Last updated: 3/31/2010
248 U.S. Highway 231 North
Troy, AL 36081
Monday - Saturday
9 AM - 5 PM
Children (K-12)- $4.00
Adults - $6.00
Senior Adults (60 and over) $5.00
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Jerry Peak
phone: 334-566-3597
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In 1971, Curren and Margaret Farmer incorporated their passion for knowledge and history into the most extensive collection of early American artifacts in the state of Alabama. When they founded the Pioneer Museum of Alabama, they sparked a fire that would burn fiercely for decades to come. It is our understanding that in order to fully appreciate the convenience and ease with which we live our lives today, one must learn about the lives and tools of the early settlers of the Alabama Territory. The Pioneer Museum of Alabama has dedicated itself to preserving these priceless windows of the past. They are essential to the educational experience museum patrons benefit from.
All aspects of the lives of the natives and developers of this country are preserved and demonstrated in great detail through the 17 historic building and 18,000+ artifacts showcased at the museum. The main building of the museum coordinates several displays, which demonstrate the largely agricultural foundation of the nation. Of the agricultural illustrations showcased in the main building are the areas of logging, farming, dairying, and cotton farming. Transportation and blacksmithing are also featured in the main building. The center of the building is a life-sized representation of “The Square,” which was located in downtown Troy at the turn of the century.
This village center includes a doctor’s office, dentist’s office, lawyer’s office, pharmacy, railroad exhibit, women’s apparel shop, post office, and a replica of the Baptist Children’s Home, which operated in Troy for an entire century. The west wing of the main building features domestic displays of both Native American life as well as that of the settlers of European descent. A comprehensive pioneer kitchen exhibit, filled to the brim with everything you would have found in such a room, provides a clear picture of the struggles of maintaining the home.
There is a quilting display that offers an explanation of the well-developed quilting culture of the 18th and 19th centuries. A working loom is used for spinning and weaving demonstrations so that students and visitors can see for themselves the incredible intricacy with which every process of life was conducted. Today sewing clothes is considered a great undertaking, but one hundred years ago, the sewing was not nearly as tedious as making the material itself. In the south wing of the main building, an extensive collection of artifacts sheds light into the nation’s wartime history. The War Between the States, Spanish American War, World War I, and World War II are included.
On the 35 wooded acres of museum grounds, students and visitors can reach a further understanding of the nature of Native American and pioneer life through the three log cabins, the grist mill, the log barn, the corn crib, chicken house, one room schoolhouse, log church, tenant house, 1881 locomotive, and 1894 train depot. We also have the Chancey General Store, which was located and operated in Orion until 1933. Now, it is part of the museum tour, and is a very popular attractive because it is fully stocked with the items for sale at the time of its closing.
Over 25,000 annual museum visitors benefit from the extensive collection located at the museum. Most tours are self-guided, but guided tours are offered by reservation, as well as demonstrations such as quilting, spinning and weaving, and butter churning. Programs such as “Hands On History” are of great educational value to school groups, who are included in the demonstrations of pioneer life. The museum hosts and coordinates several annual events that further increase the public’s knowledge of pioneer life. Such events are the “Pieces of History” quilt exhibit, the Fiddle Fest and Music Jamboree, Pioneer Days, and Pioneer Christmas.
The mission of the museum is to preserve the past for the future, so that the younger generations may learn from the processes and lifestyles of their forefathers.
Pioneer Museum of Alabama opened in 1971 for the purpose of preserving the history of the pioneers who settled this area. The collection started with one main building and a log cabin, and continues to grow with the addition of artifacts, buildings, and facilities. Today, the museum has 15 buildings, a covered bridge, and an amphitheater. It is located on over 40 acres of wooded land. The museum has become a living history classroom for the thousands of school children who tour each year and are fascinated by the various demonstrations conducted. Tourists and local residents enjoy the facilities year round. The Pioneer Museum of Alabama plans one of a kind visits for groups and offers several special events and exhibits throughout the year. The museum is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation supported solely by self-generated income, memberships, and contributions.
The Pioneer Museum of Alabama has become a living history classroom for thousands of school children who visit and are fascinated by the various demonstrations conducted. The Hands-on-History Program, funded by Alabama Power Foundation in 2004, was developed by the museum in 1997 to provide an opportunity for students to experience life in a log cabin. Adaptable for elementary through high school students, the program leads our children to explore life before electricity. Activities for the students include cooking at the wood stove and fireplace, churning butter, “fetching” water, sweeping the yards with handmade straw brooms, feeding the chickens and gathering eggs, and taking a tour of the museum which includes a spinning and weaving demonstration that goes from making thread from “raw” cotton all the way to the loom.
Teacher and/or school systems can make registration for their classes to experience Hands-on-History by calling or emailing the museum.
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