Hunter Jones

The Scottsboro Boys Museum has been awarded the Attraction of the Year by the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association. 

This is the second time this year that the Scottsboro Boys Museum has been recognized, being awarded the Alabama Historical Association Museum Reward in May.

“This award means so much to our museum as we continue to explore exciting new ways to engage this community and tell the story of the Scottsboro Boys,” Scottsboro Boys Museum Executive Director Dr. Thomas Reidy said.

The Scottsboro Boys Museum focuses on the infamous Scottsboro Boys case in 1931, where nine African American teenagers were accused of raping two white women on a train. The ensuing case would make worldwide news as all but one of them were convicted of rape and sentenced to death. While the museum does focus heavily on the case itself and the worldwide reach the story had at a time when news rarely reached that far, it also tries to contextualize the trial and its effect on the Civil Rights Movement nearly 40 years later.

The museum also pays tribute to its founder, Sheila Washington. Washington started the museum but passed away while the museum was being renovated.

The Scottsboro Boys museum is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. They also hold events throughout the year that is announced on their Facebook page.