(Digital Editor's Note: This article was published first in the April 2023 print edition of The Stand.)
“There is compelling evidence that our nation must do more – in fact, much more – to combat a growing national amnesia of American history,” said Tom Walker, founder of American Village in Montevallo, Alabama, near Birmingham.
Moved by his own experiences in the nation’s capital as a child, Walker envisioned creating “a place where young people could learn about America and make connections to our shared history as citizens through first-hand participation,” explained Melanie Poole, communications officer for American Village.
Walker’s vision became a reality in 1999 with the opening of an immersive, educational campus that transports visitors back to colonial days and instills in them a real understanding of and appreciation for American history through historical interpreters who recount history with interactive role-play.
American Village pays tribute to the nation’s first president by borrowing a metaphor from President George Washington’s first inaugural address on April 30, 1789: “The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the Republican model of Government, are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally staked, on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.”
The Stand recently had the opportunity to hear from Poole in detail about American Village.
The Stand: What is the purpose of American Village?
Melanie Poole: In Tom Walker’s words … “Our founders believed the education of youth was essential for the American people to secure the blessings of liberty for themselves and their posterity.
“The American Village is a national educational institution committed to providing that kind of education through teaching the legacy of the American Revolution. … We are greatly encouraged as we observe students becoming deeply engaged and demonstrating their own passionate commitment to freedom. …”
TS: How is the campus fulfilling its purpose?
MP: We are leveraging technology to greatly increase program reach, collaborating with Troy University to create an engaging U.S. history and civics curriculum that will provide a sound and thorough history of our nation’s founding and the constitutional design of our government.
We have seasonal offerings such as the spring season Festival of Tulips and our annual colonial Christmas lunches and tours. … Public programs on … Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Veterans Day are among the most meaningful days as the American Village commemorates the country’s founding and the service and sacrifice of those who have defended it.
TS: What are some interactive opportunities?
MP: The Village offers school programs for grades K-12 and caters to public, private, parochial, and homeschool groups.
In addition to student programs, the American Village offers public and group tours throughout the year during regular operating hours. … [Currently], visitors may choose from a variety of activities ranging from learning about 18th-century justice to meeting an apothecary in our herb garden to playing colonial games and discussing the events of the day with a famous patriot such as John Adams or Eliza Hamilton.
TS: Briefly describe the campus.
MP: The distinctive 188-acre American Village campus includes Washington Hall (pictured above), inspired by George Washington’s Mount Vernon; a colonial courthouse; replicas of the Liberty Bell, Oval Office, and East Room of the White House; a colonial chapel inspired by Bruton Parish Church of Williamsburg; Concord Bridge; and an old-fashioned and beautifully restored barn.
The National Veterans Shrine and Register of Honor is patterned after Carpenters’ Hall in Philadelphia. It is dedicated to the men and women who served and sacrificed for our liberties.
The new West Wing of Independence Hall offers a multi-sensory experience that takes visitors from the Boston Massacre to the protest of the Stamp Act and the Boston Tea Party to Paul Revere’s ride, through the American Revolution and the signing of the Declaration of Independence. …
TS: What is the “bottom-line” hope of American Village?
MP: Although these facilities play a key role in presenting these ideas and stories, the American Village campus is not about its buildings.
It is instead about building – in the hearts and minds of students, young and old – a sense of stewardship of what George Washington called “the sacred fire of liberty.”
