Veterans and state leaders gathered at the Alabama Department of Archives and History Thursday morning to officially open a new gallery telling Alabama military stories.
The new gallery uses artifacts, images and videos to showcase Alabama’s veterans. The veterans’ stories highlight every major conflict, specifically focusing on the past 100 years, and are centered around the themes of service, community and legacy that are reflected throughout.
“Making these enhancements a reality required a small army of designers, fabricators, media producers and archive staff and workers,” said ADAH Director Steve Murray. “None of that work would have mattered without the generosity of the service members, veterans and families who, since 1901 and as recently as last week, have entrusted this agency to preserve and make accessible the records and artifacts that equip our storytelling.”
Alabama Military Stories is part of an extensive capital project to update and enhance the offerings of the state history museum for visitors of all ages. Planning for the project began in 2022, and gallery spaces in the Museum began closing for renovations in November 2024. The project also includes a new Children’s Gallery, updates to Alabama Voices and a new First Peoples of Alabama gallery set to open in 2026.
“This exhibit takes you on a personal journey inside the lives of individual service members of Alabama,” said Governor Kay Ivey. “You will gain a sense of their courage and obstacles, and how answering that call to duty changed their lives. Some didn’t come home, and others carry the scars and impact of that service with them for the rest of their lives.”
The new gallery is open to the public beginning today.
