Johnston House
1425 Woodstock Avenue
1925

The Johnston House was built for William Francis Johnston (1881-1939) in 1925. was Born in Pickens County, Johnston moved with his parents to Anniston in 1898. He joined the National Guard while enrolled at the Alabama Polyclinic Institute and "rose to the rank of major in the infantry regiment commanded by Col. E.H. McKleroy." Johnston married Alice Bullard on November 25, 1908.

Johnston's became a successful businessman through his association with Charles A. Hamilton. The two men purchased the old Anniston Foundry in 1912 and acquired both the Standard Foundry and the Ornamental Foundry in 1915. In 1920, they purchased the Lynchburg Pressure Pipe Foundry and became the first local manufacturers of soil pipes. Hamilton and Johnston later founded the Anniston Pipe Company with Gov. Thomas E. Kilby. The company grew to become one of the largest soil pipe manufacturing companies in the world with plants in Gadsden, Talladega, and Kansas City and warehouses in Chicago and New York. Johnston was listed as the president of the Anniston Pipe Company in the 1924 Anniston city directory. In addition, Johnston served as president of the Anniston Land Company and the Acme Weaving Mills as well as a director of the Anniston National Bank. Johnston also sat on the Anniston Board of Education for fifteen years.

After Johnston's death in 1939, his wife continued to live in the house until April 1948, when she sold it to Charles Hamilton, Jr. Hamilton was also a successful business leader who entered his father's business and eventually became president and chairman of the board of the Alabama Pipe Company. He was named the Anniston Star's "Man of the Year" in 1966. After Hamilton's death on October 21, 1989, Hoyt Howell, a business associate said of Mr. Hamilton, stated in his obituary that: "He was the kind of man who would fight you for a dime, then turn around and give you $100 if you really needed it….He meant a lot to a lot of people….Over the past 20 years or so, charity has been his main goal."

On September 29, 1966, Mrs. Hamilton deeded the property to the City Board of Education of the City of Anniston. The school board used the house as offices until recent years.

"Text © 2006 Schneider Historic Preservation, LLC"


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