The Atmore Historical Society recently announced that it acquired the Watson Cabin at Heritage Park, officials said in a release.

The cabin will be the home of the society’s museum, which is located next door to the Peavy-Webb Building, which houses a welcome center.

“Having the Watson Cabin for Museum space will be an asset to Atmore, and Heritage Park,” officials said in a release. “This acquisition is part of our ongoing effort to increase tourism and develop historic downtown Atmore. The Peavy-Webb Building is not large enough to create displays, and we have been seeking another building to house our collections and tell the story of Atmore’s history.”

The Watson Cabin belonged to the Atmore Leadership Corporation, and AHS signed agreements and a bill of sale, with the city of Atmore to officially, legally transfer ownership of the Peavy-Webb Building and the Watson Cabin to the Atmore Historical Society.

The city owns Heritage Park, but the Atmore Historical Society will now be in charge of scheduling all events located in the park. The city will pay for the utilities, and maintain the park grounds, and AHS will be responsible for the upkeep of the buildings.

We will lease the properties on which the Peavy-Webb building and Watson Cabin sit, for $1 per year, for the next 20 years, and the lease will automatically renew at the end of that term. We are also very grateful to the Atmore Leadership classes of 2016, 2017 and 2018 for their $3,000 donation that will go directly to cabin repairs, officials said.

We are extremely grateful to city of Atmore, Mayor Jim Staff, the city council and the Atmore Area Chamber of Commerce.

For more information, email AHS at atmorehistorical@gmail.com or call 251-253-4214.