1892 - 1992
"The Mountain Town Pioneers Built"

Arab Historic Village

Development of the Complex was started in 1991 as a Centennial project of the Historical Society. At the present time, seven buildings have been completed. They have been furnished with items from 1880 through the 1940's.

The Society invites you to visit the Complex. The buildings are open, without charge, on the 1^st and 3^rd weekends of each month, special events and by appointment. (Note: The Elvin Light Museum will not be open during the months of January and February.)

During some special events, visitors interact with volunteers performing some of the tasks required of persons of the 1880-1940's era such as quilting, making cornmeal in the gristmill and working with iron in the blacksmith shop.

Singings and weddings are held in the Rice Church. The Rice Church may be booked for weddings, memorial services, etc. at a cost of $40.

Planned special events include the Arab Community Fair, "Christmas in the Park" and "History Revisited Day". The Fair is held the second Saturday in September. "Christmas in the Park begins the Friday after Thanksgiving and continues each evening in December. The buildings are normally open each Friday and Saturday night during December. "History Revisited Day" began the 3rd Saturday in June, 2003 and will be an annual event.

The Complex is ideal for school groups to visit. Teachers are encouraged to arrange tours where volunteers act as tour guides. To schedule a group tour or reserve the Rice Church please call Ila Ruth Cooley (256 - 586-4225).

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HISTORIC BUILDINGS

The Elvin Light Museum
Open 1998

Elvin Light's dream to develop a museum led to a lifetime of collecting local artifacts
from the years he knew best. With donations and help from volunteers, his dream became a reality in 1998 in the form of the Elvin Light Museum. It offers many interesting insights into Arab's past. The museum contains displays depicting various occupations and household areas with furnishings from original businesses or typical furnishings for the times. A large number of tools and other items are displayed throughout the building.

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The Hunt School
1935 - 1952

Hunt School - This two-room school for grades 1-6, named for Jesse and Sarah Hunt, was built in the Strawberry Community in 1935. Bobby Miller donated the building to the Arab Historical Society in 1990. It was restored as the first building in the Historic Complex at Arab City Park and opened in 1992 as a Centennial project.

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The Rice Church
1910 - 1950'S

Rice Church - Formerly known as Liberty Church, it was built around 1911 as a Primitive Baptist Church in the Rice Community. It was donated to the Arab Historical Society in 1993 by The Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church, moved to the Historic Complex at Arab City Park and restored by Society members and volunteers. It was officially opened in October, 1995 with a Sacred Harp Singing.

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Smith's Country Store
1930 - 1940 Vintage

Smith's Country Store - This 1930-1940 vintage store was constructed in 1997 by the Arab Historical Society as part of the Historic Complex at Arab City Park. It was named for Guy and Mary Smith who helped develop buildings in the Complex. The store is stocked with donated items from all over the mountain and shows how people shopped long ago.

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Ruth Homemakers Clubhouse

1930's

The clubhouse was built in the late 1930s by the people in the Ruth community to provide a meeting place for the women to hold their Home Demonstration Club meetings. To obtain the materials for the building, men in the community each decided to donate a tree for the lumber. In addition to holding meetings in their building, activities such as quilting, mattress making and canning were done there. Club members also knitted more than 300 pairs of house shoes. The building was donated to the Arab Historical Society and opened on September 8, 2001, making a good addition to the overall theme of the Arab Historic Complex. It certainly offers its share of history to the area.

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