Out on Pike Road, built circa 1825. The Marks family moved here from the renowned Broad River Valley of NE Georgia, where my ggggg GF Dionysius Oliver had founded the doomed town of Petersburg in 1786. The Marks clan was part of the group of Virginians who moved to the lush Georgia valley during the 1780s, lured by the prospect of neigh free land. From there the small, politically minded band virtually dominated Georgia politics for the next 30 years. Around 1820 a good number of this power structure was seized with “Alabama Fever” and they moved West. Then, for another 20 years the former Virginia transplants ran our State. From that small group came the founder of Huntsville, the chairman of our first Constitutional Convention, our first US Senator, our first two governors, and numerous lessor functionaries. The rambling, Colonial style Marks House has served as the Pike Road Community Club center since 1968, and every year its grounds hold the well-attended Pike Road Arts & Crafts Fair (see pics below). In 1987 the old house was the setting of Truman Capote’s maudlin film “Thanksgiving Visitor” (see below of opening scene).

-Charles Humphries