Public Inn

The story

Behind the sketch.

The Public Inn opened around 1818–1819, when travelers arriving in young Huntsville needed food, drink, lodging, news, and probably a good deal of gossip. It originally stood near Madison Street and Williams Avenue, serving as a true public house rather than a private residence. In 1926, the building was moved to its present location, a remarkable survival tactic and a reminder that "historic site" and "historic building" are not always the same thing. The Inn no longer stands where its earliest guests found it, but the structure itself remains a rare link to the rough-and-ready social life of frontier Huntsville.

Neighborhood

Twickenham

Book location

Page 35