By 
April 28, 2025
“The past is not the property of historians; it is a public possession. It belongs to anyone who is aware of it, and it grows by being shared.”
Dr. Walter Havighurst, Social Historian
Melanie Thornton brings both a love of history and expertise in sharing it to her new role as CEO of Burritt on the Mountain.
The Burritt Welcome Center welcomes visitors from all over the world to Huntsville’s first museum.
For 70 years, Burritt on the Mountain has been a cornerstone of cultural and historic preservation in Huntsville, offering an immersive experience in history, nature and the arts. As the organization looks toward its future, Thornton provides a wealth of experience in public affairs, museum management and community outreach.
“I began my career in the tourism industry in Louisiana, but it was when I was working in public affairs at the U.S. Department of Interior in Washington, D.C. that I realized I wanted to do more,” Thornton said. “While there, I returned to school to get my master’s degree in public history. I’ve just always loved museums and history.”
Making the move to Alabama
Thornton first came to Alabama in 2014 through her husband’s career with the U.S. Coast Guard. She became Director of the Historic Mobile Preservation Society, which shares a similar mission as Burritt. Three years later, they moved to Huntsville following her husband’s retirement and Thornton transitioned to Director of Public Relations for the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library.
“It was an exciting time to be a part of the Huntsville-Madison County library system as that was when they were working on the capital campaign to build the three new libraries,” Thornton said. “In fact, one of the first projects I worked on was the opening of the Madison Library, and one of the last was the opening of the South Huntsville Library.”
Her most recent role as Executive Director for Madison Visionary Partners allowed her to combine her leadership and project planning skills with fundraising and community engagement to help enrich the quality of life for the City of Madison.
Getting to know Burritt
The mansion built by Dr. William Henry Burritt features a unique X-shaped design.
Although Burritt’s Chief Programs Officer has told Thornton that it takes a full year to get to know Burritt because everything they do is seasonal, her favorite thing is already the fact that there is something for everyone at the mountaintop museum.
“If history isn’t your thing, we have special events like Cocktails at the View and the Roundtop Folk Festival,” said Thornton. “And if Christmas is your thing, it’s a season that is especially celebrated here at Burritt.”
Thornton said the biggest and most pleasant surprise has been the level of commitment from all Burritt’s various stakeholders—whether volunteers, Advisory Council, Board members or employees.
“In 2024 alone, our volunteers logged over 18,000 hours of commitment,” said Thornton. “Seeing that level of community support and commitment has been amazing.”
