The news that Weaver Castle has been purchased and will hopefully be restored to its past glory is a breath of fresh air for Selma.

The Lauderdale Street home has been vacant for a while and has fallen on hard times. It is truly a shame that such a beautiful, historic structure ever fell into such dire conditions.

The purchase of the home by the Stelpflugs of Lancaster, Wisc. has created a great deal of excitement to those who are interested in the city’s history and those who are looking out for the city’s future.

It is the hope of many people that the renovations Weaver Castle’s new owners will bring is just the beginning.

All over Selma there are homes that once created a lovely downtown landscape that are now falling apart, or have deteriorated beyond repair.

For a city that prides itself on keeping its history alive, the condition of some of these former glorious dwellings is disappointing.

There are a number of groups working to secure grants and raise money to bring Selma’s  downtown homes back up to speed.

Selma’s downtown structures are a huge part of our city’s personality and also a great source of tourism as seen by the annual Pilgrimage.

The Pilgrimage allows Selma’s old homes to tell their story to locals and out of town visitors.

Hopefully, someday Weaver Castle and others will be restored to their former glory and can also  join the tour.

With Weaver Castle well on its way to complete renovations, the group that had originally taken an interest in the building, Weaver Castle Museum Incorporated Inc., can now concentrate on other projects.

Perhaps the group’s plans of converting Weaver Castle into a museum can be used to secure grants and breath life into another building.

Members of the group have said they would like to change their name to Historic Estate Landmarks and Properties Help, Inc.

Hopefully they will be able to do exactly what the new title says — come to the rescue of historic buildings, landmarks and properties.

The rest of the world deserves to hear the stories the neglected historic buildings of Selma have to tell.

Hopefully this group and others will be able to give them a voice.