Huntsville in Madison County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
The Columns
Sweet Homegrown Alabama
Photographed by Larry Gertner, June 19, 2019
1. The Columns Marker
Opened in 1934, the third Madison County Courthouse was the home of these majestic limestone columns and for more than 50 years they stood in the square, after which they were carefully disassembled.
Garden volunteers Evelyn Lucas and Seth Mize approached Chair of the County Commission, Mike Gillespie, about sharing them with the community and in 1985 twenty of the columns were moved to the Huntsville Botanical Garden. In 1991, three of the columns were placed at the Garden entrance and in 2012, five columns were installed at the newly-opened entrance.
These celebrated relics stand at their original height of just over 24 feet tall and can also be seen at the Gardens Boeing-Toyota Amphitheatre and the entrance to the Childrens Garden. The remaining columns are part of a long-range plan for a Column Courtyard surrounding a reflection pool.
Alabama 200 Bicentennial
Erected by Huntsville Botanical Garden.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Horticulture & Forestry. A significant historical year for this entry is 1934.
Location. 34° 42.608′ N, 86° 38.032′ W. Marker
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in North Alabama. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Ala. Red-Bellied Turtle (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Jesup Wagon (about 700 feet away); Van Valkenburgh Daylily Garden (approx. Ό mile away); Pathfinder (approx. one mile away); Shuttle Training Aircraft (approx. one mile
Photographed by Larry Gertner, June 19, 2019
2. The five columns at the main entrance
Photographed by Larry Gertner, June 19, 2019
3. The columns at the entrance to the Children's Garden.
Photographed by Larry Gertner, June 19, 2019
4. The columns at the Boeing-Toyota Amphitheatre.
Photographed by Larry Gertner, June 19, 2019
5. Waiting in the wings.
Photographed by Larry Gertner, June 19, 2019
6. Inset
The columns at the Madison County Courthouse
Credits. This page was last revised on July 9, 2024. It was originally submitted on January 24, 2020, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. This page has been viewed 729 times since then and 31 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on January 24, 2020, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. A wide view photo of the marker and its surroundings showing its location in context. • Can you help?
