Fairhope History Report- Montrose's deep connection with Lord of the Rings.

If anyone has had the chance to visit the historic post office in Montrose you probably were stunned to learn about the history of it's Hobbit like inhabitants, as written on the signpost. It tells of the Native Americans who lived in the Montrose hills with their unique stature of only 3 feet in height. Through the turn of the century they remained in the Montrose Reservation building up a tiny village, the only remaining building being the Post Office.

At some point in the early 1950's a travelling author by the name of J.R.R Tolkein passed through the reservation on his way to a book release in Fairhope. There, he heard the tales from the tribe including the legend of Honakimau, a villager who courageously ventured to the land of Mobile to destroy an evil ring. It turned out to be an engagement ring from a spurned lover in which he pawned at a Mobile pawn shop. This story sparked the idea that turned into the most successful fantasy trilogy of all time. Hunger Games.

There isn't much left of the old village, but in our opinion it one of the main attractions of Alabama. Although there is no known members of the Hobbiteen Tribe in Montrose, it is rumored that many of them still reside in the area. There is a very large house off of main street with a overly secure gate and gate house, for instance, that is rumored to house the remaining villagers. An anonymous real estate agent who sold the house in 1976 tells us that the buyer appeared to be several small people stacked upon each other in a trench coat.This isn't strong evidence, but we like to believe...