ONE
ONE OF
ONE OF THE OLDEST HOMES IN HUNTSVILLE.. NOW-- ITS USED
FOR WEDDINGS AND SPECIAL
EVENTS. THE HOUSE--- WHICH IS
LOCATED IN THE LINCOLN MILL
AREA--- IS ONE OF THE ONLY
HOMES IN THE SOUTH WITH A
SPECIFIC áááITALIANááá STYLE
OF architecture.. BUT WE
FOUND OUT THAT THERE'S MUCH
MORE TO THIS HISTORIC HOUSE,
THAN MEETS THE
EYE. "This room right here was the
most important room of the
house."THIS 19TH CENTURY HOME
ON KILDARE STREET WAS BUILT BY
JOHN TATE LOWRY AROUND
18-50. LOWRY CONSTRUCTED THIS HOME
WITH WOOD FROM THE ORIGINAL
CABIN THAT WAS BUILT BY HIS
GRANDFATHER IN THE EARLY
1800'S.THE HOME IS NOW OWNED
BY JANE AND LOUIE TIPPETT, WHO
BOUGHT IT IN 19-98 AND
RENOVATED IT. "Belt buckle
that we found in the yard"MRS.
TIPPETT GIVES PUBLIC TOURS OF
THE HOME, DRESSED AS ELIZABETH
TATE, JOHN LOWRY'S MOTHER.
"All the doors all the
windows, that are still here,
all the handwork and the
stairwell,
everything is original to the house."LOWRY WAS A WEALTHY
FARMER AND
BUSINESSMAN. HE OWNED MANY SLAVES THAT WORKED ON THIS
PLANTATION. IT WAS DURING THE
18-60'S THAT LOWRY WENT
AGAINST SOCIETAL NORMS AND
BECAME AN ABOLITIONIST."He saw
that there was a need to help
his fellow man."LOWRY ALLOWED
HIS HOME TO BECOME PART OF THE
UNDERGROUND RAILROAD TO HELP
SLAVES ESCAPE."A secret room
that he had upstairs which is
was off of his bedroom and
that's where they were
hidden." HE WAS VERY METHODICAL WHEN HE
RECONSTRUCTED THIS HOUSE."This
is more than 100 years old and
they do not squeak when you
walk on them." HE PURPOSELY
MADE THE STAIRS OUT OF
CHESTNUT AND OAK."Do you hear
them squeaking?""They build
the staircase where they could
bring slaves in and out at any
time. If they had guests, the
guests couldn't hear in those
two rooms there,
couldn't
couldn't hear the slaves being transported up and down the
staircase."LOWRY HELPED SLAVES
WHO WERE USING THE UNDERGROUND
RAILROAD, COMMUNICATE WITH
EACH OTHER, BY USING A SECRET
CODE LANGUAGE."Reading and
writing was forbidden for
slaves, to be able to do, so
they had to have some way of
communications."They would
communications."They would hang quilts which contained
signals and that would tell
when and how to go, who to
speak to, that type of thing.
Right here is a basket and
that would tell you, to take
enough food and supplies when
you
UNDERGROUND RAILROAD CODE WAS ALSO USED IN THE WAY THE
SLAVES DRESSED. "If she wore a
read scarf tied to the front,
it meant danger don't talk to
me. If she wore
a
a yellow
a yellow scarf tied to the back, caution, you may speak
to me if it's clear. If she
wore a white scarf tied to the
front, that meant you can talk
to me
AND
AND WHILE
AND WHILE WASHING CLOTHES AND
LABORING
LABORING IN THE FIELD THE SLAVES WERE PLANNING THEIR
ESCAPE. "If the trousers were
hung with the legs up in the
air that means prepare to run,
if they were hung with the
trousers leg hanging down by
the waist, stand fast, don't
run its dangerous."HISTORIAN
BOB HAYDEN GIVES TOURS
OF
OF THE
OF THE HISTORIC LOWRY HOUSE.HE GREW UP JUST BLOCKS AWAY FROM
IT, BUT NEVER KNEW WHAT THE
INSIDE LOOKED LIKE."I couldn't
come because of the racial
policy."THEN ONE DAY HIS
FRIEND LOUIE TIPPETTTOLD HIM
HE BOUGHT THE HOME."It's one
of the greatest things in my
life to be able to show my
daughter and granddaughter
where our civil rights
started. That our friends are
the people that restored it
and saved it for historical
value for future generations
they didn't knock it down,
they saved
they saved it."#### HAYDEN SAYS HIS LIFE HAS
COME FULL CIRCLE--- TO BE ABLE
TO SHARE ACCOUNTS OF THE
UNDERGROUND RAILROAD WITH
PEOPLE WHO VISIT THE HISTORIC
LOWRY HOUSE... MISTER AND
MISSES TIPPETT--- SPENT A
MILLION DOLLARS TO RENOVATE
THE HOME... AND IT'S NOW ON
"ALABAMA'S HISTORIC
"ALABAMA'S HISTORIC REGISTRY".