Simcoe in Cullman County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Cullman County Electric Membership Corporation
Photographed by Deborah Spencer, March 21, 2026
1. Cullman County Electric Membership Corporation Marker
The Cullman County Electric Membership Corporation the first rural electric cooperative in Alabama to provide electricity. The cooperative, was organized May 25. 1936, under an executive order signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Near this site on August 4, 1936, the cooperative's power lines were first energized, supplying 350 co-op members with electricity.
The cooperative's. original incorporators included H. E. Heck. O. A. Ellard, W. F. Dahlke, Charlie Fehrentz, H.R. Lowry, D. S. Bland, Emmett S. Oden, W. E. Humphries, R. Lem Bates, W. E. Rainwater, W. L. Bowling, W. E. Ballard, C. N. Ruehl and W. T. Clemons. The first attorney was W. E. James. The corporation was reorganized May 11, 1940, as Cullman Electric Cooperative. The cooperative serves' members in Cullman, Lawrence, Morgan and Winston counties.
Fiber-Optic marker at the base of the main marker
Cullman Electric Cooperative launched this region's first fiber optic broadband network near this site on January 18, 2021. Sprout Fiber Internet continues the cooperative's 85 year history of providing life changing. technology to Cullman,
this page online
The 2021 Board of Trustees included Phillip Garrison, Sheila Sizemore, Robert Tidwell, James Fields Jr., Lisa Weeks, Daryl Calvert, J. David Hembree, Chad Alexander and Lynda Carter. The chief executive officer was Tim Culpepper.
Erected by Alabama Historical Commission, Alabama Rural Electric Association in cooperation with Cullman Electic Cooperative.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. A significant historical date for this entry is January 18, 2021.
Location. 34° 13.416′ N, 86° 44.318′ W. Marker is in Simcoe, Alabama, in Cullman County. It is on Alabama Route 69 0.1 miles west of County Road 747, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4261 AL-69, Cullman AL 35058, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in North Alabama. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once
Photographed by Deborah Spencer, March 21, 2026
2. Cullman Electric Cooperative Fiber-Optic marker
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Mace Thomas Payne Brindley (approx. 1.2 miles away); Berlin/Kritner Cemetery (approx. 2.9 miles away); The Ave Maria Grotto (approx. 5½ miles away); Brindley Bridge (approx. 6 miles away); Betz Addition Historic District (approx. 6.4 miles away); Ernest E. Greene Home (approx. 6.4 miles away); Die Deutsche Kolonie Von Nord Alabama (approx. 6.6 miles away); Sand Mountain Plateau (approx. 6.7 miles away).
Another marker is no longer nearby. King Pharr Canning Company Operated Here (was approx. 6.7 miles away but has been confirmed missing).
More about this marker. Marker is located near the entrance to the Simcoe Community Center on Alabama State Route 69 about a 1/10 of mile east of the intersection Cullman Country Road 747.
Photographed by Deborah Spencer, March 21, 2026
3. Cullman County Electric Membership Corporation Location
Credits. This page was last revised on March 23, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 21, 2026, by Deborah Spencer of Huntsville, Alabama. This page has been viewed 13 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 21, 2026, by Deborah Spencer of Huntsville, Alabama. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.
