toney, Wiggins, Yates, and a great many other good men and families.

Victory is a small town in a New District in the extreme southwest corner of the county. It was known for many years as McDaniels\;s mills, on the banks of the Little Tallapoosa River. Gen. Geo A. McDaniel owned the mills, which were very fine mills, and run with water power from the river. The number of the District in 1529 G. M. There are many splendid farms and good citizens, some of whom are Allen, Barr, Bloodworth, Causey, Eason, Farmer, Fletcher, Foster, Garrett, Harris, Harmon, Holloway, Holcomb, Jackson, Jones, Landers, Lovvorn, McDaniel, McGarrity, McWhorter, Nesbit, Noles, Preast, Smith, Sprewell, Stephenson, Tisinger, Traylor, Upchurch, Millner, Wyatt.