Clarke County Historical Museum

About us:

The Clarke County Historical Museum opened in 1986 as a project of the Clarke County Historical Society, the museum, formerly the Alston-Cobb House, was constructed in 1854. Within its walls lies a treasure trove of Southwest Alabama history.One of the most popular exhibits is the fossils of the Zeuglodon, a prehistoric whale that swam in the ocean waters that once covered the county. Many early settlers used fossilized whale vertebrae in the chimneys or foundations of the homes they constructed.

The museum also features exhibits on the Native Americans who once lived here, the Civil War, Clarke Countians who fought in the two World Wars, and the county's historic rural life. An antebellum kitchen is, of course, situated away from the main house, and it shows visitors how early housewives or their servants once went about the business of cooking and keeping house.Traveling exhibits also come to the museum, and temporary exhibits have been set up to showcase Clarke County quilt makers, early steamboats that plowed the rivers on either side of the county; and Clarke County's sports heroes.