Saturday, October 19, 2019 - Huntsville, AL

Today we headed back to Huntsville to check out Alabama Constitution Hall Historic Park & Museum.  The Constitution Hall is located on the site of where the Alabama Constitution was signed in 1819 and Alabama became a state. 

The building was originally the home and shop of a cabinetmaker.  When the cabinetmaker passed away, his widow and children were left with a heavily mortgaged property and so to pay the mortgage they rented out the largest room on the bottom floor, which was the largest space in Huntsville at the time.  By about 1817, Mississippi and Georgia had both become states (until that point, they had been part of the Mississippi Territory) and Alabama wanted the benefits of statehood.  Delegates from all the counties met in this hall.  Madison County (the home of Huntsville) was by far the largest county had had 8 delegates.  The next biggest county was down in Mobile who had 4 delegates.  The other counties made up the remaining 32 delegates.  Since the signing of the constitution, the building was removed, a theater was built in its place which burned down in it's first year, and then when Huntsville started talking about making the land a parking lot for the city, the historical society stepped in and built a replica of the hall.

Also on the property is the office of a prominent lawyer, Clement Comer Clay who rented space for the Post Office and the Surveyor's Office.  Additionally, there is a blacksmith's shop, a printmaker's shop and home, a residence of the sheriff, and slaves quarters.

Constitution Hall

Cabinetmaker's shop

These ropes would be hooked up to a tree branch to create a spring that helped the saw and lathe work.

Lathe that would require two people to operate

Smooth plane

vice of a sort

Various planes to get different types of corners

Attorney Clay's Building which housed his office, the Post Office, and the
Surveyor's Office

Attorney Clay's Office 

Surveyor's Office

 

Blacksmith's shop

Outhouse

Slaves Quarters 

Apprentice's Quarters

In the kitchen of the printmaker

The printmaker who printed the Alabama Republican 

Dining table in the sheriff's residence

parlor of the Sheriff's house

The Sheriff's family's bedroom (two adults and two kids shared this room)

Butter churn in the kitchen

Some flowers in the courtyard