When Huntsville was a small town with big city dreams, a group of influential and wealthy capitalists formed the North Alabama Improvement Company (NAIC) in 1886 to transform North Alabama into a major manufacturing hub. Led by New York financiers Michael and James O’Shaughnessy, these boosters believed Huntsville’s fertile cotton fields, abundant water sources, rail lines, and scenic […]
When Lou Bertha and Shelby Johnson sued the City of Huntsville in 1946 over a zoning dispute, they showed that it was possible for a Black business owner to fight City Hall in the Jim Crow South . . .and win! The Johnsons were an American success story. In 1920, they founded Grand Shine Parlor, […]
We are pleased to present the “Harrison Brothers: House and Home – From Traditional to Modern” exhibition, which highlights the furnishing and household goods sold by the Harrisons from 1900-1960. Using original sample books and furniture catalogs, this exhibition shows the evolution of Huntsville from the Watercress Capital of the World to the Rocket City […]