Alabama: Huntsville (Day 2)

Day 118
No Boat Travel

We intended to visit the Space Center today, but we did not get the rental car until almost 11:00. With half the day shot waiting to get the car, we decided to pick and choose from the menu of other attractions in Huntsville today and save the Space Center for tomorrow.  We chose the Huntsville Visitor Center as our first destination which resulted in money saving coupons for us to use at some of the attractions.

From there we had to go to the bank across the street to get quarters for the parking meters in town since I had not considered parking meters when I left my change purse back on the boat.  We found street parking in downtown Huntsville somewhat centrally located so we could walk in either direction to see what the town had to offer.  After "slugging" the meter, we headed in the direction of Big Spring Park.  As we walked along we came to "Jimmy John's" gourmet sandwich shop, so we stopped in and picked up some goodies to go.

Big Spring Park is a beautiful, serene place to visit with fish, birds, and water everywhere.

Indian Creek Canal
used to take cotton to market via the Tennessee River 

Evelyn studying the fish in the canal

Big Spring Fountain in the park

 We found a shady spot with picnic tables by one of the waterfalls to eat our bag lunch.

Big Spring Park Fountain -
 Picnic site for our lunch

Our next stop was the Harrison Hardware Store in town.  We did not need any hardware supplies. Harrison Hardware is the oldest operating hardware store in the state of Alabama as it was founded in 1897 and is still in business.  This museum store, operated by the Historic Huntsville Foundation, was a mix of modern items for sale blended with history.

Oldest Hardware Store in Alabama c. 1897

Historic Shelving with goods from days of old

Miscellaneous Items from History in Hardware Store

Around the corner from the hardware museum store we found Alabama's Constitution Village commemorating the writing and signing of the constitution of the state of Alabama at this very site in August 1819.  This historic living village is available to tour several days a week but sadly not on Tuesdays.  We tried peeking over the fence to see what we were missing but could not see much, so we moved on to the Twickenham Historic District.

As we walked through the Twickenham Historic District, we saw house after house after house that dated back in time from between 1814 and the 1920's.  Depending on the year / era each house was built the architecture differed significantly.  We learned that Twickenham was the original name for Huntsville, Alabama.

The first home we came to was the Howard Weeden Home.  This home is open for tour several days a week but, again, not on Tuesdays.  Maria Howard Weeden (1846 to 1905) wrote poetry and created paintings that preserved 19th Century southern culture.   Maria Weeden made her contributions under the name Howard Weeden as women could not publish at that time.

Howard Weeden Home circa 1819

Helion Lodge No. 1
First Masonic Lodge in Alabama - chartered August 1811

Clarke-Dorning House circa 1835
Federal-style brick house 

Morgan-Neal House circa 1823
Birthplace of the Confederate "Rebel Raider" General John Hunt Morgan
a Confederate General killed in action in 1864

Among the historic homes of Huntsville, Alabama, we found the birthplace of Tallulah Bankhead who, as the marker says, is Alabama's best-known actress.  She is known for calling everyone "dahling".

Tallulah Bankhead Marker

The two-hour parking meter limit was right on the mark.  We got back to our spot with seven minutes to spare.  We looked through the literature from the visitor center and decided to head to the Burritt on the Mountain visitor attraction.  We had 20% off coupons for the tour of this historic home and the surrounding buildings, so admission became only $8 per person for the two of us.

Dr. Burritt Mansion built circa 1934

Dr. Burritt was a wealthy doctor who had his home built on the mountainside overlooking the town of Huntsville, Alabama.  Since he built the house 80 years ago, the trees have grown and a large portion of the magnificent view he must have had is now blocked by vegetation.

On the Burritt property are a collection of log cabins on display that were donated and moved to this site from other places in  Alabama.

Joel Eddins House circa 1810
Believed to be the oldest documented log structure in the state of AL

Single-room / pen-style  log cabin usually built as a temporary shelter
This specific house was used as slave quarters on the William Gardiner Plantation c. 1850

Time Period Furnishings 

More time period furnishings

Billy Goats -
one looking at us through the fence, the other over the fence

Sheep -
is the one in front smiling at the camera?

 We decided after the Burritt on the Mountain tour that we should head back to the boat, pick up the laundry, and come back out looking for a laundromat.  Clark dropped me off with the laundry just before 5:00 and came back for me about an hour or so later.

When we got back to the marina, we found loopers on the docks having "docktails", so we walked over to say hello.  Among those on the dock were Pearl, Melinda B, Tranquility, rPAD, and Something Special.  Most of them have been to Chattanooga and are on their way south.  As far as I know, only rPAD and ourselves plan to go north when we leave here.

Our plan for tomorrow is to visit the space center, so we will stay here an additional night tomorrow night and leave on Thursday for our next intermediate stop before Chattanooga.