Exhibits

We are assembling collections to tell the most engaging stories of Sheffield from 1815 to modern-day. The museum is currently housed in a circa 1903 Victorian at 600 Austin Avenue, serving as an interim step toward a much larger dedicated building.

The main tour area on the lower level features four defined spaces:

🎤 Music

“Now Sheffield’s Got The Swampers”

  • Dedicated to the local music history with heavy emphasis on Sheffield’s central role in the “Muscle Shoals Sound”.

  • Personal artifacts, including an extensive collection owned by Jimmy Johnson, will be on display.

  • We look forward by highlighting today's vibrant local studios, including The Nutthouse, Noble Steed, Ivy Manor, and Cypress Moon.

🏭 Industrial Heritage

“An Industrial Giant Is Awakened” 

  • Tells the story of the rise and fall of industries in Sheffield.

  • Explore our past, beginning with The Sheffield Land, Iron and Coal Company, running through to the TVA and Southern Sash, and ending with local entities like Lumber One.

⭐ Notable Residents

“The Sons and Daughters of Sheffield”

  • We tell the stories of notable residents like Quin Ivy, Arthur Alexander, David Hood, and even Andrew Jackson.

  • The exhibit houses photos, personally-owned items, and artifacts from their lives and work.

🚂 Bonus Sneak Peek 

“The Transportation Explosion In and Through Sheffield” 

  • Central to this developing exhibit is an ultra-realistic model railroad diorama with scale-accurate depictions of key local points of interest, including the iconic studio structure at 3614 Jackson Highway.

  • Learn about the important role of rail, starting with The Tuscumbia Railway—the first railway chartered and built West of the Appalachian mountains.

  • Guests are invited into the shop to see the large-scale 1:87 HO scale railway diorama under construction.