First National Bank Building Baseline Documents

EXHIBIT B
HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE
The Branch of the Bank of the State of Alabama at Huntsville (1835-1853)The Branch of the Bank of the State of Alabama at Huntsville was established by the
General Assembly on January 10, 1835.1 Despite the lack of a building to house the bank, the
state appointed a board of directors to oversee the banks progress on January 9, 1835, members
included: Bartley M. Lowe (President), Thomas Brandon, James Bradley, Hugh Caperton,
Richard Campbell, Daniel Coleman, James J. Donegan, Stephen S. Ewing, Alva Finley, Thomas
Fearn, Arthur F. Hopkins, Francis T. Mastin, Benjamin Patterson, Edward W. Parker, John Read,
Henry Stokes, and Preston Yeatman.2 Documentary evidence shows that on February 25, 1835,
the directors of the Branch Bank appointed a committee, comprised of Stephen S. Ewing,
Thomas Fearn, and Benjamin Patteson, to receive proposals for the purchase of a building or lot
suitable for a Bank House.3 According to a report from the committee on March 14, 1835,
several propositions from different individuals had been received.4 The committee, however,
was unable to secure an appropriate location for the bank by April 22, 1835, and was then
appointed to procure a temporary Banking House so soon as the State bonds may be sold, and
have it properly prepared for business.5 Starting in May of 1835, the bank began renting a
space for $250.00 a year (see figure 7).6 A copy of a report dated 1st October, 1835 from the
Branch of the Bank of the State of Alabama to the Speaker of the House of Representatives of
the State of Alabama found in the January 26, 1836 addition of the Southern Advocate, shows
that the bank was in operation.7
Although the bank was in operation, corresponding deeds for the plots of land at the
corner of Bank Row (now West Side Square) and Fountain Row (now Fountain Circle) show
that the bank had not yet acquired the site that the current bank building now stands on.
1
Alexander B. Meek, comp., "Supplement Aikin's Digest of the Laws of the State of Alabama," (Alabama:
White & Snow, 1841), 19.
2
E. Walter Burkhardt, "First National Bank, Jefferson Street & Fountain Row, Huntsville, Madison County,
AL," Library of Congress- Historic American Buildings Survey, 1934,
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/hh/item/al0351/ (accessed July 2, 2015).
3
William H. Brantley, Banking In Alabama: 1816-1860, vol. I (Private Publisher, 1961), 376-377. The
above quotation, according to Brantley, was pulled from a book that originally belonged to Samuel Chapman Lacy
and was made available courtesy of Maud McClure Kelly.
4
Brantley, 377.
Ibid.
Ibid.
"Branch of the Bank of the State of Alabama- Huntsville, 1st October, 1835." Southern Advocate. Vol. XI.
no. 40. Huntsville, January 26, 1836, microfilm roll # 12.
Figure 1: Excerpt of January 26, 1836 newspaper article Document B List of the Furniture bought for the Branch of
the Bank of the State of Alabama at Huntsville, 1835. Image courtesy of the Huntsville-Madison County Public
Library.
Figure 2: Excerpt of January 26, 1836 newspaper article Document C Statement of expenses of the Branch of the
Bank of the State of Alabama at Huntsville, 1835. Highlighted areas state G. & G. W. Steel for repairing bank
house, 6 mos rent for bank house from 1st of May, at $250 per year, 125.00, and Advertising proposals for
building banking house (twice), 9.00. Image courtesy of Huntsville-Madison County Public Library.
Property for the construction of the new Branch Bank building was purchased from four
separate property owners between March and December of 1837. The dates of purchase are as
follows:
Daniel B. Turner and Wife Susan D. Turner to the Branch of the Bank of the State
of Alabama at Huntsville two hundred and eighty eight square yards for the sum
of $2,000.00 on March 3, 1837.8
Stephen S. Ewing and Wife Polly H. Ewing to the Branch of the Bank of the State
of Alabama at Huntsville three certain lots, pieces or parcels of ground for the
sum of $8,000.00 on March 15, 1837.9
Henry Stokes and Wife Harriet D. Stokes to the Branch of the Bank of the State
of Alabama at Huntsville a parcel of ground for the sum of $400.00 on March 24,
1837.10
Henry T. Duncan and Wife, Eliza Pyke Duncan to the Branch of the State of
Alabama at Huntsville a certain lot of land for the sum of $2,000.00 on December
4, 1837.11
Primary documentation covering the construction of the bank is fragmented making the
exact details unclear. Future examination of records at the Alabama Department of Archives and
History may shed more light on the date of construction and the early years of the bank building.
According to William H. Brantleys book Banking in Alabama: 1816-1860, the only original
record available which gives any detail of the construction of the bank house is an old book, the
property of Samuel Chapman Lacy.12 The last know owner of the said Lacy book was Maud
McClure Kelly.13 A cursory study shows that Maud McClure Kelly was Evelyn Letitia Lacy
Kellys (Samuel Chapman Lacys daughter) sister-in-law. Maud likely acquired the book from
Evelyn.
"Daniel B. Turner and Wife Susan D. Turner to Branch of the Bank of the State of Alabama at Huntsville,"
Deed Book Q, (Huntsville, March 3, 1837), 424.
9
"Stephen S. Ewing and Wife Polly H. Ewing to The Branch of the Bank of the State of Alabama at
Huntsville," Deed Book Q, (Huntsville, March 15, 1837), 436.
10
"Henry Stokes and Wife Harriet D. Stokes to the Branch of the Bank of the State of Alabama at
Huntsville," Deed Book Q, (Huntsville, March 24, 1837), 437.
11
"Henry T. Duncan and Wife Eliza Pyke Duncan to the Branch of the Bank of the State of Alabama at
Huntsville," Deed Book Q, (Huntsville, December 4, 1837), 466.
12
Brantley, 377.
13
Brantley, 477.
Efforts to locate the account book have been

unfruitful to date.14
According to Brantley, the earliest entry
in the Lacy book is a payment made to G. & G.
W. Steele on July 8, 1837, for vault doors.
Several entries of payments made to Steele
spanning the years of 1837-1840 highlight the
progress being made on the banks construction.
A receipt entry dated September 14, 1840 for the
amount of $1,063.80 was made out to the Steele
brothers in full of all demands for building the
Bank House.15 According to Brantley, the final
entry in the book reads, by amount of your bill
for building the Banking House as settled by the
Board receipted and filed$34,141.33.16
Figure 3: Maude McClure Kelly. Image courtesy
of Ancestry.com
Architect, George SteeleConsidered to be the premiere antebellum architect for the city of Huntsville, George
Gilliam Steele was born on April 1, 1798, to George and Sally Gilliam Steele in Bedford County,
Virginia. Steeles early life remains largely shrouded, and there are no known records that Steele
received any formal architectural training, according to his obituary he was self-taught.17 Steele
14
"Ancestry.com," Evelyn Lacy in the 1920 United States Federal Census, http://search.ancestry.com/cgibin/sse.dll?db=1920usfedcen&h=104557265&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt&ssrc=pt_t66885873_p36166162672_kpidz0q
3d36166162672z0q26aidz0q3d323322458271z0q26pgz0q3d32771z0q26pgplz0q3dpidz0q257caid, (accessed May
07, 2015); "Ancestry.com," Evelyn Kelly in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600-Current, August 1984,
http://search.ancestry.com/cgibin/sse.dll?db=FindAGraveUS&h=90070125&indiv=try&o_vc=Record:OtherRecord&tid=66885873&pid=36166162
672&rhSource=6061 (accessed May 07, 2015); "Ancestry.com," Maud Mclure Kelly in the 1940 United States
Federal Census, n.d. http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?gss=angsg&new=1&rank=1&msT=1&gsfn=Maud+McClure&gsln=Kelly&mswpn__ftp=Birmingham%2c+Jefferson%2c+Alaba
ma%2c+USA&mswpn=26571&mswpn_PInfo=8|0|1652393|0|2|3246|3|0|1498|26571|0|&MSAV=0&msbdy=1888&cp=0&catbucket=rst (accessed May 07,
2015).
15
Brantley, 377.
16
Ibid.
17
Linda Bayer, "George Steele: Huntsville's Antebellum Architect," The Historic Huntsville Quarterly: Of
Local Architecture and Preservation, (Spring 1979), 4; F. Charles Vaughn, Jr., "George Steele: Architect and Builder
of the Nineteenth Century," The Huntsville Historical Review (The Huntsville-Madison County Historical Society) 13,
no. 1&2 (Jan-April 1983), 3-13; "Ancestry.com." Capt. George Steele in the Web: Alabama, Huntsville-Madison
County Public Library Obituary Index, 1819-2006. October 31, 1855. http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-
came to Huntsville from Virginia around 1818, and soon

after began work as a brick-builder. In December 1823,
Steele married Eliza Ann Weaver (1808-1891).18 The two
had eight children: Matthew W. Steele (1824-1907); John
F. Steele (1826-1903); George G. Steele (1828-1859);
Sallie Fleming Steele (1829-1891); Mary Eliza Steele
(1832-1834); Ellen Elizabeth Steele (1832-1834); William
Angelo Steele (1836-1912); and Susan Eliza Steele (18391913).19
Steele continued to expand his professional
repertoire to include architectural design. One of his first
designs was a house he built for himself in 1824, located
at 519 Randolph Avenue. Steele is also credited with the
design of the Feeney House (414 Randolph Avenue); the
Yeatman House (528 Adams Street); the Cox House (311
Lincoln Street); the Cabaniss House (603 Randolph
Avenue); the second Madison County Courthouse (no
longer extant); Mary Bibbs Mausoleum (Maple Hill
Cemetery); Oak Place (808 Maysville Road); Pope
Figure 4: George Gilliam Steele, picture
Mansion (403 Echols Avenue); the old Episcopal
courtesy of the Huntsville-Madison County
Public Library.
bin/sse.dll?db=WebSearch-4179&h=109634&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt&ssrc=pt_t12422001_p264879464_kpidz0q3d-264879464z0q26pgz0q3d32770z0q26pgplz0q3dpid (accessed May 07, 2015).
18
"Ancestry.com," George Steele in the Alabama Marriages to 1825, December 24, 1823,
http://search.ancestry.com/cgibin/sse.dll?db=eamal&h=4059&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt&ssrc=pt_t12422001_p195656965_kpidz0q3d195656965z0
q26pgz0q3d32768z0q26pgplz0q3dpid (accessed May 07, 2015).
19
"Ancestry.com," Mathew W. Steel in the 1850 United States Federal Census,

http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=1850usfedcenancestry&indiv=try&h=19039600 (accessed 05 07,
2015);"Ancestry.com," John F. Steele in the 1850 United States Federal Census, http://search.ancestry.com/cgibin/sse.dll?db=1850usfedcenancestry&h=19038877&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt&ssrc=pt_t12422001_p203660179_kpi
dz0q3d203660179z0q26pgz0q3d32768z0q26pgplz0q3dpid (accessed 05 07, 2015); "Ancestry.com," George G.
Steele in the 1850 United States Federal Census, http://search.ancestry.com/cgibin/sse.dll?db=1850usfedcenancestry&h=19038878&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt&ssrc=pt_t12422001_p203668372_kpi
dz0q3d203668372z0q26pgz0q3d32768z0q26pgplz0q3dpid (accessed 05 07, 2015); "Ancestry.com," Salley F.
Steele in the 1850 United States Federal Census, http://search.ancestry.com/cgibin/sse.dll?db=1850usfedcenancestry&h=19038880&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt&ssrc=pt_t12422001_p204038003_kpi
dz0q3d204038003z0q26pgz0q3d32768z0q26pgplz0q3dpid (accessed 05 07, 2015); "Ancestry.com," Mary Eliza
Steele: Jones Family Tree, http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/12422001/person/204118684 (accessed 05 07, 2015).
"Ancestry.com," Ellen Elizabeth Steele: Jones Family Tree,
http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/12422001/person/204120219 (accessed 05 07, 2015); "Ancestry.com." William
Angelo Steele: Jones Family Tree. n.d. http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/12422001/person/204148183 (accessed 05
07, 2015); "Ancestry.com," Susan Eliza Steele: Jones Family Tree,
http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/12422001/person/204367766 (accessed 05 07, 2015).
Church of the Nativity on the corner of Eustis and Greene (no longer extant); the Fearn House
(517 Franklin Avenue); the Figures House (423 Randolph Avenue); the Presidents House (413
Randolph Avenue); Huntsville Female College (no longer extant); and Huntsville Female
Seminary School (no longer extant). George Steele died on October 21, 1855 and was buried in
Maple Hill Cemetery.20 His obituary in the Southern Advocate read:
Capt. George Steele was born in Virginia in Bedford County on the ___
He resided up to his death the 21st inst. in his 58th year. It is not the language of
the idle panegyric to say that George Steele was a man of marked individuality
of positive characteristics and of impressive being. There was nothing passive,
doubtful or unreliable about him. He was open, and bold in expression and
prompt and energetic in action Upon all questions affecting private or public
W__ [well?] he had an opinion and could be placed by the most casual observer.
He was loyal and sure(?) to those who loved him abt(?), but to those men
who sought him, sweet as summer. He was a warm and confiding friend, never
forgetting a favor or a kindness and ready to spend and be spent aid of those who
survived his confidence.
Capt. Steeles life was an active one. He grappled with the stern realities of
existence at the very threshold of manhood. Without the adventurous and _____
way through all obstacles and over powerful opposition. He was
self-educated physically, mechanically, mentally, artistically. Of an iron will,
indomitable energy and keen sagacity, he met difficulties but overcame them and
kept straight on in the goal of merited success. He was eminently a practical mana cultivated Mechanic a Master builder an accomplished Architect. He had
not only learnt the drudgery of this profession but even passed beyond and
became an undertaker, a designer, a creator. His judgment, his taste, his artistic
skill have become institutional. They are seen open to the light of day manifest:
the most obtuse in the Public Buildings in Huntsville the Bank, Court House,
Blossom Institute, Female Seminary, Episcopal and Cumberland Churches, many
of the residences in town and his own beautiful and tastefully adorned mansion.
Huntsville is noted abroad for its improvements and public buildings. To no one
so much as George Steele is the town indebted for its reputation. His advice, his
taste, his hand are visible everywhere and for the better, too. He looked not only
to the present but to the future in all that he advised, planned or executed and
Huntsville will long have cause to be grateful to his memory.
Capt. Steele was of a warm, generous, impulsive nature. He was not free of
faults, who that is mortal is? But they were mere specks in the pure gold of his
character His faults lie gently on him. Mens virtues we would have live in
brass and their evil manners write in water. His public character is known and
appreciated in this community, where he lived, moved, and had his being so long
as usefully as just ___and liberal in his dealings.
20
Bayer, 5-21.
It was at home that George Steele also lived to benefit others. There he lavished
his kindness and provided care over all dependent on him. A kind husband, an
indulgent yet not foolish father, and a good master, was the center of his family
spared no pains apart and no expense in whatever ministered to their welfare,
comfort or happiness. Knowing the advantages of education by the lack of them
in his youth, all his children were trained in the path of knowledge at the best
institutions. He labored upwards, to improve, to elevate, to educate the hand, the
heart, the mind, the manners.
His life was a successful one a boisterous, backward unpromising Spring a
g___, grieving, warm Summer, an abundant yet short Autumn, his demise sunk
into his ___ and his untimely ___ cut him off ___ was Winter with him. And that
was mortal of him ___ gone from us large was his bounty and his soul
sincere. Let us imitate him in all the great good in his character which we are
still ___ and, with a knowledge that we too are mortal and erring creatures.21
Steele has long been attributed to the design of the Branch Bank building, but is not the
only person to leave his mark on the structure. According to the Lacy account book the building
was built with the help of several local subcontractors, carpenters, and masons, including: James
M. Venable who covered the bank with sundry coppers; Hugh N. Moore who completed the
carpentry work; William Hale who completed the painting; Edward T. and R. Parker who
provided the iron railings and installed them; Thomas and William Brandon who completed the
stone and brick work; Justin Dyer who was a subcontractor for the Brandon brothers; and
Frederick Elgin who completed the stucco work for the slave quarters.22
21
"Ancestry.com." Capt. George Steele in the Web: Alabama, Huntsville-Madison County Public Library
Obituary Index, 1819-2006. October 31, 1855. http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=WebSearch4179&h=109634&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt&ssrc=pt_t12422001_p-264879464_kpidz0q3d264879464z0q26pgz0q3d32770z0q26pgplz0q3dpid (accessed May 07, 2015).
22
Brantley, 377-378.
The Panic of 1837
Figure 5: Political Cartoon by H.R. Robinson depicting the Panic of 1837. Print courtesy of the Library of
Congress Prints & Photographs Catalog.
Shortly after construction on the Branch Bank began the country experienced a large
scale panic known widely as the Panic of 1837. The Panic of 1837 has long been attributed to a
real estate bubble and inconsistent American banking policies. The crisis began in 1836 when
the Bank of the United States lost its charter; this in turn allowed the nations banks to issue
private banknotes unsupported by gold or silver. Shortly thereafter President Andrew Jackson
passed the Specie Circular of 1836. This executive order was a reaction to excessive land
speculation and the use of unsupported paper money printed by sundry banks to purchase land.
The order only allowed the purchase of government land using gold or silver. By 1837, the
banks refused to redeem banknotes effectively shutting down commerce. The initial Panic of
1837, and the subsequent depression that followed lasted for six-years.23
The Branch of the Bank of the State of Alabama at Huntsville weathered this national
storm for a time. In an annual report for the bank, published in the November 18, 1837 issue of
The Democrat, Bank President Bartley M. Lowe wrote:
23
"1837: The Hard Times," Harvard Business School Historical Collections, 2012,
http://www.library.hbs.edu/hc/crises/1837.html (accessed May 11, 2015).
The statement of the general liabilities of the Bank, and means to meet them,
made without reference to the periods when those liabilities become due, shows a
surplus of $164,344.42. Taking into consideration the late derangements in the
fiscal concerns of the country, from the effects of which no banking institution
has been exempt, a more favorable state of things could scarcely have been
anticipated; and were it proper to close this communication here, the friends of
this Branch might congratulate themselves on its prosperous condition.24
All of the branches of the State Bank of Alabama, including the branch at Huntsville,
eventually succumbed to the pressures of the Panic of 1837.25 By February 4, 1843, an Act
passed by the General Assembly allowed for the liquidation of the Branch of the Bank of the
State of Alabama at Huntsville.26 After the Branch Bank at Huntsvilles charter expired January
1, 1844, a commission was appointed in 1846 by order of the state legislature to only continue
in operation for the security and collection of debts due to said Branch Bank, and for the
settlement and liquidation of its affairs.27 The committee completed its task by 1853, and the
bank building and land was sold in October of 1854.28
24
B.M. Lowe, "Branch of the Bank of the State of Alabama, Huntsville," The Democrat, (October 31, 1837:
Huntsville), 1.
25
26
Linda Bayer, "George Steele Bank Building, 216 West Side Square, Huntsville, AL," Brief History, 1.
C.C. Clay comp., "A Digest of the Laws of the State of Alabama," (Alabama: Marmaduke J. Slade, 1843),
43.
27
Bayer, 1.
28
"The State of Alabama to Deed Northern Bank of Alabama," Deed Book Z, (Huntsville, October 14,
1854), 597;"Henry F. Halsey and Wife to Deed Northern Bank of Alabama," Deed Book Z,( Huntsville, October 25,
1854), 596; "John Whiting, Commissioner and Trustee Deed of Conveyance to Stephen S. Ewing," Deed Book BB,
(Huntsville, July 10, 1857), 218-219. The deed dated July 10, 1857, between John Whiting and Stephen Ewing is a
later published document of an agreement made during the original purchase of the Bank property in 1837. A
deed dated March 15, 1837 between Stephen Ewing and the Branch of the Bank of the State of Alabama at
Huntsville states that Ewing conveyed a parcel of land located on the corner of Bank Row and Fountain Row to the
Branch Bank for the sum of $8,000.00. The later deed dated July 10,1857, states, Mr. Ewing having determined to
take the House and lot owned by the Bank, and receive the $1750 in exchange for the whole of his property on the
bluff according to the proposition made to him at the last meeting:_ Ordered that the President make to Mr. Ewing
a Deed for the lot sold to him, and receive from him a Deed for the property sold by him to the bank. The deed
th
then goes on to say, And whereas the said Stephen S. Ewing, afterwards, on the 15 day of March 1837, delivered
to the said Branch Bank a Deed of Conveyance, of that date, from him and his wife, duly executed and
acknowledged, for the said property on the bluff... And whereas no deed was ever made by the President of said
Branch Bank, or by any other person in pursuance of said resolution to the said Branch Bank. It appears from
these two records that Ewing made an agreement with the State Bank to exchange the property that he owned on
the corner of Bank Row and Fountain Row for a plot of land and building that the Bank owned plus $1,750.00.
While Ewing held up his side of the agreement by creating a deed of sale in 1837, the Bank did not complete this
task until 1857, after the Bank and land sold to the Nothern Bank of Alabama.
10
The Northern Bank of Alabama and the Civil War (1852-1865)
Figure 6: Union occupation of the Northern Bank of Alabama, c. 1862. Image courtesy of the Huntsville-Madison
County Public Library.
The Northern Bank of Alabama finalized the purchase of the bank house and lot in
October 1854. The bank remained in the possession of the Northern Bank of Alabama for fifteen
years. Like the Branch of the Bank of the State of Alabama at Huntsville, the Northern Bank of
Alabama was destined to face turmoil.29 On April 12th 1861, the American Civil War tore
through the country marking the beginning of a tumultuous time in Huntsville.
By and large, Huntsville was a divided town prior to and during the Civil War.
Huntsville, composed of both landed gentry and yeoman farmers, supported both Confederate
and Union sympathizers. Despite the rift, the fate of Huntsville, like many towns and cities in
the south, was irrevocably impacted by the Civil War.30
Union troops, led by General Ormsby M. Mitchel seized control of Huntsville on the
morning of April 11, 1862. Troops composed of the Indiana 5th Independent Light Artillery 37th
29
Ibid.
30
Taylor M. Polites, The Bloody Occupation of Northern Alabama, February 28, 2013,
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/28/the-bloody-occupation-of-northern-alabama/ (accessed June
17, 2015).
11
Infantry, the Illinois 19th and 24th Infantry, and the Ohio 4th Cavalry and 18th Infantry led a
surprise attack on the city, and Huntsville yielded to the encroaching Union Army with little
opposition.31 One onlooker reported, the clattering noise of the cavalry aroused them from their
slumber in the dawn of the morning, and they flocked to door and window, exclaiming, with
blanched cheek and faltering tongue. They come! They come! The Yankees come.32
The interest of the Union army in Huntsville centered primarily on the capture of the
Huntsville Depot, which served the Memphis and Charleston Railroads. This particular junction
served as a major supply artery for the Confederate army, the capture of which would help to
wound the rebel forces. A Nashville newspaper, Daily Union, further described the situation:
This Memphis and Charleston road is the only connection left the rebels between
Louisiana, Mississippi and all Alabama west of Pensacola and the Southern
seaboard States. Troops can only be sent east from New Orleans, Natchez,
Vicksburg, Jackson, Memphis, Baton Rouge, or Mobile, or those points from
Virginia, North or South Carolina, or Georgia, over the Memphis and Charleston
road, the only railroad line now connecting the east and west of the rebellion. Let
that road be once broken and the Southern Confederacy is cut into as effectually
as if a Chinese wall were built between the Gulf and the seaboard States.33
Several buildings and homes in Huntsville were occupied by the Union army, and were
used primarily as headquarters and encampments. During the Civil War the Northern Bank of
Alabama was used as the commissary for Union troops (See figure 12). Local lore holds that
prior to the Federal occupation of Huntsville the banks cashier, Theophilus Lacy, placed the
banks funds in a burlap bag which he then hid inside one of the fireplace flues behind the
tellers cage. Primary source documentation to support this tale has not been located.34
Huntsville, because of the Union occupation during the war, escaped much of the terrible
destruction inflicted on other southern towns. In general, the occupation of Huntsville saw little
resistance. Several of the pro-Confederate inhabitants did feel the weight of the occupation,
however, as Mary Jane Chadick, a local Huntsville resident, outlines in a diary entry dated April
12, 1862, Truly our town is full of the enemy. There is a sentinel at every corner. Everybody
keeps the front door locked, and I make it a point to answer the bell myself, not permitting
children or servants to open it. They have been searching the houses today for arms Servants
31
Deborah Storey, Civil War: 150th aniversary of the Union occupation of Huntsville,
http://blog.al.com/breaking/2012/04/the_civil_war_union_occupation.html, (accessed June 17, 2015); Alabama
Civil War Battles, http://www.nps.gov/civilwar/alabama.htm (accessed June 26, 2015); Polites,
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/28/the-bloody-occupation-of-northern-alabama/.
32
Martha B. Gabel, "General O.M. Mitchel's Occupation of Huntsville," The Huntsville Historical Review ,
(July 1971), 16.
33
Gabel, 14; Victoria Cumbow, Huntsville's Civil War history shown through diaries and letters, April 11,
2011, http://blog.al.com/breaking/2011/04/huntsvilles_civil_war_history.html (accessed June 17, 2015).
34
Pat Jones, "The First National Bank," The Huntsville Historical Review, (April-July 1975), 26-27.
12
are giving information of all the

arms and soldiers who have been
concealed.35
Some reprisal from proConfederate bushwhackers did
occur, these attacks escalated as
the occupation went on. Mitchel
had difficulty maintaining order
throughout his widely spread
troops. In a wire sent to
Washington Mitchel stated,
Armed citizens fire into the
trains, cut the telegraph wires,
attack the guards of bridges, cut
off and destroy my couriers,
Figure 7: Union Occupation of the Northern Bank of Alabama, c. 1864. while guerrilla bands of cavalry
Image courtesy of the Huntsville History Collection.
attack whenever there is the
slightest chance of success.36 Mitchel attempted to restore order as is revealed in an April 28,
1862, diary entry by Mary Jane Chadick that states, General Mitchel has been in a rage all the
week on account of the cutting of the telegraph wires, the tearing up of the railroad track, firing
into trains, and holds the citizens responsible for the same, having had 12 of the most prominent
arrested. General Mitchel and other Union officers took pains to ensure that the homes and
buildings that they occupied, among them the Northern Bank building, remained intact. Only one
building, the First Methodist Church on Greene Street, was lost during the occupation when it
was accidentally burned down in January 1864. 37
From April 11, 1862 until the Civil Wars end on April 9, 1865 Federal troops occupied
the City of Huntsville. By the wars end a semblance of peace was restored to the City as the
Union occupation was lifted.
35
Polites, http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/28/the-bloody-occupation-of-northernalabama/; Storey, http://blog.al.com/breaking/2012/04/the_civil_war_union_occupation.html.

36
Polites, http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/28/the-bloody-occupation-of-northern-
alabama/.
37
Storey, http://blog.al.com/breaking/2012/04/the_civil_war_union_occupation.html.
13
The National Bank of Huntsville (1866-1889)
Figure 8: Photograph of the National Bank Building at Huntsville, c. 1870,

courtesy of the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library. Pictured in front of
the building is bank cashier Theophilus Lacy. Lacy held the position of cashier
of the bank with all of the institutions that occupied it until his death in 1874.38
During the first year after the war, the Northern Bank of Alabama posted the sale of the
bank building for $35,000.00, reserving to themselves [existing stockholders] the right or
privilege of such occupancy as they require to wind up the affairs of the Northern Bank of
Alabama, the said amount of $35,000 to be paid in greenbacks. Hard times hit Huntsville for a
brief period during Reconstruction leading to the sale of the Northern Bank of Alabama. A
newly chartered bank, the National Bank of Huntsville, offered to purchase the property for
$30,000. The sum was to be paid in three installments; the first payment of $10,000 to be paid
up-front, the second to be paid at the end of the year, and the third to be paid two years after the
38
Jones, 28. In meeting minutes from the National Bank of Huntsville dated February 4, 1874, members
noted: Since the last meeting of the board, Theophilus Lacy, the beloved and worthy cashier of the National Bank
of Huntsville, died at his residence, within these walls, on Tuesday night, February 10, 1874, at the age of 70 years,
one month, 10 days. It were vain to attempt to impress in mere words the sincere sorrow and heartfelt grief of
each member of this board occasioned by the death of a brother who was a gentle as a little child, yet as firm as
the solid mountains, who was so pure in heart, so right-minded in all things, so patient and of such lofty rectitude
It is becoming to say that his accounts were kept in order, and as in this world, the balance was always on the right
side. His survivors have the full assurance that when he is weighed in the scales of eternal justice, he will receive
the just and righteous mans reward.
14
execution of the deed. Stockholders of the

Northern Bank of Alabama turned down the
offer, and the National Bank of Huntsville
began renting the property for $100 per month
instead.39
Figure 9: Advertisement for the National Bank of

Huntsville, published in the December 21, 1866
addition of the Huntsville Advocate. Image
courtesy of the Huntsville-Madison County Public
Library.
The National Bank of Huntsville was

chartered five months after the end of the Civil
War on September 15, 1865. According to
bank financial statements the National Bank of
Huntsville began renting the bank building on
October 1, 1865. In a financial statement dated
March of 1866, $300 was paid for renting of
banking rooms from October 1- December
31, 1865, and $500 was paid for renting the
building from January 1 to March 31, 1866.40
The bank officially opened for business on
October 5, 1865.41
A board meeting held January 4, 1867
the National Bank board resolved:
That the president of this bank is hereby authorized and required to consummate
with the Northern Bank of Alabama the purchase of its banking house and lot of
land upon which it is situated, upon the terms agreed upon between the
contracting parties on January 1, 1867, namely, as soon as the Northern Bank of
Alabama executes and delivers to this bank a fee simple deed with general
warranty to the property so purchased.42
The same day that this resolution was passed the Northern Bank of Alabama at Huntsville
sold the bank building and property to the National Bank of Huntsville for the sum of
$30,000.
39
Jones, 27; Sarah Etheline Bounds, "Reconstruction in Huntsville and Madison County, Alabama, 18651869," The Huntsville Historical Review, (October 1973), 3-23.
40
41
Jones, 27.
Yesterday & Today: The First National Bank, Brief History, (Huntsville: The First National Bank, 1967), 4.
42
Jones, 28.
15
Although Huntsville
experienced a slight depression
in the post-Civil War
Reconstruction years, by the
1880s and 90s Huntsville
experienced tremendous growth
due to the establishment of the
cotton mill industry. To
emerge from the mire of
Reconstruction, Southerners in
the 1880s began to rally around
the cry bring the cotton mills to
the cotton fields. Due in large
part to the enterprising assistance
Figure 10: Circa 1908 postcard of cotton season on Westside
of men like Michael and James
Square. Image courtesy of the Huntsville History Collection.
OShaughnessy, Tracy Pratt,
William Wells, and Willard
Wellman, Huntsville was able to quickly establish itself as a major milling town. The National
Bank of Huntsville, along with the cotton mills, prospered during the late 19th and early 20th
century. For a span of more than 23 years the National Bank of Huntsville thrived.43
Figure 11: Circa 1880 photograph of the National Bank of Huntsville.

Image courtesy of the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library.
43
Patricia H. Ryan, "Tracy Pratt," The Huntsville Historical Review, (Spring-Fall 1985), 27-28; Greg Schmidt,
"Huntsville," Encyclopedia of Alabama, November 30, 2009, http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h2498 (accessed June 30, 2015); Yesterday & Today, 4.
16
The First National Bank (1889-1971)
Figure 12: Advertisement for the First National Bank.

Image courtesy of the Bank File Folder at the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library.
On July 3, 1889, leadership at the National Bank chartered the First National Bank,
organized for the purpose of taking over the business of the National Bank of Huntsville.44 In
a deed dated July 5, 1889, the National Bank of Huntsville sold the bank house and property to
the First National Bank for the sum of $20,000.45 It was under the management of the First
National Bank that the bank building underwent several changes. Whether these changes were a
product of prosperous times, or changes in architectural trends (or both) remains unclear. The
below photographic timeline and accompanying notations depict the transformation of the
building during the early 20th century.
44
Yesterday & Today, 4-5; "The First National Bank Building 1835-1951," Brief History, (Huntsville, 1951),
11.
45
"The National Bank of Huntsville to Deed The First National Bank of Huntsville," Deed Book RRR,
(Huntsville, July 5, 1889), 433; Yesterday & Today, 4-5; "The First National Bank Building 1835-1951, 11.
17
Figure 13: Image of Madison Riflemen prior to the Spanish American War, c. 1889 when the bank was still under
the National Bank of Huntsville. By c. 1889 the bank building retained its original appearance. 46
Figure 14: Circa 1889 photograph of the First National Bank Building.
Image courtesy of the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library.
By c. 1889, the building still retained its original appearance.
46
Yesterday &Today, 5.
18
Figure 15: By c. 1900 the First National Bank had J.F. Hummel & Sons cut in two doors with transoms on the first
floor.47 Two windows flanking a central entry door were added on the second floor, a second floor balcony with
wrought iron railing with a central partition was installed, and a sign hung from the two center columns. Image
courtesy of the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library.
47
Bayer, Linda. "George Steele Bank Building, 216 West Side Square." Brief History, Huntsville, 2.
19
Figure 16: By c. 1925, the bank added a large sign in the entablature of the building, two signs were added to the
outside columns, the central sign spanning the center columns was removed, and a plaque added to the right of the
main entry doors. Photograph courtesy of Huntsville-Madison County Public Library.
The Great Depression

The time of prosperity brought on by the milling industry in Huntsville spurred on
progress in Huntsville for a time. By 1930, however, the whole of the nation had succumbed to
the trauma inflicted by the Great Depression. While Huntsville did experience several hardships,
including business failures and high rates of personal bankruptcy, the city was spared from many
of the difficulties of the Depression. 48
In the early years of the Depression Era Huntsville sustained itself through the milling
industry. Many of the local mills continued operating, providing Huntsvillians with more than
4,000 jobs. The milling industry proved to be unstable, however, facing labor unrest, strikes, and
walkouts. Labor struggles would prove to be a continued issue into the late 1930s.49
Added assistance from later New Deal initiatives also helped to support Huntsville during
the Great Depression. The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded several projects in
48
Bob Adams, "1930-1939: The Great Depression," In Eden of the South, edited by Ranee G. Pruitt, 146.
(Huntsville: Huntsville-Madison County Public Library, 2005), 146.
49
Ibid.
20
Huntsville, including the construction of a curb market on Gallatin Street in 1935 and East
Clinton Grammar School in 1938.50 A Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp was constructed
on McClung Street in 1935.51 One of the most important contributions of the New Deal to the
city of Huntsville was the large scale documentation of several of Huntsvilles iconic historic
buildings by the Historic American Building Survey (HABS). HABS reports were completed for
the Weeden House, the LeRoy Pope mansion, the third county courthouse, and the National
Bank building among others.52
The HABS report, compiled in 1934, gave the first in-depth look at the First National
Bank building. The report includes detailed plans, photographs, and written historical and
descriptive data that help observers better understand the layout of the building and how it has
changed since the 1930s.
50
Adams, 152-154.
51
Adams, 151.
52
E. Walter Burkhardt, "First National Bank, Jefferson Street & Fountain Row, Huntsville, Madison County,
AL," Library of Congress- Historic American Buildings Survey, 1934.
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/hh/item/al0351/ (accessed July 2, 2015); E. Walter Burkhardt, "Miss
Howard Weeden House, 300 Gates Avenue, Huntsville, Madison County, AL," Library of Congress- Historic
American Buildings Survey, 1933, www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/hh/item/al0363/ (accessed July 2, 2015); E.
Walter Burhardt, "Old Madison County Court House, Court Square, Huntsville, Madison County, AL," Library of
Congress-Historic American Buildings Survey, 1933, http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/hh/item/al0352/
(accessed July 2, 2015); E. Walter Burkhardt, "Pope-Spragins House, 407 Echols Avenue, Huntsville, Madison
County, AL," Liberary of Congress- Historic American Buildings Survey, 1933,
21
Figure 17: First National Bank building, 1934. Note the addition of large sign in the entablature of the building,
two signs located on the outside columns, two half-light wood panel doors with a single light transom, a second
floor balcony with wrought iron railing, two second story windows, a central second story door, and a balcony
partition. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.
22
Figure 18: View of the back of the bank from Big Springs Park, 1934. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.
23
Figure 19: South side of the bank building. Note the use of five-over-two double-hung windows on the former slave
quarters, c. 1930. Note also the existence of barred vents and wood entry door to the holding cells on the former
slave quarters. The main building features six-over-two double-hung windows on the second floor of the main
building (c. 1930) and six-over-six double-hung windows on the first floor of the main building (c. 1838). The
stairwell on the south elevation is still open, enclosed c. 1951. The second floor loggia on the former slave quarters
has been filled in, date of enclosure unknown. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.
24
Figure 20: Image of the north side of the former slave quarters. The two story former slave quarters feature a two
story loggia supported by Doric order columns. The first floor has five wood panel entry doors with transoms. A
semi-open stairwell located at the west end of the building leads to the second floor. The second floor loggia has
infill composed of seven sets of two six-light windows with bead board above in between each Doric column. A
simple square balustrade and railing runs the full length of the loggia, date of infill unknown. An open breezeway
on the east side of the building leads to the main bank building. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.
25
Figure 21: Photograph of the bank building vestibule added c. 1900. Two wood panel entry doors with transoms
were added to the north and south sides of the vestibule, c. 1900. The interior doors correspond with the addition of
the half-light wood doors and transoms on the buildings faade at the turn of the century. A set of half-light wood
panel doors lead to the interior of the bank building. The vestibule features large crown molding fluted pilasters,
and tile flooring. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.
26
Figure 22: Image of the interior of the south front office and mantel. The south front office features plaster walls
with a central neoclassical mantel (c. 1900), and wide plank wood flooring. The wood mantel is composed of a wide
molded mantel shelf atop a molded under-mantel, a pair of Ionic fluted columns on either side of the fire box. The
fireplace surround and hearth are clad in tile, and a small wrought iron firebox and grate can be seen, c. 1900. This
mantel is still intact today. A wood panel door with bullseye corner blocks and fluted door surround to the left of the
fireplace leads into public space of the bank. A large built-in with glass doors is located to the right of the fireplace.
Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.
27
Figure 23: View towards the northwest corner of the bank. The public space and work space of the bank building
features three member crown molding, plaster walls, six-over-six double-hung windows, and tile floors. The
windows feature bullseye corner blocks and fluted surround molding. Interior shutters on either side of the window
jambs fold up flush within the wall giving the window the appearance of jamb paneling. Molded window panels
located beneath each window match the appearance of the folding shutters. A large bank screen separates the work
space from the public space. The bank screen, built in mahogany, features molded cornices and entablatures atop
smooth shaft Ionic columns. A total of 12 columns support the entablatures. Mahogany chair rails fill the space
between each column. Five brass latus cashiers windows are evenly spaced along the bank screen. The entire bank
screen is capped by brass arrow shaped crockets. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.
28
Figure 24: View of the public space window on the south wall. The six-over-six double-hung window features
bullseye corner blocks and fluted surround molding. Interior shutters on either side of the window jambs fold up
flush within the wall giving the window the appearance of jamb paneling. Molded window panels located beneath
each window match the appearance of the folding shutters. A large bank screen, the corner of which can be seen in
the right side of the frame, separates the work space from the public space. The bank screen, built in mahogany,
features molded cornices and entablatures atop smooth shaft Ionic columns. A total of 12 columns support the
entablatures. Mahogany chair rails fill the space between each column. Five brass latus cashiers windows are
evenly spaced along the bank screen. The entire bank screen is capped by brass arrow shaped crockets. Image
courtesy of the Library of Congress. .
29
Figure 25: First and second floor floor plans for the bank building. Note the second floor is no longer extant aside
from the front bedrooms. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.
30
Figure 26: Holding cell basement, first floor, and second floor floor plans for the bank former slave quarters.
31
Figure 27: Front elevation. Note the second floor balcony and second floor door (added c. 1900), no longer extant.
South open air stairwell in elevation is now enclosed. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.
32
Figure 28: Side and rear elevations and sections. Major changes to the building include the removal of the second
floor in 1951, the infill and expansion of the former slave quarters and loggia in 1951 and 1967, removal of the bank
screen, alteration of the north front office, removal of the balcony, removal of vents and Fountain Row entry door on
the former slave quarters and the infill of the exterior stairs and breezeway. Note on the Southeast elevation the
presences of two wood panel doors on the first floor of the main bank building, no longer extant.
33
Figure 29: Details of interior and exterior architectural elements. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.
Observations
Stylistic evidence of remaining material (molding, doors, and windows) and examination
of historic images of the building, point to major alterations to the bank at the turn of the century.
Two offices were added to the north and south side of the front of the bank building, and a
34
vestibule added in between the offices behind the main entry door. Two half-light wood panel
doors with transoms were added on the faade and serve as entrances for each office. Two more
wood panel doors leading to the front offices were added to the vestibule area. Two doors were
cut into the south elevation. A wood panel door with three-light transom located on the fourth
bay, and a pair of wood panel doors with a three-light transom on the sixth bay were added to the
main bank building. Photographs from the turn of the century show the addition the second floor
balcony, windows, and doors on the faade of the building. The appearance, style, and material
used on the bank screen (especially when compared to the mantel in the front office) suggest that
it was a turn of the century addition as well. Molding remnants in the two remaining upper
rooms coupled with an existing interior door suggest that major interior renovations were
completed in c. 1900.
World War II and the Redstone Arsenal (1941-1950)
Figure 30: Image of local troops in formation in front of the bank building during WWII. Note that the balcony is
still intact in 1942. Balcony may have been removed during building renovations in 1951. Image taken from 1951
renovation booklet entitled The First National Bank Building 1835-1951, courtesy of Henry Turner.
The entry of the United States into the World War II conflict in December of 1941
marked the beginning of a new era of progress in the city of Huntsville. In July 1941, Huntsville
established the Huntsville Arsenal, a $40 million chemical war plant. The establishment of the
Huntsville Arsenal and the presence of the U.S. military in the Huntsville would impact the city
35
for decades to come.53

In October 1941 the army broke ground on a second facility, the Redstone Ordinance
Plant, meant for the manufacture of shells, grenades, and explosives. By February 1943, the
second Redstone Ordinance Plant became the Redstone Arsenal. The South Bombing Range, a
third military facility, became operational in May 1943. This military complex spurred the fast
pace growth of the citys population.54
Beyond intensive population growth the establishment of the Arsenal helped to boost the
local economy. By the Wars end in the fall of 1945, however, the plants closed. By 1947, the
Huntsville Arsenal was considered military surplus and was posted for sale. Fearing the collapse
of Huntsvilles economy with the closure of the Arsenal, U.S. Senator John Sparkman worked
with White House administration and the military to develop a new use for the Redstone Arsenal.
Sparkmans efforts proved fruitful and in October 1949 the army moved its Ordnance Research
and Development Division Sub-Office for Rockets from Fort Bliss Texas to Huntsville.55
The Arsenal in Huntsville helped to usher the United States into the space age in the
1950s when a team of German scientists, led by Wernher von Braun, arrived in Huntsville. The
innovations introduced by the team of scientists and the prosperity that those advances cultivated
within Huntsvilles economy launched a sharp growth in Huntsvilles population. In a span of
10 years the population more than quadrupled, jumping from 16,000 residents to 72,000
residents in the decade of the 1950s.56 The Redstone Arsenal was further expanded in 1955,
when the missile testing program was transferred from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in
California to Huntsville. By 1956, the Redstone Arsenal had transformed itself into the nations
major center for rocket science and experimentation, helping to marshal in a new dawn for
Huntsville development.57
53
Carroll Van West, "Old Town National Register Nomination," (Huntsville: National Park Service, 2010),
section 8, pages 73-74.
54
Ibid.
55
West, section 8, page 74.
56
Linda Bayer and Juergen Paetz. "How Huntsville Grew:Boundary and Annexation Survey 1810-1993,"
The Huntsville Historical Review, (Summer-Fall 1993), 3.
57
36
Huntsvilles Population Growth58

Year
1860
1870
1880
1890
1900
1910
1920
1930
1940
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
58
Acers
640
2,560
1,440
1,440
1,440
1,440
1,440
1,548
1,548
2,728
32,659
69,290
72,557
103,171
% Change
300
-44
0
0
0
0
7.5
0
76.2
1097.2
112.2
4.7
42.2
Population
3,634
4,907
4,977
7,995
8,068
7,611
8,018
11,554
13,050
16,437
72,365
139,282
142,513
159,789
% Change
35
1.4
60.6
0.9
-5.7
5.3
44.1
12.9
26.0
340.3
92.5
2.3
12.1
Acre
5.7
1.9
3.5
5.5
5.6
5.3
5.6
7.5
8.4
6.0
2.2
2.0
2.0
1.5
Bayer and Paetz, 6
37
The Space Age (1957-1966)
Figure 31: Naturalization ceremony for the German rocket scientists on November 11, 1954. Left to right: Walter
Wiesman, Robert Searcy (child possibly Mike Wiesman), Eberhard Rees, Hoffman Birney, Gerd DeBeek, Magnus
von Braun, Otto Eisenhardt, Hilde von Braun, Inge Dannenberg, Sergeant Appler, Konrad Dannenberg, Dr. J.B.
Tschinkel, Pastor George F. Hart of St. Marks Evangelical Lutheran Church, and Dr. Martin Schilling. Image
courtesy of the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library.
Huntsville officially entered the Space Age in November of 1957 after President Dwight
Eisenhower ordered the launch of the nations first satellite into space. The Army Ballistic
Missile Agency and Jet Propulsion Laboratory played an instrumental role in the development of
the Jupiter C rocket which was launched by the army at Cape Canaveral, Florida on January 31,
1958. By March 1959, the U.S. Army Ordinance and Missile Command formed its headquarters
at the Arsenal. This program oversaw the armys Advanced Research Projects Agency, part of
the militarys outer space program.59
The National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA) allocated part of the
Redstone airfield to the Marshall Space Flight Center in 1960. This center was part of the
nations manned space program, administered by von Braun. The Marshall Center sustained
more than 1,000 on site contractors and over 5,000 civilian employees, helping to transform the
predominantly agrarian town into a more diverse and technically driven city. The capstone of
this transformation was the jump in the average personal income, which surpassed the per capita
59
Ibid.
38
income of the rest of Alabama by 20 percent in 1966.60

Urban Renewal (1951-1967)
Figure 32: Image of Cotton Row in 1962 after the 1914 Madison County Courthouse was torn down.
The removal of the third county courthouse was one of many of the projects completed by the Central City Urban
Renewal Program. Image courtesy of the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library.
With the transformation of the citys economy came the transformation of the citys
landscape. Urban Renewal, spurred on by Huntsvilles desire to become more advanced, helped
to reshape the downtown square. Huntsville demolished many of its historic downtown
buildings to make way for modern architecture, most notably the removal of the third county
courthouse and cotton row. While the First National Bank building was spared complete
demolition, it did not fully escape the clutches of renewal. The bank building then became a
canvas on which the First National Bank could draw the story of Huntsvilles new found
prosperity.
60
39
Figure 33: 1951 image of the First National Bank building. Note the removal of the second story balcony and the
alterations of the second story apertures. Image taken from 1951 renovation booklet entitled The First National Bank
Building 1835-1951, courtesy of Henry Turner.
In a 1951 pamphlet produced by the First National Bank entitled The First National Bank
Building 1835-1951, bank managers highlight the changes that had taken place in the newly
remodeled building stating:
The old vault has been torn away and a new one built at the rear of the enlarged
banking room, this embodying all modern safeguards for the protection of the
funds and valuables of the bank and its customers.
This old building was found to be in a remarkable state of preservation. The
heavy timbers were of poplar. The door and window jambs were of red cedar, as
were the lintels and the columns and floors of the verandas, in the rear. There
were found to be as sound as when installed and wherever possible have been
retained, for they are far superior to anything available today.
That the laborers builded [sic] even better than they knew, is attested by the
complete soundness of the timbers removed when the floors and second story
40
were torn away; and by the cunning and ingenuity with which these heavy timers
were mortised, keyed and locked into the structure. It is evident that they were
artisans of the highest order, for these timbers, cut and fitted with amazing
exactness, identify them as highly skilled workmen, proud of their ability.
It is interesting to note that when the second floor was torn away, a layer of saw
dust was found between it and the ceiling below, an early attempt to provide
soundproofing and insulation.
Another interesting relic of other days was unearthed when excavating for the
foundation of the extension to the rear of the building. A section of cedar
waterpipe [sic] was found, this evidently a part of a lateral line from the main,
designed to convey water to the bank premises.
In the servants quarters on the third floor of the extension is the new directors
room and when, in the course of remodeling, the floors were torn away there was
found a brick floor laid over a bed of rubble more than three feet thick. This was
the kitchen floor of days gone by and the chimney in this room was of very
unusual proportions, about eight feet wide and fully as deep.
The building no longer old, save in years, has seen three-fourths of American
history in the making and, now, it faces the years ahead, during which more
history is to be made, in what is our fervent hope, expectation and conviction, The
Best American Tradition!61
As the above excerpt implies, the 1950s saw great change to this building. The alterations
included: the removal of the original vault; the removal of the second story living quarters to
make way for a single story bank lobby; the addition of modern interior materials including
marble; removal of the second story door and addition of a center window; removal of the
second story balcony; addition of a ramp and side entry to the lobby on the north wall; and the
installation of two teller windows on the south wall of the former slave quarters in the area that
was once the holding cells. The excerpt also reveals much about the construction methods
employed during the construction of the original structure. The document highlights the use of
poplar timbers held together by pegged mortis and tennon joints, and the use of red cedar for the
door and window jambs. The booklet also identifies archeological evidence of a cedar waterline
and an earlier kitchen at the back of the building in the former slave quarters, providing further
insights into the evolution of the building.
In a newspaper article from 1958, Elliot Wright states, The Interior was remodeled in
1951 to improve banking facilities. Fortunately the renovations destroyed little of the beauty of
the place. Today the blast of test rockets, not rifles, resounds through the valley; residents come
by car, not wagon, and Alabamas Marble Palace still gleams in the southern sun; this article
further outlines the tenor of the day towards modern renovations to historic buildings.62 The
61
The First National Bank Building 1835-1951, 13.
62
Elliot Wright, "Huntsville's Marble Palace," The Birmingham News, June 05, 1958.
41
publics views on renovation changed little as the centurys progress pressed onward. By 1967,
the bank experienced a second wave of renovations.
Figure 34: Clip from a Huntsville Times article dated September 18, 1966. The image is a rendering of the
proposed renovations. Image courtesy of the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library.63
The First National Bank building, high on its limestone bluff above Huntsvilles
historic Big Spring, stands proud in changing and unfamiliar surroundings. It is a
handsome reflection of the past in the center of one of our countrys most
ambitious urban redevelopment programs, The Central City Plan. It faces the
dramatic new Madison County Courthouse as it faced the three generations of
63
"First National Slates Remodeling, Additions," The Huntsville Times, (Huntsville, September 18, 1966).
The accompanying article reads: The main office of the First National Bank of Huntsville, last remaining building
on the old Cotton Row on the Courthouse Square, will be extensively remodeled and enlarged at the cost of
between $200,00 and $250,000, Robert Lowry, Bank president announced Friday. The construction and
remodeling will meet requirements of the Central City urban renewal program, said Bill King, executive director of
the Central City Association. An executive office are will be constructed on the banks left side and will overlook
Big Spring International Park, King said. He said the building will retain its old, massive character. Architect for the
project is Reed Mullins and Associates. The construction contract will be based on two work shifts a day, six days a
week, in order to expedite completion. Included in the interior remodeling will be the moving of bank offices into
the center of the lobby. An equipment building will be built in the rear. The banks trust department will be
located on a mezzanine, and elevators will be installed for customers. Existing marble will be removed and used in
the new interior remodeling.
42
courthouses before. Cotton Row, its comfortable neighboring row of buildings, is

gone. Around it are rising multi-storied parking structures and high rise office
buildings.64
The poignant remarks made by the banks officers and directors in the above excerpt
taken from a booklet entitled Yesterday and Today, produced in 1967, highlights the struggle that
many Huntsvillians were grappling with in the face of extreme change. While board members
identify the significance of the loss of several of Huntsvilles historic buildings and the
importance of maintaining the First National Bank building, they did not fully grasp the
importance of preserving both the exterior and interior of the building. The bank officers and
directors of 1966 and 67, like those in charge of the 1951 remodel, shared a similar purpose for
renovation, and that was outwardly to retain all of the old; inwardly to make our banking house
as convenient, as comfortable and as modern as present day methods would permit.65 The
banks purpose for remodeling can be directly correlated with the continued growth of the citys
population as board members commented,
It is ironic that on the opening in 1951 the banks personnel felt that the renovated
bank would serve them and the general public for seventy-five to one hundred
years! How little could be foreseen at that time of the tremendous change to
come in this quiet little southern town from the arrival in 1950 of an extremely
important group of German scientists whose accomplishments and tentative
beginnings at Peenemunde were to transform not only Huntsville, but the entire
world. As a result of the consequent influx of people and accelerated economic
growth in Huntsville, the facilities of a single bank house were no longer
adequate. 66
64
Yesterday and Today, 1.
65
Ibid.
66
Yesterday and Today, 1-2.
43
Figure 35: Image of bank members discussing plans during the remodeling of the interior in the Spring of 1967.
Image taken from booklet Yesterday and Today, courtesy of Henry Turner.
The booklet goes into detail of the renovations that occurred to the building in 1967
stating:
Today, after thoughtful remodeling with the aim of retaining as much as possible
the original structure, the handsome limestone faade encloses a completely
modern banking house tastefully redecorated throughout. Private executive
offices have been added to the north wall of the lobby eliminating First Nationals
former unique arrangement where officers actually received customers behind the
tellers cages! An entrance to the lobby on the south has been added for relief of
traffic and for the convenience of customers. An elevator now ascends to the
second floor where only the balcony remains today of the original second floor
apartments, living quarters for the cashier who was once required by law to reside
on the premises. The apartment was removed to create a lofty spacious banking
lobby. The balcony will now serve as a reception room for the Trust Department,
which, together with the personnel and internal auditing departments, will be
located in the second floor extension to the rear of the building, originally
44
servants quarters.67
The renovation work that took place in 1966 and 1967 was designed by Reed, Mullins,
and Associates, and was constructed by General Contractors of Decatur. Aside from
constructing the one story executive offices on the north side of the building, the installation of
an elevator, the addition of a customer entrance on the south wall, and the removal of the
mahogany teller cages, the bank also rearranged the bank lobby reusing the marble added in
1951, expanded the back of the structure, enclosed an exterior stairwell on the south side of the
building, and erected the weathervane formerly located on the cupola of the third Madison
County courthouse.68
In 2017, the 1967 renovations will have aged into significance. To say that these
alterations are not important would be misguided, for they are threads of the history of change
that has occurred to this building, representative of an era of tremendous transformation in
Huntsville, and are therefore woven into the fabric of the bank buildings history.
After the 1967 renovations the bank changed very little. Since the ownership of the First
National Bank the bank building changed names four times. In 1971, the bank became the First
Alabama Bancshares Inc., after the First National Bank of Huntsville, the First National Bank of
Montgomery, and the Exchange Security Bank of Birmingham partnered to form the new bank
corporation. By 1994, Alabama Bancshares Inc. became Regions Financial Corporation. In
2010, Regions Financial Corporation donated the bank property to Big Spring Partners, and in
2014, a lease agreement between Big Spring Partners and Robert Broadway was created.69
Since its construction in the early half of the 19th century, the First National Bank
building has seen many changes to itself and its city. This building has witnessed and endured
many of the same struggles and successes experienced by the city, state, and country as a whole
for more than 175 years. The building, as ever, remains a vital part of historic downtown
Huntsville, representing both traditional significance and modern progress, a bastion of
Huntsville history.
67
Yesterday and Today, 7-8.
68
Bayer, Brief History, 2; B.J. Richey, "First National Holds to Tradition," Huntsville Times, April 30, 1967.
69
Bayer, Brief History, 2.
45
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May 07, 2015).
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46
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(accessed 05 07, 2015).
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(accessed 05 07, 2015).
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(accessed 05 07, 2015).
"Ancestry.com." Mary Eliza Steele: Jones Family Tree. n.d.
"Ancestry.com." Ellen Elizabeth Steele: Jones Family Tree. n.d.
"Ancestry.com." William Angelo Steele: Jones Family Tree. n.d.
"Ancestry.com." Susan Eliza Steele: Jones Family Tree. n.d.
Bayer, Linda. "George Steele Bank Building, 216 West Side Square." Brief History, Huntsville,
n.d.
Bayer, Linda. "George Steele Bank Building, 216 West Side Square, Huntsville, AL." Brief
Hisotry, n.d.
Bayer, Linda. "George Steele: Huntsville's Antebellum Architect." The Historic Huntsville
Quarterly: Of Local Architecture and Preservation, Spring 1979: 3-22.
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1810-1993." The Huntsville Historical Review, Summer-Fall 1993.
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47
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Advocate. Vol. XI. no. 40. Huntsville, January 26, 1836.
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Madison County, AL." Library of Congress- Historic American Buildings Survey. 1934.
. "Miss Howard Weeden House, 300 Gates Avenue, Huntsville, Madison County, AL."
Library of Congress- Historic American Buildings Survey. 1933.
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Congress- Historic American Buildings Survey. 1933.
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Slade, 1843.
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Huntsville." Deed Book Q. Huntsville, March 3, 1837.
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1966.
Gabel, Martha B. "General O.M. Mitchel's Occupation of Huntsville." The Huntsville Historical
Review , 1971: 12-28.
"Henry F. Halsey and Wife to Deed Northern Bank of Alabama." Deed Book Z. Huntsville,
October 25, 1854.
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Huntsville." Deed Book Q. Huntsville, March 24, 1837.
"Henry T. Duncan and Wife Eliza Pyke Duncan to the Branch of the Bank of the State of
Alabama at Huntsville." Deed Book Q. Huntsville, December 4, 1837.
48
"John Whiting, Commissioner and Trustee Deed of Conveyance to Stephen S. Ewing." Deed
Book BB. Huntsville, July 10, 1857.
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1837: 1.
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Alabama: White & Snow, 1841.
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Richey, B.J. "First National Holds to Tradition." Huntsville Times, April 30, 1967.
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"Stephen S. Ewing and Wife Polly H. Ewing to The Branch of the Bank of the State of Alabama
at Huntsville." Deed Book Q. Huntsville, March 15, 1837.
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49
Yesterday & Today: The First National Bank. Brief History, Huntsville: The First National Bank,
1967.
50
EXHIBIT C
DESCRIPTION OF ELEVATIONS AND CHARACTER DEFINING FEATURES
Figure 36: First National Bank Building faade. Picture taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
The First National Bank building is a two story Greek Revival building designed and
built c. 1838-1840 by architect George Gilliam Steele. The bank is temple like in appearance,
and features a low pitch raised seam metal gable roof supported by Ionic order limestone
columns atop a continuous limestone foundation. A copula and weather vane, originally located
on the third county courthouse (1914-1963), was added after the courthouse was demolished.
The symmetrical front faade features a centrally located set of wood pocket entry doors (c.
1838) leading into a small vestibule with a second set of glass security doors (c. 2000). The
central entrance is flanked on either side by smaller wood panel entry doors with four light
transoms over top (1900). Three five-over-two double-hung windows (1900 installation date on
the north and south windows, 1951 installation date on the center window) can be seen on the
upper enclosed mezzanine story. The bank building faade is clad in limestone blocks, while the
other three elevations are covered in stucco. Limestone steps extend across the front faade, and
a decorative wrought iron fence surrounds the property on the north and south side of the
building and date to the buildings original construction. Two retaining walls on the south side of
the building and on the north side of the building overlooking the bluff date to the buildings
original construction. An early flagstone court yard can be seen on the north side of the
building.
51
Figure 37: North elevation showing office addition, 1967. Picture taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
Figure 38: South elevation showing retaining wall and fence, c. 1838. Picture taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
52
A single story stucco office wing addition on the north side of the building was
constructed in 1967, and features a flat roof, a wood panel entry door, and pilasters. The north
side of the office addition features three, five-over-two double-hung windows with stone lintels
and sills. The north elevation of the main bank building features six, five-over-two double-hung
clerestory windows with stone lintels and sills. The south elevation has six, six-over-six doublehung ground floor windows, and six, five-over-two clerestory windows with stone lintels and
sills.
Figure 39: South elevation of the rear wing. Picture taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
A large three-story wing located on the west side of the building once served as the slave
quarters, and features a flat roof and stucco siding atop a limestone block foundation. The west
elevation features a teller window (1951) on the basement level, four, six-over-six double-hung
windows on the first floor, and four, five-over-two double-hung windows on the second floor
(windows feature stone lintels and sills). A breezeway and open stair well that connected the
rear wing to the main bank building was enclosed in 1951. Additionally, a small stairwell
addition to the west side of the wing was constructed in 1951. The west elevation of the rear
wing features a limestone exterior stairwell (1951) with a pair of metal exterior doors leading
into the basement level (c. 2000). A single metal door located at the top of the limestone stairs
leads to the first floor (c. 2000), and is flanked on the left by a fixed two light window (c. 2000).
The north elevation of the rear wing once served as a two-story porch for the rear wing, but was
enclosed in 1951. The north elevation now features a pair of two light fixed windows on the first
and second floors, and a set of four two-light fixed windows located on a diagonal wall (c. 2000).
53
Figure 40: West elevation of rear wing. Picture taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
Figure 41: North elevation of rear wing showing the diagonal wall and retaining wall overlooking the bluff at Big
Spring Park. Picture taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
54
Several interior elements remain intact in the southeast corner office of the main
bank building. A mantel, baseboards, crown molding, and interior shutters and window
surround date to renovations completed by the First National Bank board in 1900, and are
still intact today. The wood mantel is composed of a wide molded mantel shelf atop a
molded under-mantel, and a pair of Ionic fluted columns on either side of the fire box.
Evidence of a faux wood grain finish was found during a paint analysis of the office, which
was completed by Katie Stamps. Three part crown molding and large baseboard run the
full perimeter of the room. Molding around the interior and exterior doors is composed of
bullseye corner blocks and molded door surrounds. One six-over-six double-hung window
(1900) features bullseye corner blocks and fluted surround molding. Interior shutters on
either side of the window jamb fold up flush within the wall giving the window the
appearance of jamb paneling. Molded window panels located beneath the window match
the appearance of the folding shutters.
Figure 42: Image of the mantel located in the southeast office, c. 1900. Evidence of a faux wood grain finish
was found during a paint analysis of the office, analysis completed by Katie Stamps. Ima ge taken by Jessica
White, May 2015.
55
Figure 43: Image of the remaining wood panel pocket shutters, crown molding, and baseboard molding, c.
1900. The six-over-six double-hung window features bullseye corner blocks and fluted surround molding.
Interior shutters on either side of the window jambs fold up flush within the wall giving the window the
appearance of jamb paneling. Molded window panels located beneath each window match the appea rance of
the folding shutters. Image taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
56
Figure 44: Close-up view of the pocket shutters, c. 1900. The six-over-six double-hung window features
bullseye corner blocks and fluted surround molding. Interior shutters on ei ther side of the window jambs
fold up flush within the wall giving the window the appearance of jamb paneling. Molded window panels
located beneath each window match the appearance of the folding shutters. Image taken by Jessica White,
May 2015.
57
EXHIBIT D
VISUAL SURVEY AND PRESERVATION ASSESSMENT
Visual SurveyPictures in this section of the First National Bank Easement are examples of overarching issues
with the building, but are not a complete catalog of all of the individual issues present on the
building.
Figure 45: National Bank Building faade. Picture taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
58
Figure 46: Southeast corner of the front faade. Note the plant growth in the corner of the cornice. Plant growth
can hold moisture to the building causing erosion and plant roots may damage stonework. Note the use of Portland
cement and chipping along the raking cornice. See also, ghosting marks of the word First in the frieze. These
ghosting marks are the result of signage for the First National Bank added to the building in 1951 (see figure 39.
Picture taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
59
Figure 47: Gable end of the front faade. Note the weathervane was originally located on the third county
courthouse cupola, but was moved to the roof ridge of the bank building in 1963 after the courthouse was
demolished. See also several patches on the building that have been filled in with Portland cement. These marks
could be the result of former signage attached to the building faade. Picture taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
60
Figure 48: Northeast corner of the front faade. Note the chipping along the cornice and column abacus. See also,
ghosting marks of the word Bank in the frieze. These ghosting marks are the result of signage for the First
National Bank added to the building in 1951 (see figure 39). See also several patches on the building that have been
filled in with Portland cement. These marks could be the result of former signage attached to the building faade.
61
Figure 49: Two of the columns located on the southeast corner of the building. Note patches on the columns and
main faade filled in with Portland cement. Picture taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
62
Figure 50 & 51: Note extensive cracking on several of the column bases. Pictures taken by Jessica White, May
2015.
63
Figures 52-55: Note the several patches and repairs to front columns filled in with Portland cement. Pictures taken
by Jessica White, May 2015.
64
Figures 56-58: Note evidence of spalling on several of the front columns. Pictures taken by Jessica White, May
2015.
65
Figures 59-62: Note the evidence of cracks along the bottom of the columns shafts. Pictures taken by Jessica
White, May 2015.
66
Figure 63: View of the northeast corner of the building. Note severe spalling/delamination on plinth and steps.
67
Figures 64-67: Evidence of severe spalling/delamination and cracking on the northeast plinth most likely caused by
moisture erosion and freeze thaw cycles. Pictures taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
68
Figures 68 & 69: Note severe spalling/delamination on the bottom step on the northeast corner of the building.
delamination most likely caused by moisture pooling on and eroding the veins of the stone and freeze thaw cycles.
Pictures taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
69
Figures 70-74: Evidence of severe spalling/delamination and cracking on the first step at the center of the building
faade. Damage most likely caused by moisture pooling on and eroding the veins of the stone and freeze thaw
cycles. Pictures taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
70
Figures 75 & 76: Damaged and cracked stone floor in the peristyle of the building faade. Pictures taken by Jessica
White, May 2015.
71
Figures 77-80: Images of the exterior wood panel doors and five-over-two double-hung windows added to the
building faade c. 1900. Images taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
72
Figures 81-83: Plinth block on the southeast corner of the bank building faade. Note several cracks along the front
and sides of the plinth block and the use of Portland cement. Pictures taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
73
Figures 84 & 85: Close-up of southeast plinth base and southeast side of plinth block. Note Portland cement infill
along the bottom of the base and extensive cracking along the south side of the plinth. Images taken by Jessica
White, May 2015.
74
Figures 86 -88: South side of the main bank building and side stairs located at the southeast corner of the building
facing the West Side of the Square. Note blueish staining on the stone, a result of the copper gutter system. Note
also severe cracking and chipping along the top riser and tread. Images taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
75
Figures 89 & 90: Side stairs on the south side of the main building located on the southeast corner of the building
facing Fountain Circle. Note the damage to the right side of the stairs. This was the location of a handrail. The
handrail has been removed and Portland cement used to infill holes. Images taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
76
Figures 91 & 92: Close-up image of damage to the right side of the steps from an earlier handrail and image of
cracking due to use of Portland cement and cut for gutter drain on the left side of the steps. Image taken by Jessica
White, May 2015.
77
Figures 93 & 94: Images of built-in stone gutter drainage and damage to the side steps caused by the removal of a
handrail and infill with Portland cement. Images taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
78
Figures 95 & 96: Image of the southeast pilaster base. Note the large crack running from the plinth to the base of
the pilaster. Second image of large crack and Portland cement infill along the meeting joint of the stone and
galvanized soffits. Image taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
79
Figure 97: Image of the stone foundation on the south side of the main bank building. Image taken to the left of the
side steps where the downspout meets the built-in stone gutter drain. Note extensive chipping and Portland cement
infill. Image taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
80
Figure 98: Image of the south side of the main bank building. Note the
vents along the foundation. Image taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
Figure 99: Image of one of the vents on the south side of the main bank building. Note cracks throughout the
stucco and the cracks along the vent opening. Image taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
81
Figure 100: View of the crawlspace through vent opening. Note the hand hewn sill plate that rests on a stacked
limestone foundation, original to the buildings construction. See also floor joists, note that these joists are machine
sawn rather than hand hewn and were likely added after the original date of construction, circa 1900.
Figure 101: View of the floor joist beneath the main bank building. Note that the joists are machine sawn rather
than hand hewn and were likely added after the original date of construction, circa 1900. Note also evidence of
heart pine wood flooring possibly subflooring. Image taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
82
Figure 102: View of heart pine wood flooring, circa 1900. Image taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
83
Figure 103: Image of one of the windows on the south side of the building. Note the cracking in the stucco. Image
taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
84
Figures 104 &105: Existing window condition. The wood frames on each of the windows appear to be in good
repair. Windows should be scraped, re-puttied, and repainted. Image taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
85
Figures 106 & 107: Damage to stone foundation beneath the gutter downspout next to the south wall enclosed
stairwell. Note also a puncture mark on the copper downspout. Gutter system should be repaired and damage to
stone repaired. Image taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
86
Figures 108-110: Pitting in the limestone can be found on all four sides of the building, most predominantly on the
south side of the building and retaining wall. The damage is due in large part to moisture erosion and/or abrasion.
Images taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
87
Figures 111 & 112: Patches using Portland cement can be seen throughout the buildings exteior. Images taken by
Jessica White, May 2015.
88
Figure 113: Patches using Portland cement can be seen throughout the buildings exteior. Images taken by Jessica
White, May 2015.
Figure 114: Image of pitting and excess Portland cement.
89
Figures 115 & 116: Patches using Portland cement can be seen throughout the buildings exteior. Note seperation
between patches and stone Images taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
90
Figures 117 & 118: Portland cement patches and pitting on stone exterior. Image taken by Jessica White, May
2015.
91
Figures 119 & 120: Portland cement patches. See the severe separation and erosion and cracking of the stone
around the cement patches. Images taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
92
Figure 121: Metal remnants and Portland cement patches in the south retaining wall. Image taken by Jessica White,
May 2015.
Figure 122: Portland cement patches and repointing along a pilaster on the southwest corner of the rear addition.
Image taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
93
Figures 123 & 124: Evidence of cracks and chipping can be found on the exterior stone and stucco surfaces of the
bank building. Images taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
94
Figures 125 & 126: Former vent infilled, c. 1951. Note the use of Portland cement in patches and pointing. See
also cracks in limestone at the bottom of the first frame. Image taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
95
Figures 127 & 128: Former opening infilled. Date of infill unknown. Image taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
96
Figures 129 & 130: Teller window (c. 1951) located on the rear addition south wall. Note moisture and abrasion
issues due to teller window, awning, and gutter system. Image taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
97
Figure 131: Evidence of moisture and abrasion issues caused by teller window, awing, and gutter system. Image
98
Figures 132 & 133: Peeling paint and exposed metal on the galvanized gutter system on the rear wing of the bank
building. Note also cracking stucco. Images taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
99
Figures 134 & 135: Peeling paint and exposed metal on the galvanized gutter system on the rear wing of the bank
building. Note the ghosting marks for a Regions bank sign on the second photograph. Images taken by Jessica
White, May 2015.
100
Figure 136: Northeast corner of the bank building. View of the north plinth block and 1967 side addition. Image
Figure 137: North side of the plinth block. Note chipped and crumbling stucco at the base of the plinth. Damage
likely caused by moisture erosion caused by the installation of a lift machine. Image taken by Jessica White, May
2015.
101
Figures 138 & 139: Damage to the northeast side of the plinth caused by lift machine. Lift machine and plywood
should be removed and the damage to the stone and stucco repaired by a qualified stone mason or stone specialist.
Images taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
102
Figure 140: Damage to the northeast side of the plinth caused by lift machine. Lift machine and plywood should be
removed and the damage to the stone and stucco repaired by a qualified stone mason or stone specialist. Images
Figure 141: Damage to the concrete foundation on the 1967 north office addition. Damage caused by the
installation of a metal pipe. Image taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
103
Figure 142: Image of cracked and damaged plinth stone on the building faade. Damage caused by lift machine.
Figure 143: Image of cracked and delaminating stone foundation caused by the concrete slab foundation of the 1967
addition. Image taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
104
Figure 144: Image of the 1967 north addition. Image taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
Figure 145: Close-up image of the stucco finish on the 1967 addition. Note cracking in stucco along cynderblock
mortar joints. Image taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
105
Figures 146 & 147: View of the north side of the building behind the 1967 addition. Note the vegetation
overgrowth. The vegetation should be trimmed away from the building to prevent moisture and abrasion damage.
106
Figure 148: Image of a stone step located in the side yard of the First National Bank building property.
Step originally located on the side entrance of the bank building. The steps were likely removed when the 1967
addition was constructed. Image taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
Figure 149: Close up of the stone step located in the side yard of the bank property. Note the markings in the stone
where a handrail used to be. The steps were likely removed when the 1967 additon was constructed. Image taken
by Jessica White.
107
Figure 150: Image of light post and retaining wall on the south side of the building. Image taken by Jessica White,
May 2015.
108
Figures 151 & 152: Close-up of the light post. Note the abrasion damage to the corners of the post. Image taken by
Jessica White, May 2015.
109
Figure 153: Close-up of concrete infill along the base of the light post. Image taken by Jessica White, May 2015.
110
Preservation Assessment
Consult a qualified stone mason or stone specialisto Use of Portland cement in stone repairs:
Portland cement- cementious based mortar often used in later repairs

to historic masonry buildings. This type of mortar is harder and more
rigid than earlier lime based mortars. The use of cementious based
mortars can have a detrimental effect on historic masonry builds
causing stone, brick, and tile to crack and erode against the inflexible
Portland cement infill.
Portland cement patches and pointing should be carefully removed
and repaired using a more appropriate mortar. Consult Preservation
Brief # 2 http://www.nps.gov/tps/how-to-preserve/briefs/2-repointmortar-joints.htm
Major areas of concern: south retaining wall, front columns, building
faade.
o Spalling/delamination and cracks:
Spalling-chips or fragments that fall from the exposed face of

masonry in reaction to compressive forces generated by movement or
thermal expansion of building materials; Delamination- breaking apart
in layers, usually along the bedding plane (the bonding layer formed
in sedimentary rock by fine-grained minerals deposited over a long
period of time.
Spalling and delamination is most often the result of moisture
infiltration, abrasion, pressure, and/or freeze thaw cycles.
Issues causing spalling and delamination should be mitigated and
necessary repairs made to the damaged stone if possible.
Major areas of concern: front steps, plinths, peristyle floor, and south
retaining wall.
o Repointing:
Pointing is the process of removing deteriorated mortar from the

joints of a masonry wall and replacing it with new mortar. Repointing
helps to maintain the visual and physical integrity of the masonry.
Improper repointing through the use of inappropriate mortars or
application can have detrimental impact on the visual and physical
stability of the structure.
A qualified mason should be consulted to determine the appropriate
methods, material, and areas for pointing repairs and repointing.
111
Consult Preservation Brief # 2 http://www.nps.gov/tps/how-topreserve/briefs/2-repoint-mortar-joints.htm

Major areas of concern: front steps, columns, faade, retaining walls
on the north and south of the building.
o Cleaning and Water-Repellents on building exterior:
Soiling- are materials that stain and deteriorate a buildings exterior

surfaces, including: dirt, soot, mold, bird guano, etc. Stone or
masonry buildings should be cleaned periodically to prevent
deterioration.
A qualified stone mason or specialist should be consulted to
determine the types of soiling and the best method for cleaning the
buildings exterior surfaces. Consult Preservation Brief # 1
http://www.nps.gov/tps/how-to-preserve/briefs/1-cleaning-waterrepellent.htm
Water-Repellent or waterproof coatings- water infiltration and erosion
are majors concerns for the First National Bank Building. A waterrepellent or waterproof coating might be advisable a qualified stone
mason or specialist should be consulted to determine if this is an
appropriate course of action. Consult Preservation Brief # 1
http://www.nps.gov/tps/how-to-preserve/briefs/1-cleaning-waterrepellent.htm
Removal of debris and vegetation close to or on the buildings exterior:

o The growth of vegetation on or near a buildings exterior can cause moisture
and abrasion damage.
o Major areas of concern: building faade, north side elevation
Stucco Repair:
o Stucco: an exterior form of plaster that uses Portland cement, lime, and sand
or lime, water, sand, and a binder of hair or straw.
o Over time stucco can crack and flake off and must be repaired, maintained,
and/or replaced. A contractor or craftsman that specializes in the repair of
historic stucco work should be consulted. Consult Preservation Brief # 22
http://www.nps.gov/tps/how-to-preserve/briefs/22-stucco.htm
o Major areas of concern: South elevation, West elevation, and North eleva tion
Window repair:
o Historic wood windows are a character defining feature of a historic
building, and should be repaired and maintained rather than replaced.
o Wood windows must be periodically repaired. Repairs often include
scraping and repainting deteriorated window frames, sills, and surrounds;
112
removal and replacement of putty; removal and repair of glazing; patching

and repairing deteriorated sections of wood in the window unit; and repair of
window mechanisms such as locks and weights. A craftsman that specializes
in historic window repair should be consulted. Consult Preservation Brief # 9
http://www.nps.gov/tps/how-to-preserve/briefs/9-wooden-windows.htm
Drainage:
o Moisture infiltration is a huge concern for historic masonry buildings. Water
can erode stone surfaces, and freeze thaws can cause stone to crack, spall,
and delaminate. Proper drainage is key in preventing the deterioration of
stone. A drainage specialist should be consulted to inspect the buildings
gutter system and other areas of moisture concern. An appropriate plan of
action can then be developed and implemented. Consult Preservation Brief #
39 http://www.nps.gov/tps/how-to-preserve/briefs/39-control-unwantedmoisture.htm
113

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EXHIBIT B

Efforts to locate the account book have been

came to Huntsville from Virginia around 1818, and soon

"Ancestry.com," Mathew W. Steel in the 1850 United States Federal Census,

The Panic of 1837

The Northern Bank of Alabama and the Civil War (1852-1865)

are giving information of all the

Polites, http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/28/the-bloody-occupation-of-northernalabama/; Storey, http://blog.al.com/breaking/2012/04/the_civil_war_union_occupation.html.

The National Bank of Huntsville (1866-1889)

Figure 8: Photograph of the National Bank Building at Huntsville, c. 1870,

execution of the deed. Stockholders of the

Figure 9: Advertisement for the National Bank of

The National Bank of Huntsville was

Figure 11: Circa 1880 photograph of the National Bank of Huntsville.

The First National Bank (1889-1971)

Figure 12: Advertisement for the First National Bank.

The Great Depression

World War II and the Redstone Arsenal (1941-1950)

for decades to come.53

West, section 8, page 74.

West, section 8, page 74.

Huntsvilles Population Growth58

Bayer and Paetz, 6

The Space Age (1957-1966)

income of the rest of Alabama by 20 percent in 1966.60

West, section 8, page 75.

The First National Bank Building 1835-1951, 13.

courthouses before. Cotton Row, its comfortable neighboring row of buildings, is

Yesterday and Today, 1.

Yesterday and Today, 1-2.

Yesterday and Today, 7-8.

Bayer, Brief History, 2.

Figure 114: Image of pitting and excess Portland cement.

Portland cement- cementious based mortar often used in later repairs

o Spalling/delamination and cracks:

Spalling-chips or fragments that fall from the exposed face of

Pointing is the process of removing deteriorated mortar from the

Consult Preservation Brief # 2 http://www.nps.gov/tps/how-topreserve/briefs/2-repoint-mortar-joints.htm

o Cleaning and Water-Repellents on building exterior:

Soiling- are materials that stain and deteriorate a buildings exterior

Removal of debris and vegetation close to or on the buildings exterior:

removal and replacement of putty; removal and repair of glazing; patching

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