Today we visited the National Park's Service Martin Luther King Birth Site and Center for Nonvoilent Social Change in Atlanta. The whole complex takes up both sides of the street for about 1.5 blocks. This is the new church that replaced the Ebenezer Baptist Church once it became part of the historic site.
Next to the church is the National Park Service Visitor's Center. I met a kid from China visiting. The majority of the visitors were African American which is no surprise, but I heard different languages being spoken while we were there so it draws people from all over the world.
Between the church and the NPS site was a Martin Luther King, Jr. "I Have A Dream" World Peace Rose Garden. There are inspirational messages written by students from the area and a new message is added each year. The wall at the end where the people above are walking had a lengthy mural - this is just one tiny piece of it - - captured because of the Peace Now and I Am A Man signs.
Inside a great deal of semi-circle exhibits with a replica street and marchers inbetween. This is the antique dealer's wagon that carried MLK's casket.
One exhibit had some of the signs carried in demonstrations.
Up the street were these row houses that were originally built by a company for their employees. This was originally a German neighborhood, but after the 1906 race riot a lot of African Americans move in.
There was an informational plaque about the MLK Birthsite house looking across the street at the actual house. Here is MLK with two of his children when they visited. The iset photo shows MLKs parents, and grandmother in the back row, his sister, brother and MLK in the front. They all lived together in this house. His maternal grandfather, Rev. A. D. Williams, was the 2nd minister at the Ebenezer Baptist Church down the street in the next block.
This is what the house looks like today. We missed getting the free tickets for tour- so waited for the group tours from 2-4.
Next to the birth site house was another house that is part of the complex that has been changed into a book store and gift shop. I was kind of surprised to see a MLK bobble head for sale.
Next to the gift shop house was the historic Fire House #6. This was manned by white firemen until the 1960s when it was integrated. The people walking across the street are heading toward the MLK Center for Nonviolent Social Change.
The Center is behind me - in front is a long pool reminicent of the Washington Memorial where he gave the "I Have A Dream" speech. In the middle of the fountains you will see a white tomb where MLK and Coretta are. To the right is a plaza with speakers and ongoing speeches are heard. The Ebenezer Baptist Church is in front of the tall white building.
Along the left side of the pool is a covered Freedom Walk with large format photos along a wall. Here were a couple.
Even one with MLK and Malcolm X.
It had been closed for four years to undergo an extensive renovation to take it back to the 1960s as it would have been when the Kings were there. We were lucky to be able to attend the 4pm history of the church and rendetion of the "I have a Dream" speech by Stephon Ferguson in the basement below the sanctury. This was where MLK had given his first serman after he had graduated from seminary at age 19 and became a Reverend. There were so many that showed up they had to move into the sanctuary upstairs. It was also the first meeting place of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference's first organizational meeting with over 100 ministers. His talk and speech was the highlight of the day. We were lucky to be there on a day when he was there.
We ate lunch at the Edgewater Tavern - breaded and deep fried turkey breast sandwich with mashed potatoes and gravy between Texas toast. Next door was this interesting bar!
Headed toward Jacksonville, FL. Drove through Robbins Airforce Base where Ann spent the last two years of her career and retired from in 2001. Stopped at a Piggly Wiggly to get canned boiled peanuts for Daddy Stone. The girl said the best fresh ones were at the Flash Foods gas station. We stopped to get a 32 oz container for $2.99 and a roll of paper towels and ate these for our supper.
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