Timeline of Huntsville, Alabama
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Huntsville, Alabama, USA.
Prior to 20th century
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- 1808 - Madison County, Mississippi Territory organized by the Mississippi territorial legislature.[1]
- 1809 - Town of Twickenham incorporated in U.S. Mississippi Territory.[2]
- 1811 - Twickenham renamed "Huntsville".[2]
- 1812 - Green Academy established.[2]
- 1817
- Town becomes part of U.S. Alabama Territory.
- Huntsville Republican newspaper in publication.[3]
- 1818 - Huntsville social library active.[4]
- 1819
- Alabama Territory constitutional convention held in Huntsville.[5]
- Town becomes part of new U.S. state of Alabama.
- Newly formed Alabama Legislature convenes in Huntsville.[2]
- 1820 - Alabama state capital relocated from Huntsville to Cahaba.[2]
- 1822 - Maple Hill Cemetery in use (approximate date).
- 1825 - Southern Advocate and Huntsville Advertiser newspaper in publication.[3]
- 1827 - Suspected arson destroys post office and land records at surveyor general's office.[6]
- 1835 - A large fire near the Courthouse Square destroys about a dozen buildings.[7]
- 1840 - Population: 2,496.
- 1844 - Huntsville was chartered as a city.[8]
- 1855 - Memphis and Charleston Railroad begins operating.
- 1860 - Huntsville Depot built.
- 1862 - Huntsville occupied by Union forces during the American Civil War.[9][8]
- 1870 - Population: 4,907.
- 1888
- Old Federal Square U.S. Post Office and Courts built on corner of Randolph St and Green St
- Monte Sano Railroad Workers' House built.
- 1896 - Oakwood College founded.[10]
- 1898 - B’nai Israel Synagogue built.[11]
- 1900 - Population: 8,068.[8]
20th century
- 1904 - An angry mob sets fire to the city jail during the lead up to the Lynching of Horace Maples.[12]
- 1910 - Huntsville Daily Times newspaper begins publication.[3]
- 1912 - Lyric Theatre in business.[13]
- 1916 - Carnegie Public Library building opens.[14]
- 1932 - United States Courthouse and Post Office built.
- 1935 - Monte Sano State Park established near city.[10]
- 1937 - WBHP radio begins broadcasting.[15]
- 1938 - Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge established in vicinity of Huntsville.[10]
- 1941 - U.S. military Redstone Arsenal begins operating.[10]
- 1943 - (August) Community Chest, later to become United Way of Madison County, founded by community leaders
- 1947 - Keller (automobile) production begins.
- 1950
- Area of city: 4 square miles.[16]
- Population: 16,437.
- 1951 - Huntsville-Madison County Historical Society formed.[17]
- 1955
- Huntsville Symphony Orchestra formed.
- Memorial Parkway is constructed as a bypass around downtown.
- 1957 - Lee High School built.
- 1959 - WAFG-TV (television) begins broadcasting.[18]
- 1960
- U.S. NASA Marshall Space Flight Center established.[10]
- Area of city: 51 square miles.[16]
- Population: 72,365.
- 1962 - Arts Council formed.
- 1964 - Huntsville News begins publication.[19]
- 1968 - Joe W. Davis becomes mayor.
- 1969 - Virgil I. Grissom High School established.
- 1970 - Population: 139,282.
- 1974 - Oakwood Adventist Academy established.
- 1975
- Von Braun Civic Center (convention centre) opens.
- Madison County Nature Trail established.
- 1976 - Huntsville Depot museum established.[20]
- 1982
- Panoply Arts Festival begins.
- Alabama Constitution Village museum established.[20]
- 1984 - Madison Square Mall in business.[16]
- 1986 - Interstate 565 highway construction starts.[16]
- 1988 - Steve Hettinger becomes mayor.
- 1989 - November 1989 tornado outbreak.[10]
- 1990 - Population: 159,880.[16]
- 1993 - Big Spring Jam (music festival) begins.
- 1995 - May 18: Anderson Hills tornado.
- 1996
- Loretta Spencer becomes mayor.
- Huntsville News ceases publication.[19]
- 1997 - United States Army Aviation and Missile Command headquartered in Huntsville.[16]
21st century
- 2006 - November 20: 2006 Huntsville bus crash.
- 2008 - Tommy Battle becomes mayor.
- 2010
- February 12: 2010 University of Alabama in Huntsville shooting.
- Population: 180,105.[21]
- 2014
- 2018 - A Huntsville police officer, William Darby, shoots and kills a suicidal man seconds after arriving at the scene.[24][25] The city council votes to pay the officer's legal defense. Cleared of wrong-doing by the police review board,[26] Darby is convicted of murder.[27] The mayor and police chief continued to support the officer after the guilt verdict.[28][29]
- 2020
- Construction begins on the next segment of the Northern Bypass, connecting Interstate 565 to US 231/431.
- A George Floyd protest on June 3, 2020, was ended by Huntsville Police along with SWAT and Incident Response Team[30] using tear gas, pepper spray, and rubber bullets.[31][32][33]
