Hank Williams Sr. Boyhood Home and Museum

Hank Williams Boyhood Home and Museum The Hank Williams Sr. Boyhood Home and Museum is a biographical museum and historic home located in Georgiana, Butler County. The museum preserves and interprets the life of country music star Hank Williams Sr., who lived in the home from 1931 until 1934. It is the only surviving childhood home of Williams and is owned by the city of Georgiana and managed by the non-profit Hank Williams Museum and Festival Inc.

The two-story white wood frame house was built in 1850. The white-shingled exterior has a wraparound porch, and house sits off the ground on stilts. The interior has four bedrooms. When Williams lived in the home there was no bathroom, and the residents used an outhouse. There was, however, running water in the kitchen and a wood-burning stove.

Hank Williams Boyhood Home and Museum Williams was born Hiram Williams in Mount Olive, Butler County. When he was young, his father Lon sought medical treatment at veteran’s hospitals outside the state, leaving Williams’s mother Lillie in charge of the family. The family relocated to Georgiana but soon lost everything after a fire destroyed their house when Williams was seven. The family moved to this home on 127 Rose Street in Georgiana after Thaddeus Rose, a prominent landlord from the area, offered Lillie the home to live in rent-free until her income became more stable. She quickly took up various jobs and sold produce from her garden, and the children were also expected to contribute financially. Williams sold peanuts and shined shoes after school at the depot, giving the money to his mother. There are debates over who purchased his first guitar, with most agreeing it was his mother, but multiple prominent citizens from Georgiana also take credit. Either way, Williams received his first guitar when he was eight years old and living at the Rose Street home. He was taught the blues by local street musician Rufus “Tee Tot” Payne and played for tips on the street. The family moved to Montgomery in 1934 and Williams later found fame in Nashville and other cities across the South.

The Hank Williams, Sr. Boyhood Home and Museum opened in 1993 and houses memorabilia, artifacts, pictures, and other personal belongings from the musician. Also in 1993, a commemorative stamp featuring Williams was issued by the U.S. Postal Service. Notable items on display in the museum include Williams’s first guitar, a straight razor, his old bed from the home, records, a Victrola, and a suit. A festival is held in his honor at the home every summer.

The museum is located at 127 Rose Street. It is open Monday to Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.