Hobson City, AL - In Calhoun County a fire destroyed part of a town's history and some say it destroyed the future as well. The I-20 bingo hall in Hobson City was a popular place for paper bingo. Some wanted it to host electronic bingo in the future, but it burned to the ground last night. Early indicators point toward arson. It appears that someone set this fire on purpose.

It didn't take long for flames to consume the building on Tuesday night.

Mayor Alberta McCrory says, "It's a great loss to the community. It's part of our past."

By daybreak smoking ashes and melted metal chairs represent what once was.

McCrory explains, "It wasn't always bingo. It really got it's start in the nightclub business."

Cleve Holloway built the Civil Rights Era night club by laying the brick himself.

In this tiny town the club attracted some of music's biggest names before they were stars including The Temptations, the Four Tops and B.B. King."

Bingo began a few years later, attracting people by the busload. It was a big money maker for Hobson City. Some hoped a revitalization of bingo would one day turn around the town's financial shortfall.

McCroryadds, "To bring some revenue into Hobson City but as you see now the possibility of that happening is gone."

So what went wrong? The building sat unoccupied for months attracting vandals. In fact the fire may have been set as vandalism or to cover up a break in or a theft.

Oxford Fire Chief Gary Sparks says, "There's no utilities. There's no gas. There's no ignition source to be accidental. So something had to cause this fire."

The investigation has been turned over to the Calhoun County Sheriff's Department. Soon the fire marshall is expected to step in to confirm the fire was indeed arson.

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