BAY MINETTE, Ala. — Surveyors’ stakes are the only hint of construction at a pristine, 367-acre park north of Bay Minette which county officials hope to transform into a recreational and educational complex featuring period structures, boardwalks recreation and historical working exhibits.

When completed, the decade-long project off State Road 225 two miles north of Bay Minette, is expected to draw tourists, conventioneers and students from throughout the Southeast.

“We want this to be a stepping-off point for people coming to our county,” county archivist John Jackson said. “They will get a sense of what is here and what is in Foley or Fairhope or other areas of our county.”

By the end of 2008, a boat launch with restrooms, a bath house and small store should be open at Bicentennial Park and Village, along with a primitive camping area, Jackson said. A recreational vehicle camping area also will be in place by December 2008.

That project will be funded by a $1 million grant from the Coastal Impact Assistance Program, Jackson said.

A $2 million, two-story museum also should be completed by the end of 2009 on the northern 56 acres of the park. The first floor will display artifacts from throughout the county, while the second floor will contain meeting rooms and classrooms for educational functions.

“We want to celebrate the diversity of Baldwin County and we will exhibit displays focusing on specific historical events from specific areas of the county,” Jackson said.

County officials are waiting for various state and federal environmental agencies to issue construction permits. The University of South Alabama also has been asked to perform an archaeological survey near the boat launch to study evidence of Indian occupation, Jackson said.

“We think this will be a rich historical find and we will not build on or disturb it,” Jackson said.

As part of the focus on Baldwin County history, tickets should go on sale in early January for the North-South Ball slated May 10 in Robertsdale. Participants at the Civil War period ball will be asked to dress in period attire (circa 1861) and music will be provided by “Unreconstructed,” a nationally known period music band.

A Living History Interpretation tentatively planned for March, featuring living historians, will reflect on the life of Aaron Burr, who spent time in the northern part of the county.

Burr, born in 1756 and a former vice president of the U.S., challenged and mortally wounded Alexander Hamilton in a duel at Weehawken, N.J., on July 11, 1804. He was indicted for murder but never tried. He was arrested and tried for treason in August 1807 for attempting to form a republic in the Southwest which he planned to head. He was acquitted.

Within the next six months, an Indian village will be partially constructed for visitors and students to examine building techniques of Indian dwellings, according to Nick Warren, county historic projects coordinator.

The Baldwin County Commission acquired the property several years ago through a CIAP grant. The area is surrounded by Hastie Lake, which flows into the Tensaw River.

Baldwin County Commissioners provided a one-time allotment of $125,000 to begin site plans and brush cutting. Free-lance fund-raiser Pat Scanland was hired six months ago to seek donations from private, corporate and philanthropic groups for the $6 million pay-as-you-go project.

Warren said a series of meetings has generated a core group of stakeholders in the project and city councils and mayors have been “presenting goals and a vision” for the next few years.

“We have asked cities to replicate a building that makes a statement that we are Orange Beach or Spanish Fort,” Warren said.

Potential groups have been identified for donations and will be approached beginning April 1 for specific donation amounts, Warren said.

At the heart of the Bicentennial Park and Village will be construction of historic period dwellings and places of business which reflect the county’s past and serve in a functional capacity, Jackson said.

Much of the property contains wetlands which Jackson said would not be disturbed, except for construction of boardwalks for upclose wetland viewing.

The museum will be built to code, but modeled after Daphne Normal School, Jackson said. The facility also may be utilized as a bed and breakfast stopover for tourists.

Plans call for several period replicas of dwellings and places of business near the museum which reflect the county’s rich, diverse lineage, Jackson said.

Other proposed park features include:

•Construction of a passenger train reminiscent of a locomotive which earlier served the site as a logging tool, with tracks meandering through the park, stopping at designated walking trails or areas where brick and mortar attractions are placed.

A train station with turn-of-the-century architecture would be constructed at the origin-end of the Bicentennial Express.

•A Native American Village would be the first stop on the tour. Wattle-and-Daub houses used by Creek Indians would be partially constructed to show students and visitors building techniques used for Indians.

The housing, communal areas and traditional crops planted for harvest would depict the life of the county’s first human inhabitants.

Interpreters will interact with visitors in scripted and non-scripted portrayals of their character in their role within the village. Home construction, food preparation and traditional ceremonies will be the focus.

•Bicentennial Express will then stop at Baldwin Park, a courtyard commemorating the county’s 200-year history and featuring a fountain and cobblestone walking areas where visitors can enjoy a picnic lunch on the banks of Hastie Lake, then enjoy the boardwalk.

The public will have the opportunity to purchase cobblestones etched with their names which will be placed in a configuration of the county.

A paddle wheel steamer will be moored at the site, which may be leased to a private, restaurant-operating business. A sailing vessel, typical of ships used by Gulf Coast pirates also is planned as an attraction.

•The Bicentennial Express continues to a wooded area enclosing a camping facility featuring primitive camping and sophisticated RV hookups for both short- and long-term campers. Security will be provided around the clock.

•The last stop is a typical Baldwin County settlement circa 1830-1850, including dwellings and places of business.

Jackson said he hoped a hotel and restaurant will be included in construction plans for overnight visitors, but it could be designed in the style of the period chosen.

Jackson said the shops’ personnel could demonstrate period handiwork for educational purposes.

Nearby, a livery stable-black smith shop would offer horseback rides along a trail running throughout the park.