ALABAMA BENCH & BAR
About Us
The Alabama Bench and Bar
Historical Society
is devoted to preserving the history of the state’s judicial and legal system and making the citizens of the state more knowledgeable about the state’s courts and their place in Alabama and United States history. The Bench and Bar is interested in preserving documents, artifacts, and memorabilia of the courts, as well as of judges and members of the state bar, and wishes to encourage the publication of scholarly research on bench and bar topics. The Society especially wishes to preserve the biographical information and stories of attorneys and judges who played prominent roles in the history of the state’s legal system. To pursue its goals, the Alabama Bench and Bar Historical Society may sponsor publications, exhibitions, displays, lectures, and public programs.
The Rare Book Room in the Supreme Court Library houses several exceptional and singular legal manuscripts, such as various works of early Alabama history like the Statutes of the Mississippi Territory (Harry Toulmin), 1807 and a 1765 First Edition of Blackstone’s Commentary. Restoring these tomes is an exceedingly painstaking and expensive process. For example, one book restoration typically costs $1,000 and can take as long as a year for the book to be returned to the collection. Although restoration helps to make the book more accessible for legal research, the integrity of the actual repair does not lessen its historical value. Principally, these books are a genuine symbol and chronicle of our legal mission illustrating the path which our nation has traveled.
Alabama State Supreme Court & Law Library's Rare Books Room