The “Picker House” is Here to Stay – HPRA to Acquire

Tatum Northington Elmore/Autauga News

Photos of Picker House and Picker House History from Tommy Brown

The Historic Prattville Redevelopment Authority met Thursday, August 18, 2022 in a conference room at City Hall. Four of five members were present, so a quorum was set to hold the meeting and vote on multiple resolutions; member David McIntosh was absent. Guests were also in attendance at this meeting and were allowed to voice comments at the end of the meeting.

Chairman Matt Holtzscher called the meeting to order, with Jerry Cimis recording for minutes. Holtzscher gave the Chairman’s Report and discussed three resolutions to be voted upon. 

1. “Resolution: To authorize the mowing of the lot adjacent to the Public Safety Building.” Vote was put on hold to inquire about prices from different mowing/landscaping companies; does not foresee it costing more than $700 for the year.
2. “Resolution: To acquire certain real property generally known as “the Picker House” located in the City of Prattville’s central business district from Pratt Mill Properties, LLC.” The group gave permission to the Chairman to negotiate and purchase the property on behalf of HPRA once the survey and subdivision of the property were completed. This could take up to a month. The vote to approve was motioned by Danny Loftin, and seconded by Ed Rouce. The vote was unanimous, and this property will be owned and renovated by the HPRA for future use of Prattville citizens.  
3. “Resolution: To convey the Levee Parcel to the City of Prattville to facilitate the maintenance, upkeep and certification of the Levee Parcel by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.” Chairman recommended selling as quickly as possible as there is no need to own or maintain the property. The motion to vote was by Loftin and seconded by Rouce. The vote was unanimous to transfer the property.

The biggest and most interesting item of the evening was the vote to acquire the Picker House. EAN spoke with Prattville Historian Tommy Brown to get more information on “the Picker House.” Brown explains that the Picker House “Built in 1850, the Picker House was the first step in transforming cotton into woven cloth. Workers would unpack the bales and remove debris and then feed the raw cotton into a breaker lapper which beat and threw out the cotton fibers. The Picker House was separated from the main textile factory to reduce the risk of fire from cotton dust and debris.” This building was later converted into office space, and the buildings located beside the Picker House were lost in the 2002 fire,but the Picker House was saved “by a very long night by Prattville and other community fire departments,” according to Brown. 

The acquisition of the Picker House has been a lengthy, and sometimes, contentious process, but with this vote the HPRA is finally able to move forward with their purchase. Holtzscher asked for any closing comments, and some of the guests spoke about ideas for the HPRA to consider. The meeting was then adjourned.