MADISON – The Humphrey family was among the early families of Madison and many of its members were influential in founding industry and education in the town at the turn of the century. In the back- toschool spirit, today’s article will focus on the influence of James Alexander Humphrey on local education. James Alexander Humphrey was one of the earliest members of the Humphrey family in Madison and was active in the late 1800s. He is believed to have built the original Roundhouse, Madison’s first town hall, which was built at the request of then-mayor John Buchanan Floyd.
“Madison’s James Alexander Humphrey, reportedly the builder of the original Roundhouse, was the father of seven sons, including storeowner William Benford Humphrey, who lived at 23 Front Street,” said Madison historian John Rankin in an October 25, 2010 Vintage Vignette. James Alexander was also involved in the founding of Madison High School, also known as Madison Training School. He, along with Mayor John Buchanan Floyd, C.G. Fennel, J.A. Watkins, A.H. Lewis, S.M. Doolittle, and M.A. Bishop formed a board of trustees that incorporated and established the Madison High School in 1895.
“Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Alabama that J.B. Floyd, C.G. Fennel, J.A. Watkins, J.A. Humphrey, A.H. Lewis, S.M. Doolittle, and M.A. Bishop, and their successors in office shall be and are hereby declared and created a body corporate under the constitution and laws of Alabama, by the name of the “Madison High School,” reads an Act of the General Assembly of Alabama dated February 18, 1895…