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What does "Thronateeska" mean?

A Muskogee Creek word that generally means "flint picking up place," among other translations, Thronateeska is a name for the area around present-day Albany and the Flint River in Southwest Georgia. The Lower Muskogee Creek Tribe east of the Mississippi River is headquartered at Tama Tribal Town, Whigham, Georgia.

Our History

In 1974, concerned and community-spirited citizens championed the cause for revitalization of the historic downtown railroad depot area. Thronateeska Heritage Foundation, Inc. resulted from the merger of the Southwest Georgia Historical Society, organized in 1969, and the Albany Junior Museum, Inc., founded in 1959 by the Junior League of Albany.

Today, Thronateeska’s campus, known as Heritage Plaza, includes the Science Museum, the Wetherbee Planetarium and the History Museum, all located on the only remaining brick street in Albany. 

Through Thronateeska’s efforts, the 1913 Union Station depot was preserved as a legendary landmark, converted into the History Museum, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. The History Museum features changing exhibits in two galleries. 

The Science Museum, which also houses the Wetherbee Planetarium, was constructed in 2008, incorporating architectural features of the original 1926 Central Georgia Roundhouse on the façade of the building. The Science Museum includes interactive exhibits and hosts regular science-based programming. The Wetherbee Planetarium features a 40-foot diameter HD fulldome screen and shows a rotating schedule of planetarium shows. 

In 2014, the South Georgia Archives was added on to the historic Fryer-Merritt House, which houses Thronateeska’s administrative offices. 

The Tift Warehouse, constructed in 1857 as the original passenger and freight depot, the REA building, and Albany’s last remaining brick street are also listed on the National Register as Albany’s Railroad Depot Historic District. 

Our Mission Statement

To provide an environment where human, natural and physical sciences can be explored to gain a better understanding of our changing world.

  • Zygorhiza

    Zygorhiza

    The whale species, Zygorhiza, is a 36-million-year-old ancestor of modern-toothed whales and porpoises. This 20-foot long creature had both pointed teeth for grabbing prey and saw-edged teeth for slicing and chewing. This is the cast of a skeleton found in Twiggs County, Georgia, with a shark in its belly!

  • History of Flight

    History of Flight

    On December 17, 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright made the first successful flight in a powered airplane. They flew it four times on December 17, 1903, near Kill Devil Hills, about four miles south of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. This ½ scale model hangs in the Science Museum. The original Wright Flyer hangs in the Smithsonian.

  • Train Exhibit

    Train Exhibit

    Southwest Georgia has a rich railroad history. Albany’s Union Depot, built in 1913, was used by five different railroads that served the city. Seven rail lines radiating out of Albany converged at Union Depot.

  • Georgia Museum of Surveying and Mapping

    Georgia Museum of Surveying and Mapping

    Located in the History Museum, this exhibit demonstrates how surveying and mapping has shaped, and is shaping, the world in which we live. The collection consists of more than 100 surveying and mapping instruments and tools dating back to the eighteenth century, along with a growing collection of surveys and maps from around Georgia.

  • Original Brick Streets

    Original Brick Streets

    Thronateeska is located at Heritage Plaza on the only remaining brick street in the city. Laid in 1913 as part of a larger downtown street improvement project, the street’s brick paving materials are characteristic of early twentieth-century street and highway construction.

  • Bobs Candy Company

    Bobs Candy Company

    Bobs Candy Company was started by Bob McCormack in Albany in 1919. The company produced a variety of candies but is perhaps best known for their peppermint. Bobs invented the Keller Machine to automate the process of twisting the signature hook in the candy cane, making mass production possible.

  • Artesian City

    Artesian City

    Georgia’s first free-flowing artesian well was dug in western Dougherty County in 1881 and produced pure water for many years. The City of Albany continued to drill many artesian wells and even adopted the free-flowing water as its symbol and nickname, The Artesian City, on the official Seal of the City.

  • South Georgia Archives

    South Georgia Archives

    The archives houses nearly 10,000 books, boxes, and miscellaneous items for clients at 5,441 cubic feet. These items would fill 5 ½ U-Haul trucks. Placed end-to-end the boxes would stretch more than a mile!

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Hours of Operation

Thursday – Saturday
10:00 am –  4:00 pm

(229) 432.6955