Wilcox Historical Society to reveal grand plans this weekend

The Wilcox Historical Society will be having its February meeting on Sunday, February 20.

The Headquarters of the WHS are located in the former Wilcox Female Institute at the beautiful Greek Revival building that was built circa 1849, and for many years it was considered among the South’s premier female institutions. It was sold to the Wilcox Board of Education around 1910, and for over 50 years housed the 4-6th grades of the Wilcox County High School.

When the building was decommissioned as a school, a group of citizens banded together to save the building from being demolished; thus, the formation of the Wilcox Historical Society in 1976. It is also included on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Society strives to preserve and share the history of Wilcox County through monthly meetings with various speakers/presenters and an annual Tour of Homes.

This Sunday, the WHS is unveiling official plans to the public to take the original mission a step further and renovate the Female Institute (as well as the attached former dormitory) into a cultural/historical center for tourists to the area.

The WHS Social Media Manager and Editor is Martha Grimes Lampkin. She wrote, “We are excited about showing everyone the rendering and floor plan for [the Institute]. We will also be talking about the upcoming Tour of Homes.”

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WHS President Lance Britt added that the plans for the building include restoration to add meeting space, a cultural/musical exhibition hall, and an archives/genealogical library- and that’s just the beginning.

He went on to say that the Wilcox Historical Society has 300 members right now and is the largest civic group in Wilcox County. The Society welcomes new members, and memberships can be purchased at the door the day of the meeting.

An exciting addition to the already illustrious lineup for Furman is the famed (or infamous, depending on your perspective) Purifoy House, which was the setting for one of Kathryn Tucker Windham’s beloved stories of Alabama hauntings, “13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey” will be open to tourists.

The 2022 Tour of Homes will take place the last weekend of March and will highlight the community of Furman, Alabama.

For updates see the Wilcox Historical Society’s page on Facebook.