On Monday, Jan. 14, the Making Alabama Bicentennial Traveling Exhibit will be setting up shop in Selma at the Old Depot Museum. Admission is free and the exhibit, which is slated to be in town for 10 days, will be open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily.

“This is an opportunity to showcase the history of our state,” said Selma-Dallas County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Sheryl Smedley. “We’re excited to have it here.”

The exhibit has taken up residence in locales across the state over the past few months.

In eight, solid-built panel it lays out the history of Alabama, from prehistory until modern day.

“We are who we are because of the land,” said Alabama Bicentennial Commission Executive Director Jay Lamar. “We are just one of the states in the union that can boast the most biodiversity.”

The exhibit starts with how the land in Alabam was formed and the impact that Native Americans had on early settlers.

For Selma residents, the exhibit will have special meaning – it will cover the state’s first capital, Cahawba, the Battle of Selma during the Civil War and the Civil Rights and Voting Rights movements.

“Selma is really a storied place,” Lamar said. “It’s one of those iconic places, not just in Alabama history but in American history.”

Past that, it covers the state’s aviation history,

While Lamar noted that the exhibit is an excellent opportunity for people to learn the history of the state, she noted that it’s value is also due in part to the fact that it celebrates every part of the state.

“History has happened all over the state,” Lamar said. “It’s just important that people realize history happens where they are.”

The exhibit, collaboratively sponsored by the Bicentennial Committee and the Alabama Humanities Foundation, is supported by Alabama Department of Archives and History, which provided many of the artifacts and information required for the exhibit.

“I think viewers of all ages will find something to view and enjoy,” Lamar said. “It’s a way for people all over the state to learn about Alabama and also their own history.”

“It’s very impressively done,” Smedley said of the exhibit.

Smedley said the exhibit will roll into town Thursday and volunteers will be tasked with unloading and assembling the panels that make up the display.

If you are interested in volunteering, contact Smedley at 334-875-7241. To learn more about the exhibit, visit www.makingalabama.org.