Abandoned Places - Special MLK Jr. special edition
In the United States, today is the Martin Luther King Jr holiday. Several years ago the US chose to honor the slain civil right leader on his birthday to recognize his and in effect, many thousands of others contributions to be equal regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, and by extension, sexual preference (note: many civil rights laws enacted have been used to protect the LGBT community).
In Huntsville, there is a relic of that era. A former segregated high school building still stands in silent testimony of the days when black children and white children did not attend the same schools. Welcome to William Councill High School.
Don’t be alarmed, this school has been closed since 1967 when the local district integrated their classrooms
After the school closed, the building was turned into a community center and a “Boys and Girls Club”
Ironically the “Boys and Girls Club of Greater Huntsville” has been out of this building for over 12 years, but their sign is still posted
Once the final tenants moved out of the school, the place was fairly well sealed up by the school district - who still owns the property
Signs that the weather is taking its toll on the building
Nature’s efforts to reclaim the place
Lighting the way no more.. As I circled the building, I found one weathered plywood covering that had fallen away giving me an unobstructed view inside the old building
Sadly the locals from the nearby public housing complex (now closed also) and the homeless had already gotten into the building
The school was named for William Councill the first black lawyer in Alabama and the first president of Alabama A&M University.
Hope is not lost for this relic. The window has been recovered and the area is maintained. In fact, a Huntsville policeman cruised by shortly after my observation of the building. My hope was to get in touch with the school district last week, but the snows we had early last week effectively shut down the official gears and cogs of learning here.
In Huntsville, there is a relic of that era. A former segregated high school building still stands in silent testimony of the days when black children and white children did not attend the same schools. Welcome to William Councill High School.
Don’t be alarmed, this school has been closed since 1967 when the local district integrated their classrooms
After the school closed, the building was turned into a community center and a “Boys and Girls Club”
Ironically the “Boys and Girls Club of Greater Huntsville” has been out of this building for over 12 years, but their sign is still posted
Once the final tenants moved out of the school, the place was fairly well sealed up by the school district - who still owns the property
Signs that the weather is taking its toll on the building
Nature’s efforts to reclaim the place
Lighting the way no more.. As I circled the building, I found one weathered plywood covering that had fallen away giving me an unobstructed view inside the old building
Sadly the locals from the nearby public housing complex (now closed also) and the homeless had already gotten into the building
The school was named for William Councill the first black lawyer in Alabama and the first president of Alabama A&M University.
Hope is not lost for this relic. The window has been recovered and the area is maintained. In fact, a Huntsville policeman cruised by shortly after my observation of the building. My hope was to get in touch with the school district last week, but the snows we had early last week effectively shut down the official gears and cogs of learning here.