Historic Huntsville Museum Listed to Reconstruction Era National Historic Network

By Abigail Harrison, DHI Communications Coordinator

The Historic Huntsville Museum, located inside Harrison Brothers Hardware store, is being acknowledged on the national level, with its listing to the Reconstruction Era National Historic Network.

The Reconstruction Era National Historic Network preserves, protects, and shares information regarding sites and programs that are affiliated with the Reconstruction Era, which is defined by the network as the period taking place between 1861 to 1900 as Americans strived to build a nation of free and equal citizens in the aftermath of the Civil War.

Both the Harrison Brothers Hardware store building and the Historic Huntsville Museum qualify for listing to the Network for two reasons. First, the Foundation’s history exhibition, “Brick by Brick: The Legacy of Henderson and Daniel Brandon,” documents the Brandon family, who were noted Reconstruction Era leaders. Second, Daniel Brandon’s masonry firm constructed the Harrison Brothers building in 1902, which quickly became one of Huntsville’s most beloved historic sites.

Donna Castellano, Executive Director of Historic Huntsville Foundation, referred to Harrison Brothers Hardware store as a crossroads of Huntsville history, with the story of an enslaved man turned entrepreneur overlapping with the history of the oldest store in Huntsville.

“The foundation feels very committed that the history of Henderson and Daniel Brandon is recognized,” she said. “Our research led to Henderson and his connection with the hardware store, and honoring his legacy is now intertwined with the legacy of Harrison Brothers.”

Though there are 101 historic sites listed in the network, Historic Huntsville Museum is one of only two sites in Alabama to be listed, and it's the first in North Alabama to be affiliated with the National Park Service.

“Harrison Brothers Hardware and Historic Huntsville Museum is now on the National Park Service’s website, so we have a federal agency that is promoting heritage tourism and bringing people from across the nation to Huntsville,” Castellano said.

Historic Huntsville Foundation owns and operates Harrison Brothers Hardware store, and the foundation created the Historic Huntsville Museum as part of its preservation mission. The foundation is currently working to identify more historic sites in Huntsville that could also be listed to the Reconstruction Era National Historic Network.

“By building our Reconstruction Era Network sites, we show that Huntsville is a place where Black people had an impact from the beginning, and we want to recognize that,” Castellano said.

The public are invited to attend the listing announcement and celebration, which will take place on Friday, October 27, 2023, at 10:00 AM at Harrison Brothers Hardware. Special guests at the conference include Mayor Tommy Battle, Madison County Commission Chair- Mac McCutcheon, Senior Historian for National Park Service- Nathan Betcher, and Historic Huntsville representatives.

Readers can explore the Historic Huntsville Museum and experience its captivating exhibitions in-person at Harrison Brothers Hardware store. The museum is open Monday through Saturday, from 10 AM to 5 PM, and it's completely free to all visitors.

About the “Brick by Brick” Program

The newest member of the Reconstruction Era National Historic Network, the Historic Huntsville Museum, situated within the Harrison Brothers Hardware building, houses a permanent exhibition “Brick by Brick: The Legacy of Henderson and Daniel Brandon.” The exhibit shares the story of one family’s path from enslavement to freedom. Their masonry firm constructed some of Huntsville’s most iconic buildings. By piecing together newspaper articles, public documents, and scant primary source materials, the exhibition shows how this family weathered the transition from Reconstruction to Jim Crow, building a business that provided economic independence for themselves and other Black families.

The “Brick by Brick” Exhibition opened in February 2023 and will remain a dedicated piece of Huntsville history within the museum.

In addition to the permanent exhibition in Harrison Brothers, the “Brick by Brick” exhibition will travel to locations across Madison and Morgan County. The Madison Branch of the HMCPL will debut a Brandon exhibition on Sunday, November 5, 2023. The exhibition will travel to the campuses of Alabama A&M and UAH, the Morgan County Archives, and the Triana Branch of the HMCPL in 2024.

About the Brandon Family

Born enslaved, Henderson Brandon later established himself as a savvy businessman and a skilled craftsman, ultimately founding a brick masonry firm, Henderson Brandon & Son, with his son Daniel. Their firm crafted buildings and infrastructure necessary for a modernizing Huntsville. Recent investigation has revealed Brandon structures beyond Huntsville’s city limits, in Madison and Decatur.

Twice elected as a Huntsville City Alderman before Alabama’s 1901 Constitution disfranchised most Black voters, Brandon became an activist who promoted education, entrepreneurship, and economic independence as avenues for Black empowerment during Jim Crow. A commitment to voting rights was deeply ingrained in the Brandon family. Ellen Brandon, Daniel Brandon’s wife, was one of six Black women who registered to vote in 1920. HHF dedicated a historic marker honoring these women in October 2021.