Historic Alabama church built around 1850 destroyed in fire

COOSA COUNTY, Ala. — A central Alabama church built more than a decade before the Civil War began was destroyed by fire early Monday, authorities said.

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The Blue Springs Methodist Church, located in Coosa County, was built 174 years ago, AL.com reported.

According to a Facebook post by the Lay Lake Fire Department, the church “was burned to the ground this morning with nothing but ash left of over a century of memories.”

“Sad to see it go,” the department wrote.

The church, located on County Road 99, caught fire at about 3 a.m. EDT, WIAT-TV reported. It took firefighters from four departments to extinguish the blaze.

The fire remained under investigation Monday, and the state Fire Marshal’s office has asked the public to avoid the scene, according to AL.com.

The church was vandalized in 2019 while a campaign was being waged to restore it, WIAT reported.

Also in 2019, the church was damaged when a man who was later charged with driving under the influence crashed his pickup into the historic building, according to WBRC-TV.

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