Alabama Department of Archives and History, Alabama, United States
4.5 (232 reviews) Spent Ranking #5 in Montgomery Libraries • History Museums
Exciting history superbly presented!
The Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH) has been the home of Alabama history for more than a century. It is the nation's oldest state-funded, independent archival and historical agency. Located in downtown Montgomery across the street from the capitol, the ADAH is the official government records repository for the state, a private collections library and research facility, and also home to the Museum of Alabama, the state's history museum. The Museum of Alabama is the only destination where you can explore Alabama's past from prehistory to the present. Permanent exhibitions at the Museum of Alabama include The Land of Alabama, introducing the geology and natural resources that helped shape the state's history, and The First Alabamians, featuring artifacts, murals, and a diorama that tell the inspiring story of fourteen thousand years of Native American culture. An entirely new centerpiece exhibition called Alabama Voices opened in February 2014. This exhibition covers the dramatic unfolding of Alabama history from the dawn of the 1700s to the beginning of the 21st century. More than 800 artifacts, hundreds of images and documents, and twenty-two audiovisual programs tell the story of struggles over the land, the rise of a cotton economy, the Civil War, industrialization, world wars, civil rights, the race to the moon, and more. Voices taken from diaries, letters, speeches, songs, and other sources convey the experiences of Alabamians who lived through and shaped the history of these periods. The Museum of Alabama provides interactive educational resources for children and families in the Hands-On-Gallery and Grandma's Attic. Here, families and children can dress in period costumes, play with toys from bygone eras, make their own crafts, listen to stories, and much more. The Museum of Alabama is open Monday-Saturday, 8:30-4:30 and admission is always FREE! Visit our Research Room, open Tuesday-Friday and the second Saturday of each month from 8:30-4...
Address
624 Washington Ave, Montgomery, AL 36130-0100
Mobile
Website
http://www.archives.alabama.gov
Current local date and time now
Thursday, May 09, 2024, 0:42
User Ratings
4.5 based on (232 reviews)
Reviews
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5orelas1 5:00 PM Jan 7, 2020
Varied and interesting
The museum is a nice mix between what you probably already know, and a marvelous display of what you probably don't. You'll know some of the famous faces and names on display, but features on the state's founders, portraits of unknown people, and exhibits on location, topography, and Native American history can define the heart of what you learn. A must visit for history and museum buffs.
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4interceptpubs 5:00 PM Jun 1, 2021
Small, but very good museum of Alabama history
We stopped by this museum as part of a quick history tour of the state capitol complex - in addition to the Museum of Alabama in this building, the First White House of the Confederacy is next door, and the state capitol itself is across the street. As state museums go, this is a fairly small one, but it presents a good deal of history in a relatively small amount of space. The building itself started out as the state's World War Memorial and indeed the building still carries that title above the doors on one side. Inside the first floor are busts and sculptures dating back to this original role - indeed many people today may not recognize who, for example, Richard Hobson or William Oates are, but others like Booker T. Washington are perhaps better known. The museum exhibits are on the second floor. The logical starting place is, "The Land of Alabama," located in a small room and devoted to the natural history of the state, broken down by region. Next door is another smallish room describing "the First Alabamians" which describes the Native American residents from their entry in the region some 12,000 or so years ago to their ultimately disasterous interactions with European explorers and settlers entering what is now Alabama. This leads to the main exhibit in the museum titled "Alabama Voices" which provides the history of the state from the 18th to the 21st century - from the contentious early days when the English, French, and Spanish each staked claim to at least parts of the future state to the cotton economy, Civll War, industialization, two World Wars, the civil rights movement, and even the space race. One final exhibit space, "Alabama Treasure," houses a temporary exhibit on Alabama's role in World War I which provides a fascinating in depth look at the state's role in the conflict from Alabama men and women serving overseas to industry in the state supporting the war effort. Throughout the exhibits, there are information panels, videos, interactive displays, photos and artwork, and artifacts to chart and explain the story of Alabama and its people. We spent about an hour here and finished up in the large gift shop on the first floor where there was a large selection of books on various subjects related to Alabama history as well as the usual souvenirs, prints, clothing, etc. Admission and parking are free. Overall, it is definitely worth a stop, but as we have seen bigger and better museums in other states, we had to dock the museum one "ball." It is still very good though.
