Sites to See in Cullman
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Sites
to See in the Cullman Area
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AVE MARIA GROTTO |
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CLARKSON COVERED BRIDGE |
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Known
throughout the world as "Jerusalem in Miniature,"
Ave Maria Grotto is
a beautifully landscaped, four-acre park designed to
provide a natural setting for the 125 miniature
reproductions of some of the most famous historic
buildings and shrines of the world. The masterpieces
of stone and concrete are the lifetime work of
Brother Joseph Zoettl, a Benedictine monk of St.
Bernard Abbey. Begun as a hobby, with various
materials he could find, and infinite patience and a
remarkable sense of symmetry and proportion, Brother
Joseph re-created some of the greatest edifices of
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Clarkson
Covered Bridge is a true icon of America's rich
past. First built in 1904, the unique truss bridge
stretches 270 feet over Crooked Creek in Cullman
County. The unusual lattice style of planks on the
structure form a webbing which, in conjunction with
only vertical forces used on the abutments, allows
the bridge to withstand an excessive amount of
weight. A Civil War skirmish, the Battle of Hog
Mountain, was fought here on April 30, 1863. The
Cullman County Commission and citizens of Cullman
restored the site in 1976 for the American
Bicentennial and added a park with shaded picnic
grounds, a Dogtrot Log Cabin, grist mill, and hiking
trails. |
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CULLMAN PUBLIC CEMETERY |
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Historical information and photo provided by the
Cullman County Museum. |
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The City of
Cullman,
Alabama,
should feel very fortunate indeed that the city
fathers in past generations have done so much to
assure people of Cullman that there will always be a
beautiful cemetery well maintained for the burial of
their loved ones. The cemetery was established with
a Perpetual Care Fund which assures the lot owners
that the cemetery will always be kept properly.
Paved streets with curbs and gutters are found
throughout the cemetery, which assures the families
that a funeral service, even on the worst day, will
still be carried out without weather conditions
making it more trying on the family. "10% of the
annual income of the proceeds of this cemetery shall
be set aside for the perpetual care of the cemetery…"
(1965 Rules and Regulations, Public Cemetery)
C.C. Scheuing was appointed as
Superintendent in 1918 and served until 1953. Mr.
S.H. Green served as secretary from the 1880’s until
his death in 1968. The Chapel in the center of the
cemetery is known as “The Green Chapel” in his
honor. John G. Cullman, who formally owned the land,
donated two acres to the city for the cemetery. The
first lot was sold in 1884. Each section of the
cemetery is from a different era that reflects a
different personality. They range from towering
monuments to modest tablet style headstones. Many of
the stones are engraved in German.
Rev. Otto
Link and Minnie Hartung
(Click photo
to enlarge.) |
There
are many interesting stories associated with
the Cullmanites of days gone by buried in
the cemetery. Perhaps one of the most
poignant is the tragic love story between
Minnie Hartung and the pastor of
St. John’s
Church, the Reverend Otto
Link.
The 19-year-old Minnie had said yes to the
young pastor’s proposal of marriage. One
weekend some friends of the couple gave a
party in a houseboat on the
Tennessee River as part of the
pre-nuptial festivities, which included
swimming and a picnic. A few days after
returning home Minnie became sick, as she
had contracted typhoid fever on the outing.
On July 20, less than 3 weeks before her
twentieth birthday she died. She was to have
been married on July 21. |
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The young lover wept, and his friends tried
to console him, after all, he was a very
young man only 24, he would find another
love. On October 26, Rev. Otto Link went to
visit the grave of his beloved and there he
took his own life, shooting himself over the
grave of his young bride-to-be. The two are
now buried side by side, now with a common
tombstone. The inscription says Minnie
Hartung, Born Aug. 12, 1880 died July 20,
1901. …Rev. Otto Link , Born October 11,
1877, Died October 26, 1901. “Im Tode
Verient”….translated from the German, “In
Death United.” |
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| Cullman
Public Cemetery - Incorporated 1881 |
| The original
five owners of lots at the time of
incorporation were
Col. John G. Cullmann
(our founder), Charles Albes, Adam Dreher,
George Parker and Hugo Plato. |
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MANAGER: Darrell Fuqua
PHONE: 256-734-3833 |
ADDRESS
812 Ninth Avenue SW
Cullman, AL 35055 |
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BOARD MEMBERS
Richard Buettner, President
Roy Williams, Vice-President
Chester Freeman
Cheri Drake
Linda McPhillips |
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DECORATION DAY
The Cullman Public Cemetery's
Decoration Day is the second Sunday in May. |
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Entrance
to the Cullman Public Cemetery
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CULLMAN COUNTY MUSEUM |
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CULLMAN HISTORIC TRAIN DEPOT |
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Interactive
displays and modern exhibits stand ready for you to
experience the rich German heritage, native American
lifestyles, adventure of early pioneers and Deep
South folklore when you visit with us. The Cullman
County Museum opened in 1973 during Cullman's
Centennial, and has been collecting and preserving
items from the county's unique past ever since.
Housed in a replica of Col. Johann G. Cullmann's
home (our founding father), the Museum brings the
past to life in its displays, paying tribute to the
families that made the area their home. Each gallery
showcases a different aspect of life in early
Cullman. |
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The Pueblo style stucco building was restored from by the Citizens
of Cullman County with the help of the AL Historical Commission and
ALDOT. It has been designated a historical landmark by the National
Register of Historical Places. There are vintage railroad related
items on display and a restored red caboose on the east side of the
depot. Depot Park, located in front of the Cullman Depot, is a
passive park with sidewalks, benches, and a beautiful fountain. It
is used for various events including Oktoberfest activities, arts
and crafts fairs, and weddings. To book Depot Park for an event,
please
email Leanne West
or call (256) 775-7102.
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WEISS COTTAGE |
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WeissCottage,
located at 401 1st Avenue Southeast, is Cullman's
oldest house. It was home to Dr. Aldo Weiss and his
family and was originally located on Lot 440 on
Sixth Street Southeast. It is typical of Cullman's
early houses. Dr.
Weiss bought the cottage from the L & N Railroad on
February 24, 1875. His wife, Magdalene, and their
children Emma, Charles, and Clara lived here. The
house also served as Dr. Weiss' office and the
cellar was used to house the family's goats -- which
is why it was often called " The Goat House." Dr.
Weiss was a "Practical Physician and Accoucheur," as
noted on the professionals card which was clipped
from a Cullman newspaper of 1877 which is now
displayed along with medical instruments of the era
on his desk. He owned several pieces of property
including a snuff factory and a lot in the Cullman
City Cemetery.
On December 18, 1889, the house was sold to
Judge S.L. Fuller and his wife, Evelyn, a
postmistress of early Cullman when the Weiss family
moved away. Weiss Cottage had various owners until
1917 when Charles Ruehl bought it.
In 1976 the owner, Mrs. Inez Ruehl, needed
the site for other purposes. Cullman's "oldest
house" was given to the City of Cullman with the
stipulation that it be moved.
The move spurred a restoration and
furnishing with typical 19th century items for the
Bicentennial Project by the City of Cullman
Federated Women's Clubs and the Historical Society.
The Cullman Garden Club Federation contributed to
the planting of the grounds.
During the restoration process, old layers
of wallpaper were carefully removed to find the
earliest one, which was matched as carefully as
possible. The sills of the house were railroad ties
and the nails used were square ones that can be seen
on display. The historic quilt was made by the
various homemakers clubs of Cullman County.
Weiss Cottage was added
to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage by
the Alabama Historical Commission on January 25,
1977, and the National Register in April 1985. It is
shown by appointment only. For an appointment to
tour Weiss Cottage, or for more information, call
the
Cullman County Museum
at (256) 739-1258.
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FESTHALLE MARKET PLATZ |
Shop for home-grown produce beneath the roof of the
largest timber frame structure in Alabama!
Located at the corner of 1st Avenue & Arnold Street
Northeast,
the Festhalle Market
Platz hosts a variety of events throughout the year
including a Farmers Market and the annual Cullman
Oktoberfest.
For more information visit the
Festhalle Market Platz
page in our site! |
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HUBERT RICHTER MEMORIAL CHAPEL |
 The little chapel
constructed in the early 1990's was built in memory of the late Mr.
Hubert Richter.
After Hubert & Hazel Richter's son, Mike, passed away in
1971, they talked about how nice it would be to be able to
go to a church that was never locked. Hubert really liked
the idea and he told Hazel he would go there if there was
such a place. After Hubert's death in 1988, the Cullman
Friends of Frankweiler wanted to erect a statue of Hubert.
That is not what Hubert would have wanted. Hazel,
remembering the late night conversations with Hubert and
their affection for small chapels in Gatlingburg, had a
similar drawing done for the Richter Chapel. The Richter
Chapel was erected on the property with donations of
friends, family, and business associates. Never to be
locked, so that anyone who needed to come would be able to
enter at anytime!
The chapel is located at 419 1st Avenue Southeast
and is open to the public every day.
The tiny chapel is the
site of many weddings throughout the year. Contact
Leanne West in the Mayor's Office at (256)775-7102 or send an email
to
lwest@cullmancity.org for
more information. |
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PEINHARDT LIVING HISTORY FARM
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HISTORICAL MARKERS IN
CULLMAN COUNTY |
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Highway 278,
Cullman, AL
For information
call (256) 734-0850 or
email
bjohn781@aol.com.
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Peinhardt Living History Farm is an educational
family farm focusing on rural life in the 1930's and
1940's.
The Peinhardt Living History Farm is the result
of the Peinhardt family's immigration from Germany
to Cullman in the late 1870's. Karl Peinhardt
settled in the community of Bethsada and his son
Otto Peinhardt began the farm on the present site in
about 1900. Carl Peinhardt. Otto's son attended
Auburn University (Alabama Polytechnical Institute)
from 1930 to 1932. He then began his own diversified
farming operation with row crops, hogs and dairy
cattle. He was a skilled carpenter and built his own
buildings as well as doings some building work for
the public. He developed a registered Guernsey dairy
and was a leader in soil conservation as well as the
dairy industry in Alabama. At his death in 1992,
Carl's four surviving children began the
preservation and development of the farm as an
educational living history farm.
Each year the Peinhardt farm is open to the
public. The farm is opened for everyone to come out
and experience history in a setting that will take
you back in history and allow you to actually
participate in some "hands-on" work. Exhibits and
demonstrations are spread over 40 acres.
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OUR LADY OF THE ANGELS MONASTERY - THE SHRINE OF THE BLESSED
SACRAMENT
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Visitors to the Shrine of the Most Blessed
Sacrament are struck by its beauty and grandeur,
often commenting on the atmosphere of peace that
pervades the grounds and the ethos of prayer and
reverence exuded by everything from the artwork to
the architecture. The Shrine itself, both church and
monastery, are modeled on the great Italian churches
of the 13th century, the time period that
experienced the birth of the Franciscan charism. The
piazza through which pilgrims walk before entering
the sanctuary itself is a standard of Italian sacred
architecture, allowing the faithful time and space
in which to recollect themselves interiorly and
exteriorly in preparation for the experience of
prayer and sacred liturgy. The piazza separates the
sanctuary symbolically and in reality from the world
around it, effectively creating an island of quiet
reverence amidst the bustle of the world. At the
doors of the church, pilgrims are greeted with
scenes of the Seven Joys and Sorrows of the Virgin
Mary, reminding all who enter that she is the vessel
through which God entered incarnate into His
creation. The interior of the Shrine of the Most
Blessed Sacrament is meant to be a psalm of praise
to the glory of the Presence contained within. As
the pilgrim steps over the marble floors, he will
see inlaid crosses made of jasper, the material
which was used for ornamentation in the Temple of
Jerusalem. The tabernacle, which houses the Most
Blessed Sacrament, is featured prominently in the
sanctuary, and is a small-scale replica of a Gothic
church. Fittingly, the object which primarily
catches the attention of the pilgrim is the imposing
monstrance. Constructed from a century-old design
and over seven feet tall, it contains the exposed
Real Presence, thus affording both the pilgrims who
come to the Shrine and the nuns praying on the
opposite side of the reredos the chance to adore the
glorified body of the Lord. From every vantage
point, the pilgrim is constantly reminded of the
glory of the God to whom all this physical grandeur
is directed. Everything, from the floors to the
vaulted ceilings, from the stained glass windows to
the monstrance, and from the sanctuary doors to the
bells that call all to prayer, was designed to turn
the mind to prayer and adoration of the Presence
contained within the Shrine. Catholicism is a faith
rich in appreciation for the material world and for
created things, and her churches are replete with
tangible reminders of the glory of God and the awe
which appropriately fills the soul called to His
Presence. The Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament
is no different. Here, the tangible meets the
reality of the invisible in a celebration of God, of
His Presence and of the glory of His creation.
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For more information
contact the
Cullman County Historical Society
or the
Cullman
County Museum.
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WiFi Service (Project Access)
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PHYSICAL ADDRESS
204 2nd
Avenue NE
Cullman, AL 35055 |
PHONE:
(256) 739-1212
EMAIL:
cityhall@cullmancity.org
www.cullmancity.org |
MAILING
ADDRESS
P.O. Box
278
Cullman, AL 35056-0278 |
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