The Cullman Times The Cullman Times Mon May 30, 2011, 03:23 PM CDT

CULLMAN — A small Bavarian plate, its delicate pattern marching round the cracked rim, a torn lace curtain blowing in the soft breeze, plaster dust covering what is left of a family home almost as old as Cullman itself — off the shoulder wedding dresses plus size ; all sad reminders of how quickly material things can be gone with the wind.

This was the sight facing Kenny, Laura and Anna Cleveland as they said their final goodbyes to the house where Anna grew up. Laura had daydreamed of living in this house as a child. “I never thought that one day that dream would come true,” she smiled. “I guess every little girl in Cullman has looked at this house like that at one time or another.”

The house, whose original owner was George Parker, was built in 1877. In the intervening years it had seen five families through childbirth, weddings, Yellow Dresses funerals and three wars. In its heyday it rose tall and proud on a rise overlooking what was to become the city of Cullman. In those years many changes would take place around it, while it became nestled among towering oak and pecan trees that would eventually shade its porches and provide a place for children to swing as they watched time march by along Fourth Street.

From its second story windows, ladies in lace collars and elaborate upswept hairdos would have waved to passersby who traveled to and fro in horse drawn buggies or wagons loaded with snowy white cotton. Later men in high, starched collars and bowler hats would crank their Model T automobiles in the driveway outside the iron fence that surrounded the house.

It was the home of a successful banker and publisher of the city’s first newspaper, the Alabama Tribune. Today, another newspaper reports its demise. When the furious winds whipped through Cullman’s historic downtown district on April 27, this house was one among many, too many, that suffered the brunt of the tornado’s wrath.  As winds in excess of 120 miles per hour tore the stately trees up by their gigantic roots Custom Wedding Apparel and Accessories. Personalized .... Products Group, LLC Advantage Bridal, Advantage Invitations, Advantage Discount Bridal Accessories, their limbs crashed through its roof and punctured its windows. Nails were pried from its walls, designer flower girl dresses furniture and paintings were spun around its rooms, china crashed from cabinets and walls, and in a matter of seconds the house that had become one of Cullman’s treasured historic landmarks was a shambles.

The Clevelands rode out the storm in their lake house, watching the twister as it writhed its way across the dark horizon toward Cullman. As soon as it was safe they made their way into a town they hardly recognized. “As we came up Highway 278, toward our house I could see that the shingles had been blown off the roof at its highest point, but I couldn’t tell the extent of the damage because of the trees,” said Laura, whose overriding emotion at the time was shock. Trying to remain calm for the sake of her thirteen-year-old daughter, Anna, she held her emotions in check.

For six years the family had loved and cared for the grand old dame on the corner of 6th Avenue SE and 3rd Street SE. Laura had decorated it, Kenny had maintained it, and Anna had grown up there. Everywhere they looked there were memories covered in grime and wet through from the deluge of rain that fell after the storm.

Kenny had to cut away the branches of the trees that once graced the property before they could get inside. “I cut a pecan that had a diameter of 40 inches,” he shook his head. “There was an oak that was over 48 inched in diameter.” A total of ten giant trees were removed before they could even began to assess the magnitude of the damage.

Anna was probably the most disturbed by the sight. “We often joke that Anna is a little old lady in a thirteen year old body,” said her mother. “She worries about everything.”

Anna came to say good-bye to her home on Wednesday, a month from the day that the wind swept her childhood playthings and souvenirs all over the next block. “The detached carriage house was cedar-lined, making it a great place to store things,” explained Laura. “Unfortunately it was totally gone. However, the neighbors did find some of my most precious things like my wedding pictures and some of Anna’s baby clothes and her baby book.”

As the days passed, the thought of actually tearing the house down didn’t really register with Laura. “Finally, when one of the city engineers explained to us that only the kitchen was safe to walk in, it dawned on me that it couldn’t be fixed,” she said.

Some of the family’s furniture, a few antique pieces hot pink bridesmaid dresses cheap hot pink bridesmaid dresses cheap, Laura’s oil paintings and a some other things were salvaged. The rest was given to friends or thrown away. “It’s surprising when you really get down to what matters, how little you have to have,” mused Laura.

“ wedding gowns ;We had to make decisions about what had to be kept and what had to go because we had to work against the rain that was coming on Monday,” explained Kenny. “It was our family that really mattered, all the rest is just stuff.” fashion woman dress fashion woman dress  red cocktail dresses red cocktail dresses; And the family is going to be just fine.

The Cleveland’s have a positive attitude about what has befallen them. “We have gone through so many other things in our lives,” reflected Laura. “Kenny and I dealt with infertility, but had Anna after we were married 16 years. She was born with a tumor and had chemo and two surgeries by the time she was three months old. Then, at the age of four our family doctor found a heart murmur and Anna had to have open heart surgery.”

“In 2004, Kenny's mom had heart surgery and never recovered,” Laura said. “She was in the ICU for three months, then two years ago his Dad passed after a debilitating neuro problem similar to Alzheimer's.”

They know the true meaning of what is important, and what can and cannot be replaced.

With the ability to see clearly in the rational light of day, the Cleveland’s have gone on with their lives, although they hated to see the history of the house disappear along with its gambrel roof.

Laura has saved some treasures that were passed down with the house to each of its owners — the Bavarian tea set and several historical documents that she treasures. One of them is a copy of the eulogy that was read by George Parker at Col. Cullman’s funeral in 1895, another document chronicles the 23rd Anniversary of the Colony of Cullman in a speech given by Parker.

Laura finds it somewhat ironic that in the eulogy, Parker states of his friend, Cullman, “ women cocktail dresses women cocktail dresses;In the fullness of age, with his life work accomplished, he quietly has gone to his rest; and his familiar form and kindly face will be seen no more among us.”

“That’s not true,” she smiled. “We see his face all over town, little did Parker know that Cullman would be so well remembered.”

In his address to the celebrants attending the 23rd anniversary, Parker makes reference of the date when he came to Cullman, which was in 1874. In this speech, Parker tells of early political unrest about the county, “In the fall of 1876, an organized effort was again made, and this time with such success that on the 24th day of January, 1877, the act was approved, creating the County of Cullman out of portions of Blount, Winston, and Morgan Counties. There was some violent opposition to the formation of this County in the Senate, headed by the Senator from this district; who stated on the floor of the senate, that to make this county would be “building a poor house for the state to support”.”

He goes on to cite the resources, development and enterprise that made Cullman grow quickly into a fruitful and economically viable asset to the state.

In Parker’s closing sentences, he perhaps had a glimpse into the future, because he told the citizens gathered ‘round him that day, “We should be proud of our past progress, our present condition and our future prospects. Let us all from this day on enter into active, energetic and constant efforts for the upbuilding of our town and county.”

As the Clevelands watch this beloved piece of Cullman’s history disappear in a puff of dust, Laura’s words echo to those around her, “I just want to make sure that someone remembers that this house existed, that it was here for a time,” she whispered.

And they will — for as long as people continue to remember the heritage and the history of Cullman — and of the storm which ripped away so much of its history, but never broke its spirit or claimed its valiant heart.