“Something About The Place”

The Burrough Family’s Home on the Hill

Words by Jenny Lynn Davis | Images by Ryan McGill

Before it was a home, it was a memory.

A memory held close by the people of Carbon Hill who once walked its halls, climbed its stairs, and posed for yearbook photos beside the fireplace. The old home economics building, constructed in the 1930s by the Works Progress Administration and once part of the former Carbon Hill High School that was lost to a fire in 2002, had stood empty for over a decade, swallowed by kudzu and time. It had been a landmark of the past until Leslie and McClain Burrough saw something more.

“I fell in love with this building when my parents bought the property,” Leslie says. “There was just something about the place… the hand-cut stone and all the character. We didn’t go to school at the building that was here, but growing up, everybody talked about what it meant to ‘go toschool on the Hill.’ It always felt like it had a story.”

The stone, now carefully preserved and framed by polished landscaping, gives the Burrough home its sturdy, unmistakable face. When the couple got engaged in 2013, Leslie shared her idea of turning the long-abandoned structure into a home. McClain was all in. He already planned to stay local and open a pharmacy, and the vision lined up perfectly.

That shared commitment launched a renovation led by a deep appreciation for the past. With guidance from Leslie’s father and plenty of trial and error, the Burroughs did nearly all the work themselves. McClain learned wiring, plumbing, and carpentry. Leslie scraped and pulled thousands of staples from the drop ceilings. Together, they chipped away at the years of wear and water damage, gutted layers of outdated tile and ceiling panels, preserved original woodwork, and hand-stained pine floors to create a seamless finish.

While the school’s other accessory buildings had been more open and utilitarian, this one had been designed to resemble a house because it served as the home economics wing. That made the process smoother, though the work itself was still demanding.

“It was in bad shape,” Leslie remembers. “People thought it was preserved, but it was an eyesore. Kudzu covered the whole thing. The windows were busted out. There was a hole in the roof where you could see the sky from the kitchen.”

“There was a massive oak tree leaning against the house where the deck is now,” McClain adds. “That took forever to get out.”

Today, that deck is a peaceful, white-painted porch overlooking the woods. It is where Leslie goes to unwind, where their kids – Anderson and Quinn – play under the ceiling fans, and where the family hosts relaxed evenings.

The peaceful deck where a massive oak tree once leaned against the home.

Preserving character remained their top priority. Inside, soft gray tongue-and-groove walls carry a warmth into every room. In the dining area, emerald drapes frame broad windows, and a carved wooden hutch stands against the wall, echoing the home’s original trim.

“About 75 percent of the walls are original,” McClain says. “We only added a few interior ones. The layout already felt like a home.”

The dining area blends modern touches with nods to the home’s history.

Transom windows still float above the doorways, some with glass dating back to the 1930s. A chandelier catches the afternoon light above the stairwell, where colorful artwork and a simple metal railing give the space a bit of a modern twist. In the kitchen, white cabinets, concrete countertops, a warm stone backsplash, and a wide copper farmhouse sink come together in a way that feels both new and classic. Elsewhere, exposed stone original to the foundation brings texture and history into unexpected corners. Each room feels lived in, layered, and intentional.

The kitchen offers a fresh take on tradition, blending white cabinetry, concrete countertops, a warm stone backsplash, and a copper farmhouse sink into a space that feels timeless and inviting.

Today, the house functions as part of a family compound, coined The Hilltop. Leslie’s brother and his family live next door in the school’s former Agricultural building, and her parents built a house nearby. Anderson, Quinn, and their cousins roam the property freely, exploring the woods and playing outside the way Leslie and McClain hoped they would. Weeknight dinners often include the entire family, and summer evenings center around a shared pool.

“We’re always checking the windows, seeing who’s home, walking back and forth,” Leslie says. “The kids have so much freedom. It’s like living in a village.”

The Hilltop has also become a place for the wider community to reconnect. Former students often stop by and ask to walk through the property, eager to revisit a space tied to their youth. Some sit quietly on the old football field nearby, reflecting on high school memories. The Burroughs welcome these visits and are grateful that their effort has preserved something meaningful for Carbon Hill as a whole.

“For me, the most rewarding part is knowing we helped preserve a piece of our town,” Leslie says. “People assume we just moved in and decorated, but there was so much work. When folks realize what went into it, they really appreciate it.”

Living in a home filled with so much community memory comes with a quiet sense of responsibility that McClain and Leslie fully embrace. Both are deeply invested in Carbon Hill’s future, the same town where they grew up and are now raising their children. McClain owns and works at Carbon Hill Drugs, the local pharmacy, while Leslie serves as the guidance counselor at Carbon Hill High School.

“No place is perfect,” Leslie says. “But Carbon Hill is our home, and we’re loyal to it.

Over the years, the family’s favorite spots in the house have shifted from the living room where they gather for movie nights, to the basement-turned-flower studio where Leslie’s creativity blooms, to the porch that feels like a retreat, and the poolside grill McClain fires up each summer, but the heart of the home has remained constant: the people inside of it and the life they’ve built together.

The living room where the family gathers for movie nights, featuring original artwork by Leslie’s uncle, Bill Young.

“If something happened to this place, it would be a huge emotional loss,” McClain says. “You just can’t rebuild something like this.”

Leslie agrees. “I didn’t grow up in a unique house. I never imagined living in one. But through this, I’ve realized it’s not about the walls. It’s who you’re with and the memories you make. That’s what makes a home.”

The Burrough family home is a piece of living history, brought back to life with a lot of hard work, heart, and imagination. The once forgotten building is now filled with new memories, everyday moments, and the sound of laughter. For Leslie and McClain, that’s what matters most: holding on to the past while sure it has a place in the present. 78