Fairhope, Alabama, is preparing to relocate a nearly 100-year-old concrete hut, built by Henry Stuart, to the Flying Creek Nature Preserve. The move, spearheaded by local efforts and funded through fundraising, will see the hut, which once hosted meetings between Stuart and Clarence Darrow, transformed into a key attraction along a new nature trail. The project, overseen by Wolfe House & Building Movers, aims to preserve local history and enhance the preserve's appeal. The relocation is expected to take place in the first quarter of next year.
Henry Stuart welcomed famed attorney Clarence Darrow inside his hand-built concrete hut six times, meetings of an eclectic storyteller and the iconic lawyer who defended a teacher accused of teaching evolution in the Scopes “Monkey” Trial.
The 14-foot-in-diameter hut, built by Stuart almost 100 years ago and long obscured behind commercial offices, will be relocated early next year to the. The move marks the first time the concrete dome will leave its original site, transforming it into a sought-after attraction along a newly opened wooded trail.Brewer’s four-year effort to save the hut helped spark the campaign. Brewer announced during Monday’s Fairhope City Council meeting that the fundraising goal had been met, saying the relocation will preserve and enhance a piece of local history.Pennsylvania-based Wolfe House & Building Movers will oversee the uprooting and relocation of the hut. The company specializes in moving historic structures like old township halls, train depots, gas stations, schoolhouses, yachts, cabooses and more. Fairhope Mayor Sherry Sullivan speaks during the City of Fairhope's groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, for the future Flying Creek Nature Preserve in Fairhope, Ala. The approximately $2 million project includes nature trails, trailhead with informational kiosks, parking, restrooms, and the redevelopment of an existing house into a nature center. Future phases include kayak/canoe launches, biking trails and more.Fairhope Mayor Sherry Sullivan said the city is working with the movers on a timeline, while the city prepares the site at Flying Creek for the hut’s arrival. She said the hope is to get the project under contract “as soon as possible” with the official move occurring during the first quarter of next year.“I am so thankful that Sonny Brewer, his committee and the community has been able to raise the money needed to move Henry Stuart’s hut to ,” Sullivan said. “It will be a great addition to the park and will be enjoyed by many for years to come. It is important to preserve our historical structures so we can continue to tell Fairhope’s story.” Said Brewer, “I think Henry would like it. We are moving his roundhouse, but we are moving and keeping his story. This is a piece of history and Henry would love it that his story is being preserved.” Stuart’s story is, at its core, a testament to the possibility of renewal at any age. Confronted in his 60s with a grim medical diagnosis in Idaho, he chose to leave his two sons and uproot his life to Fairhope, a place he had never lived. What he found in south Alabama was not the quiet decline he anticipated, but a flourishing new life that lasted for another 20 years. He moved from Fairhope at age 88 and died two years later in Oregon. Stuart’s journey of late-life revival is underscored by his project of building a roundhouse by hand, living close to the land by growing his own vegetables, and welcoming the community that grew around him. It took Stuart one year and 16 days to build the hut during a construction project that began in 1925 and ended in 1926. “When he didn’t die, he made a commitment to a simple life,” Brewer said. “He ate on 10 cents a day and was committed to raising his own food in those raised gardens. He liked to tell that story. He would especially like it in these modern times … it’s a simple story that doesn’t go out of style.” While Stuart’s roundhouse had long been described as a “hermit hut,” historical records reviewed by Brewer suggest he was anything but a recluse. He welcomed visitors, including Darrow, for conversation and fellowship. Brewer discovered the hut in 1982 and later there while restoring it — barefooted, just like Stuart. He also wrote his novel while living inside the hut, and the book helped turn it into a local attraction sought by visitors. Within the past year, the visitors have come from Russia, France, Germany, Taiwan, and Australia.John Sharp is a veteran reporter for AL.com covering the Alabama Gulf Coast, state politics, and key statewide issues. With 25 years in journalism, his work spans business, criminal justice, and cultural...If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our
Historical Relocation Concrete Hut Fairhope Clarence Darrow Flying Creek Nature Preserve
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