Newbern, AL

Tucked into the fertile Black Belt of southern Hale County, Newbern is a tiny, quiet community with roots stretching back to the early nineteenth century. Originally settled as Cane Brake among dense thickets of wild cane, the town grew into a classic Southern farming hamlet centered around its historic Baptist, Presbyterian, and Methodist churches. Driving along Alabama Highway 61, you will see well-kept wooden sanctuaries and historic homesteads that give the peaceful main stretch an immediate sense of history.

ATTRCarol M. Highsmith / Public domain

What makes Newbern truly unique today is its decades-long collaboration with Auburn University's Rural Studio. Since the early 1990s, architecture students have lived and worked alongside local residents, designing innovative spaces like the volunteer fire station and converting a vacant downtown bank into a vibrant community library. Between the working studio farm, inventive timber buildings, and wide-open countryside, Newbern pairs small-town Southern quiet with a remarkable creative energy.