
![]() From the Civil War until the civil rights era, the old Fort Henderson Site and Trinity School played an important role in the history of Athens and north Alabama. Constructed in 1863, Fort Henderson was garrisoned by regiments of the Union army’s United States Colored Troops.
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![]() For former students, Dothan’s old Howell School evokes sentimental memories of childhood and days gone by. But it is also an architectural landmark—an eclectic mixture of arched windows and ornate classical cornices dating from 1902. The city’s main grammar school until 1942, the building later reopened as a pajama manufacturing company. Now vacant, it is owned by the Downtown Dothan Redevelopment Authority. ![]() Constructed in 1848, the old Lodge 863 (formally Tuckabatchie Lodge 96) in Crawford is one of only seven pre–Civil War fraternal halls surviving in Alabama. It is also the most notable structure remaining from 1839–1868, when Crawford served as the seat of Russell County. Several years ago, the lodge was almost lost when the Masons decided to replace it with a new building. As the demolition date approached, a local philanthropist intervened and moved the structure a short distance to its current location. It escaped destruction once, but today it again faces an uncertain future. ![]() Shown is the J.B. Hain Co. Cotton gin, Sardis, Dallas County. Cotton was Alabama’s principal economic engine before the Civil War, and it continued to play a major role in the state’s agricultural economy well into the twentieth century. Once ubiquitous across the Alabama landscape, the cotton gin served as the economic—and sometimes the social—hub of countless rural communities. But technological changes and the consolidation of gin facilities in the present cotton industry have made most gins obsolete, and in Alabama, as elsewhere, they are disappearing. Most gin buildings remaining today date from the early twentieth century, with a few rare survivors predating 1900. Those retaining original gin equipment are even harder to find.Cotton was Alabama’s principal economic engine before the Civil War, and it continued to play a major role in the state’s agricultural economy well into the twentieth century. Once ubiquitous across the Alabama landscape, the cotton gin served as the economic—and sometimes the social—hub of countless rural communities. But technological changes and the consolidation of gin facilities in the present cotton industry have made most gins obsolete, and in Alabama, as elsewhere, they are disappearing. Most gin buildings remaining today date from the early twentieth century, with a few rare survivors predating 1900. Those retaining original gin equipment are even harder to find. |
Alabama's Endangered Historic LandmarksEach year since 1994, Alabama Heritage has highlighted threatened historic sites throughout Alabama. The “Places in Peril” list has identified more than 215 imperiled historic resources throughout the state, and is compiled by the Alabama Historical Commission and the Alabama Trust for Historic Preservation. The locations highlight the results of deferred maintenance, perceived obsolescence, development pressures, and lack of funding—forces that now more than ever threaten our cultural legacy. But awareness is a powerful force, too, and can cultivate a renewed determination to be responsible stewards of our heritage. For more information, visit the AHC or the ATHP websites. Alabama Heritage is proud to bring to you a selection of the places designated as perilous. Please keep your comments to information relevant to the featured place in peril. Alabama Heritage reserves the right to delete any comment that we deem inappropriate. Archives
May 2023
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