Members of the historic founding families of Callaways and Walkers turned out Saturday morning to mark the 100th anniversary of the first Orange Beach schoolhouse.

On a gorgeous morning as azaleas bloomed nearby in the park at the city complex on Orange Beach Boulevard, residents, city officials and out-of-town visitors alike gathered to share lemonade and cake and share stories.

The building began as schoolhouse and has also served as a church. Currently it houses the Indian and Sea Museum with artifacts chronicling early history, as well as the beginnings of the fishing industry in Orange Beach.

Old friends Mary Gene Walker and Ella Callaway Fleming stopped on the steps of the old building and talked about life in the late 1940s in Orange Beach.

“We used to make what we called black tea,” Walker said. “The water quality wasn’t the best. If you left it sitting out overnight, it would get a film on it.

“We used to ride to Foley to get water. If company was coming and asked if they could bring anything, we’d say ‘bring a gallon of water.’”

“If you wanted to make a phone call,” recalled Fleming, “you’d have to drive to Gulf Shores.

Descendent Gail Graham is the curator of the museum and was delighted at the crowd drawn to the celebration.

The Museum is open every Tuesday and Thursday and houses items from cannon balls to arrowheads, schoolbooks, to farming tools, photos, to flags, the museum truly has a story to tell. Many artifacts are directly related to Orange Beach with many items of local memorabilia. Other items go much further back, including a plethora of Native American history.

Moved to its present location from Canal Road several years ago, the restored building is open to the public every Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. School groups, church groups or other organizations, however, can make reservations to tour the facility at other times. The building is handicap accessible and there is no charge to tour the museum.

To reserve a time for your group to tour the museum, call 251-981-8545.

GCN reporter Dale Jones contributed to this report.