Abandoned judge's mansion with chequered past - from suicide to corruption
An eerie abandoned judge's mansion was revealed to have a mysterious past after allegations of corruption and suicide.
The mansion, located in Union Springs, Alabama, US, was the home of the prolific county judge and town mayor, A.E Singleton, where he resided with his wife and eight children in the 1900’s.
It was originally built by Mr Singleton sometime between 1900 and 1903.
He worked as a salesman in W. E. Pierce’s store before opening his own millinery store.
Mr Singleton engaged in the commerical business for several years and served twice as Mayor of Union Springs (1900 and 1902), and twice as Probate Judge of Bullock County in 1905 and from 1910-1913.
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The living room has fallen into disrepair (mediadrumimages/LelandKent)However, he resigned in disgrace from the role after being accused of corruption in 1913.
Judge Singleton left his home once before it was sold when his books were found to be $6,200 (£3,000) short.
He sold his home in Union Springs and moved to Macon, Georgia.
In 1916, the Judge moved back to Union Springs and purchased a home on Peachburg Road.
Shortly after the judge's death in 1933 his son A.E Singleton Jr’s body was found by the creek, he is believed to have taken his own life due to mental health problems.
The bathroom is small comparatively to the mansion (mediadrumimages/LelandKent)It is this son that caused the family financial trouble, as he was left a large sum of almost $1.8million (£1.5million) in today’s money by a deceased friend.
However, the will was hotly contested by the deceased's family.
The judge was accused of corruption and was forced to step down from his role, he died in 1933 and a year earlier had sold his mansion to the Cope Family.
Judge Singleton’s home has since then been in the possession of four families the Powells, the Rivers, the Whytes and the Jones’.
A.E Singleton Sr. sold the home after he had to step down as a judge after corruption claims (mediadrumimages/LelandKent)It fell into foreclosure in the early 2000s and has been abandoned ever since.
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The foreboding images were taken by urban explorer Leland Kent also known as Abandoned Southeast in Union Springs, Alabama.
“In 1889, A.E. Singleton Sr married Miss Jimmie Powell. The couple had a total of eight children: four sons; A. E. Singleton, Jr., James Powell, Charles B., and Bennett Powell along with four daughters; Mary Powell, Lucile, Carolyn, and Frances Powell,” said Leland on his blog.
The kitchen is extremely spacious (mediadrumimages/LelandKent)“Mr. and Mrs Singleton were members of the Methodist Church. Mrs. Singleton was devoted to her church and interested in the civic life of her small town.
“She founded the Union Springs Magazine Club at her residence in 1896 and was made Honorary President of the Women’s Club for her work.
“This opulent residence was built by Judge Singleton sometime between 1900 and 1903 and was once occupied by the Singleton family.
Rooms are filled with light and a layer of dust (mediadrumimages/LelandKent)“The style is Est Lake with Queen Anne trim. If you look closely at the roof, you can see the original shingles remain on the turret.
“In 1904, Mr. A. E. Singleton Sr announced his candidacy for Probate Judge of Bullock County. He resigned as chairman of the county Democratic Executive Committee to enter the race.
“The race was very close, but Singleton won by a small majority. He began serving as Probate Judge in January 1905.
The home has been lived in by four families since (mediadrumimages/LelandKent)“He won re-election in 1910. By 1911, an audit of the probate court was underway, and Judge Singleton was accused of careless bookkeeping and using monies collected for personal use.
“In 1912, the will of the late Theodore T. Walker was made public and disclosed the fact that the deceased, who had no children of his own, left the bulk of his estate, valued at $50,000 ($1.5 million today), to W. S. Howard and A. E. Singleton, Jr., two young men to whom he had become greatly attached.
Some debris has fallen from the ceiling in what was once a bedroom (mediadrumimages/LelandKent)“Walker bequeathed A. E. Singleton, Jr., who was still a minor at the time, 897 acres of land, the stock on Hardaway place of 320 acres, and half interest in personal property.
“The will was contested by heirs of Walker, although in 1914, a 19-year-old Singleton came into full possession of what was left to him which amounted to about $20,000 (nearly $600,000 or £497,000 today).
“In February 1913, a county grand jury suggested that Probate Judge A. E. Singleton was removed from office for corruption.
The large porch of the mansion (mediadrumimages/LelandKent)“A few days later, impeachment proceedings were filed in Montgomery by Attorney General Robert C. Brickell.
“Judge Singleton gave his resignation to Governor O’Neal effective immediately.
"The resignation was accepted and in less than two hours the governor appointed Union Springs attorney J. T. Norman to fill the vacancy.
The rear stairs are unstable and appear to be rotting (mediadrumimages/LelandKent)“By November of the same year, a bond company sought to recover nearly $6,200 that was never paid back, after it was discovered by the state examiner that Judge Singleton’s books were short.
“Judge Singleton sold his home in Union Springs and moved to Macon, Georgia. In 1916, the Judge moved back to Union Springs and purchased a home on Peachburg Road.
The exterior of the large mansion (mediadrumimages/LelandKent)The Singleton home was traded to the Cope family in 1932. Before his health began to fail, he worked in the brokerage business.
“Judge A. E. Singleton died at the age of 69 on March 29, 1933, at his residence and his funeral was held in the home.
“Not long after the Judge’s death, in September 1933, the body of 38-year-old A. E. Singleton, Jr. was discovered in Lowe’s Creek in Union Springs.
"According to his obituary, the death of a boyhood friend and the state of his own mental health was the cause of his untimely and tragic death.
The mansion has a large wrap around porch (mediadrumimages/LelandKent)“Mrs. A. E. Singleton died five years later in 1938. The Singleton family is buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Union Springs.
“In the early 1980s, the Bullock County Historical Society referred to the Singleton ancestral home as the Singleton-Powell-Rivers home in tour booklets.
“The home was owned by Austin and Agnes Jones in 1992, who renovated and decorated the house, and was then known as the Singleton-Powell-Rivers-Jones Home.
“The home was last owned by Mr. and Mrs. Tony Whyte in the 2000s before it fell into foreclosure.
“It appears to have been vacant ever since. The current owner is listed as out of state.”
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