Front: Historic Huntsville Back: Historic Huntsville, Alabama. ALABAMA A & M COLLEGE. On this campus site once stood the Green Bottom Inn, one of Huntsville's earliest hostelries, noted for its race track. GRAY GANDER, once rated the world's fastest horse and winner of a $20,000 purse (not a small amount in the 1800's), raced and worked out here. Many notables, including President James Monroe, President James K. Polk and Andrew Jackson, gathered here for rest and diversion.