The Archives Collection houses rare, fragile, and unique material related to Huntsville and Madison County.
Sampling of archival records:
Family Papers - including the Clay Collection and other local families. Things you'll find: correspondence, diaries, personal libraries, etc.
Photograph Collection - over 25,000 photographic prints and originals, with content ranging from depictions of street scenes and cotton mills throughout Huntsville’s history to portraits of prominent citizens. You can view a portion of these on the Digital Archive.
Business Records - including local shops and services and cotton mills.
Local History and Lineage Society Records - including Huntsville-Madison County Historical Society, DAR, UDC, TN Valley Genealogical Society, TN Valley Civil War Roundtable, etc.
Organizational Records - including Huntsville Public Library, Civic Club, etc.
Church Records - particularly early local churches
Artwork - including pieces by Howard Weeden and portraits by William Frye
Scrapbooks - from local organizations and individuals
Researching in the Archive:
At this time, we do not have a published inventory of the archives. If you are interested in doing archival research or discovering local records, please email specialcollections@hmcpl.org or call 256-532-5969.
If you are interested in volunteering in the archives, please visit our Volunteer Opportunities page.