Weeden House Museum: one of Alabama’s treasure keepers

Alabama is blessed with great tourist spots that provide moments of rest or even great relaxation for stressed-out visitors. There are resorts, beaches, campgrounds, theme parks, and gardens from north to south that undoubtedly attract millions of visitors a year. Among the most visited places in Alabama is the Weeden House Museum. This museum is located at 300 Gates Avenue in Huntsville, Alabama.

The museum was originally built around 1819 by Henry C. Bradford and is considered a fine example of Federal architecture. It is comprised of a two-story brick home with features including a spiral staircase, prominent LED glass entry skylight, and even hand-carved mantelpieces.

During the Civil War, this museum was taken over for the use of federal officers. This museum was the home of John McKinley, Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, and Barley M. Lowe. It is also the birthplace and lifelong home of the nation’s famous artist and poet, Maria Howard Weeden (1846-1905).

After the Civil War, Maria Howard Weeden, for whom the museum was named, helped support her poor family by teaching art at home. Maria was born in that same house on July 6, 1847, and, as the youngest child in the family of Dr. William Weeden, she had little formal artistic training. However, even without her formal training, she was actually quite well known for her watercolor portraits of former slaves. Critics say her artwork was designed to reveal the character of the subjects in her paintings, as well as her sense of humor and philosophy of life in associated poems written in her dialect. Maria had books that were published by Doubleday, McClure and Company.

The Weeden House Museum is currently owned by the City of Huntsville and leased by the Twickenham Historic Preservation District Association. It was first opened as a house museum in 1981. Since then, many people have visited it for the purpose of seeing the great works of art as well as the intricate architectural details.

Historic Houses The tour of different houses in the Twickenham Borough benefits The Weeden House Museum. The museum is open to all with a small entrance fee. This Federal-style home is also a favorite location for weddings and receptions. However, the main purpose of this museum is to preserve the furnishings and architecture of the Federal period, which makes it a truly important home to the cultural heritage of the state of Alabama.

It is definitely a vacation spot that you do not want to miss. I’m sure you too will appreciate the beauty of the details at the Weeden House Museum.