Notice to the Citizens of Wedowee on Mosquito Control and Rubbish Cleanup

Synopsis

A typed public notice addressed 'To All the Citizens of Wedowee' and signed in ink 'Mayor and Council' over a struck-out 'Acting Mayor' line. To support a public health campaign against mosquitoes, it asks every resident to clean up tin can piles, whether dumped in streets, ditches, hedges, on their own property, or on others' property. It complains that people were dumping tin cans, dead chickens, and other animals on street banks and in the vines, causing a bad appearance and offensive odors and breeding mosquitoes and other disease-carrying insects, which it says was against town ordinance. Residents are told to clean their premises at once. The notice shows the town's early concern with sanitation and public health, the same concerns behind the push for a public water supply and sanitary ordinances.

Key facts

• Issued by the Mayor and Council of Wedowee
• Part of a public health campaign against mosquitoes
• Residents told to remove tin can piles and dumped animal carcasses
• Dumping described as against town ordinance

TO ALL THE CITIZENS OF WEDOWEE,
In order that we may co operate with the public health campaign now on to rid the town and community of mosquitos and other rubbish, we are asking every person in the town to clean up their tin can piles even if they have dumped them into the streets, ditches and hedges or on their own premises or on the premises of others.
There are several places in town where the citizens are dumping tin cans, dead chickens and other animals out on the street banks and in the vines, which gives a bad appearance, offensive odors and furnishes breeding places for mosquitoes and other disease carrying insects, which is against the town ordnance, So take notice and clean your premises at once.
[handwritten:] Mayor and Council
[typed, struck through:] Acting Mayor.

Physical description

Half-sheet with a torn bottom edge and a punched hole at upper right; handwritten corrections and signature in blue ink.

Reading notes

Undated. The 1930s date is estimated from the typewriter style and the related town records.