History of Landmark Park
1976
November: Meeting of a small group of people interested in forming a historical society for the preservation of historic sites in and around Dothan.
December: Dothan Landmarks Foundation formed as a nonprofit corporation. Carole Lee was first president.
1977
January: Planning committee has meeting and explore concept of developing a children’s museum.
1978
February: Fifty acres of land off Hwy 431 N is donated by the McFatter family for the creation of the Landmarks Center for Natural Science and History. Three additional acres are donated by Dr. and Mrs. Sam West Jr. and Lewe West.
March: Robert O. Joslin hired as Foundation’s first executive director.
December: Waddell House is donated by Earl Waddell and Iona W. Wells and is moved to property.
1979
March: First official school field trip. The school was Houston Academy.
December: Waddell Hose opens to the public.
1981
Sam W. Kates hired as Foundation’s second executive director.
Local architectural firm Dunseth & Lee donates development of master plan to the foundation.
Name of property changed to “Landmark Park.”
1982
January: 600 sq. ft. Victorian-style gazebo donated by Newton family to serve as centerpiece of “Square for the Arts.”
April: Corn Crib moved to park from Gordo, AL.
May: 1,000 sq. foot picnic pavilion erected. Smokehouse moved to park from Geneva County.
June: Construction beings on 1800 ft. elevated boardwalk.
November: Windmill erected at park.
December: Construction begins on Wiregrass Farmstead’s animal barn. New entrance to park constructed by Houston County and state Hwy Dept., providing access from Hwy. 431.
1983
May: 1908 Headland Presbyterian Church moved from Headland, AL to property.
June: Construction begins on Cotton Shed.
October: Wetland Wildlife Exhibit opens on boardwalk.
December: Woodland Wildlife Exhibit opens on boardwalk.
1984
March: Native Plant garden established.
May: Syrup Shed constructed on the Wiregrass Farmstead.
August: Reptile Exhibit opens on boardwalk.
September: Groundbreaking for Interpretive Center.
October: Native Bird exhibit opens on boardwalk.
December: Blacksmith shop constructed on Wiregrass Farmstead.
1985
October: Thrower Log Cabin moved to park to serve as security residence.
1986
September: New entrance to park landscaped.
1987
February: Watson Log Cabin moved from Skipperville, Alabama.
April: Observation platform overlooking the beaver pond on the boardwalk opens.
1988
May: William Holman appointed as third Executive Director of the Foundation.
June: Landmark Park designated a “treasure forest” by the Alabama Forestry Commission.
October: “Pioneer Peanut Days” selected as one of the “top Twenty Events in the Southeast” for the month of October by the Southeast Tourism Society.
1990
April: Landmark Park receives “Ed Griffith Collection of Johnny Mack Brown Memorabilia,” one of the largest collections in the U. S.
1991
September: The Brown’s Crossroads School, a one-room schoolhouse from Dale County, is relocated to the park.
November: 2,000 sq. ft. classroom added to Interpretive Center.
1992
April: Joint resolution passes both houses of the Alabama legislature, designating Landmark Park as “Alabama’s Official Museum of Agriculture.”
1993
February: 950 year old redwood tree exhibit installed at the park.
April: Additional 45 acres purchased, bringing total park acreage up to 105.
July: Landmark Park receives “Friend of Education Award” from the Dothan Education Association.
1994
October: Shelley General Store moved from Tumbleton. Legislation creating the Alabama Agricultural Museum board passes both houses of the legislature and is signed into law by Gov. Folsom.
1995
June: Park hosts first annual “Music by Moonlight” with MusicSouth.
December: Shelley General Store opens.
1997
June: Park acquires historic Martin Drugstore in Enterprise, Alabama.
1998
March: Park receives $100,000 grant from Alabama State Historical Park and Historical site maintenance grant program for Martin Drugstore project.
September: Park receives Achievement Award from the Historic Chattahooche Commission for promotion of tourism and historic preservation in Chattahoochee Trace region of AL and GA.October: Ground broken for Phase 1 of Ala. Agricultural Museum on Park grounds.
1999
October: Ribbon Cutting held for phase 1 of Alabama Agricultural Museum.
2000
Master plan revised and updated
2002
September: Park is selected to host the arrival of Chattanooga Star for riverboat rides on the Chattahoochee River.
2003
September: Installs demonstration beehives.
November: Published “Houston County: The First 100 Years”
2004
March: Ribbon cutting for Martin Drugstore.
November: Publishes “Railroading Around Dothan and the Wiregrass Region”
2005
September: Hosts first Johnny Mack Brown Film Festival in downtown Dothan.
April: Thanks to a generous grant from Colby & Laura Clark and others, the park opens “The Barnyard” playground. Over 600 volunteers participate in building the custom-designed playground during Spirit of Service Day.
2006
July: Breaks ground on the construction of the “Angelia and Steven H. Stokes Activity Barn”
July: Crowley Field, named in honor of Vernell Crowley and in memory of her husband, Barnett Crowley, thanks to a $25,000 donation by their son, Gerald Crowley, opens.
2007
Grand opening of 8,000 sq. ft. Stokes Activity Barn
2008
Acquired The Hodges Property, 32 additional acres.
May: The Yellawood® Johnny Mack Brown Western Festival moves from downtown Dothan to Landmark Park.
June: Thanks to a $75,000 federal recreational trails grant and the support of Great Southern Wood Preserving in Abbeville, the boardwalk receives a major renovation.
October: The Eufaula High School FFA Chapter restores one of the park’s antique tractors, winning first place in the nation in the Chevron Delco Tractor Restoration Competition. The 1946 Case DC tractor was donated to the park in 1997.
2009
February: Organized and presented “Houston County’s Past: The Photographs of Douglass Snellgrove,” A semi-permanent exhibit on display in the Houston County Courthouse Jury Assembly Room.
August: The Foundation purchases a 32 acre parcel of land, adjacent to the park, formerly known as Grey Hodges Park.
2010
March: Membership in the foundation reached an all-time high of 2,000 members.
June: Thanks to a $30,000 grant from the Wiregrass Resource Conservation and Development Council, renovated the planetarium and installed a new state-of-the-art digital projection system. family in Headland.
June: Renovated the front gate.
June: A fire burns down the maintenance area.
2011
Rebuilt shop buildings after 2010 fire.
May: Completed installation of Air Conditioning in the Stokes Activity Barn.
October: Loss of 100 percent of state funding.
November: Release of “Dothan and Houston County, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow”
Today, Dothan Landmarks Foundation represents the largest nonprofit community organization in Southeast Alabama, Northwest Florida and Southwest Georgia. Currently, over 1600 families are members. 50,000 visit annual and over 14,000 school children come for field trips annually.
