BUCKET LIST UPDATE No. 134: Join the Monroe County Heritage Museum

I'm proud to say that I was born and raised in Monroe County, Ala., have lived there most of my life and have always had a very strong interest in its rich history. Despite all of that, I couldn't say that I was a member of the county’s most prominent historical organization, the Monroe County Heritage Museum in Monroeville. For this reason, a couple of years ago, I added “Join the Monroe County Heritage Museum” to my "bucket list."

For my birthday this year, I received a membership to the museum, which I paid for in person this past Friday morning. The museum is headquartered in the Old Monroe County Courthouse, a 1903 structure that’s said to be the most famous courthouse in America because of its strong ties to Harper Lee and her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, "To Kill a Mockingbird." When I dropped in to pay for my membership, I had a nice visit with Museum Executive Director Stephanie Rogers, Public Relations, Sites and Membership Director Annie Hill and former Monroe County Probate Judge Otha Lee Biggs.

According to the museum's Web site, www.monroecountymuseum.org, the museum is “a successful, vital and growing institution that maintains and operates six historic sites in Monroe County, Ala., that collectively interpret the area’s rich history, ranging from prehistoric fossils, Native American culture, pioneer life, politics and the literary legacy of Truman Capote and Harper Lee.

“In addition to our museum sites, our annual production of “To Kill a Mockingbird” has become Alabama’s hottest theater ticket. These sold-out performances are a major source of revenue, and performances for students introduce Harper Lee’s book to new audiences. Thousands of students benefit from a rich array of other educational programs that provide hands-on encounters with our area’s history.”

Museum memberships start at $50 for a basic, general membership. In addition to that, there are four other membership levels – Star Family Membership, $100; Friend Membership, $250; Patron Membership, $500; and Corporate Membership, $750.

There are a number of benefits to being an official member of the museum. Members become the first to know about museum programs through special announcements of upcoming events, workshops and exhibitions. Members also receive invitations to previews and receptions and “the satisfaction of helping to keep history alive for future generations.”

Members are also allowed to purchase four (extremely hard to get) tickets to the museum’s annual “To Kill a Mockingbird” play before tickets are made available to the general public. This is the reason many people buy a membership to the museum because tickets usually sell out in a few hours (sometimes minutes) when they are made available to the general public on the first business day of March each year. Typically, museum members can begin buying them after the first business day in January.

For more information about the museum, visit its Web site, where you can purchase a membership online. If you’d rather visit the museum in person, its main office is located on the ground floor of the Old Monroe County Courthouse at 31 North Alabama Ave., on "The Square" in downtown Monroeville. You can also reach the museum by phone at 251-575-7433 or by e-mail at mchm@frontiernet.net.

In the end, how many of you out there are members of the Monroe County Heritage Museum? Do you know of any other local historical groups with great benefits for members? Let us know in the comments section below.