Huntsville, Alabama

Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County, Alabama. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city proper was 158,216, with a metropolitan statisical area population of 342,376. The current mayor is Loretta Spencer.

History

Huntsville is named after John Hunt, the first Anglo-Saxon owner of the land around Big Spring. However Hunt did not properly register his claim, which was later sold to Leroy Pope, who imposed the name Twickenham on the area to honor the home city of his relative Alexander Pope. The name was later changed to Huntsville to honor Hunt. In 1811, Huntsville became the first incorporated town in Alabama. However, the recognized "birth" year of the city is 1805, since the sesquicentennial anniversary was held in 1955 and the bicentennial was celebrated in 2005.

Related Topics:
John Hunt - Anglo-Saxon - Leroy Pope - Alexander Pope - 1811 - 1805 - Sesquicentennial - 1955 - 2005

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Twickenham is one of three of the city's Historical Districts and features homes in the Federal and Greek Revival architectural styles which were introduced to the city by Virginia-born architect George Steele ca. 1818, and has the most dense concentration of antebellum homes in Alabama. The 1819 Weeden House Museum, is open to the public, as are others in the area. The other two historical districts are : Old Town and 5-Points. Old Town has varied style houses dating from the 1850's-wide tree-lined streets make Old Town especially attractive. 5-Points predominates with bungalows from the turn of the 20th century.

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Huntsville's quick growth was from wealth generated by the cotton industry. In 1819, Huntsville hosted a constitutional convention in Walker Allen's large cabinetmaking shop, and forty-four delegates wrote a constitution for the state of Alabama. Huntsville was Alabama's first capital when it was admitted to the union; the capital was moved to Cahawba in 1820.

Related Topics:
Cotton - 1819 - Alabama - Union - Cahawba - 1820

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In 1855, the Memphis and Charleston Railroad was constructed through Huntsville. On April 11, 1862, during the American Civil War, Union troops led by General Mitchell seized Huntsville to sever the Confederate's railroad communications. Union troops then used Huntsville as a base for operations in the area.

Related Topics:
1855 - April 11 - 1862 - American Civil War

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After the Civil War, Huntsville became a center for cotton textile mills such as Lincoln and Merrimack. Several of Huntsville's earliest neighborhoods were built to house mill workers.

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By 1940, Huntsville was still a small town with a population of only 13,150, which changed at the onset of World War II when Huntsville was chosen as the site of several military manufacturing plants. The plants were almost shut down in 1949 when they were no longer needed, but instead, the military used the area for missile research. In 1950, the military brought German rocket scientist Werner von Braun and his colleagues to Huntsville's Redstone Arsenal to work on the United States' fledgling space program.

Related Topics:
1940 - World War II - 1949 - 1950 - Werner von Braun - Redstone Arsenal - Space program

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On September 8, 1960, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower formally dedicated the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville (NASA had already activated the facility on July 1).

Related Topics:
September 8 - 1960 - Dwight D. Eisenhower - Marshall Space Flight Center - NASA - July 1

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Huntsville is home to the Redstone Arsenal and the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, and is nicknamed "the Rocket City," because of its history with U.S. space missions. Huntsville has been important in developing space technology since the 1950s, when a group of German scientists headed by Dr. Werner von Braun were brought to the United States through Operation Paperclip and developed rockets for the U.S Army. Their work included designing the Redstone ballistic missile, a variant of which, the Jupiter-C, carried the U.S. first satellite and astronauts into space. The Saturn V, was utilized by the Apollo program manned moon missions and was developed from the Redstone Arsenal. Huntsville continues to play an important role in the United States' space shuttle and International Space Station programs; it is estimated that 1 in 13 of Huntsville's population are employed in some engineering line of work.

Related Topics:
Redstone Arsenal - U.S. Space & Rocket Center - 1950s - Werner von Braun - United States - Operation Paperclip - Redstone ballistic missile - Jupiter-C - Saturn V - Apollo program - Space shuttle - International Space Station

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Huntsville is also the location of the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM). Huntsville's contributions to United States Cold War missile armament and technology earned it a "red star" designation as a target of the Soviet Union in the event of a nuclear exchange, fourth behind only New York City, Washington, DC, and NORAD.

Related Topics:
U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command - Red star - Soviet Union - New York City - Washington, DC - NORAD

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Before Huntsville earned the moniker "Rocket City" and accompanying rapid growth, it was known as the Watercress Capital of the World, because watercress was harvested in such abundance in the area.

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