𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐒𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐥, 𝐘’𝐚𝐥𝐥!⁣
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July 4, 2026, will be the 250th anniversary of America’s Declaration of Independence and the museum will celebrate leading up to that date in a number of ways. We are proud to partner with the 𝗪𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 by hosting several events commemorating this milestone. ⁣
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A series of programs based on DAR’s museum exhibits will be presented by 𝐃𝐀𝐑 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐈𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐦 throughout the year as part of the museum’s 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐁𝐚𝐠 𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬.⁣
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The first is “𝐒𝐞𝐰𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚: 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 – 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 – 𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐲” 𝐨𝐧 𝗪𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐉𝐚𝐧. 𝟕, 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐨𝐧. This “groundbreaking exhibit combines sewn items from all textile sections of the DAR Museum’s collections: clothing, household textiles, quilts, and needlework and examines the role sewing played in American life; based on the DAR Museum’s 2024 exhibition.”⁣
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The exhibit was created by Alden O’Brien, who is the DAR Curator of Costumes and Textiles. O’Brien says, “Sewn in America tells the story of American women through the needle and thread. This exhibition will explore the many ways that sewing has been used to create functional items, express personal identity, and make art.”⁣
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Latham, author of novels and children’s books, says her first love in writing is poetry, a genre for which she has also received awards. She has recently added the title of playwright and her first work in that genre will appear on the Covered Bridge Players’ stage sometime in 2026. ⁣
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Bring your lunch, or not, and wear your red, white, and blue as we take a look at American history through fashion and textiles.⁣

Henry Sledge, the son of Eugene Sledge, will be at the museum on Saturday, Jan. 17, at noon to participate in a discussion about his recently published book, The Old Breed: The Complete Story Revealed. Eugene Sledge, PhD, was a long-time professor of biology at University of Montevallo. Most will probably remember Professor Sledge more for his time as a U.S. Marine who served in the Pacific theater during World War II. The elder Sledge, known as Sledgehammer to his Marine Corps buddies, chronicled his time in military service in two memoirs, With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa and China Marine: A Soldier’s Life after World War II, both of which are captivating and well written. Sledge’s memoirs are made more interesting because he was an enlisted Marine who never rose above the rank of corporal. They are also unique in that he was willing to share his experiences unlike many who never discussed their service. At the time of his first book, such memoirs were uncommon; publishers assumed such accounts written by well-known generals and admirals would be more enlightening and better received and thus garner more sales. Sledge’s books helped to shatter that stereotype. He became even better known with the airing of the 2007 Ken Burn’s documentary, The War, which featured Sledge’s story and the 2010 miniseries, The Pacific, where he was also one of the central characters.

Henry took on the task of expanding on his father’s experiences using material edited out of the original manuscript, along with his own interactions with his dad. As well written as the father’s books are, his son’s might be even more so because of the richness of added perspectives. Henry drew on the original first-person tales by his father, blending them with his own first-person memories of growing up with the man, and interlaced third-person accounts of troop movements, battle scenes, and combat reports. Many writers would find that a daunting task, but Henry’s writing is seamless. It flows like a river with bends and turns, but it still carries the reader downstream. Ultimately, one discovers even greater depth and insight into both the young Marine and the man he became as he grew older. Perhaps the subtitle of the book, A Father, A Son and How WWII in the Pacific Shaped Their Lives, says it all.

Joey Brackner, author of Alabama Folk Pottery, will be our guest on Thursday, Jan. 22, at noon to share his expertise on the art of pottery in Alabama. His decades of experience and research make Joey the resident expert in Alabama folk pottery and the traditions of the art. Now retired, Joey was formerly the Director of the Alabama Center for Traditional Culture, which is a department of the Alabama State Council on the Arts. For many years, he hosted “Journey Proud,” the Alabama Public Television documentary series that examined the diverse cultural and historic traditions found throughout Alabama.

Joey earned a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and received a master’s degree in Anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin. He served as the Humanities Scholar in Residence at the Birmingham Museum of Art and later, the state folklorist.

Unable to visit the museum during the week? Well, we are open one Saturday each month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Come see what you’ve been missing and discover some history. Our 2025 Saturday schedule is:

January 25 (Also the date of the Historical Society quarterly meeting from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. It is open to everyone,) February 22, March 22, April 26, May 17, June 28, July 26, August 23, September 27, October 25, September 27, and November 22. The museum will NOT be open on any Saturday in December. Stay tuned for next year’s Saturday openings.