American Village dedicates Independence Hall, honoring founder Tom Walker
Published 8:23 pm Tuesday, September 30, 2025
The American Village unveiled its new Independence Hall building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 25, a day that also saw the passing of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)
The American Village unveiled its new Independence Hall building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 25, a day that also saw the passing of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)
The American Village unveiled its new Independence Hall building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 25, a day that also saw the passing of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)
The American Village unveiled its new Independence Hall building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 25, a day that also saw the passing of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)
The American Village unveiled its new Independence Hall building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 25, a day that also saw the passing of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)
The American Village unveiled its new Independence Hall building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 25, a day that also saw the passing of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)
The American Village unveiled its new Independence Hall building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 25, a day that also saw the passing of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)
The American Village unveiled its new Independence Hall building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 25, a day that also saw the passing of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)
The American Village unveiled its new Independence Hall building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 25, a day that also saw the passing of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)
The American Village unveiled its new Independence Hall building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 25, a day that also saw the passing of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)
The American Village unveiled its new Independence Hall building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 25, a day that also saw the passing of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)
The American Village unveiled its new Independence Hall building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 25, a day that also saw the passing of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)
The American Village unveiled its new Independence Hall building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 25, a day that also saw the passing of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)
The American Village unveiled its new Independence Hall building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 25, a day that also saw the passing of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)
The American Village unveiled its new Independence Hall building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 25, a day that also saw the passing of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)
The American Village unveiled its new Independence Hall building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 25, a day that also saw the passing of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)
The American Village unveiled its new Independence Hall building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 25, a day that also saw the passing of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)
The American Village unveiled its new Independence Hall building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 25, a day that also saw the passing of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)
The American Village unveiled its new Independence Hall building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 25, a day that also saw the passing of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)
The American Village unveiled its new Independence Hall building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 25, a day that also saw the passing of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)
The American Village unveiled its new Independence Hall building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 25, a day that also saw the passing of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)
The American Village unveiled its new Independence Hall building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 25, a day that also saw the passing of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)
The American Village unveiled its new Independence Hall building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 25, a day that also saw the passing of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)
The American Village unveiled its new Independence Hall building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 25, a day that also saw the passing of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)
The American Village unveiled its new Independence Hall building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 25, a day that also saw the passing of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)
The American Village unveiled its new Independence Hall building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 25, a day that also saw the passing of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)
The American Village unveiled its new Independence Hall building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 25, a day that also saw the passing of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)
The American Village unveiled its new Independence Hall building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 25, a day that also saw the passing of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)
The American Village unveiled its new Independence Hall building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 25, a day that also saw the passing of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)
The American Village unveiled its new Independence Hall building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 25, a day that also saw the passing of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)
The American Village unveiled its new Independence Hall building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 25, a day that also saw the passing of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)
The American Village unveiled its new Independence Hall building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 25, a day that also saw the passing of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)
The American Village unveiled its new Independence Hall building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 25, a day that also saw the passing of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)
The American Village unveiled its new Independence Hall building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 25, a day that also saw the passing of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)
The American Village unveiled its new Independence Hall building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 25, a day that also saw the passing of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)
The American Village unveiled its new Independence Hall building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 25, a day that also saw the passing of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)
The American Village unveiled its new Independence Hall building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 25, a day that also saw the passing of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)
The American Village unveiled its new Independence Hall building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 25, a day that also saw the passing of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)
The American Village unveiled its new Independence Hall building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 25, a day that also saw the passing of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)
The American Village unveiled its new Independence Hall building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 25, a day that also saw the passing of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)
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By DAVE DOMESCIK | Staff Writer
MONTEVALLO – Joy and sorrow met on Thursday, Sept. 25, as the American Village cut the ribbon on its grandest project yet—a full-scale replica of Independence Hall—just hours after the death of the site’s visionary founder, Tom Walker.
Gov. Kay Ivey headlined the ceremony alongside trustees, educators and civic leaders, dedicating the building as the Thomas G. Walker Jr. Independence Hall in his honor.
“Sadly, we have lost Tom, but his great legacy will live on, just like America’s legacy,” Ivey said. “Truly, no one is more deserving of this special recognition.”
Ivey further recognized Walker for his vision in making the American Village what it is today.
“I personally watched Tom Walker grow this Village from a few buildings in 1999 into this amazing American history campus that you see here today,” Ivey said. “It is a gift to our nation and to the people of our state.”
The dedication featured prayers, patriotic music, a musket salute and reflections on Walker’s vision of civic education. Dr. Geri Albright opened with an invocation, asking that the new hall “stand as a reminder of the sacrifices made to secure our freedom and the responsibilities we bear to protect them.”
Troy University Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins Jr. praised Walker’s foresight in forming a partnership between Troy and the Village, citing sobering statistics about declining U.S. history proficiency among students. He announced a $1.3 million Troy University contribution toward the project’s completion.
“There has to be an undertaking where we bring together a greater understanding on our young people,” Hawkins said. “That’s the goal of our partnership and that’s why we’re engaged today. Our future rests on what this kind of project represents for our great nation.”
American Village trustee Dr. Cathy Randall honored Gov. Ivey’s leadership and personal support of the Village, calling her “Alabama’s most consequential governor ever.”
State Sen. Arthur Orr, chair of the Alabama USA Semiquincentennial Commission, placed the moment in historical context.
“The building we dedicate today is much more than bricks and mortar rising from the meadows in South Shelby County,” Orr said. “It stands as a testament to the principles of liberty and individual rights under a limited government that was discussed in our country’s two most famous documents: the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, both of which were made and adopted in Independence Hall.”
Col. Alan B. Miller, Walker’s successor as president and CEO, acknowledged the bittersweet timing of the day.
“We gather on the eve of America’s 250th birthday to dedicate not just a building, but a living classroom of liberty where generations will learn what it means to be citizens of a free and self-governing people,” Miller said. “Even as we celebrate, we do so with both joy and sorrow today… Tom was a man of deep faith, whose vision, courage and persistence brought the American Village into being. His spirit and legacy are alive here.”
The day concluded with Walker’s prepared remarks, read posthumously by Miller, in which he expressed gratitude to God, his family, staff and supporters.
“I firmly believe that God guided us here, in this place and in this time, to serve, to create, to lead, to give, to remember, to educate and to celebrate,” Walker wrote. “From every dollar donated to every brick laid, I see His hand at work through the generosity and dedication of countless people who have made American Village what it is today.”
The remarks continued with Walker outlining the mission of American Village and his vision for Independence Hall as a whole.
“From the beginning, our mission has been to clear,” Walker wrote. “Our young people cannot safeguard what they do not cherish, and they cannot cherish what they do not know. The American Village exists to strengthen and renew, among young people and all of our visitors, a deep knowledge and appreciation for America’s legacy and freedom. The building behind me and the gathering of patriots in front of me, gives me great optimism that this mission will endure and flourish in the years ahead.”
Independence Hall completes the Village’s representation of all three branches of American government — judicial, legislative, and executive — and opens ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026.
“After 25 years, we finally have a building for the executive, judicial and legislative branches of government,” Miller said. “More than that, I think this really just creates an opportunity for us to put students in the footsteps of the founders. It’s not a lecture, it’s an experience. I think it’s so important for the students to understand this part of American history in the proper context, to understand the challenges that the founders faced. Our number one goal is for every student who leaves here to understand that they are heirs to that legacy and it is now their responsibility to carry it forward.”
Val Crofts, chief education officer at the American Village and America250 commissioner, outlined what the new building means in relation to the semiquincentennial celebration.
In America250, part of our main plan as a national commission is to educate,” Crofts said. “This ties in perfectly with it. We’re the celebration capitol for Alabama250 here at the Village. I was appointed to the commission seven years ago, and the original mission in 1976 was to educate, inspire and to get people to learn and care about the revolution. We have a similar task and opportunity next summer. We don’t want to let that go by without taking advantage of it.”
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