The Cullman Tribune

219 Second Ave. SE | Cullman, AL 35055 | 256-739-1351

Our History

The Cullman Tribune is the oldest continuously published weekly newspaper in Alabama. It is also Cullman County’s oldest business. Its pages have covered both the good and the bad news around this area since January 1, 1874 – three years before Cullman County was even created! Yes, the old newspaper publication could tell some pretty interesting tales.

The Alabama Tribune, as it was originally called, was founded in 1874 by early Cullman businessmen George H. Parker and Gottfried A. Prinz. Both men were instrumental in Cullman’s earliest years. Prinz was Cullman’s mayor from 1876-1877, he was Cullman’s first postmaster and opened Cullman’s first store in 1873. Parker also served as mayor of Cullman, from 1900-1903. Additionally, Parker donated land and money to help start Cullman High School back in 1909.

In 1875, the Southern Immigrant newspaper was founded by Charles A. Beckert, H.L. Watlington and John A. Johnson. On November 1, 1880, the Alabama Tribune and the Southern Immigrant merged together under the management of Johnson, who continued the publication as the Alabama Tribune. He held editorial control of the paper until August 1892 when he claimed he had “been in the newspaper business for 50 years and wanted a rest.”

Johnson sold the paper to T.J. Simpson and George Hewlett, who sold the paper a couple years later to M.L. Robertson in April 1895. In December of that same year, Robertson changed the newspaper’s name from The Alabama Tribune to The Cullman Tribune. (Interesting note: In September 1897, Robertson married Miss Mary Alice Parker who was the daughter of George H. Parker, original co-owner of the Tribune!)

“Three families have dominated the history of Alabama’s longest continually published weekly newspaper,” said Delton Blalock, former publisher and editor of The Cullman Tribune. “The Norwood family published the Tribune for two decades early last century. The Arnold family published the Tribune for over 30 years in the middle of last century. Blalock Publishing, L.L.C. (has) now (had) the longest tenure as publisher of the Cullman Tribune, which is also Cullman’s oldest business.”

On April 1, 2016, CullmanSense, owned by Noah Galilee and Dustin Isom, acquired The Cullman Tribune.

Now, The Cullman Tribune prints three days per week, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and is online 24/7 at www.cullmantribune.com, www.facebook.com/CullmanTribune and www.twitter.com/cullmantribune.