Spring Villa Park was an Opelika institution and rite-of-passage for generations of Opelikans, even all of us.
We all swam in the cold, clear waters of the spring-fed pool, water so pure it needed no filters.
We spent the night in the Yonge house, hearing the legend of the grizzly Yonge murder and the now infamous 13th step.
We enjoyed getting chills and screaming in fear with our neighbors and friends at the annual Trail of Terror event.
Sadly, those days are gone.
While the RV park and lodge are still well-maintained and the grounds are well-managed, the focal points of the property, the Yonge home and pool, are declining or are already unsalvagable.
Oldcastle Material, Inc.’s quarry pumped out the water source for the pool, a water source that once fed the entire city of Opelika with its ample supply.
Neglect and ever-dwindling city budgets did in the house.
For 161 years, the Penn Yonge house has been a part of our area, a standing example of where we came from, who we were.
Now, it seems to be an all too telling reminder of how we seem to treat our history these days: with disrespect, disregard and willful ignorance.
Spring Villa was out of sight and out of mind, so problems that may have been easily managable when they first surfaced have now emerged as fully-formed crises.
Holes in the ceiling that existed before repairs to the roof were made are still there.
Black mold. Mildew. Bat droppings. All present; all legitimate health concerns for anyone working in or around the property.
Chipped paint and rotting wood mar both outside and inside.
Exterior balconies are collapsing or have already collapsed.
No wonder the new brochures for the park didn’t include the house. In its current state, we wouldn’t have either.
Assigning blame and passing the buck for how this was allowed to happen are pointless now, and we won’t engage in such tactics.
What’s done is done.
While the house should not have been allowed to fall into this dilipitdated state, it has, and we must work from this point to attempt, as best we can, to restore it to its former glory.
What we all must do now is figure out what to do from here.
Inspections must be done.
Plans must be drawn.
Budgets must be devised and accounted for.
We hope such actions will be undertaken swiftly and without delay. Time is of the essence, and any undue stoppage could prove disasterous.
Save some roofing fixes, paint jobs and refinishings, the house has seen no major renovation since its overhaul in the 1930s.
While we certainly understand the current economic situation, we hope the City of Opelika will be able to find some way to pay for the preservation of a piece of this city that means so much to so many of us.
We would even suggest that should the City be unable to find grant funds or other monies to do the job, that a citizens’ committee be raised, much like the Darden House’s committee, to help raise the much-needed funds.
We must all do what we can to help protect Opelika’s historical landmarks.
It seems an unnecessary and anger-causing shame that a house that was once such a shining jewel, it was bestowed a place in the National Register of Historic Places would be allowed to fall this far.
We let it happen. We all let it happen.
Now, let’s get to work and fix it.
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