Eufaula Athenaeum

Eufaula Athenaeum The Eufaula Athenaeum, located in a historic building in Eufaula, Barbour County, was a collection of historical materials pertaining to Eufaula and Barbour County owned by by Alexander Stephens "Steve" Williams III (1936-2020), a successful executive with Protective Life in Birmingham who had a long family history in Eufaula and Barbour County. Originally, the facility also housed Williams's extensive collections, that he acquired over 40 years, in the areas of the U.S. presidency, the Civil War, Alabama and southern history, and the literature of the South. The bulk of that collection was donated to the University of Alabama (UA) Libraries in 2010, with the rest of the materials being donated after his death, in 2021.

The building in which the Athenaeum was housed likely was constructed in the 1850s by Eufaula physician William Cowan and served first as a drug store. Purchased by A. S. Williams in 2000, the 6,500-square-foot facility was completely renovated with the aid of a local architect and local craftsmen. Much of the original flooring was preserved, as well as original plaster walls, and salvaged floor timbers were used to rebuild the stairwell to the second floor.

Eufaula Athenaeum Initially, the Athenaeum housed Williams's entire collection; it featured several areas of concentration, the most significant of which is a book and pamphlet collection that includes about 30,000 volumes and more than 3,000 pamphlets focusing on the U.S. presidency, the Civil War, southern history, and southern literature. Also significant was a photographic collection of more than 12,000 images, as well as collections of maps, lithographs, prints, paintings, and manuscripts. In June of 2010, most of this original collection was donated and moved to UA's Gorgas Library in Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa County. In 2021, Williams's family donated the remainder of his collection to UA. The building is now the Athenaeum Eufania Library.