Luckily, there are also examples of abandoned historic churches that are maintained by sister congregations, as is the case with St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Hale County. This 1853 Carpenter Gothic structure, attributed to nationally noted architect Richard Upjohn, is meticulously cared for and maintained by the Episcopal congregation in nearby Demopolis. Homecoming services are held in the sanctuary once a year, and the building is open for interpretive tours.
Once a vital part of the community, Pleasant Hill Presbyterian Church, like many other country churches of its vintage (c. 1855), has become an abandoned, deteriorating landmark in a rural landscape. Local residents keep the grass cut in the community cemetery to the rear of the sanctuary, but no one monitors the decline of the once prominent structure. The church is owned by the Pleasant Hill Cemetery Association. Unfortunately, the fate that has befallen Pleasant Hill Presbyterian is all too common. On the backroads of Alabama, countless abandoned churches of every denomination sit vacant. In mo t cases the old er congregations have died off, leaving the property to their districts, synods, or conferences. The circa 1850 Adams Grove Presbyterian Church in Dallas County, privately owned, and the 1859 Uchee Methodist Church in Russell County, owned by the Alabama-West Florida Conference, have met similar fates.
Luckily, there are also examples of abandoned historic churches that are maintained by sister congregations, as is the case with St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Hale County. This 1853 Carpenter Gothic structure, attributed to nationally noted architect Richard Upjohn, is meticulously cared for and maintained by the Episcopal congregation in nearby Demopolis. Homecoming services are held in the sanctuary once a year, and the building is open for interpretive tours.
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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 2024
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