Capt. J. B. Curry
Entrepreneur
Notes:
• "Capt. Curry has gone, or contemplates going soon, to Springfield, Ohio, to superintend the manufacture of his Cotton Choppers, which are destined to work a revolution in cotton culture. He has about 30 already engaged. The price will be, we believe, about $125. He hopes to arrange for their manufacture in Huntsville." - Huntsville Weekly Democrat: September 7, 1881
• "New Manufacturing Enterprise for Huntsville We have, repeatedly, alluded to the Curry cotton chopper, invented and patented by our respected countryman, Capt. B. J. Curry. Now, we are glad to announce that he and several other enterprising citizens of Madison county have leased for five years, from the M. & C. R. R. Company, the large brick building at the Huntsville Depot known as the smoke house, which they purpose to convert into a two-story brick building for the manufacture of The Curry Cotton Chopper, primarily. An iron foundry wilt be worked in connection with the chopper factory. Machinery will be put in the building, for general iron work on the second story. The machinery has been purchased, we understand, and is on the way to Huntsville. We congratulate Capt. Curry, his associates, and the Huntsville public, on the assured establishment of this industry here, and wish it abundant success. Huntsville is, again, on the ascending grade of prosperity. Cotton, cotton seed oil, and cotton chopper factories, iron foundry and machine shop - all in one year. Io triumphe!" - Huntsville Weekly Democrat: November 2, 1981
• "Once the sun went down over Guntersville, Alabama, the town was clothed in darkness until the sun came up the next morning. That is until January of 1903. The town officials met with Capt. J. B. Curry of Huntsville, Alabama, who was the representative of an acetylene plant. An agreement was entered into and this company provided a generator, laid the mains, and equipped twenty streetlights and three hundred twenty-five candlepower burners for the town. The cost was around $1.25 per month for each light. Thus, the beginning of Guntersville creeping out of darkness. Evidently the acetylene generator worked successfully until December of 1907. As town marshal, Stallings was charging the generator, the large cylinder exploded with great force, burning Marshal Stallings over his head and hands. The explosion also set the building on fire and it was a total loss. The lights went out!" - Guntersville Electric Board
Related Links:
Notes:
• "Capt. Curry has gone, or contemplates going soon, to Springfield, Ohio, to superintend the manufacture of his Cotton Choppers, which are destined to work a revolution in cotton culture. He has about 30 already engaged. The price will be, we believe, about $125. He hopes to arrange for their manufacture in Huntsville." - Huntsville Weekly Democrat: September 7, 1881
• "New Manufacturing Enterprise for Huntsville We have, repeatedly, alluded to the Curry cotton chopper, invented and patented by our respected countryman, Capt. B. J. Curry. Now, we are glad to announce that he and several other enterprising citizens of Madison county have leased for five years, from the M. & C. R. R. Company, the large brick building at the Huntsville Depot known as the smoke house, which they purpose to convert into a two-story brick building for the manufacture of The Curry Cotton Chopper, primarily. An iron foundry wilt be worked in connection with the chopper factory. Machinery will be put in the building, for general iron work on the second story. The machinery has been purchased, we understand, and is on the way to Huntsville. We congratulate Capt. Curry, his associates, and the Huntsville public, on the assured establishment of this industry here, and wish it abundant success. Huntsville is, again, on the ascending grade of prosperity. Cotton, cotton seed oil, and cotton chopper factories, iron foundry and machine shop - all in one year. Io triumphe!" - Huntsville Weekly Democrat: November 2, 1981
• "Once the sun went down over Guntersville, Alabama, the town was clothed in darkness until the sun came up the next morning. That is until January of 1903. The town officials met with Capt. J. B. Curry of Huntsville, Alabama, who was the representative of an acetylene plant. An agreement was entered into and this company provided a generator, laid the mains, and equipped twenty streetlights and three hundred twenty-five candlepower burners for the town. The cost was around $1.25 per month for each light. Thus, the beginning of Guntersville creeping out of darkness. Evidently the acetylene generator worked successfully until December of 1907. As town marshal, Stallings was charging the generator, the large cylinder exploded with great force, burning Marshal Stallings over his head and hands. The explosion also set the building on fire and it was a total loss. The lights went out!" - Guntersville Electric Board
Related Links:
• Guntersville Electric Board - Streetlights for Guntersville. Researched and written by Betty Taylor. (Originally found at http://www.guntersvilleelectric.com/historytxt.htm.)
• Huntsville Weekly Democrat: November 2, 1981 - "New Manufacturing Enterprise for Huntsville" contributed by kistacy
• Huntsville Weekly Democrat: September 17, 1902 - Obituary for his wife, Bettie Hammond, contributed by Kenneth Stacy, February 21, 2011 and is copyrighted. (Originally found at http://files.usgwarchives.org/al/jefferson/obits/c/curry1890gob.txt.)
• Huntsville Weekly Democrat: September 7, 1881 - Cotton Choppers. File contributed to USGenWeb archives by Kenneth Stacy on November 7, 2006 and is copyrighted.