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Huntsville History: Selected Resources: African American History

Explore selected reading and archival materials that showcase Huntsville history.

African American History

The African American experience permeates Huntsville history, from its early begins to today. As early as 1850-1860, the U.S. Census enumerated the African American population, as equal to (if not more) than the white population.

Want to dive deeper? Check out our African American Genealogy Resource Guide.

Selected Books

Free People of Color in Madison County, Alabama
by Nancy Rohr
Find it at the library: H 976.197 ROH

Slave Narratives
by Federal Writers Project (WPA)
Find it at the library: H 301.45 SLA

Selected Archival Collections

The St. John AME Church Digital Collection was generously donated by the church's congregation. The records chronicle its 100+ year history.
The collection is available for research online here.

The William H. Councill High School History Collection is a project of the Councill High Alumni Association.
The collection is available for research online here.

The Nevada Easley Collection are the records of a Huntsville family. Nevada was a library for HMCPL and her husband was in the military.
The collection is available for research in the Archive at the Downtown Huntsville Library.

The Rosenwald School Photographs are a vivid visual history of African American education in Madison County.
The a portion of the collection is available online here. The entire collection is available for research in the Archive at the Downtown Huntsville Library.