Huntsville in Madison County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Making the Water Work
Huntsville Water Trail
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, February 13, 2021
1. Making the Water Work Marker
Once John Hunt started bringing settlers in, the town began growing fast. Within five years, LeRoy Pope who had big plans for the area bought Big Spring and much of the land around it, including the site of John Hunt's cabin.
Then in 1823, Pope commissioned a man named Hunter Peel to build a pump house to move water from the spring up to the growing town of Twickenham.
Peel and partner James Barclay built a dam and pump house near the springhead, connecting a series of hollowed-out cedar log pipes up from the spring to a reservoir in the town square. The new system provided the town with fresh water and, along with a man-made waterfall and hydroelectric engine, helped power businesses and pump water to fight fires.
Pope, Peel, and Barclay's system ultimately became the foundation of Huntsville Utilities Water Department, the oldest water system west of the Appalachian Mountains.
Peel and partner James Barclay built a dam and pump house near the springhead
Erected by Huntsville Utilities. (Marker Number 2.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1823.
Location.
this page online
Regionally, this marker was in North Alabama. It was also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it was in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it found 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 walking distance of this location: Where Does the Spring Water Go? (a few steps from this marker); Northern Terminus Indian Creek Canal (within shouting distance of this marker); Church Street (within shouting distance of this marker); History at Its Source (within shouting distance of this marker); The Spring Runs Its Course (within shouting distance of this marker); Huntsville Utilites Special Awards (within shouting distance of this marker); The Big Spring (within shouting distance of this marker); Huntsville (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Huntsville.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, July 26, 2025
2. Making the Water Work Marker - marker is missing
Credits. This page was last revised on July 29, 2025. It was originally submitted on February 18, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 411 times since then and 16 times this year. Last updated on July 28, 2025, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. Photos: 1. submitted on February 18, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 2. submitted on July 28, 2025, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
