Sunday, September 05, 2004

 

Music Highways: Hank Williams Museum

From the Birmingham News
HANK WILLIAMS MUSEUM

Where: 118 Commerce St., Montgomery.

When: 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays, 1-4 p.m. Sundays.

How much: $7, $2 for children ages 3-11.

What it's like: You might not even notice this place if you're walking by on Commerce Street, as its facade is unassuming. However, there are some primo items on display, and Hank Williams buffs need to know about them.

Along with an abundance of the artifacts you'd expect – songbooks, photos, costumes, posters and the like – the collection includes a mannequin wearing the pants and shirt Williams had on during that fateful car trip to Canton, Ohio, on New Year's Eve 1952. Seeing his death outfit is kind of spooky, but get ready for a double whammy. This museum also has the baby blue Cadillac Hank died in, restored to mint condition. Ooh.

Organizers here are hooked up with Hank Williams Jr. and the Williams estate, which means they're picky about things like what you can touch (not much) and the photographs you can take on site (none without special permission). They'll watch you like a hawk, but it's worth it if you want to get a gander of Williams' original lyric sheet for "These Men With Broken Hearts," which is displayed in a little cabinet with wooden doors you're instructed to swing shut when you're done.

Worth a trip? Yep. They've got the goods, even if the atmosphere is a mite forbidding. Pick up a Hank Williams bobble-head doll ($15) on your way out, and grab the directions sheet that'll guide you to Williams' statue and gravesite nearby.

Info: 334-262-3600.

Read the article
The Birmingham News


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