
![]() Shown is a Spanish-Mission-style train depot saved and restored by the Bridgeport Area Historical Society. The community of Bridgeport is perhaps the most pristine of the state's late nineteenth-century speculative "boom towns." Ideally situated on the Tennessee River and at the intersection of two railroad lines, Bridgeport seemed a sure bet in the 1880s to several New York and New England capitalists looking for a good investment. Indus tries sprang up overnight--from a stoveworks to a wire nail manufacturer to a basket and package company--until growth came to a sudden halt with the Panic of 1893-94. During the subsequent depression, industries pulled out. T he railroad remained, of course, and continued to bring a measure of prosperity to the town, but its heyday was over. Today, Bridgeport retains its Victorian ambiance, including outstanding examples of late nineteenth-century architecture and a turn-of-the century commercial district. The Bridgeport Area Historical Society is attempting to save a historical rail road bridge and to make in roads in to other aspects of preservation. Pervasive and complex threats to the town, like the near abandonment of its downtown commercial area and slowly encroaching modern industrial development, are more difficult issues to confront. A statewide interest in the unique Victorian environment of Bridgeport is needed if this "period" community is to maintain its historic fabric.
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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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