Mount Hope, Lawrence County, Alabama

In 1985, Mount Hope High School burned down, forcing students to watch the school burn down helplessly; most of the students were awakened from their sleep as their school burned in the dark of midnight. Classes were temporarily held in the current elementary building, which was deteriorating due to the nearby Hatton School System and Tharptown School Systems; the high school was never reconstructed.

As of 2025, people who go to school in the elementary building eventually graduate sixth grade, and have a choice of the following surrounding schools to attend: East Lawrence, Lawrence County, or Hatton High School. Tharptown High School is also an option, though atypical.

The town was again demolished by the Hackleburg-Phil Campbell tornado of 2011. The tornado was at EF5 intensity as it struck Mount Hope.

Mount Hope was the birthplace of Russell McWhortor Cunningham, acting governor of Alabama from 1904–1905.^[4]