Monroeville, Ala. has gone to the birds – well, the birdhouses, that is.

Throughout the town, you can discover over 20 brightly colored, hand-painted birdhouses.

The birdhouse trail, modeled after Selma’s butterfly trail, celebrates the area’s artists, as well as Monroeville’s ties to Harper Lee, author of the Pulitzer prize winning novel, To Kill a Mockingbird

Now birdhouses might seem out of place, but once you know the reasoning behind them, they’re a perfect fit.

As the town prepared to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Lee’s novel, the first thought was to create wooden mockingbirds, according to Sandy Smith, executive director of Monroeville/Monroe County Chamber of Commerce, since the town is “Home of Mockingbird.”  However, her friend Crissy Nettles, proprietor of Beehive Coffee and Books, suggested something a little less complex and more stable – birdhouses. Her reasoning: birdhouses not only symbolize homes of mockingbirds, but also promoting the town as a place to call home. It also pays homage to Monroeville’s  strong timber and wood industry background.

Thus the trail was established.

Designed by a local engineer, the birdhouses are painted by local artists and are sponsored by local businesses, organizations and schools.

An on-going project, Smith says the town is “having fun with it.”

And it also opens up a new perspective of the town.

“Monroeville has established a niche in the literary world, and now we are an up and coming, growing arts community. It’s a way to show off what else we offer to visitors.”

photo credit: courtesy of Monroeville/Monroe County Chamber of Commerce