Old Memphis & Charleston Freight Depot, Huntsville, Madison County, 1857 (Places in Peril 1999)10/25/1999 While Huntsville's 1861 Memphis & Charleston passenger depot--one of the oldest surviving railroad passenger facilities in the nation--is now a popular museum, the even earlier (1857) freight depot, less than a hundred yards down the track, currently stands abandoned, its windows and roof partially removed. Constructed in an age when America's expanding railroad network was at the cutting edge of transportation, the depot was infused with a certain style and flare. Clearly, the proud and image-conscious Memphis & Charleston Company--a transportation leader of the antebellum South--intended the building to be not merely functional but a civic ornament as well. Thus the builders imparted a lightly ltalianate character to the structure through broad, over-hanging eaves, delicately arched doorways, and decorative brick work.
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Alabama's Endangered Historic LandmarksEach year since 1994, Alabama Heritage has highlighted threatened historic sites throughout Alabama. The “Places in Peril” list has identified more than 215 imperiled historic resources throughout the state, and is compiled by the Alabama Historical Commission and the Alabama Trust for Historic Preservation. The locations highlight the results of deferred maintenance, perceived obsolescence, development pressures, and lack of funding—forces that now more than ever threaten our cultural legacy. But awareness is a powerful force, too, and can cultivate a renewed determination to be responsible stewards of our heritage. For more information, visit the AHC or the ATHP websites. Alabama Heritage is proud to bring to you a selection of the places designated as perilous. Please keep your comments to information relevant to the featured place in peril. Alabama Heritage reserves the right to delete any comment that we deem inappropriate. Archives
May 2023
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