Photos courtesy of Birmingham Historical Society
The Hale Springs freestone springs, shown here around 1910 and 2024, is about 100 feet down Shades Mountain off Shades Crest Road in Birmingham, Alabama.
The Forever Wild Land Trust board of trustees on Thursday plans to consider whether to attempt to purchase the 18-acre Hale Springs property in Bluff Park.
The historic Hale Springs property is one of the last undeveloped pieces of property along Shades Crest Road, and historic and nature preservation groups are trying to find a way to save it from development.
The Forever Wild Land Trust, which has been securing land for public use since being created in 1992, was asked to consider buying the Hale Springs property four to five years ago but turned it down, said Larry Rodick, president of the Friends of Shades Mountain nonprofit.
The Friends of Shades Mountain asked again. And this quarter, the property made the short list of seven tracts of land to be reviewed by the board of trustees, said Jo Lewis, the natural heritage section chief for Forever Wild.
The board is scheduled to meet at 10 a.m. at the Hugh Merrill Hall on the campus of Jacksonville State University, and groups interested in preserving the Hale Springs property are pushing to get supporters there to encourage Forever Wild to buy it.
Lewis said the board could decide to do nothing, could seek more information about the property or could seek an appraisal.
The Hale Springs property is just northeast of the former Tip Top Grill restaurant, which is a favorite scenic overlook, especially at sunset time. The property is divided into two parcels — a roughly 6-acre narrow parcel parallel to Shades Crest Road and a roughly 12-acre triangle-shaped parcel going down Shades Mountain.
Map courtesy of Birmingham Historical Society
This map shows the 18-acre Hale Springs property (the largest of the three properties in green along Shades Crest Road). Just to the southwest is the former Tip Top Grill property and the Sunset Rock/Lover's Leap property. The area outlined in red is the 1885 survey for Hale Springs development.
It contains at least two historical springs that have been traced back to days when Native American tribes controlled the land, said Marjorie White, director of the Birmingham Historical Society.
“It was the source of water for Native Americans and everybody else up there [on Shades Mountain] until they could build wells. For a while, the springs were forgotten, but “from my perspective, it’s an A1 historic site. The view there is utterly spectacular.”
The property is very steep and would be difficult to develop, but development probably is not impossible given today’s engineering and construction capabilities, Rodick said.
Historic and nature groups would rather it be preserved. The Friends of Shades Mountain in recent years paid $30,000 to buy a .41-acre piece of property immediately northeast of the Hale Springs property, and the group wanted to buy the Hale Springs property but couldn’t afford it, Rodick said.
Rodick said the asking price then was about $600,000, but the owner of the property, Ron Roegner, recalls it being about $500,000. Roegner, who lives across the street from the property, said he bought the Hale Springs property in the early to mid-1990s. While he did try to sell it a few years back, he took it off the market a couple of years ago but has allowed the real estate company to keep its sign there, he said.
He would like to see the land protected from development, too, he said.
Rodick said the land has a lot of boulders on it that would be good for climbers, and he said the Southeastern Climbers Coalition, Friends of Moss Rock Preserve and a Scout troop in Bluff Park have indicated a willingness to help build and maintain trails in the area if the property could be acquired.
Rodick has been trying to line up support from the cities of Birmingham and Hoover as well. The Hale Springs property is in the Birmingham city limits.
Birmingham City Council President Darrell O’Quinn visited the site this week, and Rodick said Birmingham plans to send a letter of support for preserving the property.
Hoover City Administrator Ken Grimes said Hoover is very supportive of efforts to preserve the Hale Springs property, even though it’s not in Hoover. It’s right next to historic areas in Hoover that include the former Tip Top Grill property, which is now a vacant building and parking lot, and the Lover’s Leap and Sunset Rock historic landmarks.
Jefferson County owns 472 adjacent acres on the mountainside, and the Freshwater Land Trust has 248 acres not far away, Rodick noted. Jefferson County Commission President Jimmie Stephens has sent a letter of support for Forever Wild's purchase of the property, Rodick said.
The Hale Springs property also ties really well into the city of Hoover’s new Parks and Public Spaces plan, which calls for expanding trail networks in that area, Grimes said. The city of Hoover would like to see it available for public access, he said.
“It has such a unique history with the springs,” Grimes said. “And even with the golf course in the distance, it’s still a beautiful view. … I hope they look at the property for its uniqueness and the value of what it could provide long term — keep it pristine so the public can always enjoy it.”
Grimes said Hoover would even be willing to explore a potential partnership with Birmingham in relation to the Hale Springs property.
“I definitely think it’s all kind of intertwined and has a lot of potential in the future,” he said. “To me there’s definitely an opportunity. We just have to figure out what that looks like.”
He and Hoover City Planner Mac Martin plan to attend Thursday’s meeting of the Forever Wild board to show support, he said. The Hoover Historical Society and Birmingham Historical Society also are rallying support.
Check back at hooversun.com for an update after the Forever Wild board meeting.
