TRIANA, Ala. — A traveling exhibition created by the Smithsonian focusing on life in rural America debuted Thursday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the historic Triana Health Clinic on Stone Street. The grand opening also marked a celebration for those who worked for nearly two decades to repair and restore the historic building.
Triana Historical Society President Betty Williams said it's been a long journey for the group, which started a campaign to save the facility in the early 2000s when the building fell into "grave disrepair." The building became the first public health clinic for Black residents in Madison County in 1950 as the Triana Maternity and Child Health Clinic. Before that, however, the building started out as a home for a federal employee - the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Game Warden - under a New Deal program in 1941.
"It was originally built for the overseer of the wildlife refuge," Williams said. "Then this became the Triana Health Clinic. Nurse [Johnnie LouJeanne] Dent and Dr. [Harold F.] Drake worked in this building from the 1950s through the '70s, and she retired in the '90s. So she worked over 40 years here."
The clinic was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2010, and is also on the State Register of Landmarks.
Smithsonian chose the Triana Health Clinic and nearby Triana Public Library to host its "Crossroads" exhibit in part because Triana is an example of the topic - how rural America has changed during the 20th Century and how it may change in the near future. It explores how communities like Triana responded to changes in technology and progress. They also hope to prompt discussions and thinking about the future of our rural communities.
The Alabama Humanities Alliance is co-presenter of the exhibit, which will run at the clinic and library through April 12.