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The Historic Huntsville Depot

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jj2
jj2
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4 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
3
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Editor Pick

Huntsville Depot and Museum

  • March 17, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by NiteOwlTX from LaPlace, Louisiana
Huntsville Depot and Museum

Currently restored to its condition of 1860, the Huntsville Depot shows how this area was impacted by the trains that passed through it. In the 1820s when the depot was built, Huntsville was still a frontier community. When the train company decided to build a line to go from Memphis, on the Mississippi River, to the east coast, the people of Huntsville got together and built this depot.

During the Civil War, when Huntsville was taken by Union soldiers, the depot was used as a prison for the Confederate soldiers that were captured. After those soldiers were sent to prison camps, the depot was used to house the Union soldiers stationed to hold Huntsville for the north.

You begin the tour with a short film that gives a little insight into the history of Huntsville. It tells about the building of the depot and how Huntsville progressed afterwards.

Next you will meet Andy Barker, a robotic ticket agent, and his friends; the telegraph operator and the conductor. This is a little quirky for adults, but I'm certain it helps hold the attention of children, as it provides information on the time period and how people led their daily lives.

A tour of the first and second floors takes you through the various rooms of the museum, which are filled with exhibits from the time period, and a model of the town as it looked in 1860.

The real treat for historians is the third floor, where you can explore on your own. The walls here have been stripped of all the paper and paint that had covered them through the years, and now appear as they did in the Civil War. You can see graffiti left from soldiers on both sides of the war; when the Confederate soldiers were housed here as a prison, and when the Union soldiers used this as their base during their occupation of the town. This gives this the best glimpse into what the soldiers thought throughout the time here.

Outside the museum on the grounds, there are a couple of trains, including one that runs around the little track on the property. You can enter any of the cars to see how each one had a different purpose.

I recommend this attraction for everyone, especially those interested in history, the Civil War, railroads and trains, and families with children. This attraction is educational, historically significant, and interesting for those not easily occupied.

Website: www.earlyworks.com

From journal Gateway to the Stars

Editor Pick

Historic Downtown Huntsville

  • February 2, 2006
  • Rated 3 of 5 by NiteOwlTX from LaPlace, Louisiana
Historic Downtown Huntsville

Some of the buildings here in historic downtown Huntsville date back to 1800, before Alabama was a state.

Well over half the houses in this area date back to before the Civil War. It is especially uncommon to see a pre-Civil War community this size, as most were destroyed during the war. Huntsville, however, was saved, as it was the home to many loyalists and was spared the Union army's destruction at the end of its occupation.

One interesting note for those who will also see Burritt on the mountain; compare these houses to those on the mountain, also from 1850. This demonstrates the difference between city and country living at the time.

The Weeden house is open seasonally for tours. There is not much to see inside the house, but it will give you a feel for the inside as well as the outside of the houses of the period.

Harrison Hardware was originally opened here in in 1897 and still operates with much of its original equipment, including the cash register. This provides a first hand look at how a store of that time would have looked.

I recommend a trip to the historic district of downtown Huntsville for anyone interested in history or architecture.

Website: www.huntsville.org

From journal Gateway to the Stars

Huntsville Depot Railroad Museum

  • December 10, 2000
  • Rated 3 of 5 by jj2 from Madison, Alabama
The Huntsville Depot stands out in its coat of bright yellow paint as you drive along the raised interstate just north of downtown. Built in 1860, it was the hub of Huntsville’s transportation as the cotton capital of the South, and it survived Huntsville’s occupation by Union forces in the Civil War (as soldiers’ graffiti still attests). Today it no longer hosts weary travelers or bales of cotton, but the tracks north of the building are still in active use.

The depot is a railroad museum that gives the visitor a sense of train travel in the 1800s and 1900s. The building itself is a find for train buffs as it is one of the earliest wood frame stations still standing. Train hardware is displayed in both miniature and full size outside. A turn table and roundhouse complete the setting. The roundhouse is used for local functions and meetings. Admission is $6.00 for adults. More information can be accessed on www.earlyworks.com and at 256-533-1860.

From journal Huntsville, Alabama: Eyes on the Skies

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