January 11 , 2022

HANK WILLIAMS MUSEUM & HANK WILLIAMS MEMORIAL

Museum: 118 Commerce St, Montgomery, AL 36104

"Experience the history of the first Country Music superstar and see how Hank Williams transformed country music and sowed the seeds of what was to become American Music, Blues, Rockabilly and even Rock and Roll."  The Hank Williams Museum

This museum inconspicuously housed inside a store front in downtown Montgomery was almost exactly what I thought it would be.  The clerk at the front desk was anything but hospitable, asking if I had cash for the $12.50 admission instead of using my credit card, and then admonishing me to not take photos or video as if the five different signs (not including the notice on their website) weren’t enough of a warning.

Once inside the museum I didn’t know where to start, there were pictures, there were posters, there were records, and there were display cases with content descriptions typed on a piece of paper taped to the glass door.  To say the least, things looked a little outdated.  But once I started reading and truly looking at the contents of the display cases I found there to be just a trove of artifacts telling Hank’s story.  I can’t tell you all that is in the museum but some highlights for me were copies of each of his 11 songs that hit #1 on the charts, clothing he had worn while performing, guitars and a piano he had played as a child, and of course, the 1952 Baby Blue Cadillac, the car he passed away in on January 1, 1953 at only 29 years of age.  Besides Hank there are exhibits honoring his wife Audrey, his children Hank, Jr. and Jett, and the different members of his band, The Drifting Cowboys.  Maybe the best part was listening to Hank’s music played continually throughout the museum. 

I did enjoy the museum, despite having to tolerate some other inconsiderate visitors (singing along with the music, talking on their cell phones, etc) and not being able to take photos.

Memorial: Oakwood Cemetery

The final resting place of Hank Williams and his wife, Audrey, is beautiful tribute to both. As I visited I wondered about the Astroturf that covers the family plot, but then decided it was probably easier to maintain than grass with the number of people who visit and walk around the plot (including myself). I also read somewhere that in the early years visitors would take blades of grass from the area as a souvenir. After witnessing some of the visitors at both the memorial and the museum, I’m sure the Astroturf keeps the area looking nice.