Timeline of Huntsville, Alabama

The following is a of the history of the city of Huntsville, Alabama, USA.

Prior to 20th century

• 1808 - Madison County, Mississippi Territory organized by the Mississippi territorial legislature.
• 1809 - Town of Twickenham incorporated in U.S. Mississippi Territory.
• 1811 - Twickenham renamed "Huntsville".
• 1812 - Green Academy established.
• 1817
• Town becomes part of U.S. Alabama Territory.
• Huntsville Republican newspaper in publication.
• 1818 - Huntsville social library active.
• 1819
• Alabama Territory constitutional convention held in Huntsville.
• Town becomes part of new U.S. state of Alabama.
• Newly formed Alabama Legislature convenes in Huntsville.
• 1820 - Alabama state capital relocated from Huntsville to Cahaba.
• 1822 - Maple Hill Cemetery in use (approximate date).
• 1825 - Southern Advocate and Huntsville Advertiser newspaper in publication.
• 1827 - Suspected arson destroys post office and land records at surveyor general's office.
• 1835 - A large fire near the Courthouse Square destroys about a dozen buildings.
• 1840 - Population: 2,496.
• 1844 - Huntsville was chartered as a city.
• 1855 - Memphis and Charleston Railroad begins operating.
• 1860 - Huntsville Depot built.
• 1862 - Huntsville occupied by Union forces during the American Civil War.
• 1870 - Population: 4,907.
• 1888
• Old Federal Square U.S. Post Office and Courts built on corner of Randolph St and Green St
• Monte Sano Railroad Workers' House built.
• 1896 - Oakwood College founded.
• 1898 - B’nai Israel Synagogue built.
• 1900 - Population: 8,068.

20th century

• 1904 - An angry mob sets fire to the city jail during the lead up to the Lynching of Horace Maples.
• 1910 - Huntsville Daily Times newspaper begins publication.
• 1912 - Lyric Theatre in business.
• 1916 - Carnegie Public Library building opens.
• 1932 - United States Courthouse and Post Office built.
• 1935 - Monte Sano State Park established near city.
• 1937 - WBHP radio begins broadcasting.
• 1938 - Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge established in vicinity of Huntsville.
• 1941 - U.S. military Redstone Arsenal begins operating.
• 1943 - (August) Community Chest, later to become United Way of Madison County, founded by community leaders
• 1947 - Keller (automobile) production begins.
• 1950
• Area of city: 4 square miles.
• Population: 16,437.
• 1951 - Huntsville-Madison County Historical Society formed.
• 1955
• Huntsville Symphony Orchestra formed.
• Memorial Parkway is constructed as a bypass around downtown.
• 1957 - Lee High School built.
• 1959 - WAFG-TV (television) begins broadcasting.
• 1960
• U.S. NASA Marshall Space Flight Center established.
• Area of city: 51 square miles.
• Population: 72,365.
• 1962 - Arts Council formed.
• 1964 - Huntsville News begins publication.
• 1968 - Joe W. Davis becomes mayor.
• 1969 - Virgil I. Grissom High School established.
• 1970 - Population: 139,282.
• 1974 - Oakwood Adventist Academy established.
• 1975
• Von Braun Civic Center (convention centre) opens.
• Madison County Nature Trail established.
• 1976 - Huntsville Depot museum established.
• 1982
• Panoply Arts Festival begins.
• Alabama Constitution Village museum established.
• 1984 - Madison Square Mall in business.
• 1986 - Interstate 565 highway construction starts.
• 1988 - Steve Hettinger becomes mayor.
• 1989 - November 1989 tornado outbreak.
• 1990 - Population: 159,880.
• 1993 - Big Spring Jam (music festival) begins.
• 1995 - May 18: Anderson Hills tornado.
• 1996
• Loretta Spencer becomes mayor.
• Huntsville News ceases publication.
• 1997 - United States Army Aviation and Missile Command headquartered in Huntsville.

21st century

• 2006 - November 20: 2006 Huntsville bus crash.
• 2008 - Tommy Battle becomes mayor.
• 2010
• February 12: 2010 University of Alabama in Huntsville shooting.
• Population: 180,105.
• 2014
• Area of city: 210 square miles.
• Twickenham Square shopping/residential complex built.
• Restore our Roads initiative created to fund a large amount of infrastructure projects to handle projected growth.
• 2018 - A Huntsville police officer, William Darby, shoots and kills a suicidal man seconds after arriving at the scene. The city council votes to pay the officer's legal defense. Cleared of wrong-doing by the police review board, Darby is convicted of murder. The mayor and police chief continued to support the officer after the guilt verdict.
• 2020
• Construction begins on the next segment of the Northern Bypass, connecting Interstate 565 to US 231/431.
• A George Floyd protest on June 3, 2020, was ended by Huntsville Police along with SWAT and Incident Response Team using tear gas, pepper spray, and rubber bullets.

See also

• Huntsville, Alabama history
• List of mayors of Huntsville, Alabama
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Huntsville, Alabama
• Timelines of other cities in Alabama: Birmingham, Mobile, Montgomery, Tuscaloosa

References

Bibliography

• 1971-
• 2011- (Local wiki)
• . (City plan)

External links

• Items related to Huntsville, various dates (via Digital Public Library of America)
• (Annotated list of links)
• (Materials related to Huntsville, Ala.)