Pintala Grange Hall - Montgomery, Alabama - Former Schools on Waymarking.com

Pintlala, Alabama, is located south of Montgomery, Alabama, in rural Montgomery County. Around 1874 or 1875, the people of the community built a Grange Hall for meetings of the organization. According to the historical marker at the original site: "The National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry was organized in 1867 to provide economic, social and cultural improvements for farmers and their families. Pintlala's Grange Hall was erected circa 1875 on land adjacent to this marker. By the 1890s the popularity of the Grange began to wane. On July 21-23, 1891 the last meeting of the Alabama Granges took place in Pintlala. The Federal Land Bank was organized as the National Farm Loan Association of Pintlala on August 17, 1917. Grange Hall was the site of their regular meetings."

After the last meeting of the Grange, the people decided to keep using the hall. Among other uses, it continued as the local school. The historical marker notes: "From circa 1880 to 1922 school was held in one room of Grange Hall for seven months a year. Pintlala School was built and opened in 1923 and the Board of Education purchased the Grange property. The building was used for home economics classes and, from 1931 to 1952, served as home for Pintlala School caretakers. Over the years it was site of community dances, a meeting place for Boy and Girl Scouts, and the Pintlala Baptist Church (1960). Vacant and deteriorating, the building was given to the Landmarks Foundation and moved in 1978 to Old Alabama Town, Montgomery, Alabama."

More information on the Pintlala Grange Hall and the move to Montgomery can be found in "Old Alabama Town: An Illustrated Guide," by Mary Ann Neeley (The University of Alabama Press, 2002, ISBN 0-8173-1179-3 ). The following is an excerpt about the school years.

"The Grange Hall was also the school, and until 1922, the building served as the elementary facility for the area. Later it was a residence, the community library, and a meeting place for Boy Scouts and other groups; several people remembered going to square dances there during the 1920s. In the late 1970s, the Board of Education gave the by the? abandoned structure to Landmarks Foundation which brought it to Old Alabama Town. Restored, it has a vital role as Grange Hall School, a specialized program for elementary classes. This building in many ways exemplifies the agricultural dilemmas faced by southern farmers attempting to cope with the new order in the post-Civil War era. The Grange was perhaps most beneficial because of its focus on educational and social goals and in proving that farmers could work together for the common good."

The Grange Hall is located in the Living Block area of Old Alabama Town. It is near Jefferson Street, between North Hull Street and North Decatur Street. The building can be seen from Jefferson Street, but to see the inside, one must purchase a ticket. The address listed below will be for the Reception Center where one can obtain information and tickets.

Address: 301 Columbus Street Montgomery, AL USA 36104 Web Site: [Web Link]

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