One last chance to see Alabama treasures at the Department of Archives

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) — Renovations are being made at the Alabama Department of Archives.

Exhibits Curator Sam Christensen said the department is preparing to focus on stories of individual Alabamians rather than just state history.

With some exhibits open for only a few more months, he said this could be visitors’ last chance to see certain treasures of Alabama.

“We had brought our children here when they were probably ten, twelve years old,” said archives visitor Mark Donaldson, native of Elba, AL. “And now, today, we’re bringing our four grandchildren to experience this because this has made quite an impression on me.”

Donaldson said he first visited the archives in second grade, and he has enjoyed coming back ever since. He said everyone should visit the archives.

“It’s a good experience each time, and each time it’s a little bit different than it was last time,” said Donaldson. “And I would encourage people to come and to see the historical side of our state.”

But some exhibits are about to change. One of those exhibits is “History Lives On,” which features a look into the historical Rosenwald Schools.

“Absolutely, yeah, it’s a Tuskegee story through and through,” said Christensen. “Especially the first six years or so where the program was headquartered at Tuskegee.”

Dating back to 1917, the Rosenwald Schools gave educational opportunities to Black children in the segregated south. This display and others, like the military exhibit, are about to face changes.

“We hope to highlight the contributions of individual Alabamians, individual communities, certainly some base stories, and the effects that military bases have had on Alabama’s history,” said Christensen. “We hope to highlight the individual more than the collective narrative.”

Other exhibits like the Alabama Voices and the children’s galleries will also undergo changes.

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