Specialties
Step inside the picket fence and be transported back to 1819...Hear the whir of the spinning wheel... smell the enticing aroma of freshly baked bread being prepared over an open fire... turn the great wheel lathe in the cabinetmaker's shop... and visit with villagers busy with their daily tasks, seemingly unaware that nearly two centuries have come and gone. Forty-four delegates of the constitutional convention gathered here in a vacant cabinet shop on July 5, 1819, to organize Alabama as the 22nd state. John Boardman's print shop, Clement Comer Clay's law office, the Federal Land Surveyor's office, a post office and sheriff Stephen Neal's residence surround that cabinet shop. Today, the shade trees watch over a proud living village that captures Alabama's history and spirit. Constitution Village is a unique and unforgettable journey into Alabama's past
History
The Alabama Constitution Village, the first of the museums to open to the public in 1982, is a three acre living history museum comprised of four main public buildings and residences, a Blacksmith, and Confectionery Shop. This award-winning, history recreation was built on the site of the Constitutional Convention of 1819 where Alabama became a state. The Village depicts 19th century daily life and customs through hands-on education programs offered throughout the year to school children across the Southeast and tourists from throughout the world. Every November and December the Village is transformed into Santa's North Pole headquarters, complete with live reindeer, a nightly snowfall, and, of course, Santa himself.