Honoring Henderson and Daniel Brandon: A Black Masonry Construction Firm That Built Huntsville

HUNTSVILLE, AL – In celebration of Black History Month, the non-profit Historic Huntsville Foundation (HHF)  will debuts “Brick by Brick: The Legacy of Henderson and Daniel Henderson as part of its Rooted in History” exhibition series on Friday, February 24.

“Brick by Brick” brings long-overdue recognition to the father-and-son masonry firm who built some of Huntsville-Madison County’s most iconic buildings. This exhibition is FREE to the public and opens at 10:00 AM at Harrison Brothers Hardware, 124 Southside Square. The City of Huntsville provided support for this project.

Henderson Brandon & Son was Huntsville’s most successful Black-owned Huntsville business in the decades following Reconstruction, 1880-1920.  This is the first public exhibition based on the Brandons’ work.

“Brick by Brick” showcases eleven structures built by the Brandons, three of which still stand.  Those standing include the Baker-Helms Building at 101 Washington Street; the Humphrey Bros Building at 112 Main Street in Madison; and the Harrison Brothers building, 112 Southside Square, owned by the nonprofit Historic Huntsville Foundation.

Brandon buildings lost to history include the c. 1899 U. S. Courthouse and Post Office, the c. 1891 Dallas Textile Mill, and the c. 1909 Church Street Cumberland Presbyterian Church.

The Brandons’ success at winning public contracts through a competitive bid system challenged the precepts of white supremacy and Jim Crow. The Brandons provided the masonry for Huntsville’s early public works projects, including the city’s first sewer system, a smokestack used by the city’s water works system, and the Huntsville Coal and Ice Factory.

Henderson Brandon worked his way from enslavement to independence by purchasing his freedom from his white enslaver, William Brandon, who is credited with constructing many of Huntsville’s early buildings. Henderson Brandon used his brick making and masonry skills to establish a construction firm in the early 1870s.

“Along with bringing recognition to the Brandons’ body of work, our exhibition speaks to the ways the descendants of white enslavers can bring reconciliation to the descendants of the enslaved. Learning of our Brick-by-Brick exhibition through social media, a descendant of William Brandon contacted me and provided a copy of Brandon’s 1849 will, which will be displayed.  Since the enslaved were considered property, Brandon’s property inventory lists the names and values of his enslaved work force, which numbered well over 150 people. This document can help Black families identify their enslaved ancestors,” said HHF Executive Director Donna Castellano.

Other documents that tell the Brandons’ story include: Henderson Brandons’ 1867 voter registration, advertisements for the Brandon’s brick-making business, announcement that Daniel Brandon would rebuild Harrison Brothers Hardware following a 1901 fire, and a handwritten letter from Daniel Brandon to William Hutchens, a prominent white businessman and community leader. Castellano will make all documents and materials available to media.

When his son Daniel joined the family business in the 1880s, the firm became Henderson Brandon & Son. Highly regarded by members of Huntsville’s Black and white community, voters twice elected Daniel to Huntsville’s Board of Aldermen–first in 1897 and again in 1901. Daniel Brandon would be the last Black men elected to public office in Huntsville until 1988.

Brandon family values stressed the importance of voting rights for Black citizens.  Daniel’s wife, Ellen Brandon, was one of six Black women who registered to vote in 1920. The Historic Huntsville Foundation dedicated a historic marker in October 2021 recognizing these brave women.

The exhibition includes an art show that celebrates the art of Alabama clay. Brick by Brick debuts Friday, February 24 at 10:00 at Harrison Brothers Hardware, 124 Southside Square and continues through September 23, 2023.

The nonprofit Historic Huntsville Foundation owns and operates Harrison Brothers Hardware as part of its preservation mission.