Twickenham Historic District, Huntsville Alabama, 35801, History of Huntsville, Part 1

Twickenham Historic District, Huntsville Alabama, 35801, History of Huntsville, Part 1

A History of Huntsville Alabama: The Twickenham Historic District, first of a three part series. 

How did Huntsville Alabama become this NASA base and hub of government contracting?  What was it before it became the sprawling city that it is?  It was the Appalachian Trail’s shoestrings. The heavily wooded foothills of the Appalachian Mountains were first traversed and settled by John Hunt in 1805, from whom Huntsville eventually inherited its name. However, the land was first purchased, plotted, sold, and named Twickenham by Leroy Pope, in honor of the English home of poet Alexander Pope.  The name only lasted a short while though; Twickenham was renamed Huntsville in 1811. 

Huntsville grew quickly, and its people prospered in many areas. Huntsville’s location and population growth led to it’s becoming a transportation hub for coaches, barges, and railroad lines. Because of this transportation convenience, Huntsville was used and occupied by Union soldiers during the Civil War. Luckily, there was not much damage from that war. During recovery, Huntsville rebuilt and continued to grow.

Follow this Twickenham link to view details and photos of a few homes for sale in the Twickenham Historic District.  Homes are on the market in the low $300K's to mulit-million dollar homes.  If historic districts interest you, you might try my neighbor to the South of Huntsville, Birmingham Alabama.

When World War II began, Huntsville welcomed the Redstone Arsenal and Wernher von Braun and his German scientists. Following the war, the Army began using the site for developing and testing missiles, and Huntsville has been growing in space, missile, and aircraft design, development, and experimentation ever since.

   In contrast to this constant change throughout Huntsville, the Twickenham Historic District, which includes the downtown area and its surrounding neighborhoods, has remained very true to its roots. Many buildings and homes throughout the Twickenham area have the original design and material or were rebuilt or refurbished.

The Twickenham Historic District, within the beautiful city of Huntsville, has a fascinating history that is seen in the architecture and the places designed to share this memorable story, such as the Alabama Constitution Village and the Howard Weeden House Museum. It is a fantastic place to live and explore. Welcome to the city!

With contribution from Teri Hasemeyer

If you need a knowledgeable real estate professional in Madison Alabama or Huntsville Alabama area, why don't you let me Google that for you! I also know outstanding agents in all states and Canada should you need help relocating to a new area.