The History of Mistletoe Bough

Reuben Herzfeld: From Immigrant Peddler to Alexander City's Founding Banker

Mistletoe Bough's story begins not on Hillabee Street, but in Helmarshausen, Germany, where Reuben Herzfeld was born in 1842. At just seventeen years old, he left everything he knew and sailed for America with only five dollars in his pocket. He made his way first through Pennsylvania, then to Opelika, Alabama, working and saving before finally settling in the young town of Alexander City around 1875 — just a few years after the city received its charter.

It was here that Reuben, together with his brother Marcus Herzfeld, opened a dry goods and general mercantile business. Alexander City in the 1870s was a town on the rise, and the Herzfeld store quickly became part of its commercial backbone. In 1888, Reuben's success in trade gave him the standing — and the vision — to help found the Alexander City Bank, the town's first successful bank. Reuben served as its president, and later also served as president of the Bank of West Point and chairman of the board of Swift Manufacturing Company in Columbus, Georgia.

As Reuben's attention turned to banking, the family kept the mercantile business close to home. His brother-in-law, Ike Frohsin — another German immigrant, and the brother of Reuben's wife, Julia — arrived in Alexander City in 1891 and partnered with Marcus Herzfeld to carry the store forward. Family memory holds that the store operated for a time under the Herzfeld name before taking on the Frohsin name, and under the Frohsin family it grew into Frohsin's Department Store, a fixture of downtown Alexander City for generations and, for many years, the second-oldest business in town after the bank Reuben founded. Longtime residents still remember shopping at Frohsin's, which for decades occupied the building on Broad Street now home to Jes & Gray.

Reuben's civic imprint on Alexander City runs deep. Alongside bank cashier J.C. Maxwell, he was instrumental in bringing the town's first cotton mill to Alexander City in 1900, a development that helped transform the town into a regional manufacturing hub (the mill was later purchased by Avondale Mills in 1919). He was also a generous supporter of every church in town, and he personally led the fundraising campaign that built Alexander City's courthouse entirely through private subscriptions — at the time, reportedly the only courthouse of its kind in the country built without public funds.

Fittingly, the hill where Mistletoe Bough now stands — long known locally as Herzfeld Hill — already held meaning for the community before construction ever began. In 1872, local Methodists and Baptists gathered there for a two-week revival that led directly to the founding of Alexander City's first two congregations, First Baptist and First United Methodist.

Reuben returned to Germany to marry Julia Hagedorn, and together the couple raised five children: Harry (b. 1878), who would go on to succeed his father as president of the Alexander City Bank; Joe (b. 1879); Helene (b. 1882); Sam(b. 1883); and Sidney (b. 1886). In 1890, ground broke on the family's dream home — a grand Queen Anne-style Victorian mansion befitting their standing in the community. Construction stretched five years, and in 1895, Mistletoe Bough was complete: three stories, a wraparound porch, a turret with a bell-shaped roof, hand-carved oak mantels, parquet floors, and stained-glass windows throughout. It remains one of Alexander City's most architecturally significant homes and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

A Home, A Legacy, A Place to Stay

From the moment you walk through the door, you'll feel the special Mistletoe Bough hospitality that has defined this home since Reuben and Julia Herzfeld first welcomed guests here well over a century ago. Our super-soft linens, Southern-style breakfast, and classic Victorian design are only part of the story — this historic bed and breakfast in Alexander City, AL carries the legacy of one of the town's founding families in every room.

Today, Mistletoe Bough is the premier accommodation and special events venue in Alexander City, just 10 minutes from the shores of Lake Martin. Whether you're planning a romantic weekend getaway, a wedding, a family reunion, a special event or simply looking for a historic Victorian bed and breakfast near Lake Martin, we invite you to step into the story Reuben Herzfeld began building in 1890. Take a look around to learn more, and book your stay today.

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