Robert Harrell, one of my readers from Gadsden, Alabama — okay, he’s probably the ONLY reader from Gadsden, Alabama — always writes in with intriguing questions. In a recent epistle, prompted by my compelling and heart-warming story of the old police station on South Barksdale, he remembers a small police station that once stood on the corner of North Parkway and North McLean.
Here’s what he says:
“There was a police station located at the intersection of North Parkway and North McLean — southeast corner. We would drive past it at night and see officers inside the attractive building. The zoo fence was adjusted to provide room for the building, and today this same fence is still standing, with the location of the police building vacant, and no visible indication of a former building.
“Was this a substation for the Barksdale station? It was across North Parkway from Snowden School, and has been gone since 1934.”
This is a mystery to me. I’ve never heard of such a place, but according to Mr. Harrell, it stood on the corner where the zoo now has its “Back to the Farm” complex. If anybody knows more about this, or — even better — has a photo of the building, please let me know.
