What Is the Edmund Pettus Bridge?
This is a through arch bridge over the Alabama River, which connects Selma to the road to Montgomery via U.S. Route 80 Business!
What Makes It Historical?
This bridge, built in May of 1940, was dedicated to Edmund Pettus, a lawyer from northern Alabama, who fought for the Confederacy at Kennesaw and Lookout Mountain and was hailed as a war hero when he settled in Selma. The thing was, he was also an ardent white supremacist and grand dragon of the Alabama Ku Klux Klan!
So you could say it was fitting that this bridge, designed by Henson Stephenson, would be the stage for the most intense parts of the Selma voting rights campaign! Marchers attempted to cross this bridge three times to go to Montgomery:
The first time, they were savagely beaten by the sheriff’s department on what came to be called Bloody Sunday. The second time, they were waiting on a court order to hold back the sheriff’s department and only made it to the end of the bridge before turning back. The third time, with court order and federal protection in place, the march from Selma to Montgomery successfully crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge and made its way to the capitol!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Become a member of the National Voting Rights Museum and Institute!
- Become a member of the Selma and Dallas County Historic Preservation Society!
- 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?
US 80 Business between Water & Cosby Avenues
Selma, AL 36703
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
Whenever the mood strikes you!