For 39 years, people from all over the world and all walks of life have come to the small town of Monroeville, Alabama, in search of a place called Maycomb. They come in search of a story that have moved millions of people with its enduring message, and in search of the world of the storyteller. Monroeville: The Search for Harper Lee's Maycomb explores the relationship between Harper Lee's hometown and the setting of her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Born in response to the curiosities of visitors to the Monroe County Heritage Museums, this book explores the parallels between the tow worlds through vintage images and informative captions. Included are photographs of the Lee family and the author in her early years; the sights of Monroeville that undoubtedly inspired the setting of Maycomb; the cast of the Oscar-winning film adaptation that premiered in 1963; and the Mockingbird Players, a group of Monroeville residents who, each year in May, present an authentic production of the two-act play adapted by Christopher Sergel. Among the visitors to Monroeville are teachers and lawyers making a pilgrimage to Atticus' courtroom, scholars in search of unanswered questions, and fans of the novel trying to capture a glimpse of Scout's world. The Monroe County Heritage Museums, under the direction of Kathy McCoy, made this possible in 1991 with the opening of the Old Courthouse Museum on the town square. Visitors now leave Monroeville feeling as if they walked the streets of Maycomb on a hot summer day, enchanted by the imagined presence of Sout, Jem, and Dill exploring their neighborhood in an era of tumultuous change.
planted to shade porches from the hot summer sun. The spring blooms cover the vines with purple clusters. Then, the thick growth of leaves completely shields the porch from view. Southern families use the porch as an additional room. It is always cooler there than in the house. Kathryn Tucker Windham of Selma is originally from Thomasville, right across the river from Monroe County. She said recently, in her weekly story on public radio, that she fondly remembers her mother sewing new cushion
the steamboat era. Three Protestant churches were established inland from Bell’s Landing at Tinela—the Baptist, the Presbyterian, and the Methodist-Episcopal Church South (as it was known before the split of the denominations). The small chapels for each were filled with graceful wooden pews, carved pulpits, and occasionally an ornate pump organ (such as the one shown below). These furnishings were shipped from Mobile by steamboat to the landings. “We were Methodists, but we went to all three
organized the Mockingbird Players performances in Hull in September 1998. On May 21, 1999, Garry, his students, and his film crew arrived in Monroeville to film the documentary. Their arrival allowed them to attend a performance of the play. We thank Garry Burnett for his enthusiasm on finding Monroeville and the Museums, and for the encouraging words about this book project. He continually repeated, “We are hungry for this information.” Find more books like this at www.imagesofamerica.com
was seven years older than I was, but she took a liking to me. Everyone said she was sort of strange, but she would come to my house and teach me things like cooking and she would help me make a tepee tent. One day I went into the tent, and on the little shelf, she had left this doll for me. “In the movie, there are two dolls in a box in the opening sequence. Mine is almost identical to those. This was given to me by somebody that I think was just like Boo; it is just like the dolls that were
looks different now, but a little imagination is all it takes to find Maycomb here. We invite you to find Maycomb in this collection of photos—old and new—of the people and places of Monroeville. One SCOUT Scout receives Atticus’ words of wisdom. In 1998, Andrea Godwin played Scout and Jimmy Blackman played Atticus in the annual production of To Kill a Mockingbird. The Mockingbird Players and Kathy McCoy, director of the Monroe County Heritage Museums, bring the story to life each May in a
