By next year, Odenville could be home to one of the largest collections of Ford Mustangs in the world.

This week, during the Odenville Area Business Association’s (OABA’s) monthly meeting, Bob Powell announced his plans to build a 32,000-square-foot facility off U.S. 411 where he intends to house approximately 100 different versions of Ford Motor Company’s iconic sports car. He’s calling it The Mustang Museum of America, and he’s already making progress.

“I had been thinking about starting a museum for these cars for years now,” Powell said. “About five years ago, I said it’s time to make it happen.”

Powell is a St. Clair County native. He graduated from St. Clair County High School in 1967, joined the military and years later found himself in Tampa, Fla. among a collection of car guys. He had always been into cars, he said, especially Fords. His sons, Jonathan and Gary were, too. He bought his first Mustang 30 years ago.

Now, he owns 70.

Powell said his goal is to feature a Mustang from every production year in the museum, reaching all the way back to the 1964-and-a-half, and his goal is to house 100 total, meaning he’s still looking to acquire about 30 more.

The museum will be constructed on 5.3 acres of land located behind Fred’s in Odenville, which he has already purchased. Powell said the structure would be L-shaped, and it and the parking lot would take up about two acres. With the other three, he plans to hold outdoor car shows and festivals.

The location, he freely admitted, wasn’t his first choice. He searched Leeds and Moody in an effort to locate near the Barber Motorsports Park and Museum but couldn’t find what he was looking for, so he expanded his search to his hometown. Although the traffic counts on U.S. 411 aren’t the volume he initially sought, he thinks the space is perfect.

“Ideally, we hope get 1,000 people a month through the doors,” he said “That’s what we’ll need to break even. But we’ve already had commitments from several car clubs who said they’d come see it immediately.”

For Odenville, that could mean a boost in tourism revenue. OABA President Trese Mashburn (also a columnist for the News-Aegis) said the addition of The Mustang Museum of America could be substantial for the town.

“It means people coming from across the country will shop at our stores and eat at our restaurants,” she said. “The impact could be huge.”

To bring the museum to Odenville, Powell formed a nonprofit organization. He said he plans to open in 2017.

To learn more about Powell’s efforts, see photos of some of his family’s Mustangs or to support his mission, visit MustangMuseumofAmerica.com.