This Alabama Boutique Hotel Celebrates Local History in Style
The Flying Fifty, a luxury boutique hotel in Cullman, Alabama, features seven suites that capture the soul of the community.
Written by Lisa Battles
I am always on the lookout for experiences that capture the spirit of the place. I especially love it when it's clear that whoever dreamed up a concept put a lot of thought into ensuring visitors get a sense of the whole community — and that means going above and beyond whatever originally brought them to the destination. One of my favorite recent finds that exemplifies this is The Flying Fifty, a luxury boutique hotel in Cullman, Alabama, which began welcoming guests in the spring of 2024.
When a friend of the owners' parents told me a little about how it all came together, I was intrigued. I was even more delighted to eventually see it in person, guided by Challie Knetter, who owns the business with her husband, Paul. The pair met at Wallace State College and eventually married in 2022. Soon after, they hatched the plan for their business. Challie said they knew it would be community-focused and hadn't landed on a theme until they learned of the story of The Flying Fifty at a Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce event.
During the 1950s, Cullman's economy was struggling, and many people had to leave the area to find work. Around that time, a local woman, Mrs. Betty Bledsoe got a call from a friend who'd just dined at the local Allsteak Restaurant with a group of colleagues. He was part of a site selection group headed to Mississippi to scope out a location for a new King Edward Cigar plant.
Betty relayed this message to her husband, Dr. Leroy Bledsoe, who sprung into action to mobilize the local chamber of commerce to intervene. Their community needed those jobs, and that plant would be theirs. The next morning, a group of 47 men flew to Jacksonville, Florida, the location of King Edward Cigar headquarters. They rented a hotel ballroom and hosted a lunch for the King Edward board of directors, where they made their case for visiting Cullman in consideration for the plant.
Ultimately, the entire community got involved in raising money to purchase the necessary land to incentivize the deal. Even local children got involved, collecting and donating money to raise over $83,000 in a few days, securing the land, and then the plant. The initial group, The Flying Fifty, formed the core of what would later become the industrial development board of the chamber of commerce, recruiting many more companies to further diversify the local economy in years to come.
The last living member of The Flying Fifty, Roy Drinkard, christened the building.
An image of the men is emblazoned on the side of the hotel's new building, which was constructed with material and design elements to blend well with older, historic buildings in downtown Cullman and its warehouse district, both within walking distance.