Decatur in Morgan County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
West View
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, February 24, 2023
1. West View Marker
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Architecture • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1816.
Location. 34° 29.909′ N, 86° 55.632′ W. Marker is in Decatur, Alabama, in Morgan County. It is at the intersection of Indian Hills Road Southeast and West View, on the right when traveling south on Indian Hills Road Southeast. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Decatur AL 35603, United States of America. Touch for directions.
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 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Bethel Road Historical District (approx. 2.6 miles away); M601A Tank (approx. 2.7 miles away); T-34 C Mentor Plane (approx. 2.7 miles away); United States Marines (approx. 2.7 miles away); Town of Priceville (approx. 2.7 miles away); The Huey Helicopter (approx. 2.7 miles away); United States Navy (approx. 2.7 miles away); Prisoner of War or Missing in Action (approx. 2.7 miles away).
Regarding West View. Excerpt from the National Register of Historic Places nomination for the house:
The two-story frame house was built for Jonathan Burleson, a pioneer citizen of Morgan County. Incised on polished stone in a flowing cursive script, Burleson's name andthe date "Oct 6th 1841" were affixed to the southeastern chimney of the house. Jonathan Burleson was forty-three years old at the time. Born in North Carolina in 1798, he had been brought as a child to Alabama, where his family settled in Madison County, at Huntsville. In 1818, Burleson moved across the Tennessee River and located south of Decatur. Over the next two decades, he amassed a modest fortune in land and slaves. His first dwelling, a hewn-log house, stood in the lowlands near Flint Creek, west of and below the promontory which eventually took his name as "Burleson Mountain," where he in 1841 built Westview.
Click or scan to see
this page online
Also see . . .
1. The Burleson Family: A history older than the state. The Burleson family saw the creation of Alabama as a state, fought in the Creek War and War Between the States, survived reconstruction and witnessed the transformation of north Alabama's education system. (Catherine Godbey, The Decatur Daily, posted Feb. 21, 2021 as archived by the Internet Archive) (Submitted on February 26, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
2. Westview. National Register of Historic Places nomination (PDF) and photographs (separate PDF) submitted for the site, which was listed in 1982. (National Park Service) (Submitted on February 26, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, February 24, 2023
2. West View Marker
Robert S. Gamble via National Park Service (Public Domain), December 14, 1981
3. Westview main house
Five generations on the Burleson family have lived in the house, seen here when it was nominated for the National Register of Historic Places.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 26, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 26, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 374 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on February 26, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
