Crawford Park at the Historic Tuckabatchee Masonic Lodge

About the Program

Category: Arts, Culture and Historic Preservation (Best in Category)

Year: 2016

The Crawford Park at the Historic Tuckabatchee Lodge is a great community project and combined historic preservation with a great story of community involvement. The two story Greek revival historic building was erected in 1848 to serve as the Tuckabatchee Masonic Lodge No. 96. At the time, this community of Crawford, Alabama (formerly known as Crockettsville from 1832-1843, named after Davy Crockett) was the county seat of Russell County. The building served many purposes throughout the years including a place to hold Masonic lodge meetings as well as school and church. In 1994 the building was vacated and sold to a local landowner to keep from tearing it down. In 2012, the building was featured in Alabama Historic Commission’s “Places in Peril” publication. Covered in vines and showing signs of decay, the building remained vacant for nearly 19 years until 2012 when a newly elected Russell County Commissioner proposed creating a committee of the community in an effort to lead a restoration effort.In later 2013 the restoration project began. Spearheaded by the Russell County Commission, a committee of local citizens and the members of the Crawford Masonic Lodge No. 863, many volunteers and local contractors also helped in the restoration project. Donations were made by the community to aid in the restoration efforts and brick pavers were purchased and placed on the front walkway to show the community’s dedication and support for the project. In 2015, prior to opening the doors to the public, the downstairs was restored for use as a community center and the upstairs was restored and designated as a museum to pay tribute to the original intended use as a sacred Masonic Lodge. In December 2015 a playground park was opened on the adjacent property thereby providing yet another benefit to the community.