Blackburn Park

Blackburn Park Fountain and Gazebo------ John and Margaret Pimperl moved to the Dyas community just north of Bay Minette in 1921, coming from Chicago. They raised their family here, working a farm with a pecan orchard, growing timber and dipping turpentine. Mr. Pimperl owned and operated “G’s Blue Lantern Tavern” on Highway 31 near Phillipsville Road. Their daughter Helen, who was born in 1918, moved back to Chicago as a young lady where she operated a beauty salon; she then came back to Alabama in 1961 and built the Sportsman Bait & Tackle Shop and the Baldwin Motel and Restaurant in Bay Minette. She served many years on the Bay Minette City Council. She funded many projects around Bay Minette, including the gazebo that now stands in Blackburn Park. It was originally built on the courthouse square but was later moved to Blackburn Park to make way for a larger gazebo. There is a plaque that details this information located inside the gazebo. Ms. Pimperl later donated the fountain in memory of her parents. While she never had children of her own, she left many nieces and nephews to honor her memory when she passed in 2008.