Wilcox Historical Society

09/05/2026

UPDATE: This trip is now FULL! 🎉 To be added to the waiting list, please email [email protected].

🏛️ A Peek at One of the Stops on Our Montgomery Day Trip!

Step back into 1830s Montgomery at the First White House of the Confederacy, one of the historic sites we’ll visit during the Wilcox Historical Society Day Trip to Montgomery on Wednesday, September 16.

Built in 1834 by William Sayre, the Italianate-style home reflects Montgomery's early growth. Sayre served as a city councilman and two-term mayor and helped develop the railroad linking Montgomery with Mobile. Later owners were involved in enterprises that helped transform Montgomery into a bustling antebellum city, including banking, gas works, an icehouse, and iron manufacturing.

In the spring of 1861, the Confederate government rented the home as the executive residence for Jefferson Davis and his young family while Montgomery served as the first capital of the Confederacy.

Today, the house is furnished in the 1850s style, giving visitors a glimpse into another era.

📅 Wednesday, September 16, 2026
💵 $50 WHS Members | $80 Non-Members
🍽️ Catered lunch included

Our day will also include a visit to the Governor's Mansion, the Alabama State Capitol, and a special visit to the Alabama Department of Archives & History to see artifacts and collections connected to Wilcox County.

Space is limited; reserve soon!

📧 [email protected]

09/04/2026

THE WORK THAT BUILT WILCOX COUNTY

As Labor Day weekend approaches, we’re looking back at the generations of men and women whose work helped build Wilcox County.

This wonderful photograph, believed to date from the 1950s, shows a road construction crew at work somewhere in Wilcox County. Fred Lamkin is pictured second from the right.

Long before today’s modern equipment, crews like this one built and maintained the roads that connected our towns and rural communities; roads that carried children to school, farmers to market, families to church, and neighbors from one community to another.

And now we need your help!

Do you recognize any of the other men? Do you know where this photograph might have been taken or remember road crews like this one? Please share what you know in the comments. Sometimes one photograph can bring back an entire chapter of local history.

This Labor Day weekend, we remember the people whose hard work helped build the Wilcox County we know today. Have a safe Labor Day weekend!

📷 Photo courtesy of Martha Grimes Lampkin, granddaughter of Fred Lamkin.

09/04/2026

Thanks for sharing our news Black Belt News Network!

The Wilcox Historical Society has launched a $500,000 restoration of their headquarters, the Wilcox Female Institute, starting in September.

09/03/2026

UPDATE: This trip is now FULL! 🎉 To be added to the waiting list, please email [email protected].

🏛️ One More Reason to Join Us in Montgomery! Our Wilcox Historical Society Day Trip to Montgomery on Wednesday, September 16 will include a special visit to the Alabama Department of Archives & History; THE home of Alabama history for more than a century.

Founded in 1901, the Alabama Archives was the first state-funded, independent department of archives and history in the United States. Its collections preserve the records, photographs, manuscripts, artifacts, and personal stories that help tell Alabama’s history.

For our WHS visit, Archives staff will give us special access to view a selection of Wilcox County artifacts and collections; items not typically available on a standard museum visit. It will be a wonderful opportunity to see pieces of our own county’s history preserved at the state Archives.

And we’ll make time for lunch! 🍽️ A catered lunch is included as part of our day together.

📅 Wednesday, September 16, 2026
💵 $50 WHS Members | $80 Non-Members

Our full day also includes visits to the Governor’s Mansion, the Alabama State Capitol and the First White House of the Confederacy.

This is our final call if you’ve been thinking about joining us; now is the time to reserve your spot!

📧 [email protected]

Come spend the day with WHS exploring Alabama history and discovering some of Wilcox County’s own treasures along the way.

Alabama Department of Archives and History

09/03/2026

UPDATE: This trip is now FULL! 🎉 To be added to the waiting list, please email [email protected].

🏛️ Our Montgomery Day Trip Just Got Even Better!

We are excited to announce a very special addition to the Wilcox Historical Society Day Trip to Montgomery on Wednesday, September 16!

Our day will now begin at the Alabama Governor’s Mansion, where we have been invited for coffee and a visit to the Mansion, followed by a group photograph with Governor Kay Ivey.

Built in 1907, the beautiful Neoclassical residence became Alabama’s official Governor’s Mansion in 1950 and has served as the home of Alabama’s First Families and a setting for official state functions for more than 75 years.

And that’s only the beginning of our day! We’ll also enjoy:

🏛️ Special access at the Alabama Department of Archives & History to see Wilcox County artifacts and collections
🍽️ A catered lunch at the Archives
🏠 A tour of the First White House of the Confederacy
🏛️ A private tour of the Alabama State Capitol

📅 Wednesday, September 16, 2026
💵 $50 WHS Members | $80 Non-Members
🍽️ Lunch included

Space is limited, and reservations are filling up. Reserve your place now!

📧 [email protected]

What a day we have planned: from the Governor’s Mansion to Wilcox County treasures at the Archives! We hope you’ll join us in Montgomery.

Alabama Department of Archives and History Governor Kay Ivey The First White House of the Confederacy

09/02/2026

🎉 Look what we found in the new issue of Alabama Magazine!

Camden and Wilcox County are in the spotlight with an incredible Getaway to Camden Giveaway, and the Wilcox Historical Society is delighted to be part of it!

One lucky winner will receive a wonderful getaway filled with historic homes, great food, shopping, outdoor recreation, art, and two VIP passes to the 2027 Wilcox County Tour of Homes! 🏡

We especially want to thank all of the local businesses and organizations that joined together to create such a terrific package:

🏡 The Capell House at Pebble Hill
🌲 Roland Cooper State Park
🏛️ Liberty Hall Bed & Breakfast
🪑 The Brittany House Antiques at Oak Hill
🛍️ Collections By Molly
🍽️ Gaines Ridge Dinner Club
🔨 Coast to Coast Camden
🎨 Black Belt Treasures Cultural Arts Center
🍴 The Pecan Downtown
🛍️ Camden Mercantile

It takes a community working together to showcase what makes Camden and Wilcox County such a special place to visit, and we are grateful to everyone who helped make this giveaway possible.

And to our winner, we’ll look forward to welcoming you in the spring for the 2027 Wilcox County Tour of Homes in historic Pine Apple, March 19–20!

📖 Look for the “Getaway to Camden” feature in Alabama Magazine and online and enter for your chance to win.

Come for the getaway. Discover the history. And we hope you’ll come back again and again!

Alabama Magazine The Brittany House Antiques at Oak Hill Camden, Alabama Capell House at Pebble Hill Roland Cooper State Park-Alabama The Pecan Downtown GainesRidge - Restaurant and Event Venue Liberty Hall Bed and Breakfast Black Belt Treasures Cultural Arts Center Coast to Coast Camden

09/01/2026

🔔 A NEW CHAPTER FOR THE WILCOX FEMALE INSTITUTE!

The Wilcox Historical Society is proud to announce that restoration work on the historic Wilcox Female Institute will begin in September, representing an investment of more than $500,000 in Camden and Wilcox County.

Following our meeting Sunday afternoon, WHS President Lance Britt joined Chris Pringle of Chris Pringle Construction of Mobile to officially sign the construction contract at the Female Institute.

And we’re starting at the top! 🔔

The first phase will include restoring the bell tower and balcony and returning the Institute’s original bell to its rightful place. The larger project will also include a new cedar shake roof, rehabilitation of the second floor, new electrical and HVAC systems, and other improvements.

When completed, the second floor will become a truly special home to The Women of Wilcox Museum, a gallery and meeting space, and a state-of-the-art genealogical research center for preserving historic documents, garments, photographs, and artifacts from across Wilcox County.

“This is a momentous day for our Historical Society, Camden, and Wilcox County,” said WHS President Lance Britt. “This is a realization of a dream thirty years in the making.”

Sunday was especially fitting as more than 70 members and guests gathered to hear Laine and Kevin Berry, co-founders of Our Restoration Nation, present “There is No Such Thing as a Tear Down.” Their message about the importance of saving historic places could not have been more timely.

For generations, the Wilcox Female Institute has been part of Wilcox County's story. Now we are investing in its future—so it can preserve and share our history for generations to come.

And before long, the bell will ring again. 🔔

Alabama Historical Commission Our Restoration Nation Alabama Historical Association

08/31/2026

🏡 A little glimpse from Sunday afternoon...

We were delighted to welcome Laine and Kevin Berry of Our Restoration Nation back to Wilcox County for our August meeting.

Here they are at the beginning of their program, “There Is No Such Thing as a Tear Down,” an afternoon filled with stories of old houses, remarkable restorations, and plenty of inspiration for those of us who believe historic places are worth saving.

We have more photos and highlights to share from a wonderful afternoon; stay tuned!

Our Restoration Nation

08/31/2026

UPDATE: This trip is now FULL! 🎉 To be added to the waiting list, please email [email protected].

🏛️ Spend the Day with WHS in Montgomery! There’s still time to join us for the Wilcox Historical Society Day Trip to Montgomery on Wednesday, September 16!

We have a wonderful day planned, including private tours of the Alabama State Capitol and First White House of the Confederacy, plus special access at the Alabama Department of Archives & History to view artifacts and collections connected to Wilcox County history.

💵 $50 WHS Members | $80 Non-Members
🍽️ Catered lunch included
📍 Participants will meet in Montgomery

Space is limited, so reserve your spot soon! Mail your check to WHS, P.O. Box 464, Camden, AL 36726, with MONTGOMERY TRIP in the memo line.

📧 Questions? [email protected]

Come spend the day with us exploring Alabama history and seeing some special pieces of Wilcox County’s past!

Alabama Department of Archives and History