"1.5 mi. On the westside of Cahaba Road (Perry County 1) is the Uniontown Municipal Airport, which lies at an elevation of 210 feet above sea level. The airport has an asphalt runway, 3000 feet in length, and runway lights used in hours of darkness.
After proceeding generally in a southeastward direction from Uniontown, the Alabama River Trail (cy. 1) junctions with another Perry County Road, 21, which continues southeastward. However, at this point the trail veers in a more southerly direction, moving almost straightward across rolling farmlands and luxuriant pastures, occasionally broken by groups of pink flowers known locally as buttercups. The junction is 5 miles from downtown Uniontown."
Chiriaco, Amerigo C ., Vol A, Alabama River Trail. The Wiregrass Archives, Dothan, AL.
At 7:18 a.m. we turn onto Perry County Rd 1. We drive for another 17 minutes until we get to the site of the long-abandoned Uniontown airport. The runway is cracked and in disrepair and weeds have grown up and covered the edges of the crumbling asphalt. The rest of the property consist of bare red clay patches and tall, dead weeds. A strip of modest homes borders the airport on the right side. There is one empty hangar to the left.
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| Empty Hangar, Uniontown, AL |
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| Uniontown Municipal Airport Runway |
I snap a few pictures, and we continue on. At 7:44 a.m. we see a huge hill in front of us. It's covered in bright green grass and looks strange and out of place with the rest of the landscape. As we approach the entrance of the property on our left, we see a "Landfill" sign. There are a few bare trees on the opposite side of the road where a dozen or more vultures are perched. We pulled the car over and climbed out. We heard coyotes howling.
Later, I learn that this is the Arrowhead Landfill and is the subject of controversy over civil rights violations. Here is a Huffington Post article on Arrowhead Landfill.
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| Arrowhead Landfill |
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| Turkey Vultures at the Landfill |
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