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Tuesday 9am - 12pm Wednesday 9am - 12pm Thursday 9am - 12pm Friday 9am - 12pm

Perry County Historical and Preservation Society

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Marion, AL
Perry County Historical and Preservation Society

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The Perry County Historical and Preservation Society is dedicated to preserving, promoting and honoring the rich history of Perry County, Alabama.

10/30/2026

Scenes from our 10-29-26 Preservation Awards Dinner!
Thanks to all who helped us celebrate these well deserving recipients❤️

10/25/2026

Valerie Pope Burnes, specialist in historic preservation, will be speaking here Thursday October 29 at 6pm during our fall appreciation dinner. Please join us for a delicious meal provided by our board members. Preservation awards will be given to several people who have worked very hard to save historic buildings in Perry County: Ethel and Kenneth Waite, Lynn and Susan Reid, Lloyd Anderson and Blake Barnes, and Hunter Lewis. Our speaker for the evening is well qualified to recognize the work these people have done, and she loves Perry County.

Valerie Pope Burnes is Professor of History and executive secretary of the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame at the University of West Alabama. After graduating from Judson College, she earned an M.A. in Archival Studies and a Ph.D. in History from Auburn University. She defended her dissertation, "From Pre-Civil War to Post-Civil Rights: The Political Lives of African-Americans from Slavery to the 21st Century in Perry County, Alabama," under the direction of Dr. David Carter. Valerie also focuses on women's history and Public History, specifically archival work and historic preservation.

Valerie is the author of numerous articles in Alabama Heritage and is co-author of the book Visions of the Black Belt: A Cultural Survey of the Heart of Alabama. She has also written three articles on the Suffrage Movement for the Encyclopedia of Alabama. Valerie appeared on C-SPAN in 2016, and served as president of the Alabama Historical Association from 2018-19. She was a Bicentennial Scholar for the Alabama Dept. of Archives and History from 2017-19 and led a statewide committee to identify sites in Alabama associated with the women’s suffrage movement to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment in 2020.

Valerie is president of the Sumter County Historical and Preservation Society, the Epes Barbecue Club, the Livingston Book Club, and the Friends of the Ruby Pickens Tartt Public Library. She is also the archivist for the Always A Judson [College] Alumnae group, and the Episcopal Church Women of Alabama. She received the Nellie Rose McCrory Service Award from the University of West Alabama in 2024. She has also rescued over 700 dogs from Sumter and surrounding counties.

Valerie and her husband Brian live in a 1903 Queen Anne home and enjoy traveling, especially walks in the UK. Their latest trip was to walk the Pilgrim’s Way from London to Canterbury in the summer of 2023.

Valerie's book, VISIONS OF THE BLACKBELT: A CULTURAL SURVEY OF THE HEART OF ALABAMA, will be available for purchase and signing Thursday evening.

10/02/2026

Today a great group came to see our Museum of Local History on the occasion of MMI’s Family Weekend. Susan Passmore brought parents, grandparents, and other important family visiting the cadets—-about 75 people total which was too many to fit in this photo! Thank you to our members, Mary Cosby Moore, Karen Nyman, Joey Buchanan, Casey Roberts, and Kay Beckett who welcomed everyone and showed them through the museum 😊

05/14/2026

Happy to have University of Alabama Honors College students in Marion today! We’re giving them an introduction to our colorful town and a tour of the Paul G. Reitzer Museum of Local History which is housed here at the Marion Female Seminary 😀

04/18/2026

Scenes from Thursday evening at our annual Eleanor C Drake Scholarship Awards celebration!
High school seniors enrolled in each of Perry County’s schools had the opportunity to write essays to compete for scholarships to be used at the college they will be entering this fall.
Winners from each school were
Francis Marion - Jeremiah Kynard
Robert C Hatch - Erin Paulding
Marion Academy - Zack Thurber

03/28/2026

In its 176th year our Historic Marion Female Seminary is looking great! It was built to last and now really shines with a fresh coat of paint compliments of Alabama-Tombigbee Resource Conservation and Development Council. We appreciate Ala-Tom RC&D helping us maintain this major landmark in our community!

Address

204 W Monroe Street
Marion, AL
36756

Opening Hours

Tuesday	9am - 12pm
Wednesday	9am - 12pm
Thursday	9am - 12pm
Friday	9am - 12pm

Telephone

(334) 292-0319

Website

http://perrycountyhistoricalandpreservationsociety.com/

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