Final segment in a three-part series on the history and progress of the Baldwin County Department of Archives and History.

Historical preservation projects make up much of the duties assumed by the Baldwin County Department of Archives and History, whether they are short-term, one day activities or long-term capital based projects. Included are events at the Swift-Coles Historic Home and Bicentennial Park as well as capital projects at the Park and the McLeod House conservation effort in Bay Minette.

All of the projects are initiatives that preserve unique aspects of Baldwin County’s history as a means of providing educational opportunities for public school groups, civic organizations and individuals alike. The historic preservation and celebration through events provides younger members of our society with a sense of place and historic foundation.

Events

At present, events and special displays are a part of the activities of the Bicentennial Park and at the Swift-Coles Historic Home. Two primary one day events are the focus of the Park’s schedule of activities.

Halloween Haunted Trail Ride: In the fall, the Park opens for an evening of historical frights and fun the weekend prior to Halloween. The Trail Ride features a hay ride through a series of scary scenarios, many of which are reflective of local and state ghost stories.

Old Time Country Festival: Each spring during the third weekend in April, the Park is host to the Old Time Country Festival, which celebrates the farming and timber background that was once the primary economic foundation of Baldwin County.

Blacksmith Demonstrations: Monthly, a local blacksmith organization, the B and S Forge, offers demonstrations and training of blacksmith techniques free to the public.

Swift-Coles Historic Home: The Swift-Coles Historic Home presents special art and photographic displays on a rotating basis that features natural and historical themes.

Scenic Byway and Military Museum

In 2012 the Archives Department accomplished two major goals in obtaining designation of the Tensaw Parkway State Scenic Byway and the State Legislative designation of Baldwin County as the future site of the state’s military museum.

The Tensaw Parkway links historical, cultural and natural attractions together along the Mobile Bay Causeway, State Highway 225 and State Highway 59 corridor. The designation creates a means of promoting the area along the corridor regionally and nationally as a tourist destination for those interested in the historical and natural attractions offered along the Mobile Bay delta.

The State Legislature overwhelmingly voted to name Baldwin County as the site of the future Alabama State Military Museum to be located at Bicentennial Park in Stockton. Plans for the facility include a 20,000 square foot display space that would feature artifacts representative of the long martial history of the state of Alabama.