
![]() In 1833 New Englander Daniel Pratt set up a gin shop on the banks of Autauga Creek, and from this small beginning grew one of the South’s first major industrial endeavors. Two of the operation’s early buildings—the 1849 Sash Door and Blind Factory and the 1854 Gin Factory with its 1896 addition—are among Alabama’s nineteenth-century treasures. Unfortunately, these buildings are not suitable for modern methods of gin making, and Continental Eagle Corporation, the successor to Pratt’s company, currently uses them for storage. The company is sympathetic but does not have the funds to invest in the buildings. Local preservationists are raising money to stabilize them. Without these funds and volunteers, the structures may deteriorate beyond repair. UPDATE: The property was auctioned for $1.7 million in 2014.
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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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