What do you know about the namesake for Drake Avenue?
Reading time: 3 minutes
The name “Drake” can be seen on numerous landmarks and locations in the Tennessee Valley, although they are not all named for the same Drake family.
This week, the Drake we will discuss is the namesake for Drake Avenue–one of the main roads through residential Huntsville–as our series on famous roads continues.
Who was Drake Avenue named for?
The namesake for Drake Avenue shows just how old the city of Huntsville really is. The road is named for Revolutionary War soldier John Drake.
Originally from New Jersey, Drake moved his family to Huntsville in the early 1800s.
Drake was a captain in the war and used his influence to purchase a large amount of land, which became known as Drake’s Cove. This land is known to us now as Jones Valley.
According to historian Dex Nilsson, Drake and his wife Jane Neely had 10 children and 68 grandchildren, so the Drake family has continued to have a home in the Rocket City.
Drake died in 1837 and is buried at Drake Cemetery on Garth Road.
John Drake’s name can be found in other areas around North Alabama as well, including Drake Mountain and King Drake Road.
Another famous Drake
Drake Avenue is not, however, named for the same famous Drake who is the namesake for Drake State Community and Technical College. That distinction goes to Joseph Fanning Drake, the fourth and longest-running president of Alabama A&M University.
During his time as president, Drake not only kept the school running through the Depression, WW2, and the civil rights movement, but managed to add over forty buildings (including their first greenhouse), 600 acres of land, and triple the faculty and student population of the school.
According to the Huntsville History Collection, in 1966 the Huntsville State Vocational Technical College was renamed to J.F. Drake State Community and Technical College to honor the late Dr. Drake.
Famous Roads series
Make sure and check out our previous stories on the namesakes of Huntsville roads, including:
- Don Mincher Drive
- Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard
- Bob Wallace Avenue
- Cecil Ashburn Drive
- Carl T. Jones Drive
- Lincoln Street
Want more fun content like this? Follow Hville Blast on Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, and be sure to subscribe to our newsletter.
