Old School in Hale County

This old school building is in Hale County. When I was a kid, it was being used by a community church. More recently it was a community center. Now, it's in disrepair and has a warning sign.

What a shame. It is a great old building. I think at one time there was an effort to restore it.

Look at the man on the telephone pole!

"Look at the man on the telephone pole!" says hubby.
I'm thinking a workman is climbing the pole, but no...it's this very strange cutout of a fisherman.
Those are propane tanks underneath. Not sure what one has to do with the other.

Old Chimney

We spotted this old chimney growing out of a thicket along the road in Hale County. A chimney marking an old homesite is not an uncommon site when you're driving in the country. What was interesting was that someone added the family name. It reads "The Arnolds Home."

Sorry about the quality (or lack thereof).

It was really getting dark, so these have been tinkered with to brighten them.

Continental Cotton Gin

This old metal building was a cotton gin, I believe.

The signs read "Continental Gin Machinery" and "Continental Lint Cleaners".

I love old rusty signs. Click to enlarge to see the cool old logo.

In the Sanctuary

Inside the sanctuary of an abandoned church in Hale County looking toward the front.
The piano is in the right hand corner.

The sacred desk - or pulpit, and the altar

Close up of the piano. Note the horizontal board walls and the wainscoting paneling, probably added in the 70s.

View from behind the pulpit. Some of the light fixtures were intact. The large white rectangles in back are closed in sections where restrooms were added. The entrance to the restrooms were outside on the front porch.

One of the front arches from the inside of the porch. See the kudzu taking over?

Abandoned Church

Abandoned church, Hale County Alabama

There's a new church across the road, maybe they just relocated the congregation.

Tomorrow, pics from inside. Yes...we went inside!

Moundville Downtown

Tuscaloosa's neighbor to the south is Hale County. This is the town of Moundville. These shots don't do it justice. The sun was setting and I'm not a photographer. But I think you can see the streetscaping they've done. There are flowers and lamp posts. Most of the storefronts are vacant. There's a brand new bank building though. The second picture is Miss Melissa's Cafe. It's nearly legendary. People drive from Tuscaloosa just to eat there. On this weekday afternoon, it was closed. This week, I'll share more pictures from our road trip to Hale County.