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The People Who Lived on the Land that is Now Redstone Arsenal, page 72
Evidence that the Barn and House were Located on RSA Land Evidence supporting the contention that the house and barn shown in the photographs were located on what is now Redstone Arsenal was found in a report entitled the Hertzler Place: A Late Nineteenth Century Ruin on Redstone Arsenal, written by Charles Hubbert (1985). Hubbert conducted an archaeological reconnaissance, which included the excavation of four test units and an “oral history search” on an abandoned house site on RSA. He said the site was locally known as the Hertzler place. Hubbert said the house site was “atop a prominent place, elevated some 35 feet above the surrounding terrain” (p. 1). It was recorded as archaeological site 1Ma240. Hubbert documented the house as being in the NE % of the NW % of Section 35, T4S, R2W. The Army Real Estate Map shows that at the time of sale to the Army in 1941, this was part of a large parcel (B-68) owned by J. E. Williams. Section 35 is shown on the map on the previous page. Hubbert said the house had been of Victorian style architecture and was said to have been built by John Hertzler. Present on the site were the remains of an outhouse, a capped cistern, and a barn. Adjacent to the barn was an earthen ramp supported by hammer-dressed limestone. A photograph of the remains of the ramp is included in Hubbert's report. When Hubbert interviewed Carl Allen Williams, nephew of James Edward Williams, who was the last owner of the Hertzler place, Williams stated the elevated ramp had abutted the barn; it had been constructed to facilitate the loading of hay. He commented to Hubbert, “How many barns have you seen where you can roll hay down into the loft rather than throwing them up? Saves a lot of labor and time” (p. 15). This is the photograph that Charles Hubbert took of the remains of the barn ramp. Based on a comparison of the ramp shown in this photograph and the ramp abutting the barn shown in the photograph of the Hertzler barn on the previous page, it is asserted that the barn pictured by the Business Men's League of Huntsville in 1908 is the barn that was on the Hertzler property on the arsenal. 72 - (4105)