Mt. Vernon Arsenal, Searcy Hospital Among Most Endangered Historic Places
The National Trust for Historic Preservation announced this week that Mt. Vernon Arsenal, which later became Searcy Hospital, is one of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places for 2019.
The site is just outside of Mobile in the town of Mt. Vernon, Alabama. The arsenal was constructed in the 1830s and supplied military equipment to regimens in Alabama and West Florida. According to documents filed with the National Register of Historic Places, the Mt. Vernon Arsenal is one of just two surviving arsenals established during this time.
During the Civil War, Confederate soldiers seized the site and controlled it until the end of the war. The arsenal was then converted into barracks for the U.S. Army.
From 1887 through 1894, Mt. Vernon housed Native American prisoners of war, including the Apache leader Geronimo. These prisoners lived in constructed villages on the grounds of Mt. Vernon. Many of them were later moved to Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
In the early 1900’s, Alabama converted the buildings at Mt. Vernon into a state psychiatric hospital for black patients, which was later renamed Searcy Hospital. When it first opened, Searcy reportedly employed one doctor to treat more than 300 patients. The hospital was eventually integrated in 1969 and remained open until 2012.
Since Searcy Hospital closed, the site has remained vacant. Often referred to as the Mt. Vernon Arsenal/Searcy Complex, the area includes over 30 buildings, which are owned by the Alabama Department of Mental Health. Tiffany Tolbert, a senior field officer with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, says the historic location is at risk of falling apart.
“The structures on the site are deteriorating and it is in need of a preservation plan and revitalization,” Tolbert says.
The Mt. Vernon Historical Society, a local group in Mt. Vernon, has worked to preserve part of the site. Tolbert says adding the location to the national list of endangered historic places may help encourage state leaders to take further action.
Trump administration backs off requiring response to ‘What did you do last week?’ email
"No one knows what we are supposed to do," said one federal employee amid conflicting and shifting directives on whether to comply with Elon Musk's directive to list five accomplishments.
Court ruling lets White House ban on the Associated Press continue, for now
The Trump administration may continue — for now — to keep the AP from covering key events. A federal judge declined to issue a temporary restraining order on Monday.
The Panama Canal needs more water. The solution is a dam that could displace thousands
More than 2,000 people could be displaced by the construction of the Río Indio dam. The Panama Canal Authority says the dam solves a long-term water shortage problem.
Medical research labs brace for possible funding cuts that could disrupt their work
Researchers say the Trump administration's plan to slash payments for indirect costs will hamper new medical science. One example? A lab studying respiratory viruses faces losing half its staff.
Federal watchdog agency intervenes in Trump’s purge of probationary employees
U.S. Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger has asked the Merit Systems Protection Board to temporarily reinstate six federal employees fired from their jobs and is considering ways to seek relief for others.
Trump and Macron meet in Washington as Europe pleads for continued help for Ukraine
In a conversation between President Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron in the Oval Office Monday, the two leaders seemed friendly even then they appeared far apart on the war in Ukraine.