More Photos of Huntsville's Antebellum Homes

I wanted to include more photos of buildings in historic Huntsville that I found interesting. Below is a short description of each one:

Photo #1: First Presbyterian Church, c. 1860. This is the oldest Presbyterian Church in Alabama. During the Civil War, local women gathered in the basement to sew socks for the soldiers. It had the tallest spire in Huntsville until a storm destroyed it in 1878, and it was never replaced.

Photo #2: Howard Weeden House, c. 1819. This was the home of John McKinley, the Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, and the birthplace of Maria Howard Weeden (famous poet and artist). It is now a museum.

Photo #3: Regions Bank Building, c. 1835. This is the last surviving building of the originals that stood on the public square. It has been in continuous service as a financial institution since it was built, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

Photo #4: Moore-Rhett House, c. 1826. Hand pressed bricks used for the walls were made by slaves.

Photo #5: McDowell House, c. 1848. During the Union occupation, General Ormsby Mitchel used this house as his headquarters. Period outbuildings surrounding the house have been preserved.

Christmas in Huntsville

This week, we were in Huntsville, Alabama. I love this town! Not only is there an abundant supply of rich history, but the people are sweet as well. Because Huntsville plays a predominant role in my novel, I decided to feature it here on my blog.

Huntsville is fortunate in that it has one of the largest concentrations of antebellum structures in the South. This is because it was occupied by the Union army early on in the war, and was spared from being destroyed.

The first photograph is of the Morgan-Neal House, built c. 1823. It is the birthplace of John Hunt Morgan, a famous Confederate raider. The second picture is of the Thomas Fearn House, c. 1820. Dr. Fearn was a prominent Huntsville resident. Photo #3 is graffiti that either Union or Confederate soldiers drew on the inside walls of the Huntsville Train Depot. In 1862, the town was invaded by Yankees, who kept Confederate soldiers prisoner upstairs for 10 days until they were shipped to Union prison camps. Picture #4 is a train at the depot, all decked out for Christmas, and Photo #5 is the depot itself, which is one of the oldest remaining train depots in the country.