Celebrating 200 Years of Alabama’s Rich History and Culture

PHENIX CITY, AL— The Phenix City Russell County Bicentennial Committee and the Russell County Historical Commission announce the grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony of the State Bicentennial Traveling Exhibit on August 3rd, 2018. The exhibit can be viewed through the month of August and will be located at the Fort Mitchell Historic Site in Russell County, located at 561 Highway 165, Fort Mitchell, Alabama. This exhibit can be viewed at no cost to the public.

The schedule for the travelling exhibit in Fort Mitchell is Friday (10:00 am–6:00 pm), Saturday (10:00 am–6:00 pm) and Sunday (12:00 pm–6:00 pm) as well as Thursday, August 9th and Thursday, August 16th from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

Making Alabama. A Bicentennial Traveling Exhibit presented by Alabama Humanities Foundation made its long-awaited debut in Montgomery on March 5, displaying 200 years of Alabama history and beyond. The ALABAMA 200 Bicentennial is a three-year celebration of Alabama’s rich history. In 2017, Alabama commemorated its 200th anniversary as a territory and in 2019 will celebrate its 200th anniversary as a state. ALABAMA 200 aims to lay the foundation for a vibrant and prosperous future for the state.

Beginning in April, the exhibit will be on tour for 19 months, traveling to all 67 of Alabama’s counties. Four exhibits have been built, and they will travel the state concurrently so that all counties will be able to experience this historic event in that time period. The exhibit showcases decisions and turning points that shaped Alabama history, culture, and geography. Visitors can expect interactive displays, audio medleys of song and spoken word, and teaching resources throughout the exhibition. It also conveys a message of “Hope” in its presentation about the future of the state.

“This exhibit is one of several projects planned for the period of the Alabama Bicentennial. In 2017, we initiated the Phenix City Story self-guided walking tour. We have almost completed a History of Russell County and Phenix City, which will be published in the spring of 2019. We have initiated a project to collect an oral history of the ‘Phenix City Story’ Days and we plan to commission a statue of Albert Patterson seated on a bench that will allow visitors to sit next to the great man. Other projects and events are being discussed,” says Troy University Vice Chancellor and co-chair of the local Bicentennial Committee, Dr. White.

The State Bicentennial Traveling Exhibit is presented by the Alabama Humanities Foundation in partnership with the Alabama Department of Archives and History and the Alabama Bicentennial Commission. The Phenix City Russell County Bicentennial Committee invites everyone to visit the exhibit—especially students—and offers flexibility with the exhibit schedule to accommodate field trips through the school system.

If you would like more information about this topic or how to arrange a field trip for your students, please contact Naomi Elliott at (706) 573-1016.For more information about local Bicentennial projects and events, please call Alex Travis at (334) 448-5211 or email atravis@troy.edu. For more information on the Alabama Bicentennial, visit http://www.alabama200.org. To learn more about this statewide exhibit and scheduling, visit http://www.makingalabama.org.

About the Alabama Humanities Foundation
Alabama Humanities Foundation mission is to foster learning, understanding and appreciation of our people, communities and cultures. As the independent, state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the AHF supports and offers programs that will enhance the minds and enrich the lives of Alabamians.