January 7, 2022

ALABAMA STATE CAPITOL

600 Dexter Avenue, Montgomery, AL 36104

“The Alabama State Capitol, listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the First Confederate Capitol, is the state capitol building for Alabama. Located on Capitol Hill, originally Goat Hill, in Montgomery, it was declared a National Historic Landmark on December 19, 1960.”  Wikipedia

The Alabama State Capitol is part government office building and part museum.  The original building was built in 1850-51 and housed the state’s House of Representatives, Senate, and Supreme Court.  Over the years wings were added on the north, south, and east to make the building more functional.  The Supreme Court moved out in 1940; in the 1970s a major renovation of the building was started which was mostly finished in 1992.  During the renovation in the mid-80s the House and Senate were moved to the Alabama Statehouse across the street from the Capitol and have remained there ever since.  Some of the state’s executive offices (i.e., Governor and Secretary of State) remain in the Capitol.  The original Supreme Court Chamber, Rotunda, House, and Senate Chambers have been restored to its late-19th Century appearance and are open for people to visit.

“In 1861, the Confederate States of America was born in the Senate Chamber, where delegates from Southern states voted to establish a new nation.” (Capitol Brochure).  While this building played a significant part in organizing the confederacy, I felt the references to it were subtle, a plaque in the Senate Chamber, one of eight murals in the Rotunda depicted Jefferson Davis’ inauguration, and a star in the floor outside the front door indicating where Davis was sworn in as president. There was a portrait of Robert E. Lee in the Supreme Court Chamber and the Confederate Memorial outside, which is described as dedicated to those from Alabama who died in the war. The memorial which is quite tall is almost hidden from the street by trees all around it.

I found the building to be beautiful and not overly gaudy.  The matching spiral stairways in the building entryway were stunning.  After looking at the brochure I was given for a self-guided tour I see that I missed a room contain archives which probably would have given me a little more of the history of events in the building, but I got a good sense of the history in what I did see.