Item 5 of 5 (4361)

"3705 Alpine Street, Southwest (House), Huntsville, Madison, AL. Significance: This dwelling is one of numerous two-story wooden frame duplexes Merrimack Mill built for mill operatives and their families in 1900 when the Massachusetts-based company erected their first mill south of Huntsville. At a cost of about $1,000 per structure, the houses featured a square plan, four rooms per floor, for a total of four rooms per occupant, each provided with a coal fueled fireplace. Oil lamps supplied interior lighting, and a hydrant at the back of each lot provided spring water. A reinforced concrete outbuilding was erected behind each house to provide a cow stall, coal bin, and toilet for each dwelling unit. Employees were encouraged to pasture animals on company land. The interior of this vernacular house was fitted with wooden floors and wainscoting of double-beaded sheathing. Above the wainscot were plastered walls and ceilings. A wing containing kitchens and bathrooms was added ca. 1950."
Date: c 1935
Rights: Historic American Building Survey, Library of Congress