Long abandoned and neglected, Willie Mays' childhood home is swallowed by overgrowth and almost unsalvageable. A Birmingham man hopes to revive it.
Howard Russell has tended yards in this quiet Fairfield neighborhood for about a quarter century, so he knows an explorer when he sees one. He stops the mower he’s pushing on this hellish-hot morning, wipes streams of sweat from his face with a towel, and powers down the motor so better to hear.“It’s right there,” he says, pointing towards a not-so-small forest on a lot near where I’m standing on 57th St. “Right there.” He paused. “Right there behind all that.
The porch and front windows are protected by a white awning and a brick chimney rises from the right side of the house. One can envision a fireplace Willie and his family might have used on chilly Southern winter nights. Or as decoration.now hiding a vital gem in a city itself straining to survive the ravages of time.
Willie Mays' childhood home in Fairfield has fallen into severe disrepair and is hidden by an overgrowth of bushes and trees.Yother values the proud and prolific role of baseball in Birmingham during the days of Mays’ youth. “The Birmingham Industrial League,” he said, “thethat were so important in the area, the Southern Negro League, the final Negro League World Series that Willie Mays played in. The history has always been important to me.
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