Gulf Shores Museum

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Gulf Shores Museum 

244 W 19th Ave
Gulf Shores, AL 36542

Opening Hours:
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: Friday: 10am – 5pm
Saturday: 10am – 2pm

Every community has a place where the treasures of the past are put on display and Gulf Shores, Alabama is no different. The people of Gulf Shores have survived hurricanes and other natural disasters and have created a welcoming community that brings the residents a sense of pride. That pride is put on display in the Gulf Shores Museum, which has visiting hours from Tuesday to Saturday of each week.

When you first see the Gulf Shores Museum, you may not think that it is a local treasure. The building itself actually started out as a beachfront home that was built prior to World War II. The Cole family used the home as a residence until it was donated to the city in 1979. The property sat for three years before the city of Gulf Shores finally decided to put the building and its grounds to good use.

In 1982, the city of Gulf Shores started to put donated funds into turning the residence into a public building. Throughout its tenure as a property owned by the city of Gulf Shores, the building has been a youth center, the Gulf Shores Library and a community center. After serving the public in several different capacities, then city decided to turn the building into the Gulf Shores museum.

The Gulf Shores Museum houses artifacts from the city’s history and it also tells the story of the entire region’s past as well. But the story of the Gulf Shores Museum does not stop with the contents of the building. Thanks to the Oyster Bay Baptist Church, there is plenty to see outside in the backyard of the Gulf Shores Museum as well.

In 1999, the Oyster Bay Baptist Church removed its steeple as part of a renovation project and donated the steeple to the Gulf Shores Museum. The steeple was originally built in 1953 and was part of the church’s cooling system. Along with the steeple, Nelson’s Boat Yard donated a ship’s mast that was first put into service in 1940 and then removed. The mast sits alongside the steeple as a flagpole for the museum.

When a community wants to put its history on display, it will usually try to find the best possible spot for its treasures. In Gulf Shores, Alabama, the Gulf Shores Museum is where the history of the area is preserved and put on display for everyone to see.

© City of Gulf Shores: Live, Work, Play – All Rights Reserved 2013 – 2017