Indian Springs Village Town Hall added to state historic register

Published 10:35 am Thursday, November 14, 2013

By CASSANDRA MICKENS / Associate Editor

INDIAN SPRINGS VILLAGE — The Indian Springs Village Town Hall, a renovated 100-plus-year-old farmhouse, has been named to the Alabama Historical Commission’s Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

The town purchased the property at 2635 Cahaba Valley Road in 1995 from Casey McClellan of Leeds for $100,000. The building was constructed between 1898 and 1902 by McClellan’s grandfather, Jim McGuire, who owned 38 acres and farmed crops of cotton, corn and sugar cane. McClellan sold his family’s home in hopes that the building and grounds would be preserved.

Former Town Councilwoman Patricia Crapet, who helped oversee much of the town hall’s renovation, said the historic listing marks a proud moment for Indian Springs Village.

“We have always thought it was a little gem,” Crapet said the town hall. “We’re very excited about being accepted into the register.”

The Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage was created by the state Historical Commission to provide the public with a quick, easy way to recognize historic properties, said Lee Anne Wofford, interim director of the state Historical Commission’s historic preservation division in Montgomery.

The register includes properties such as cemeteries, churches, moved properties and reconstructed properties. Eligible properties must be at least 40 years old, associated with events or persons of state or local significance, and represent a type, style or period of architecture. An application is available online at http://preserveala.org/alabamaregister.aspx.

“The designation is 100 percent honorary,” Wofford said, explaining that renovations and additions are permissible after a property is added to the register. Indian Springs Village officials will receive a certificate signed by Gov. Robert Bentley and state Historical Commission Executive Director Frank White recognizing the town hall as a historic landmark.

A register listing by county is available online at http://preserveala.org/alabamaregister.aspx.