Wayne has worked hard searching for local treasure in order to preserve a past that is very important to him and he is downright passionate about it. Even as a young boy, history interested Wayne, so he began collecting artifacts at a very early age. The local history of his roots, Clay County is what interested him the most. With a law enforcement career that spanned over 30 years, starting at th
e young age of 18 as an Officer, Watts became the youngest Police Chief to serve in Lineville, Alabama. Later on down the road, he and son, Klay would open a very successful construction business called simply Watts Construction. Wayne also juggles the role of County Commissioner, a position that is perfect for him because he deeply cares about Clay County and the citizens. Watts gained an extreme amount of knowledge of the local history through old timers who would come and sit with him sometimes. Watts would listen intently to their stories of people, places, etc. and he would store them into his memory. As these old timers would pass on, these stories would become a part of him and he wanted these memories to live on forever. So, every chance he got, he would purchase old store signs and items of local businesses past, old school annuals, and anything else he could find of interest. For every item he attained, he had a personal story to go along with it. When his collection began to grow, he decided it was time to share these personal memories with the public, so a building was erected at his “office” location on East College Street in Lineville and the transformation began…
It didn’t take long to generate public interest in this location as the colorful signs and such began to fill the front yard of Watt’s building. Every day when they would drive by, there would be even more items on display. Many times, curiosity would get the best of them as they would pull in if they saw Wayne’s vehicle there and he would take them on a personal tour. Even being the busy man that he is, He has never begrudged anyone a visit to this day. He truly enjoys meeting people and sharing his stories with them as they browse his numerous historical collections. From Indian artifacts, civil war memorabilia, to a HUGE collection of local historical items, this location has become a great attraction within Clay County. People come from near and far to see Wayne’s collection of memories, which grows bigger by the day. Recently, he was visited by the American Pickers, Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz, who filmed a show featuring Wayne’s World which has pushed this unique location into the limelight even more. Wayne welcomes anyone who wishes to visit his establishment. But he asks that you please call ahead to set up an appointment for a personal tour. There is no cost for admission at this time, but he has big plans for the future.
