diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index c6b5fd947..c960d3b11 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -673,6 +673,8 @@ if test "x$TCL_PACKAGE_PATH" = x; then
              LIBS="$LIBS -lgc"])
     fi
 fi
+AM_CONDITIONAL([HAVE_LIBGC_WANTED], [test "x$TCL_PACKAGE_PATH" = x && test "x$enable_gc" = xyes])
+
 # check, if we have sigsetjmp and siglongjmp.
 # A trivial AC_CHECK_FUNCS(sigsetjmp) won't do because sigsetjmp() might be a
 # macro declared in <setjmp.h>. (joze)
diff --git a/src/misc/Makefile.am b/src/misc/Makefile.am
index 79e2c9523..09d4a6581 100644
--- a/src/misc/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/misc/Makefile.am
@@ -4,8 +4,6 @@ noinst_LTLIBRARIES = libmisc.la
 
 
 libmisc_la_SOURCES = \
-		alloc.c		\
-		alloc.h		\
 		dup2.c		\
 		dstring.c	\
 		dup2.h		\
@@ -39,6 +37,11 @@ libmisc_la_SOURCES += getopt_long_bsd.c getopt_bsd.h
 endif
 endif
 
+### alloc.c ###
+if !HAVE_LIBGC_WANTED
+libmisc_la_SOURCES += alloc.c alloc.h
+endif
+
 
 AM_CPPFLAGS = @AM_CPPFLAGS@ -I$(top_srcdir)/src/include
 AM_CFLAGS = $(STATIC)
diff --git a/src/misc/alloc.c b/src/misc/alloc.c
index 7c76dd995..8d5e14eb1 100644
--- a/src/misc/alloc.c
+++ b/src/misc/alloc.c
@@ -13,8 +13,6 @@ Copyright 1990 Regents of the University of California.  All rights reserved.
 extern void controlled_exit(int status);
 #endif
 
-#ifndef HAVE_LIBGC
-
 /*saj For Tcl module locking*/
 #ifdef TCL_MODULE
 #include <tcl.h>
@@ -114,5 +112,3 @@ txfree(void *ptr)
   Tcl_MutexUnlock(alloc);
 #endif
 }
-
-#endif