FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Wendi Lewis, Marketing and Public Relations Manager
wendi.lewis@ahc.alabama.gov, 334-230-2680

April 20, 2021

Confederate Memorial Park to host Walking Tour on May 15

(Montgomery, AL) – Confederate Memorial Park, a historic property of the Alabama Historical Commission, will host a walking tour on Saturday, May 15, at 10 a.m. Visitors will explore the locations and ruins of the original structures that once occupied the site, as well as tours of a cemetery and the park’s museum.

At the beginning of the 20th century, many Confederate veterans lived in Alabama whose “wants cannot be supplied by means of pension funds … who have no homes, no families, no relatives, no friends, no money, or property and who are too feeble to work or earn a living.” Jefferson Manly Falkner, a Montgomery attorney and Confederate veteran, was determined that something more than just the payment of a meager state pension had to be done for his needy and disabled comrades-in-arms. Through his untiring efforts, the state of Alabama established the Alabama Confederate Soldiers’ Home in 1901, which served as the state’s only facility for the care of indigent Confederate veterans.

Today, Alabama’s only Confederate veterans’ home is incorporated into Confederate Memorial Park, which spans 102 acres of rolling wooded countryside near the center of the state. Life for the old soldiers, called “inmates,” was better than most had known before their arrival. The home provided housing, meals, clothing, allowances, medical care and, for many, a place to die and be buried with dignity.

The cost for the walking tour is $10 per person and can be paid at the museum prior to the 10 a.m. departure. To accommodate social distancing, the tour is allotted for a maximum of 15 participants. Please call the museum at 205-755-1990 to reserve your spot!

Confederate Memorial Park is located at 437 Co Rd 63, Marbury, Alabama, 36051. 

To learn more about Confederate Memorial Park, or the Alabama Historical Commission, please visit www.ahc.alabama.gov.

About Confederate Memorial Park

Confederate Memorial Park is the site of Alabama's only Confederate Soldiers' Home. The site operated from 1902-1939 as a haven for disabled or indigent veterans of the Confederate army, their wives, and widows. The majority of veterans served in Alabama outfits, while others moved to Alabama after the war. The last veteran died at the home in 1934. The facility closed in 1939 when the five remaining widows were moved to Montgomery for better care.

About the Alabama Historical Commission

Located in historic downtown Montgomery at 468 S. Perry Street, the Alabama Historical Commission is the state historic preservation agency for Alabama. The agency was created by an act of the state legislature in 1966 with a mission to protect, preserve and interpret Alabama’s historic places. AHC works to accomplish its mission through two fields of endeavor: Preservation and promotion of state-owned historic sites as public attractions; and, statewide programs to assist people, groups, towns, and cities with local preservation activities. For a complete list of programs and properties owned and operated by the AHC, hours of operation, and admission fees please visit ahc.alabama.gov.