A beautiful presentation of the Alabama Band history and personal items…read more The lady in the store was very knowledgeable and pointed us to a wonderful water fall and fabulous restaurant. I wish I could remember her name she is an asset to her community!

Was nice little stop museum was nice and quiet. Friendly staff dog friendly. The gift shop was nice…read morebought a shirt and couple of other things . Love the group Alabama so it was on our list of things to do in Fort Payne.

Sunday, March 2nd, while in Fort Payne, Al ..Tony and I happened across three different sites…read morepertaining to the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail..I visited them and found them very interesting..so I wanted to share. The main property is posted as PRIVATE because someone actually lives in the home as a private residence. History of the site: Visitors to our area will soon discover new signs identifying the Andrew Ross Home, along with the Willstown Mission Cemetery and old Fort Payne Cabin site, as official components of the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail. The congressionally designated trail commemorates the tragic history of the 1838 removal of the Cherokee people from their ancestral homelands to territory in the west. Located just off the intersection of 45th Street and Godfrey Avenue NE, the Andrew Ross home is privately owned by Dr. Stephen Brewer. The present structure retains intact portions of the original home built in 1821 by Cherokee leader Andrew Ross and his wife, Susannah (Susan) Lowery Ross, who was the daughter of Assistant Principal Chief George Lowery. Long thought to be the home of Daniel Ross, Andrew's father, recent research has revealed the home's true origins. In addition to the home, which had an impressive second story balcony across the front, the property included stables, numerous outbuildings, farmlands, orchards and pastures A brother of Cherokee Principal Chief John Ross, Andrew was a judge on the Cherokee Supreme Court. As a member of the Ridge Party -- the group who lobbied to cede all Cherokee lands east of the Mississippi and voluntarily emigrate to the Western territory, Andrew was in direct opposition to his brother John's anti-removal stance. The other two certified properties are owned by Landmarks of DeKalb County. They are Willstown Mission Cemetery located off Godfrey Avenue on 38th Street NE, which is open to the public, and the old Fort Payne Cabin site, located at the end of 4th Street SE, which is undergoing continued research and development -- access to the Cabin Site is by appointment only. National Park Service signs should be in place at these two sites by May, 2010. For further information, contact Landmarks at (256) 845-6888 or send email to: Landmarks.

Tony and I found this while traveling through Fort Payne, Alabama on Sunday March 2nd. The park…read moreitself is well marked with Brown Historical Road signs guiding you to the Williston Trail of Tear sites in the town. The park is free but accepts donations. There is a private parking lot and the park has lots of signs that give you tons of historical. informationp If in the area I highly recommend a quick stop. Took us only about 10 minutes. No one was there, so we were alone to take our time. History: Landmarks' property at the end of 4th Street S. and Gault Ave. in Fort Payne, containing the old cabin foundation and chimney, is now an officially certified historic site on the Trail of Tears Historic Trail. To get driving directions for the Benge Route of the Trail of Tears Late in 1837, Federal Troops arrived in Will's Valley to establish a fort for the purpose of removing the Cherokee Indians from the area. Principal Chief John Ross and other leaders had lost their political and judicial battles with The United States and the Cherokee would be forced to leave their homeland in Northeast Alabama, as part of what's now known as the Trail of Tears. To accommodate officers, soldiers, Cherokees, supplies and animals, the local property included a fort, water supply (the Big Spring), holding pens, cabins, encampment areas and associated outbuildings. Some structures were built specifically for the compound, while others, owned by the Cherokee, were confiscated for use as part of the fort. For generations, many area residents have told the story of one such structure -- a log cabin -- used by the soldiers during the removal. Believed to be the last undeveloped part of local property seized by Federal Troops as part of the complex, all that remains of the cabin are a chimney, a foundation outlined in stones and evidence of a small root cellar. A stacked stone well is situated nearby. The structural remains of the log cabin are visibly evident and documented by archaeological research done by Tim Mistovich (1984) and Sharon Freeman (2009). Materials and method of the chimney's construction are consistent with those built in the early 19th century according to Architectural Historian Robert Gamble. Architect Winston Walker III, who was involved in several research projects relating to the pre-statehood period of the area, stated "the cabin was most probably built between 1800 and 1825". The exact function of the log cabin during the time of the removal is in question. Some think it was used for storage, others claim it was officers' quarters, still others believe it was part of the fort - although two reports place the fort "two hundred yards northeast of the Big Spring". There is better evidence suggesting the identity of the cabin's owner prior to the removal. John Huss (Spirit the Preacher) a Cherokee and ordained Presbyterian minister, moved to Will's Valley around 1824. From John La Tourette's 1837 map and recent research including the government evaluation of his property, it is believed that Huss' land included or was nearby the cabin site. Huss and his family voluntarily left for the western territory in November of 1837.

There is nothing as good as this place. They have a new…read more Museum that they just finished in 2018. It is the most amazing thing. All the stuff that Alabama started out with. Awards stories about them. Just a hand everything about the super group Alabama. If you love country music and love Alabama. This place is a must. Such great files work there and who know at any moment Randy , Teddy, or Jeff could walk in.

Definitely cool! Merry Christmas from Fort Payne Alabama. Really cool stop along the highway…read morepassing thru Alabama. I guess it help if you are a fan of the band! Lot of CD's and cool merch. The museum was cool too. A nice tribute to a great band, definitely a cool stop!

The Reverend Howard Finster Man of God and Man of Vision. In painting bicycles I'm sure as part of…read morea ministry, he saw a face in paint on his fingertip and it was a sign from God that forever changed his earthly path! I had the pleasure of visiting Paradise Gardens when The Reverend was still alive and even got to sign his casket he hand painted which was on display at the time for all to see. An "outsider artist" not to be confused with folk artists he is completely untrained. Yes his REM album cover shot him to a lot of fame and he did another album cover maybe the B 52s? I believe it was an Athens GA based band. And his famous coca cola art and has others have referenced he has a permanent display at the High Museum in ATL. So not too shabby! The gardens are stunning in their down to home feel and do with what you have mentality which strikes a very stark contrast with his signage all done in capital print about how specifically stole what piece of art or to look out for (insert children's names) who will copy his art and claim it at their own. This place is a must see. I didn't have the pleasure of actually meeting Howard. The time there was wonderful and his home (not open to the public at that time) was humble. I bought a piece of his art which I still treasure and delight in his simplified messages of good and evil in his outsider art. God put it on his heart to do a certain number of pieces before dying and I think he suppasssed the number producing something like 20+ thousand works. All signed and with his personal icon of a dove with a branch in it's mouth. I saw a YouTube of him dancing and singing on a late night show in the 80s or 90s. Howard was full of life, full of the Lord and full of himself. A larger than life figure. I'll upload photos soon Rest in peace and rise in glory Sir, I'm certain you are dancing with Jesus and making God so proud you honored Him and definitely spread His kingdom on earth. Thank you for sharing your God given gifts! I

This is a massive collection of artwork, architecture, sculpture that merges all into the amazing…read moreexperience that is Paradise Garden where you can learn all about the visions of Rev. Howard Finster. My first visit was back when Reverend Finster was still alive and they still had quite a nice selection of his art available for purchase and everything was still in pretty pristine shape. The years have caused some deterioration of Paradise Garden but there are now efforts underway to preserve and maintain this amazing collection. This is one of the most fun and quirky displays of American folk art you can experience anywhere. Even if you think you've never heard of Rev. Finster you probably know some of his art so prepare yourself for surprise and amusement. My video review of Howard Finster's Paradise Garden is here: https://youtu.be/1DMCR5jk12Y

Alabama Band Statues Life-size statues of the country music…read moregroup "Alabama" are now on display in this small town in the northeast of the state. The statues are in the corner of Union Park facing the intersection of Gault Avenue and 4th Street North in downtown Fort Payne

Really neat!! Love Randy Owen and Alabama. So many songs I love…read more Glad I got to see this. Easy to find. Just stay on hwy 11 until 4th street, right on the corner. Can't miss it. Do NOT follow the directions on here. You won't see it. Lol Worth stopping off the hwy to see

Great place to bring the family. We did the museum and the mirror maze. We had fun and took many…read morepictures.at the end they had a quick survey and we ended up getting a nice souvenir picture as a gift. It was worth the money.

Me and a friend of mine took a trip to Scottsboro and decided to go to this museum. I really didn't…read moreknow the backstory on this, but of course I read about it after we visited. This is located in a white church and it's pretty close to unclaimed baggage so you can kill two birds with one stone. I loved reading about the story however I hated that those boys were convicted and most likely didn't need to be. We came here on a Friday morning there really wasn't that many people in there so we were able to stop and look at all the information on the walls in regards to these boys that were arrested for apparently raping two white women on a train. If you had just Scottsboro, I would definitely check this out if especially if you're into history There was two girls that were working that day and they were very sweet and gave us some information about the Scottsboro boys.

This museum is an incredible, important attraction that Scottsboro should be proud of. The owner…read morereally knows her history, and my group left with a new wealth of knowledge about the Scottsboro Boys, their trial, and the aftermath. This history deserves to be preserved and acknowledged and should I come back to town, I will definitely be visiting again!