MALBIS — A 100-year-old piece of Baldwin County history will soon be coming down.

Standing tall on SR-181, the metal Malbis Plantation water tower assisted residents and passersby for many years.

Founded in 1906 by Jason Malbis, this plantation was formed after Malbis said he received word from God to build a community in America where Greek people could thrive in their own culture and religion. The Malbis Plantation would spread across hundreds of acres northeast of Daphne.

But it has become dated. Daphne Utilities Communications Manager Samantha Coppels said the water tower has not been used in over 20 years.

"It has been a decision that has been thought about for a while now," Coppels said. "We took over the Malbis water system in 1997, and we have not used the water tower for many years."

The water tower holds about 75,000 gallons of water, but since the population continues to grow in Baldwin County, Daphne Utilities uses six water towers throughout the Daphne area that hold around 1 million gallons of water.
Coppels added that while this water tower is a piece of history, the removal of it is necessary.

"It is just not in good condition; it is rusted and there are holes in it," Coppels said. "It is important to people, and it was a piece of history, but we had to think about safety. We would not want anyone to get harmed by leaving it up."

Those who have seen this tower as a staple to the community have voiced their thoughts on the removal of this piece of history, including Baldwin County resident Debbie Williams.

"I do not think the water tower should be torn down," Williams said. "Too much of our area's history is being destroyed instead of being restored, renovated, rebuilt or simply being cared for. We are adding so much new to our area; we need to preserve some old."

There is no specific date on when the tower will be taken down, but Coppels said it will be soon. The tower will be taken down in sections, and the removal will be completed in one day.