SHEFFIELD-A traveling exhibit on the Old Railroad Bridge – officially known as the Memphis & Charleston
Railroad Bridge – will tour local libraries and museums this fall. It consists of six interpretive
banners.
Created and developed by Clayton Davis, Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area’s historic
resources manager, the exhibit will travel to Courtland Public Library, Historic Decatur Union
Depot, Athens-Limestone Public Library and the Leighton Civic Center beginning in late August.
Each site will host the exhibit for three weeks, with the schedule wrapping up in early
November.
“We created the exhibit as a public-minded follow up after the bridge’s nomination to the
National Register of Historic Places was approved,” Davis said. “We wanted to share the
fascinating history of this remarkable site and make the story accessible to everyone.”
The schedule for the traveling exhibit is still being finalized, he added, and exact times and
dates will be announced soon.
“This exhibit interprets the bridge’s history. It explores how the bridge enabled new forms of
local transportation, from railroads to automobile travel, and how the ‘opening’ of northwest
Alabama to commerce had far-reaching impacts on the people living here,” Davis said.
Unveiled in fall 2024, the exhibit has been extended for another fall showcase. It’s funded in
whole by a grant from the Alabama Humanities Alliance.
Media Release/Cathy Wood/MSNHA media coordinator
