A City Boy's Creek

Tommy Towery

LHS '64

Normally, when you think of a creek, the image of a lazy stream deep in the heart of a country setting comes to mind. That was not 

Pinhook Creek's Route

Willard Finkbinder

Pinhook Creek is one of Huntsville’s most historically troublesome — and now most actively redeveloped — waterways. The short version: it’s a downtown creek that has shaped Huntsville’s flood history for decades and is now the centerpiece of a massive, multi‑phase revitalization and flood‑mitigation project. 

Pinhook Creek  

Although no local story explains the origin of its name, researcher William Read—writing in the Louisiana State University Bulletin—offered insight based on a Louisiana landmark called Pinhook Bridge. He suggested that the word Pinhook may have come from early settlers mishearing or mispronouncing the Indigenous term “pinsahuck,” meaning the linden or basswood tree.

What Pinhook Creek is

A small urban stream running through the heart of Huntsville, Pinhook Creek flows from the northeast side of downtown toward Memorial Parkway, joining other tributaries like Dallas Branch and Brogan Branch. Because it cuts through older commercial corridors and low‑lying terrain, it has long been prone to out‑of‑bank flooding during heavy rains. 

Why it matters: A long history of flooding

For decades, Pinhook Creek has been one of Huntsville’s most problematic flood zones. Businesses near the creek — especially around the old commercial corridors near Holmes Avenue, Dallas Street, and Five Points — repeatedly suffered water damage.

One example: John’s Photo Mart, a small camera shop surrounded by Brogan Branch, Pinhook Creek, and Fagan Creek, flooded three times between 1979 and 2003, with water reaching 1–2 feet inside the building. The city eventually purchased and demolished the building to prevent further losses. 

Where Pinhook Creek runs

A quick geographic sense of the corridor:

• North: Near Five Points and Dallas Street

• Through downtown: Crossing Holmes Avenue

• South: Toward Memorial Parkway and Governors Drive

Adjacent landmarks: Heart of Huntsville Drive, older commercial blocks, future greenway connectors. This corridor is now one of Huntsville’s most heavily invested redevelopment zones.

Map the route of Pinhook Creek through Huntsville

The clearest way to understand Pinhook Creek’s route through Huntsville is to trace it from its headwaters in northeast Huntsville, through downtown, and then southward toward Memorial Parkway, where it merges into the larger drainage system. Below is a precise, step‑by‑step map‑style description based on the best available geographic data and city engineering documents.

Pinhook Creek: Full Route Through Huntsville (Step‑by‑Step)

Concise takeaway: Pinhook Creek begins near Five Points, flows southwest through downtown Huntsville parallel to Dallas Branch, crosses under major streets like Holmes and Clinton, then continues south toward Memorial Parkway where it joins the larger stormwater system.

1. Headwaters — Northeast Huntsville / Five Points

Pinhook Creek begins as a small drainage channel in the Five Points area, collecting runoff from the neighborhoods around:

Pratt Avenue

Wells Avenue

Beirne Avenue

It forms from several small tributaries that converge near the Dallas Street / Wellman Avenue area.

2. Flow Toward Downtown — Dallas Street Corridor

From Five Points, the creek flows southwest, running roughly parallel to Dallas Branch.

Key landmarks along this segment:

Dallas Street

Wellman Avenue

Andrew Jackson Way

This is one of the most flood‑prone sections historically.

3. Downtown Crossing — Holmes Avenue & Clinton Avenue

As it enters downtown Huntsville, Pinhook Creek becomes a more engineered channel.

It crosses:

Holmes Avenue (near the old Heart of Huntsville Drive corridor)

Clinton Avenue (close to the former commercial blocks and the developing PARC project zone)

This area is the centerpiece of Huntsville’s major creek‑restoration and greenway expansion.

4. Southward Bend — Toward Memorial Parkway. 

After passing through downtown, the creek bends south and continues toward Memorial Parkway (U.S. 231/431).

It flows through:

The low‑lying commercial zones east of the Parkway

The future greenway corridor being built as part of the PARC project

Areas where retaining walls and widened channels are under construction

This is where the city is adding pedestrian bridges, a suspended cable bridge, and widened flood‑control channels.

5. Confluence — Near Governors Drive

Near the intersection of Memorial Parkway and Governors Drive, Pinhook Creek merges into the larger stormwater system that ultimately drains south toward the Tennessee River watershed. This is the end of its identifiable above‑ground route.

Simplified Route Summary

• Origin: Five Points (north Huntsville)

• Direction: Southwest → South

• Major Crossings: Dallas Street → Holmes Avenue → Clinton Avenue

• Corridor: East side of downtown Huntsville

• Termination: Near Memorial Parkway & Governors Drive

Remembering Dolly Parton

James Ballard's comments last week were sent to my SPAM folder and I did not get them into last week's issue until after I had sent out the notice email. I went back and added it, but earlier readers may have missed it, so I am leaving it for another week.

Last week I asked if anyone was interested in me moving on to what happened in Huntsville in 1967, and I didn't receive any responses, so we will move on to another subject.

Althought it has nothing to do with Lee High School, this week's issue does relate to many of you folks. Since I was a young kid in elementary school I aways heard that Highway 231/241 Highway was the way to go to Florida. I don't remember any specific signs or sayings, but something about it was always there. I personally was never able to take the route myself, and never made it to Florida until my college spring break of my Junior year.

Did any of you take a Florida vacation with your family before you graduated from High School?

The Wayback Machine

For Huntsville teens in the mid‑sixties, “

Last Week's Questions, Answers, And Comments

James Ballard, LHS '67,