The Aliceville Museum and Cultural Arts Center opened in February 1995. The museum has permanent exhibits on Camp Aliceville, a WWII German prisoner of war camp, 1942-45, the Aliceville Coca-Cola Bottling Co., 1910-1978, and a U.S. Military Veteran’s Collection beginning with World War I and primarily consisting of World War II uniforms, medals, photographs, documents, weapons and maps.

             On April 12-14, 2007 the museum was host to former German prisoners of war and former military policemen who were at the Aliceville Prisoner of War Camp from June 1943 through September 1945. This event featured prominent war experts, public discussion time with veterans and Germans, and the introduction of “Behind the Barbed Wire.” This book, written by Birmingham author Ruth B. Cook, is about the POW/Resident/Guard experience.  Arnold Krammer, well-known expert on the WWII POW experience spoke on German POWs interned at other camps in the USA.  Mauriel Joslyn, screenwriter for "My Christmas Soldier," viewed the movie and spoke of her inspiration and historical research for the story of a train transporting German POWs on Christmas Eve in a Georgia train station.

This summer the museum opened the exhibit “From Sea to Shining Sea: 200 years of America’s Coast Survey Commemorating the 200^th anniversary of the Coast and Geodetic Survey originally charged by Thomas Jefferson. This exhibit explores the Coast and Geodetic Survey history, accomplishments and scientific contributions. Using artwork, photos and charts from the C&GS Archives, this is certain to be a popular exhibit.

The Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and the National Oceanic an Atmospherics Administration sponsor "Sea to Shining Sea."  

 In 1989, the Aliceville Area Chamber of Commerce invited former German POWs, American military guards and American civilian employees associated with Camp Aliceville to a Friendship Reunion.  Sue Stabler and Roy Speed assembled a display of camp artifacts at the Aliceville Civic Center. The artifacts were reassembled in 1993 for a 50th Anniversary Reunion.

During the 1993 reunion, Meridian Coca-Coca Bottling Co. donated two buildings at 104 Broad Street, which formerly housed a local bottling plant, for use as a permanent museum. Member Jim Park was instrumental in negotiating the donation from the Meridian Coca-Cola Company.  From 1948 until 1978, the buildings had served as the Aliceville Coca-Cola Bottling Co.  The Harry Wheat Family donated the adjacent plaza property, a 60 x 112-foot lot on a prominent downtown corner.

On September 22, 1993, the museum was incorporated as a 501(c) organization.  The following directors have served as board president: Percy Lee, W.R. McKinzey, Jr., J.V. Blakney, R.R. Johnston, Jr., and J.T. Junkins, Jr.  Others serving as directors since the incorporation include: Sallie Alston, Gale R. Ammerman, Carl Brooks, Sunny Day-Collins, Hurbert Colvin, Charlie Dean, Larry Gibson, Martha Horton, J.T. Junkins, Jr., Herbert Lavender, John Lee, Mary Bess Paluzzi, Jim Park, Sara Pebbles, Wendell Parrish, Elizabeth Rice, Daniel Upton, Jack Brooke, Jeanne Cockrell Eugene Williams, Charles R. Gwinn, Tom Bauman, Becky York, Jean Harper and John Mazur.

In 1994, about forty-five Americans, who had some association with Camp Aliceville, toured Germany as the invited guests of former Camp Aliceville POWs.  One of the high points of the tour was a reception hosted by Manfred Rommel, Mayor of Stuttgart, Germany and son of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel.  The Museum later organized and hosted Camp Aliceville reunions in 1995, 1999, and has begun plans for a reunion in March 2001. 

In February 1995, the main museum building was opened after a major renovation skillfully directed by the museum’s first executive director, Beth Park.  In March 1996, Mary Bess Paluzzi, was hired.  Currently, the executive director is Mary Bess Paluzzi.

Since May 1996, the Museum has published Museum News a quarterly newsletter, which reports recent activities and historical information about Camp Aliceville.  A sampling of published articles includes photographs, translations from Camp Aliceville’s American and German newspapers, and personal narratives from those formerly associated with the camp. The newsletters are mailed to over 350 recipients, representing 282 active members in 23 states and 3 foreign countries.

Among the museum’s visitors are numerous modern-day Germans, some former POWs, some relatives or descendants of those men.  The museum provides them with an increased appreciation of the German culture, as it was cherished and tactfully preserved by the POWs. Most leave with a deeper sense of pride in that culture and a renewed appreciation for the humane treatment provided prisoners in their permanent “homes away-from home” during their World War II imprisonment.

In February 1997, the Museum became the focal point of a local Appalachian Regional Commission project.  Begun with a small seed grant from the Appalachian Community Learning Project, the local community raised six-times the original grant in local cash and in-kind matches to fund major improvements in the museum complex.  In 1998, the community raised 58% of the funds needed for a follow-up project, which renovated a portion of the second adjoining building.

In 1998, the Institute of Museum and Library Service awarded the museum a Museum Assessment Program: Institutional Assessment grant.  MAPI provides funds to hire a professional museum consultant to critique and evaluate museum operations based on an extensive self-evaluation.

In June 2000, the Alabama Power Foundation awarded the museum a grant of $11,000. The funds will make possible further renovation of the second building to house an exhibition highlighting Aliceville’s 2002 Centennial celebration. Now that building houses an extensive collection of United States Military Veterans Artifacts, an exhibit donated by the Smithsonian Institution, and a comprehensive photographic and text history of Aliceville and Pickens County.

In April 2003 the museum board hosted another former POW/former guard reunion that was well attended. This event gave out of town visitors a chance to hear from history experts, see the many new artifacts in the museum’s collections and to visit with former POWs and guards.

In 2005 the museum hosted its first Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibit. “Key Ingredients, America by Food” was co-sponsored by the Alabama Humanities Foundation and the Alabama Power Company. More than 800 people experienced the exhibit and enjoyed a variety of excellent speakers during the six-week showing.

In 2006 more room renovations were finished and the museum had what might have been a record year for artifact donations. In the spring “Produce for Victory: Posters from the Home Front-1941-1945 exhibit opened. Produce for Victory was donated to the museum by the Museum on Main Street department of the Smithsonian Institution. Many guests have enjoyed viewing vintage World War II posters, photographs and accompanying text. The exhibit design is perfect for a high school history paper project.

In the summer of 2007 the museum inaugurated a Performing Arts Program under the direction of John Mazur.  The first play gave local youths an opportunity to present their acting skills to a large receptive audience in The Trial of Amanda Marie Locks (alias "Goldie").  Plans are in the works future "way-off-Broadway" productions.

As the Aliceville Museum broadens its scope of cultural programs, all the information will be posted on the web site to attract more visitors to this unique look at Aliceville and its world war history.