Drug Store Museum - Montgomery, AL - Science Museums on Waymarking.com

On six blocks of Montgomery one can find both 19th-century houses on their original locations and buildings moved to the site and restored to create a museum of life in central Alabama in that century. Among the buildings in the area called the Working Block, one can see the sign for the "Drug Store Museum" and walk into a scene straight from the 1800s. Besides the counter where one could get sodas and other treats, one finds displays and explanations of the medical supplies and other items one would find in a typical drug store of the era.

The following description of Old Alabama Town comes from pages 64-65 of "Old Alabama Town: An Illustrated Guide" by Mary Ann Neeley (ISBN 0-8173-1179-3):

"Sealed upon most minds is the image of the local drugstore with friendly druggist and soda jerk, an idea derived from reality, the movies, legend, and lore. In small towns, especially, the social life of young and old often revolved around the soda fountain, and from the pharmacy came healing and often foul tasting pills and liquids. Realizing that this cultural heritage was disappearing from late-twentieth- century America, the Alabama Pharmaceutical Association collected artifacts and established the drugstore museum in the early 1980s at another location.

In 1990 Landmarks Foundation and the APA together undertook moving the museum to Old Alabama Town where the Foundation replicated an interior setting in an on-site warehouse. Complete with soda fountain, patent medicines, a pharmacy, cosmetics, and appropriate tables and chairs, the drugstore museum depicts the scene as many remember it. A "model druggist" welcomes visitors and discusses on tape what his role had been in "yesterday's" drugstore."

The tickets and other information are found at the Reception Center located at 301 Columbus Street, Montgomery, AL 36104. Since I was not able to find a separate web site for the drug store, I will put the one for Old Alabama Town. There is no food in the Reception Center, but the site is close to downtown restaurants. There is a gift shop at the Reception Center. For the purposes of this waymark, I will use the Reception Center address. The complete hours of operation and cost from their web page are as follows:

Hours of Operation

Monday - Saturday: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The last tickets are sold at 3:00 p.m.
Closed on Sundays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.

Prices:
Adults, $10
Children ages 6-18, $5.
Free to ages 5 and younger.

A 10 percent discount is offered to AAA, military and seniors.

Name: Drug Store Museum Location/Address: 301 Columbus Street Montgomery, AL USA 36104 Telephone Number: 334-240-4500 Web Site: [Web Link] Type/Specialty: pharmacy, medicine Agency/Ownership: Landmarks Foundation Educational programs: school tours, books Theater: none Hours of operation: Monday-Saturday, 9:00am to 4:00pm Admission Fee: $5-10 Gift Shop: yes Cafe/Restaurant: no Other Features: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Post one photo of the museum that is a different view from the one on the page, and describe your visit. Add any additional information that you may have about this building. A GPSr photo is NOT required.

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