Plaque Text for this Alabama landmark:
House built circa 1912. It has been the home of the ministers of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church since 1919. Its most famous occupant, Dr. Martin Luther King, lived here from Sept. 1954-Feb. 1960. During this time he led the Bus Boycott launching an outstanding career as a world leader for civil rights and humanitarian causes. When a bomb damaged the house on January 31, 1956, Dr. King returned from a Boycott meeting and calmed an angry crowd from the porch, averting possible violence. From 1947-1952 the house was occupied by Dr. Vernon Johns, an earlier advocate of civil rights.
Other side: DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING. Dr. King became pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in September, 1954. He led the Bus Boycott of 1955-56 as president of the Montgomery Improvement Association. Leaving Montgomery in 1960 he went on to national leadership in civil rights, advocating nonviolence. Accomplishments include: president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference; Selma-Montgomery March; March on Washington; Nobel Peace Price. His work brought on a world social-humanitarian movement He was assassinated on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee, during an effort to secure laborers’ rights.
More about Dexter Parsonage:
That pretty well sums it up!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Pay the entrance fee to help maintain trails, signs, structures, and other visitor services!
- Become a member of the Alabama Historical Association!
- Donate to the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
How Do I Get There?
309 S. Jackson Street
Montgomery, AL 36104
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
Visit the sign whenever you like, but the museum is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 AM untl 4:00 PM, and on Saturdays from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM!