Welcome to the Historic Huntsville Foundation
We promote the preservation of historic sites, buildings, houses and neighborhoods in Huntsville and Madison County through education, public engagement, and advocacy. From the courthouse square to rural farmhouses, historic places make our community a better place to live, work, and play.
JOIN US on Thursday, October 9, for a Homecoming Celebration for the American Signature Quilt.
The quilt will be displayed through Saturday, October 25.
The American Signature quilt will make an annual pilgrimage to Harrison Brothers, where it will be displayed in accordance with preservation guidelines.
Revel in the star power of Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman, Billie Jean King, and Ronald Reagan when we celebrate the return of the Historic Huntsville Foundation’s American Signature Quilt to Harrison Brothers Hardware on Thursday, October 9.
The American Signature Quilt is a priceless piece of Americana created as a fundraising project in 1989 for Harrison Brothers Hardware. The quilt incorporates the original autographs of 165 noted Americans into its red, white, and blue Ohio Star pattern. Those who signed up for the cause include American presidents, Academy Award winning film stars, noted scientists, Pulitzer-prize winning writers, and award-winning athletes.
Reaching for the stars, project chairs Lynn Jones and Dale Rhoades sent the most influential people of their day two fabric squares, a pen, a self-addressed, stamps envelope, and a request for help. Their visionary leadership resulted in two quilts: one raffled as a fundraiser for Harrison Brothers and one displayed in the Huntsville Madison County Library as a cherished community heirloom. In 2023, the library returned the quilt to HHF.
For the first time in its history, the American Signature quilt will be displayed in Harrison Brothers, the place that inspired its creation.
Introducing the Historic Huntsville Museum!
We are thrilled to announce the opening of the Historic Huntsville Museum in Harrison Brothers Hardware, a place where Huntsville’s past and future come together.
Originally founded in 1879, Harrison Brothers functioned as a crossroads of sorts, where people from across the Tennessee Valley purchased household goods and equipment needed for their home, farms and businesses. Within this store, the lives of farmers, mill workers, business owners, noted educators and civic activists intersected. Our museum shares both the history of the Harrison Brothers store and the lived experiences of those who patronized their business.
The National Park Service recently listed the Historic Huntsville Museum and the Harrison Brothers Building to the Reconstruction Era National Historic Network, an initiative that recognizes and connects historic sites and programs that share the history of freed men and women following the abolition of slavery. Our exhibition, “Brick by Brick: The Legacy of Henderson and Daniel Brandon” and our preservation of the Harrison Brothers building, constructed by Daniel Brandon, qualified us for listing to the Network. Henderson and Daniel Brandon established Huntsville’s most successful Black-owned business in the Reconstruction era. We are only the second Alabama site listed to the Network.
The Historic Huntsville Foundation has dedicated four historic markers recognizing Huntsville women who made history.
Alice Boarman Baldridge
The site of Alice Boarman Baldridge’s former Adams Street home now features a historic marker honoring her life and legacy. As a suffragist, elected official, civic activist, and attorney, Alice broke new ground for Huntsville and Alabama women. Before women could vote, Alice won a seat on the Madison County Board of Education in 1916. When most […]
Dr. Frances Cabaniss Roberts
The former residence of Dr. Frances Cabaniss Roberts on Randolph Avenue recognizes the contributions of a woman who changed the way we think about Alabama, its historical resources, and their preservation. Dr. Frances Roberts was the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in History from the University of Alabama. She helped found the University of […]
Black Suffragists
William Hooper Councill Memorial Park is the site for this historic marker recognizing the first Black women allowed to vote in Madison County, following the ratification of the 19th amendment. Provisions in Alabama’s 1901 Constitution limited the numbers of Black and poor white Alabamians who could qualify to vote, but these six brave Black women […]
YMCA Marker
The William G. Pomeroy Foundation donated this distinctly purple marker recognizing the YMCA Building on Greene Street. The site was recognized for its affiliation with two important events in our national suffrage history. In 1912, the YMCA Building was the site of a meeting reconvening the Huntsville Equal Suffrage Association. In 1914, the Huntsville Equal […]
Documenting Huntsville's History
HHF is documenting the lives and contributions of Huntsville’s history makers. Learn more from our very own Executive Director, Donna Castellano.
From the site of Alabama’s constitutional convention to the birthplace of the United States space program, Huntsville and Madison County has a history like no other. The richness and diversity of our historic resources reflects our community’s unique journey and places a special responsibility on us to preserve our historic places for future generations.
Our home has Alabama’s oldest homes and buildings, boasting ten National Register historic districts. From the Greek Revival and Federal-style homes of the Twickenham Historic District to the neighborhoods of textile workers in the Dallas, Lincoln, Lowe and Merrimack Mill Villages to the space age subdivisions created for rocket scientists and engineers, Huntsville-Madison County has a history that must be seen to be believed.
Connect to History
Harrison Brothers Hardware
Current Projects
The Historic Huntsville Foundation is grateful to the Alabama Humanities Alliance for their grant support.