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Photograph of William Madison Otey House
Photograph by Chris Pruitt, CC BY-SA 3.0. Via Wikimedia Commons.

William Madison Otey House

Built in 1850 (Greek Revival architecture). Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

From the record

“Greenlawn is a historic residence between Meridianville and Huntsville, Alabama. The house was built in 1849-50 by William Otey, replacing a log house built by his father in the early 1810s.”

Wikipedia article William Madison Otey House, CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 97 National Register listings published here for Madison County · listed in 1982 · category: Building · built in 1850, Greek Revival architecture.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

  • What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building as contributing to the listing.
  • Listed as. Otey, William Madison, House - the National Register files a house under its owner's surname.
  • Address. S of Meridianville, Meridianville, 35759
  • When was it listed? January 1982
  • Category. building
  • Census division. Huntsville
  • When was it built? 1850
  • Architectural style. Greek Revival architecture
  • National Register reference number. 82002056 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

Fires near this property

36 since 1997

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 36 fires within 5 miles of William Madison Otey House between 1997 and 2019, burning about 130 acres in total. None started naturally. 7 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Debris and open burning17
Arson/incendiarism7
Missing data/not specified/undetermined5
Misuse of fire by a minor3
Smoking3
Recreation and ceremony1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
9 September 1998Debris and open burning1.0 acresAlabama Forestry Commissionnot named
8 September 1999Debris and open burningunder an acreAlabama Forestry Commissionnot named
27 September 2001Debris and open burningunder an acreAlabama Forestry Commissionnot named
22 September 2019Arson/incendiarism4.0 acresAlabama Forestry Commission20190922-20
22 September 2012Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresAlabama Forestry CommissionNOR-20120922-001
20 September 2000Misuse of fire by a minorunder an acreAlabama Forestry Commissionnot named
2 September 1999Smokingunder an acreAlabama Forestry Commissionnot named
16 September 1999Arson/incendiarismunder an acreAlabama Forestry Commissionnot named

Every fire recorded in Madison County

Mines and quarries near this property

1 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of William Madison Otey House: 1 producer. All of them still produce. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Huntsville North QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer

Every working recorded in Madison County

Storms near this property

41 since 1994

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Meridianville, the town this property stands in, in 41 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 22 thunderstorm wind, 10 hail, 5 tornado, 3 flash flood. The reports record 1 injury. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
May 1997Tornado (F2)Meridianville1 hurt, $600,000A short but powerful tornado struck the area northwest of Meridianville destroying four homes along with major damage to two otehrs and minor damage to twelve more. The tornado path began in an hope area just southwest of the Colonial Golf Course. The torndo moved through a small subdivision on the north and east sides of the golf course and moved into an open area again as it dissipated.
May 2003Tornado (F1)Meridianville$100,000two homes and businesses sustained roof damage and a mobile home was moved off of its foundation.
April 2002Thunderstorm WindMeridianville$25,000A large tree was blown over and landed on a mobile home. No injuries were reported.
March 2022Thunderstorm WindMeridianville$13,000One power pole was reported down across the road and two others leaning and damaged at this location.
August 2011Thunderstorm WindMeridianville$10,000A tree was downed by thunderstorm winds onto a power line, also producing power line damage.
April 2009Thunderstorm WindMeridianville$6,000Thunderstorm winds knocked down trees in Meridianville.
August 2011Thunderstorm WindMeridianville$5,000A tree was blown down onto a power line at the intersection of Countess Street and Hudgins Street.
April 2008Thunderstorm WindMeridianville$3,000Severe thunderstorm winds snapped three power poles just west of the Meridianville airport.
July 1999Thunderstorm WindMeridianville$3,000Trees were blown down and minor street flooding was reported in Meridianville.
April 2025Thunderstorm WindMeridianville$2,000Power lines were knocked down at 204 Spencer Drive.
March 1998Thunderstorm WindMeridianville$2,000no account filed
March 2022Thunderstorm WindMeridianville$1,000A large tree fell down at this location.
July 2019Thunderstorm WindMeridianville$1,000A tree was knocked down near the intersection of Countess Road and Wayside Drive just south of the Madison County Executive Airport. Power lines and a power pole were also knocked down in the area.
October 2002Tornado (F0)Meridianville$1,000A small tornado was reported on the golf course about 1.6 miles northwest of Meridianville. Three golfers reported seeing the funnel come down to the ground and lift some water from the pond. Two or three trees were downed and a trampoline was overturned. Beg.: 34 52.041/86 35.514 End: 34. 52.100/86 35.448
June 2009LightningMeridianville$500Lightning struck a home on Meridianville Road, causing minor damage.
August 2019Thunderstorm WindMeridianville-Power lines were knocked down on Highway 431 in Meridianville.
December 2019Thunderstorm WindMeridianville-A carport was blown onto power lines in the area of Monroe Road and U.S. Highway 431.
March 2018HailMeridianville-Golf ball sized hail was reported near Meridianville.
April 2015Thunderstorm WindMeridianville-A couple of trees were downed by thunderstorm winds on Northington road at the junction of Cottonwood drive and also on Boles road in Madison county, Alabama.
December 2013Flash FloodMeridianville-Heavy rain caused flash flooding to occur with around a foot of water over the road at the intersection of Moores Mill Road and Darwin Road.
March 2012Tornado (EF2)Meridianville-A tornado of EF-2 intensity with a peak wind speeds of 130 mph crossed portions of north central into northeast Madison County. The tornado began it's path just south of the Meridianville-Madison County Executive Airport off Meridianville Bottom Road where several trees were snapped. The tornado continued it's path eastward to Buckhorn High School before lifting at a farm across from the school on Winchester Road.||The tornado snapped power poles and lines along Moores Mill Road just north of Darwin Road. The tornado then intensified and destroyed a silo just east of that location before snapping trees and collapsing a barn on Macon Lane. The EF-2 tornado continued east causing significant tree damage and structural loss to residences along Rube Robinson Road and Morning Mist Drive. Most residences experienced roof damage, including loss of shingles and windows blown out. One home on Morning Mist Drive completely collapsed and was torn off it's foundation. The tornado was at it's peak width of about 220 yards at this point, before narrowing to 50 to 100 yards as it re-crossed Rube Robinson Road. The tornado collapsed a roof and barn in this area, then crossed fields for about 1 mile before reaching residents adjacent to Buckhorn High School on Shady Oak Lane ad Maysville Lane. A residence experienced significant damage, with brick walls buckled and a large portion of the roof torn off. A nearby cinder block wall of a garage collapsed.||The tornado then tracked through the Buckhorn High School campus at a width of up to 100 yards. A block building used by the ROTC students adjacent to the stadium collapsed. Several portions of the roof of the high school were torn off. Several cars in the parking lot were moved, twisted, and damaged with some windows blown out. The tornado then crossed Winchester Road and severely damaged a farmhouse, snapped and uprooted trees and strewn debris downwind across an adjacent cotton field where the tornado is believe to have lifted.
March 2012HailMeridianville-Golf ball sized hail was reported.
July 2012HailMeridianville-Quarter size hail was reported.
July 2012Thunderstorm WindMeridianville-Wind gusts were estimated to be at 60 mph.
June 2011Thunderstorm WindMeridianville-A 66 mph wind gust was measured at the Meridianville AWOS.
June 2011Thunderstorm WindMeridianville-A wind gust to 62 mph was measured by weather equipment.
May 2006HailMeridianville-Penny sized hail reported.
April 2006Thunderstorm WindMeridianville-Estimated wind gust by trained spotter and storm chaser.
April 2006Thunderstorm WindMeridianville-Power lines were blown down by thunderstorm winds.
April 2006Thunderstorm WindMeridianville-Numerous trees were blown down by thunderstorm winds.
June 2006HailMeridianville-Golf ball sized hail was reported.
June 2006HailMeridianville-Penny sized hail was reported.
June 2005Flash FloodMeridianville-Several inches of water covered the roads in Meridianville.
July 2005Flash FloodMeridianville-Torrential rains from a thunderstorm resulted in several inches of water covering roads in Meridianville.
August 2003Thunderstorm WindMeridianville-tree down along highway 431.
April 2002HailMeridianville-Dime size hail was reported in Meridianville.
September 2002Tornado (F0)Meridianville-A small tornado touched down briefly in a cotton field just southwest of the intersection of Countess Road and US 231 just south of Meridianville. A storm spotter video taped the funnel cloud just prior to the touchdown. Beg: 34 49.627/86 34.441 End: 34 49.686/86 34.360
December 2000HailMeridianville-Dime size hail was reported in Meridianville.
May 1994HailMeridianville-A pilot on the ground at Meridianville reported one-half to three-quarter inch hail.
August 1999Thunderstorm WindMeridianville-no account filed
March 1998HailMeridianville-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Madison County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Photograph PropertyDistance Listed
Hezekiah Ford House1.5 miles2014
George Jude House3.1 miles2000
Virginia McCormick Building3.5 miles2001
Domestic Science Building3.5 miles1973
Carnegie Library3.6 miles2001
George C. McCaller Vocational Building3.6 miles2001

Sources for this property

National Archives recordThe nomination case file for reference 82002056 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia articleCommunity-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Madison CountyAll 97 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

  • Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
  • Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
  • How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.