American Village, a local treasure

By Ashlee Hall

For many central Alabama residents, American Village is the place to go to celebrate America and learn about our independence and liberty.

American Village, located in Montevallo, Al., is a unique facility that is home to historically accurate replicas of some of America’s most well known historical buildings, such as Mount Vernon, Liberty Hall and Independence Hall. The campus is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the public to come and watch live reenactments of the American Revolutionary War and to catch a glimpse of what life was like back then.

Founders

American Village Citizenship Trust was founded in 1995 by Tom Walker. It was founded upon Walker’s belief that there was a need for more education of American historical and civic literacy.

To bring his idea to life, Walker worked with architects, city and state officials and established a Board of Trustees before beginning construction in the early 90s.

Since opening its doors in November of 1999, American Village has served over 750,000 students, as well as thousands of public visitors every year.

In addition to the American Village Citizenship Trust, Walker served on several city boards, as well as he currently serves the University of Montevallo on the Board of Trustees.

Walker retired as President of American Village in March of this year, yet still serves as founder and president emeritus.

The Grounds

The layout and design of American Villages grounds was strategically planned. According to the Encyclopedia of Alabama, the grounds are laid out in three parts. Independence Circle, Constitution Green and Grand Avenue.

Independence Circle “represents the liberty and unity of the 13 colonies”, Constitution Green is surrounded by buildings that correlate with the three branches of the U.S. government and Grand Avenue leads up to the two to represent the “continuous progress of the American experience with liberty and democracy.”

To see a 360 Story Sphere of a portion of the grounds, click here.

Attractions

One of American Village’s main and largest attraction is its 4th of July celebration that takes place every year. At the celebration you can find food trucks and, according to the American Village website, 40+ patriotic reenactments and activities and a firework show throughout the day and evening.

Peighton Allen, a UM student has enjoyed attending the celebration with her family every year for as long as she can remember.

“Going to American Village for their 4th of July event every year is something I look forward to every year. I love seeing all the actors dressed up seeing all the pretty buildings.”

Throughout the year, American Village hosts different events and festivals. A recent event that is popular among UM students is the annual Festival of Tulips.

Kirsten Scoggins & Abi Dewilde at Festival of Tulips

In addition to the many festivals and celebrations throughout the year, American Village is open to the public on a daily basis. You can see reenactments of events that took place during the Revolutionary War such as the Stamp Act Rally, life in a war camp and musket shooting.