The Outlaw House in rural Mobile County dates back to 1914. At one time, the house was considered one of Alabama’s finest examples of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture. The thick stucco walls, arched doorways, overhanging eaves, and solid massing convey in spirit and execution a certain Mediterranean flair. The house was designed by notable architect George Bigelow Rogers; who designed many Alabama landmarks including the Mobile Public Library, Bellingrath House, and the Van Antwerp Building. During the early 20th century, the Outlaw House was one of the few large period revival dwellings constructed in Alabama.
George Outlaw acquired the property in 1925. Since there are no records indicating a sale, it is rumored he won the house in a poker game. Outlaw, along with James Arthur Morrison, founded Morrison’s Cafeteria in 1920. Morrison helped develop the cafeteria dining concept, which was unique at the time and would later become synonymous with the South. The public quickly accepted the idea of self-serve home-style cooked food offered at a modest price. At its peak, Morrison’s Cafeteria expanded to more than 150 restaurants that offered meals 365 days a year.
When George Outlaw acquired the property, the house included 120 acres of land. He built a lake on the property known as Outlaw’s Lake, which was formed around the time he acquired the estate. The lake covers over 17 acres and is up to 14 feet deep. A stone wall lining the edge of the lake has stone steps at the southeastern corner leading down to the water. Several stone birdbaths were situated around the lake. Outlaw made the lake by damming the flow of a natural spring. He used the dam to generate electricity for his house. An oil furnace in the basement provided heat. The house even had an underground tunnel that went from the basement to the lake across the street. The Outlaw house was the first in the area to have electricity and a telephone. George Outlaw was also instrumental in bringing power to other houses in the area.
In 1940, George Outlaw, with his wife and two sons, moved to the city. In 1951, George’s youngest son, Arthur, began working as an auditor in his father’s restaurant business. The father and son duo continued to work together until his father’s death in 1964. Arthur Outlaw went on to serve as the Vice-Chairman of the Board and Director of Morrison Restaurants, Inc.
In the 1960s, Arthur Outlaw renovated the old Outlaw home and leased the property to the local police chief. During the 1980s, Arthur lived in the house until conflicts with him being the Mayor of Mobile and living outside of the city limits forced the family to vacate the property and move within the Mobile city limits. Today, a portion of the property is used for hunting and tree farming. According to tax records, the land is still owned by the Outlaw family. Family and friends still use Outlaw Lake, but there are currently no plans to renovate the house. In the early morning hours of July 9, 2021, the Outlaw House was destroyed by fire. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined. Sadly, the Outlaw House and the neighboring home across the street that also belonged to the Outlaw family were both bulldozed on December 1, 2021.
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For more photos of the Outlaw House and more of my favorite abandoned places in Alabama, check out my latest book Abandoned Alabama: Exploring the Heart of Dixie. You can find me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. If you would like to receive the Abandoned Southeast blog in your email, you can sign up below or on the main page.
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I find this Spanish Colonial another favorite, as a very beautifully architectural designed abode. I love the beautiful archways and tall doors. I have through your photography discovered I do really love southern Homes, mansions and Spanish Colonials. I could live in the Outlaw house so long as there are no ghosts already residing there. I am afraid the ghosts would ask of me to leave due to my snoring. Encore please as your works are magnificent, and I myself would never get a chance to explore such southern wonders if not for you sharing of them. Thank you.
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Does anyone plan on restoring these beautiful places?
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Id love to restore all these old masterpieces. Im in the trades, if only I won the powerball I would. I would help someone who has in a heart beat…
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i know the old spanish outlaw house would be impossible to restore expesially after the fire theat basicly burned the whole second floor, but before the fire, it couldve been done. to late now, just a peice of beautiful history now, also its been abaonded for 41 years, a couple years ago i went in and took a photo shoot with a couple of people and it was kind of a second home to me in since so, it being caught on fire is very devistating.
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I have been there recently. The place is in such terrible condition that it is just shameful! That family has enough money that it should have been taken better care of. They should be ashamed. There’s also an under ground tunnel that leads to the other house across the street. I think it was filled in at some point though.
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I have tried to by this house more than once over the years. I adore this place the photos just cannot do it justice even in its run down shape it is glorious.
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This place has been bulldozed? If so, how sad!!!
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I live here in Mobile County not too far from this house on Highway 45. I used to love driving by this house I always wanted to go in and see it but I only got to see it by pictures. the house caught on fire a year or so ago and they have tore the house down.
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I would love to fix it up an have it as my own it’s been a dream of mine since I was a little girl, driving by it everytime we would go up 45 to my grandma’s house. O fell in love with it! It’s beautiful!
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I’m truly saddened by the appearance of this once gorgeous home. If they would renovate it, I would take such great care of it. It would be an honor to care for this home. My heart is broken just looking at the photos.
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Wow such a waste. The things i could do with a place like this!
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The taxes have went from over $3000 down to less than $100 ($61 last I checked), it would seem that the house was “let go” to achieve this? I think there should be a penalty for not taking care of it.
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don’t forget you are dealing with “government”.
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How would you possibly know this?
Maybe they didn’t have hundreds of thousands of dollars to renovate.
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I have also looked at this house for years wondering why anyone would have just walked away from it I also have been looking at this house since I was a child I dreamed of living in it I’ve even stopped and just looked Thur the fence now it’s good to know the story
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Hey sis 😁. I think everyone that ever drove down 45 has wanted to live in that house. It was always like mysterious castle with fun secrets to me since I was little.
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I always thought this was such a beautiful house,its such ashamed that no one in the family would renovate it and live in it ..Maybe one day ,Thanks for the history lesson ,I never knew any of this .
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Such a beautiful place. I pass by this house on my way to Mobile quite often. I would love living in this beautiful home. Wish I could stop by and take photos of it one day.
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I actually did recently. I wanted to go into the basement but the stairs were broken and it was really nasty and dark
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Oh my, we bought a historic home 20 miles from here to renovate. Sure wish I could’ve got my hands on this one instead!!! My first glance of this House was the summer of 79”
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Great photographs! One correction: The architect’s name was George Bigelow Rogers, who designed many landmarks: The Bellingrath House, Mobile Public Library Main Branch, The Van Antwerp Building, etc.
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I made the correction in the blog. Thank you!
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Where is this located I would like to viest
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So if i wanted to go take pictures would it be okay or is there a no trespassing sign??
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I didn’t see one while I was there.
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I am from Ohio and my mother was from mobile. When we would come down for a visit when we would go to citronelle to visit cousins and my mothers sister and husband. When we passed by this house I always told my mother I would live there some day. I now live in Mobile and on my drives to citronelle I always pass by and still love the house. What a shame that it has been let go. I would love to be able to do inside sometime or even have a chance to walk the property
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I’ve done that recently. It’s a major disappointment. I’ve never seen the lake though. I did see the lake on the property that they owned with this line across the road. That’s the one the tunnel under ground used to go to.
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Is the property for sale. I will buy it and get it to its former glory,
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It’s not for sale.
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Who owns this place now? It saddens me of the decay inside this, once beautiful home! Always my wish and dream to see inside!!!
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It’s tied up in a family trust
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I played at this house a child. Rode horses and wondered the woods. The Fagerstoms lived there at the time (74 – early 80’s). The Easter Seal had their Easter egg hunt and picnic there every year. It is very sad to see it like this. The kids of Kushla, Alabama called it the Mustard Mansion. I just remember how beautiful the home was inside and out. I live 1/2 mile from the house.
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In the 1960’s my Hranny workwd for the Fagerstrom family
I mostly went to the beautiful old farmhouse across the street. Thete was an old piano on the 2nd floor balcony. It always felt haunted to me !
Now its just a big old pile of rotted wood. So sad.
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So you have been inside of the house across the street? I would like to get pictures of that home.
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I am a grand daughter to the Fagerstroms. I hear they used to be caretakera of this home as well as the Old Outlaw place across from it. The white house with the large fishing pond, I used to live there for a while with my mother. It was Kushla then.
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Is it open to walk through to public I’ve been wanting to look at it forever now
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It is not open to the public.
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We (the Fagerstrom’s) lived in house across the street, the one with the lake. My dad would always paint the inside of the house when vacant. We did have our horses there and go riding. The Outlaws are real dear friends of the family and my grandfather, then my dad was overseer of the house with the lake, but would also take care of the Stucco house when no one lived there. My daughter went in the house not long ago was saddened at the state it was in. Said someone was staying there because she and my husband saw drink cans, and sandwich items and pillow and covers. I would love to live there and take care of the place myself…but I think the cost of fixing it to its original grandeur would be too much for me to handle.
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Maybe you could persuade the owners to sell it so that someone who wanted to could restore it?
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I, too, am a Fagerstrom by birth. 🙂 My mother was a Brown. Her father, A.M. Brown, came to Mobile in the early 1920s and worked on the dam and its generator that provided the electricity for the Outlaw house. Once when he visited the place to talk to Mr. Outlaw, he took Mom with him. She was shown the fish pond that was by the house (I understood it to be in the front of the house, but it may well have been in the back) and was told it would be the new home to some gold fish. Mr. Outlaw promised she could see them when they were in place. I don’t know that she ever had the opportunity to see them, though. When asked, she said she didn’t remember.
On several visits to Kushla for the Fagerstrom family reunions in the late 50s to early 60s, we would visit the vacated house. I saw the basement, which was damp, and was told about the tunnel, which had been filled in. We’d wander down to the lake and be warned of snakes and other wildlife that lived around it. I also saw the dam my grandfather built. Of course, the generator no longer was working, but it was there.
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The house has homeless people staying in it for awhile. The house burned down recently.
I do have one question. Is it true what people had be saw rid about the two houses being connected by a tunnel that ran underground?
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Dan Davis lived there during this time
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I don’t think that anyone that has passed by the home has not dreamed of living there one day. It was so beautiful and I hate to see that the shutter have been taken off, probably stolen, and it is really sad to see the state the house is in now. I have always loved it!
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So sad, a shame that she’s is such a state.
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It was vandalized few years ago by ignorant strangers. Since it is by the highway you will not be able to leave unattended. It once was awesome. I
don’t know if it is for sale but if so you
Would probably get it for a good price because it will take a fortune
to restore.
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They have it written in the will that it can’t be sold. It has to stay in the family. That probably has a lot to do with the reason it was in the state it was in. No one wants to live in the area. The house recently burned to the ground though.
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They also own the house across hwy 45 . there was a tunnel under ground that connected the two houses… in the basement. I think they filled it in at some point years ago tough. I heard the basement flooded.
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I would love to take a look inside. Hate the family doesn’t renovate such a beautiful place. Would love to restore a place like this
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I can remember as a little girl passing by the out law mansion it always infatuated me growing up. Well back in 2012 my boyfriend and I decided to stop by the out law mansion and go inside it’s haunted there is a slave house in the backyard. My boyfriend and I was in the backyard and all of the sudden I got sick and threw up and when I looked up there was a figure in the upstairs bedroom. After leaving the backyard I was fine. Inside the mansion and outside of the mansion is haunted. in the attic we found a rosary necklace in front of a mirror and beside it was a mahogany frame. The place is haunted 👻🏚️
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I’ve been in the house. I went all through it a few years ago. I took pictures all through the house and back yard. I never heard of saw anything that let me to believe that it was in any way haunted
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As a little girl growing up the outlaw mansion always infatuated me passing by it. And the oak trees are huge. My boyfriend and I stopped by and went inside it’s haunted saw a figure in the upstairs bedroom when we was in the backyard. There’s also a BBQ pit and a slave house in the backyard. 👻🗝️
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I do not think it would be slave quarters as this house was built long after slavery was abolished. Not saying it isn’t- there could have been another structure there before.
I am afraid this one is so far gone it would be really expensive and difficult to bring back. It would be nice if they would salvage anything that could be reused.
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I accidentally came across this post/blog when I went down the internet rabbit hole this morning and was FLOORED!!! So THAT’S the name & history of it!! I would see this house & the one across the street every time we would drive my daughter to Scoutshire Woods (at least twice a year). I am an avid (lone) urban/abandoned explorer though I don’t usually talk about it or post pictures…I do it for the love of it…because I love so much to find these places and spend time wandering & taking pictures, & trying to imagine what/who was there before…what the history is…but I NEVER have found out the *actual* story of a place! This is fascinating! And my late father was friends with Arthur Outlaw haha! #smallworld Whoever is running this Abandoned Southeast blog…I would be SO GRATEFUL if you would PM me (I can also be found around the internet with this username!). We may have some stories and/or pictures to trade. I’ve found this to be a very LONELY hobby, as most people won’t share any information they have…it’s all very secretive (lol we’re like the Freemasons). You kinda just have to figure things out for yourself. I’ve accidentally discovered a couple of friends who have done explores around here & I never knew! I’ve LONG wanted to start some sort of private Facebook group or ?? to connect some trusted, vetted explorers in the Mobile area so I wouldn’t always have to go alone (as I’m sure you know, it can be a VERY dangerous hobby…& **to those wanting to just stop by this house** & “take some pictures”…I strongly urge caution while there! I was there this year…late spring? And there was AMPLE evidence not only of vandalism but some squatting. Plus some campsite evidence I saw in the nearby woods & backyard/back house(s). Just be careful!! I want SO MUCH to get into the house across the street but that one is sealed off so much in barbed wire! Lots of “no trespassing” signs on that one, too (strange since the Outlaw house was *once* CLEARLY more valuable & you’d think it would be the better protected one…as it is now you can basically walk right into the Outlaw house). If anybody’s been in the farmhouse, I’d love to hear about it! Also, what is that silo looking structure on the property?? #curious 😀
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PM me or shoot me an email. My son is very into history and loves old buildings and houses. Plus I am friends with some of the people in the local paranormal groups. I honestly hate to think of you going to some of these places alone. And not just because of ghosts…
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The house actually burned down recently.
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I would love to go exploring with you. I enjoy that kind of stuff too. I also love history too. I try to find out the history of places that I find interesting.
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Wow those pictures look almost jyst like some that I took not too long ago. That’s weird. I mean .. It looks like we were standing in almost the same place when they were taken. The other house close to the lake is the one that they had the tunnel running unset ground between it and the outlaw house across the road.
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Is there anyway to get a tour of this beauty? My husband and I love houses with history! Thanks.
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Has anyone looked for family members who may be in control of the property? Maybe ask for historical site funding to repair and restore and will to the city or state as a tourist attraction, wedding or entertainment venue, or just a historical site preservation? Would be an incredible tax write off for whomever is/are the current owner(s). Just a thought…..
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I was thinking it would be a wonderful job for Donald Trump for the next several years. He could make it into a great venue. Also it would keep him out of trouble maybe.
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What a gem! It will be a real shame if it’s not restored. Such homes are deserving of restoration and revival for history’s sake. Hard to believe that the family allowed it to reach such a condition.
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We lived there 1968-1973 with my family , my father chief Dan Davis , There was no tunnel or slave pit , there was a big basement, we never had any encounters with sprits , Just a great place to grow up as a child. Tommy Davis
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Tommy-that is AMAZING! I would LOVE to see any photographs you may have of the place in it’s heyday…of you growing up there! What an AMAZING place to have lived!! :-O How did your family end up living there? Why did y’all leave? Do you know who owned it after your family? (Sorry for the 20 questions! I just really loved this place…)
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The outlaw family has always owned it. It was in the will that it could never be sold, it had to stay in the family. That’s probably the reason it was in the condition it was in. No one wants to live in that area
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It sounds like it is on family land. If they ever have an interest in selling to someone to move off of the land, I would be interested in moving it, and restoring it elsewhere.
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This is horrible that the family let this happen to this beautiful property. This house is so beautiful. I hurts my soul that someone can let this happen
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I just read in this article that G.C. Outlaw was a FBI Agent… https://www.loveproperty.com/gallerylist/87813/tour-the-abandoned-outlaw-house-with-an-fbi-connection
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While researching the home, I discovered G.C. Outlaw from Mobile was a federal agent around the time the bureau was created.
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I’m sure y’all will hear about this soon, but…my heart is BROKEN this morning!! I’m guessing one of the squatters may have accidentally started this…at least I *HOPE* nobody did it on purpose!! Oh I just hate this so much!!! 😥 (<btw I DID manage to scout the property across the street finally this spring…there's NO getting inside that house though b/c it's falling down! But did find some interesting treasures! Still don't understand the #silo…) https://www.wkrg.com/news/historic-rural-mobile-county-home-destroyed-in-overnight-fire/
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Wow! Thank you for letting me know! That is just terrible. It has to be arson since the house has not had power in years.
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From the video I saw of it & my own opinion…I’d pretty much bet it was one of the squatters in the upstairs bedrooms. In fact, I saw the most stuff in the 2 northeast bedrooms previously. Sounds like a “dropped the cigarette when fell asleep” or didn’t put something out all the way that may have been burning inside the house. The major flames looked like they were coming from the upper left & middle of the house if you were facing it…& the pictures on the news as it is daytime & smoldering SEEM to show that the upper floor & roof are clearly destroyed, but it looked to me like the bottom floor was not completely burned out, as if a fire had started downstairs. But! Not being there to see, what do I know? Still really bummed every time they mention it on the news today though. I saw where they (WKRG) linked to your blog in their article, though!
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I’ve witnessed this house before it was remodeled and I was a part of the renovation however small. My dad was a millwright at Alcoa aluminum. But he also had his own electrical business. Which Arthur hired my dad to do the electrical work for the renovation. This house was truely amazing to me. At one time the outlaw family was looking for someone to live there free of charge but must keep the grounds up. Not sure if they ever got someone to do it but I thought that would have been a good opportunity.
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I just drove past the property this morning, Dec 6 2021, and everything has been demolished and cleared off the lot. Even the low brick wall, the iron gate, and all the underbrush. These photos and stories in the comments section are all that’s left now.
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The public quickly accepted the idea of self-serve home-style cooked food offered at a modest price. Thank you, amazing post!
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The house was designed by notable architect George Bigelow Rogers; who designed many Alabama landmarks including the Mobile Public Library, Thank you for taking the time to write a great post!
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So sad to hear of the destruction of this home. I grew up in Mobile and like many other commenters, also used to dream of livining in the home. I still remember my excitement to find out that it belonged to the Outlaw family… because I was a frequent babysitter for the young grandsons of George Outlaw. Thus I was able to attend a party at the grand house in the 1980’s, and one of the Outlaws confirmed the poker game story.
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So sad to hear of the destruction of this home. I grew up in Mobile and like many other commenters, also used to dream of living in the home. I still remember my excitement to find out that it belonged to the Outlaw family… because I was a frequent babysitter for the young great grandsons of George Outlaw. Thus I was able to attend a party at the grand house in the 1980’s, and one of the Outlaws confirmed the poker game story.
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correction to my earlier comment: I babysat the **great** grandsons of GC Outlaw in the 1980’s
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It is a pleasure to see that there are So Many People with memories of this incredible place.
Memories are like history coming back to life. Every time a memory is shared it lives!
I read every post and thoroughly enjoyed every minute visualizing each one of your stories 💗
Thank you to the lovers of abandoned places and to the creators of these places.
Adventurers Unite😍
Donna Wilberger, Southeastern Oklahoma
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