This historic Uniontown mansion was boarded up and abandoned in the mid-1990s after the remains of a boy who had been reported missing nine years earlier were found buried under the front porch of the house.
In 1978, Allan Lucy was adopted by Philip and Margaret Lucy of Uniontown. But in the spring of 1985, 13-year-old Allan went missing. Philip and Margaret reported that he had left for school that day but did not return home. They mentioned recent trouble with Allan’s behavior, and they felt that he had run away to Florida to be with friends. But Philip and Margaret’s biological son, Jason, had a different story about what had happened to Allan on the day of his disappearance. He described an argument between Allan and Philip in the kitchen. He recounted seeing his brother lying still on the kitchen floor after Philip had lost his temper and punched him in the head. Jason claimed that later he saw Philip walking around outside covered in dirt and holding a shovel.
Jason told everyone he could about what he had seen but no one took what he said seriously. The incident was investigated by law authorities. The case was registered with the Missing Children’s Bureau and Allan’s picture appeared on milk cartons and was distributed on flyers. After some time, the case of Allan’s disappearance went cold.
Philip and Margaret put their home on the market for sale in 1993 after a fire damaged part of it. The house was purchased almost immediately by an individual from Washington who had a passion for restoring old homes. Renovation began on the house shortly after the sale. During the renovation, a plastic bag with skeletal remains was found buried under the front porch. The remains were determined to be those of Allan.
Ironically, Philip and Margaret were arrested on an arson charge in connection to the fire that damaged the house only a week prior to the discovery of Allan’s remains. Authorities believed they set the house on fire to claim the $119,000 insurance policy which was purchased just a month prior.
Following an investigation by the law authorities, Philip Lucy was charged with the murder of Allan. During the trials that followed, Jason testified against his father. Margaret Lucy divorced Phillip shortly after he was arrested in connection to Allan’s death and she died of cancer in December 1998.
It wasn’t until 2001 after a series of appeals, that Philip was finally found guilty of the murder of Allan Lucy. He was sentenced to life in prison. But on the day after his sentencing, Philip hung himself with the bed sheets in his jail cell.
After the suicide of Philip Lucy, the citizens of Perry County raised the money to finally give Allan a proper burial. He is buried in the Rosemont Cemetery in Uniontown (Find A Grave Memorial ID 105551655 – Allan Lucy).
The Hardie-Coleman house is one of many historic homes located in Uniontown. Built circa 1918, this is a large two-story Neo-Classical Revival style house with a three-quarter width pedimented portico supported by four large fluted Ionic columns. The house is a contributing property to the Uniontown Historic District that was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on February 24, 2000. Following the discovery of the remains of Allan Lucy under the porch, the renovation of the Hardie-Coleman house was halted. The house was boarded up and abandoned. Pictures of the house that are provided were taken October 3, 2013. These pictures show an overgrown yard and a mansion that has started decaying. The house continues to decay, and it has begun to collapse.
The pictures that are provided includes a screenshot of a Google Street View that is dated May 2023.
The Hardie-Coleman house is located in Uniontown on the south side of North St approximately 500 feet west of the intersection of North St and Water Ave (32.4526171,-87.5168735 – Google Maps).
Sources: 1) The Selma Times-Journal 2) AbondonedAlabama.com ) NRHP “Uniontown Historic District” Registration Form; 3) Find A Grave Memorial ID 105551655 (Allan Lucy).
The following YouTube video provides additional details about this incident and shows more recent views of this decaying mansion.