Mr. B. F. Harwood

I have no idea whether he's kin to the T-town "Bernard Harwoods" but the man is PROFOUND in his opinions and he was a Uniontown Masonic brother of your great great grandfather and he was an old ass man when he wrote these newspaper columns in 1913.

Invoice from B.F. Harwood, Uniontown, Alabama, to John Little, Jr., September 9, 1875 - u0003_0000863_0001509 - Little family papers - The University of Alabama Libraries Special Collections

Tom Coleman Camp No. 429 U. C. V. 

An effort is being made to raise a sufficient sum of money to pay the expenses of at least ten members of Tom Coleman Camp No.429 United States Veterans to the Reunion at Chattanooga May the 27th, 28th and 29th. We will honor ourselves by contributing liberally to this cause, as it will be perhaps the very last opportunity that many of our Veterans will have of attending a general Reunion. This Reunion means more to the Alabama Veterans than any of the past or of any that can take place in the future. The monument erected by the State of Alabama on the battlefield of Chickamauga will be unveiled.

alabama monument at chickamauga battlefield 1913 - Google Search

And the grand old heroes who took part in that great battle, the most sanguinary in the world's history, will have the opportunity of seeing again the exact spot where on the 19th and 20th of September, 1863, they engaged the enemy. 

More than 1600 as gallant and heroic soldiers as ever charged in any conflict furnished by this grand State, were killed and wounded in the battle of Chickamauga.

 We will send some Veterans who bear evidence by maimed limbs and bullet scars on their bodies that they were at the front and took part in the gallant an irresistable charges made by the Confederates.

 B. F. HARWOOD, Adjutant.

 Mr. Editor, 

I desire space in your valuable paper to set myself right before the people of this community.

I came to Alabama from Virginia in 1867, landed here with $3.50 in my pocket all that I possessed in the world in money, obtained a position as clerk and went to work immediately. was appointed agent of the Selma and Meridian Rail Road in 1868 which position held for 21 years. In 1869 commenced the erection of a cotton warehouse, my friends said, you are a fool to build a cotton warehouse in Uniontown because all of the cotton is shipped away the same day it is brought in, which fact I was better acquainted with than another, because I signed the Bills of Lading daily. In less than five years, every bale of cotton coming to Uniontown passed through the Warehouse and we had as good a cotton market as any interior town in the state. I built a cotton oil mill in 1883.

Articles of incorporation, giving it the name of Canebrake Oil Mills were signed by B. F. Harwood, T. G. Fowler, J.

W. Bush, and George O. Baker and Company, all dead except myself. I built and operated a cotton compress for more than ten years, the first compress built west of Selma on the Alabama Central Railway. The press occupied the same ground where the Uniontown Warehoues Company is located.

I put in two ginneries of the modern method of ginning and haulding seed cotton, the very first that was installed in this section. I put in and operated a small cotton mill for the manufacturing of cotton rope the first industry of the kind west of Selma along the line of the Railway. I built four brick houses, and one warehouse on Water Street also the Female college building, one brick hotel, two business houses, and three residences, on Broadway Street. Four residences on East Street, two cotton warehouses and one ginnery on Green Street. I took the contract together with J. H. White to build the public school building which we accomplished, saving the town $750.00 on the lowest bid made by a regular contractor. I was made a Mason in 1868 filled the highest office in both the Blue Lodge and Chapter, joined the church two years later, became a member of Tom Coleman Camp Number 489 United Confederate Veterans when it was organized. I wear the cross of honor and bear on my body six bullet scars, in evidence of the fact, that I deserve it. In 1894 when cotton went down to three and a half cents per pound and every iron furnace in the state of Alabama was idle, I lost all of my property and in the general wind up of my affairs found myself financially, in the same condition that I was in when I arrived in 1867, with the exception, I had one of the bravest, truest, women that ever lived for my wife, to encourage, help and sustain me.

But with it all, I felt that my usefulness was gone, without money and friends, save one, who never deserted me, but with counsel, advice, and money continued to help, there was never a truer and better friend, than R. A. Hardie. This condition of things has gone on for fifteen years or until last January, when I was the happy recipient of a visit from my old schoolmate and chum, who I had not seen for fifty two years, we had long heart to heart talks, in one of them, I said, Clef, with the loss of my property in 1898, it has seemed to me that every opportunity to do anything, to be of any service to myself or another has been taken away from me. "He said" nay my friend, you are mistaken your opportunity has just arrived and taking the widow's mite as a text, he taught me the most beneficial and helpful lesson I had ever received.

Since that time it has been my pleasure to do several acts of  money consideration did not amount to anything, that has offered me more real satisfaction than anything I have done in my past life, and the desire to do more, to help in every way, has developed in me to a greater extent than ever before. The words of Judge Tayloe are ever present with me, "Let us all do something", Some six weeks ago my was called to the necessity of using ground feed, rather than feeding  the whole grain, that it was worth at least twenty eight per cent more as a feed and no doubt would prevent much of the sickness so prevalent in our section caused by feeding corn which is very often damaged. I immediately commenced the erection of a building on the space granted the White Coal Company by the Southern Railroad Company. Bought machinery from the Morse Fairbanks Company of New Orleans.

The engine and one feed mill was not in stock and had to be shipped from the factory at Beloit, Ill. 

On the 8th. of April, I was arrested, required to give bond for my appearance at court the next day at 9 A. M. for violating section| 164 of the code.

The builders of two other houses on which work was commenced more than a month later, were not arrested but were notified, that they had to pay a fee and get a permit when called upon to do so. Am I. the | greatest law breaker? The records do not show it, for only one other case has been docketed against me and that in 1867. This whole procedure reminds me of the town of Hunnewell in the State of Kansas. Hunnewell has been for a long time the banner suffragette town in the United States.

At the election preceding the one which has just taken place, a woman much more zealous than the rest was elected mayor, the aldermen and every other office of the town except the chief of police was a woman. This woman mayor soon began to raise Cain with the town of Hunnewell. She threw out the chief of police defied the city Council to take issue with her on any question. What was the result at the last election, a man was elected, to fill every office demonstrating the fact that woman is always ready and willing to correct any error and do and perform every duty imposed upon her. It is claimed that I have built a house in the street, which is not a fact but suppose I had, are there not others in the street? The fences of some so far in the street and at such angles that cause the new sidewalks to present a most ludicrous appearance.

Let us all foster  a spirit of civic pride and work together for the common betterment of all and make this as it should be the most beautiful prosperous and best town in Alabama. 

B. F. Harwood.