Mentone, Alabama: A History
by
Zora Shay Strayhorn
"Like the stars that come out at night to brighten the night sky and to fade at dawn, so in a way is the town of Mentone, Alabama, ephemeral. At times past it has sparkled brilliantly; at times faded, only to return and radiate its quiet charm...
The French city of Menton has been described as meaning "Musical Mountain Spring". Mentone, Alabama, was named by Alice Mason, young daughter of John Mason, father/founder of the town, who in 1884 at the request of Dr. Frank Caldwell, builder of the Mentone Springs Hotel, gave the town its name...The Mineral Springs Hotel sits majestically on the west brow of Lookout Mountain at Mentone overlooking the vast expanse of valleys and hills to the west with a brilliant view of sunsets. The architectural style is Queen Anne of the Victorian period, of frame construction with seven gables, turrets, dormer windows and verandahs...The hotel was a popular resort attracting guests from near and far-away states...
Mentone is located on Lookout Mountain in the northeastern part of the state of Alabama. Lookout Mountain is eighty-three miles long. It is a part of the Cumberland Plateau of the Appalachian chain which begins in Maine and ends at Gadsden, Alabama.
Mentone is about midway between the northern and southern tip of Lookout Mountain and has a comfortable elevation of between 1,700 and 1,800 feet high...
The earth has heard the silent sounds of Indian moccasins, the footsteps of legendary Welshmen, the British, Spanish, French explorers and traders with a sprinkling of the Scottish and Irish...
The first house built here was about 1854 by Robert Vernon and forms the central structure of St. Joseph's-on-the-Mountain, Episcopal...The cabin was moved a short distance around 1880 to the present location just across from the Mentone Springs Hotel...In 1971...members of the congregation constructed the present building, searching out old buildings about the same age as the cabin, using these authentic materials to complete the church."
Mentone Springs Hotel
St. Joseph's-on-the-Mountain, Episcopal Church
Photography credit: David Carroll of United Gunite
