Joseph T. Smitherman Historic Building, Local museum and former school building in Selma, United States.
The Joseph T. Smitherman Historic Building is a three-story brick structure in Selma featuring Greek Revival elements, including distinctive Ionic columns across its front facade. Today it operates as the Vaughan-Smitherman Museum, displaying historical collections across three floors that document various aspects of Selma's past.
The building was originally constructed in 1847 for the Selma Fraternal Lodge and served as a Confederate hospital during the Civil War. Over the following decades, it changed purposes several times, including as a courthouse and military academy, before eventually becoming a museum.
The displays showcase how Selma developed as a community, with items that reflect daily life and the people who shaped the city over time. Visitors get a sense of how residents lived through different eras and what mattered most to them.
The museum is located on Lauderdale Street and is easy to reach on foot when walking through downtown Selma. Plan to spend a couple of hours to comfortably browse through the three floors and their different collections.
The building features a recreation of a 19th-century hospital ward that shows visitors how medical care was organized and delivered during that era. This reconstruction provides a hands-on understanding of the conditions and practices of the time.
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