On This Day In Alabama History: Cullman County Was Created

By Alabama NewsCenter Staff

In 1873, Bavarian native Johann Cullman purchased 350,000 acres along the Louisville and Nashville Railroad line in North Alabama. Unhappy with the succession of revolutions in central Europe, Cullman traveled through the United States during the 1860s and in 1870 met then-Alabama Gov. Robert Patton, who encouraged him to stay and purchase land. After he arrived, Cullman began a letter-writing campaign to recruit other Germans, offering parcels of land at a deep discount. He also promoted the area through a German-language newspaper he created, Der Nord Alabama Colonist. By the mid-1870s, the town of Cullman had 125 immigrant families. On Jan. 24, 1877 the county of Cullman was created by an act of the Legislature from portions of Blount, Walker, Morgan and Winston counties. Today, the county’s German heritage is celebrated with an annual Oktoberfest.

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