CULLMAN – Born in 1894, Charles Henry Ernest Klein was 6 years old when his family moved to Cullman from Chicago. He grew up working on his father’s farm. Following his service overseas in World War I, he returned to Cullman and established the Cullman Creamery in 1924. He later built the Klein’s Dairy Products building in 1948 as part of his large dairy business. By 1950, the creamery was distributing 500 gallons of milk a day and had routes in Garden City, Hanceville and Warrior.
Klein’s Dairy Products Building was located on 5th St SE, which was formerly the site of Kullman Hall.
Because Klein’s had a soda shop and upstairs meeting rooms, it soon replaced Kullman Hall as the site of social gatherings. In time, various clubs and groups met there, and a couple churches got their start there as well. Klein had five sons and four daughters who worked at the family business.
Although the walls still stood, the old building sustained considerable damage during the tornado outbreak on April 27, 2011.
