Alabama

The Alabama State Capitol in downtown Montgomery, AL is a beautiful building with an interesting history. Learn more about the full history of the Alabama State Capitol and plan your visit.

Montgomery was the first Confederate capital in 1861, with the center of government housed in the Alabama State Capitol, before moving to Virginia a few months later.  During the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, Montgomery was a major center of protests including the Selma to Montgomery marches and the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The capitol is on the United States Civil Rights Trail.  

The main steps facing Dexter Avenue marked the end of the third Selma to Montgomery march on 25 March 1965.* A delegation of protestors wanted to give Gov. George Wallace a petition to end racial discrimination in Alabama. However, he supported “segregation now, segregation tomorrow, and segregation forever” and the repressive Jim Crow laws of the time.

As with many capitols in former Confederate states, there is a Confederate Monument on the capitol grounds. This one commemorates the 122,000 Alabamans who fought in the Civil War.*

Since 1985, the Alabama Legislature has met in the Alabama State House across the street. The old House and Senate chambers are preserved in the capitol building and available to tour, but you must go to the state house to visit the current chambers.

My first trip to the Alabama State Capitol was during my 2021 COVID Road Trip (and before I bought my State Capitols Passport). At that time, the quest to visit all state capitols was in the early stages, and I was satisfied with an outdoor-only visit. The highlight of the capitol grounds is the Avenue of Flags, which has flags and native stone from each state. While a few other capitols I have visited recognizes the other states, the Avenue of Flags is the grandest.

In September 2022, after purchasing the passport and refining my visits, I made second trip. This time, I went inside. I was quite disappointed that the gift shop, where the passport stamp is located, was closed for inventory and the owner did not make other arrangements for the stamp.

Upon my return in 2025, I was finally able to get into the gift shop for my stamp. This gift shop is exceptionally good so make it a point to stop in. It features a selection of products made in Alabama, so come prepared for a haul.

The standout spiral staircases in this building are original architectural features and my favorite part of the capitol’s interior. Simple and elegant, they were designed by Horace King, a former slave freed in 1846. Due to his skill, he was exempted by the Alabama Legislature from manumission laws that required freed slaves to leave Alabama within a year of gaining freedom. After Reconstruction, he served two terms in the Alabama House of Representatives.

*I do not believe in honoring the Confederacy itself, as I do not support what they were fighting for. However, I believe it is important to remember that many men and women died in the Civil War on both sides. Remembering them acknowledges their humanity, even if they fought for the losing cause. To me, there is a difference between remembering individuals and honoring the Confederacy. I try to keep this distinction in mind when visiting capitols in former Confederate states.

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