The Lowry House is a historic home in

Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in t ...

. It was built circa 1850 by John Tate Lowry, a merchant with the firm of Lowry, Hamilton and Company. Elements of an earlier Lowry family log house, built circa 1809, that stood on the site were incorporated into the new construction. Restoration of the Lowry House began in 1998 with assistance from Harvie P. Jones, a preservation architect. It took a total of four years. The house was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

on October 29, 2001. It was subsequently listed on the

Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage The Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage, commonly referred to as the Alabama Register, is an official listing of buildings, sites, structures, objects, and districts deemed worthy of preservation in the U.S. state of Alabama. These properties ...

on November 26, 2012.

History

When the house was built circa 1850, John Tate Lowry was a slave owner. In the 1860s, during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, Lowry became an abolitionist and the house became a stop on the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. T ...

. Lowry had a secret room built upstairs, off of his bedroom, for escaped slaves to stay in. Lowry also had the staircase built so that the stairs would not creak when walked on, so that the slaves could sneak up to the secret room, even if Lowry had guests.

Supporting education

Today, the Historic Lowry House is open and available to the public and can be rented for private functions. The manicured grounds have been awarded the city's Beautification Award for five consecutive years. This historic home is filled with artifacts and information related to Huntsville's history. The house hosts field trips for grade school students in the surrounding communities. Field trips are offered through Earthscope, a local organization that provides hands-on, experimental, and activity-based educational experiences for elementary school children. These lessons teach students about the influence of "

King Cotton "King Cotton" is a slogan that summarized the strategy used before the American Civil War (of 1861–1865) by secessionists in the southern states (the future Confederate States of America) to claim the feasibility of secession and to prove ther ...

" from planting to how the crop is used in everyday life.

References

National Register of Historic Places in Huntsville, Alabama Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Alabama Houses in Huntsville, Alabama Houses completed in 1850 {{Alabama-NRHP-stub

History

Supporting education

See also

References