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A legacy of collecting, preserving, and educating the community and beyond.

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Formed in 1992, The Montgomery County Historical Society, a tax-exempt non-profit organization housed within the Figh Pickett Barnes School House, has been collecting, documenting, and sharing Montgomery County’s rich history. The Historical Society also seeks to collect and preserve the records of its historic house, the former early twenty-century home of the Barnes School for Boys.

 

Thank You for the Support!

January 13th, 2026|

The Montgomery County Historical Society is grateful for funding from local, state, and regional grant and government funders. As we begin 2026, we would like to recognize and thank those supporters. Alabama Historical Commission, Alabama Humanities Alliance, Alabama State Council of the Arts, The City of Montgomery, and Montgomery County.

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MCHS Receives $75K Alabama Historical Commission Grant

June 11th, 2025|

The Montgomery County Historical Society was recently awarded a $75,000 grant from the Alabama Historical Commission in July of 2025 to transform the third floor of the historic Figh-Pickett House into a permanent interpretive exhibit space, create original educational materials, and expand public programming that connects Montgomery County’s local history to the broader story of Alabama. The funds [...]

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Marie Bankhead Owen was one of Alabama’s most formidable and enduring cultural forces: archivist, historian, author, clubwoman, and, for decades, the state’s unofficial guardian of memory and manners. From 1910 to 1917, she was part of the staff at the Montgomery Advertiser, where she oversaw the Women’s Society page and authored a popular advice column for young women titled “Talks with Girls.” Published right before women’s suffrage, the column combined practical advice on etiquette, dress, courtship, and household management with gentle encouragement for education, independence, and public service. In 1893, she married Thomas M. Owen, the young lawyer who became the first director of the newly established Alabama Department of Archives and History in 1901. When Thomas died suddenly in 1920, Governor Thomas E. Kilby appointed Marie to succeed him—the first woman in the United States to head a state archive. She directed the department for thirty-five years (1920–1955), turning it into a model institution and overseeing the construction of the landmark archives building, which was dedicated in 1940. Learn more: https://www.mchsal.org/exhibitions-spring-2026/#bankheads Visit Tuesday through Thursday from 9 AM until 4 PM. Closed on federal holidays. #alabamaarchivesandhistory #mariebankheadowen #montgomerycountyhistoricalsociety #alabamatourismdepartment
It's TAX DAY! Tax Day, the annual deadline for filing U.S. federal income tax returns, has been on April 15 since 1955, designed to give taxpayers and the IRS more time to process returns. The first federal income tax Form 1040 was introduced for the tax year 1913, following the 16th Amendment. The 1913 form was a four-page document (including instructions) featuring a 1% normal tax on income over $3,000, with super-tax rates up to 6% on higher incomes.

  • Montgomery County Historical Society
    Figh-Pickett House
    512 S. Court St.
    Montgomery, AL 36104

  • Montgomery County Historical Society
    PO Box 1829
    Montgomery, AL 36102

  • Public Hours: Tuesday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
    Closed on State and Federal holidays

  • Phone: 334.264.1837

  • info@mchsal.org

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