American Village

American Village is a village-scaled interpretive museum built as a recreated colonial-era town located on a 113-acre site on Montevallo Road near exit 234 off I-65. The village is owned and managed by the American Village Citizenship Trust, which was chartered in 1995 as a public educational institution by the state legislature. The trust's mission is " to strengthen and renew the foundations of American liberty and self-government through citizenship education."

The village, which officially serves as the trust's "campus", was opened to great acclaim on November 30, 1999. Initially it welcomed mainly school groups from around the region. After a 2005 expansion the village opened to more general tourism, as well as weddings, conferences and other events.

American Village's founder and executive director is Thomas G. Walker. He began lobbying for it in 1993, with preliminary legislation to create the Citizenship Trust sponsored by Frank Ellis, Jr amd Tom Butler in the Alabama Senate and Al Knight in the House. Construction funds from lodging taxes were earmarked for village construction by a separate measure sponsored by Rep. Johnny Curry in 1998. Butler serves as chair of the board of trustees.

In 2004 American Village was named "Attraction of the Year" by the Alabama Bureau of Tourism and Travel. Later that year a site adjacent to the village first came under consideration for the Montevallo National Cemetery which opened in 2009.

The village architect is Mike Hamrick, who researched the plans and details of the structures on which American Village's buildings are patterned.

Facilities

• A new 11,000 square-foot "Visitor's Center", was completed in 2009 with banqueting facilities, including a replica of the White House East Room.
• An older visitor's center includes the Estes Family Visitors Orientation Theatre, a colonial-themed "tavern", gift shops, and meeting and conference facilities.
• "Constitution Green" is the open centerpiece of the village, hosting a variety of themed activities and historical characters.
• "Washington Hall", patterned after Mount Vernon, Washington's Virginia estate. Washington Hall dominates the primary axis of Constitution Green. Adjacent to the Hall is the "Southern Living Colonial Garden" with changing botanical displays.
• The "James B. and Sylvia S. Braswell President's House" is a recreation of the presidential residence in Philadelphia which was used from 1790 to 1810. It was built with the support of Southern Living and is serving as that magazine's "Showcase House" until mid-2007, when it will be redecorated in period furnishings and will house the "Alabama Power Living Liberty Experience at the President's House" sponsored by Alabama Power.
• "Colonial Courthouse", patterned after the 1770 Williamsburg Courthouse which hosted the Virginia Convention. Presentations on that convention and on the colonial-era legal system are given in the courthouse. Adjacent to the courthouse is the "Alabama Power voting station" with a participatory exhibit on the history of voting in the United States.
• The "President's Classroom" with a "Road to the White House" exhibit and full-scale recreation of the modern Oval Office.
• Three tradesmen's shops and residences, showcasing colonial-era crafts.
• A "Continental Army encampment" showcasing the revolutionary army under General Washington.
• The "Village Hall", housing administrative offices.
• The "Old Meeting House", with space for private meetings.
• "Colonial Chapel", used mainly for weddings and built with private funds.
• The "American Village Barn Theatre", a barn-shaped venue for live performances.
• Offices of the David Mathews Center for Civic Life, a collaborative research center formerly based in Northport.
• A pedestrian-scale replica of the Old North Bridge in Concord, Massachusetts, site of the first shots in the Revolutionary War.
• A $6 million replica of Philadelphia's Independence Hall.
• A "Colonial Coffee House"

Developments

In June 2009 American Village was awarded $406,918 in federal stimulus money to fund irrigation and landscaping work, primarily along a buffer area between Highway 119 and the attraction. Shelby County applied for the funding on the attraction's behalf.

References

• Wilstach, Nancy (October 14, 2006) "History park now home to full-scale Oval Office." Birmingham News
• Wilstach, Nancy (January 4, 2008) "American Village expands programs with civic life center." Birmingham News
• "The American Village to build $6 million Independence Hall replica." (November 12, 2009) Shelby County Reporter
• Daniels, Malcomb (November 30, 2009) "Montevallo's American Village still growing after 10 years." Birmingham News

External link

• American Village website