Steamboats, Gunboats, Race Boats…It’s Okay To Say We’re All Wet.

With a 69,000 acre lake as our backyard – and frontyard, too – it’s no surprise that boats play a big role in Guntersville’s past and present. Exhibits, photos and replicas document this distinct aspect of life on the river, and after 1939, the lake itself. Of course, the museum would not be complete without an exhibit honoring native son and river runner “Mississippi Bill” Harris, who tamed the Big Muddy (and many other rivers as well) from the stern of his 12-foot fishing boat named Miss Guntersville.

TVA And The Making Of The Lake.

Archival photos and historical documents provide a fascinating view of Guntersville before the lake came up. Exhibits also illustrate activities during construction of the dam that created almost a thousand miles of mountain-lakes shoreline. The combination of engineering prowess and socio-economic benefits to the region make for interesting history, especially as viewed through sepia-toned images.

Indian ArtifactsHunting and Fishing – Then And Now.

These days Guntersville is famous for being a big star on every bass fisherman’s map – whether Bassmaster pro or weekend angler. But 10,000 years ago the first settlers here were just as serious about wetting a line. The museum includes extensive examples of local Native American artifacts, from hunting and fishing items to everyday tools that took advantage of life along the river.

C.E. Monroe PaintingArt Is Well Covered.

Guntersville resident C. E. Monroe (1918-1999) was one of the nation’s foremost wildlife and magazine cover artists of the 1950s and ‘60s. His work appeared on such leading magazines as Life, Field & Stream, Collier’s and True Magazine, and Monroe later became renowned as one of the nation’s top sporting artists. The museum includes 13 Monroe paintings plus an array of pieces from local and regional artists.

Famous Sons And Daughters.

Bird Collection

The museum includes exhibits about John Gunter, the city’s namesake. Gunter was the first white man to this area in the late 1700s and married Catherine, the daughter of a Cherokee chieftain. John’s famous great-grandson was Will Rogers, who has become an adopted son of the lake city, and the museum includes several interesting pieces about this American legend.

This One Is For The Birds.

As part of our significant Natural History collection, the museum is fortunate to have a local treasure that fascinated generations of local residents who attended the old City Elementary “Rock School.” In the lobby of that school, and now at the new museum, was a superb display of mostly native birds collected and mounted by the late Bessie Rayburn Samuel in the 1920s. Bessie actually taught herself taxidermy, and this unique display was a resource for the state’s first book on ornithology.