About Huntsville's Twickenham

Twickenham Historic District, Huntsville Alabama, 35801, Historic Homes Architecture-Part 2

Twickenham Historic District: Historic Homes and Architecture.

Twickenham Historic District Part 1

Madison and Huntsville Alabama are not lacking for a variety of home styles and I'd be glad to help you tour any home in the area that meets your needs when you're ready to move up or downsize. One area of Huntsville Alabama that's particularly protective of its architecture is the Twickenham Historic District.

The Twickenham Historic District is recognized for its beautiful homes, most of which are, of course, historic. The homes in the district have played various roles throughout Huntsville’s history. Some were used as soldiers’ quarters during the Civil War; some are the birthplace of recognized people. Several of these homes of various architectural styles have been included in the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) of 1935.

To give an overview of the variety of styles located in the small Twickenham Historic District, I'll highlight a few of the historic
homes. The first is the Albert Erskine House, which was built in 1818 and is located at 527 Franklin Street. This home exemplifies the Federal styling, which is defined by balanced proportions, a fanlight over the front door and sidelights framing it, as well as Classical or Greek detailing in the entryway. The Victorian style porch featured on this house was added in the late 19^th century but complements the original, Federal styling. The Federal style is noted for having well-lit rooms; interestingly, the Erskine house is noted for having unusual blue glass panes, which are thought to be original, in two of the upstairs rooms. Supposedly, in the early 1800’s, it was thought that the sunlight shining through the panes alleviated the pain of those suffering with arthritis.

The Yeatman House was built in 1825 and is located at 528 Adams Street. This home is a two-story brick house with an Italianate entrance porch, which is recognized by the detailing and decorative double columns. This home was the birthplace of John C. Greenway, a prominent engineer in the Spanish American War.

Our Greek Revival feature is the McClung House, built in 1838 and located at 416 McClung Avenue; this home features the stylish Greek columns and temple-front entryway, in which the door is surrounded by rectangular sidelights. The McClung House was built was James McClung, a lawyer and legislator, whose family was prominent in the development of Knoxville, Tennessee.

The businesses and churches in the district also reflect the varying tastes of Huntsville’s architects. The Regions Bank Building is the last of the original buildings of early Huntsville on the public square and features the magnificent Greek Revival structure. It was built in 1835 and has been in service as a financial institution since it was built. The Church of the Nativity, built in 1859, and the First Presbyterian Church, built in 1860, are examples of the Gothic Revival style inspired by English parish churches of the Middle Ages.

The home pictured on the right is one of the few newer homes built in Twickenham. Just a couple of doors down from the McClung House this home is currently listed at $3,200,000

Living in the Twickenham Historic District puts all of Huntsville Alabama's history, beauty, and society at your front door.

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.

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.