Near White Hall in Lowndes County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Mount Gillard Baptist Church
Photographed by Mark Hilton, May 25, 2017
1. Mount Gillard Baptist Church Marker
The roots of this house of worship date to 1868 when 26 African American members of Mount Gilead Church left to form their own congregation. The present building was constructed in 1901, with several enlargements and renovations throughout the twentieth century.
Located along the route of the historic Selma-to-Montgomery March, Mount Gillard is known as the "Mother Church" of the Lowndes County civil rights movement. Its members were committed to equality and suffrage; theirs was the first church in the county to host civil rights demonstrations and mass meetings. The Lowndes County Christian Movement for Human Rights held its inaugural gathering in the church on March 28, 1965. The meeting occurred three days after the nearby murder of civil rights worker Viola Liuzzo. The group's political arm, the Lowndes County Freedom Organization recruited a slate of African American candidates for public office in the election of 1966. The Lowndes County Anti-Poverty Action Committee was also organized here. Mount Gillard congregants were active in each organization.
The church was listed on the Alabama Register of Historic
this page online
Erected 2016 by the Alabama Historical Association.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the Alabama Historical Association series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1868.
Location. 32° 16.457′ N, 86° 44.816′ W. Marker is near White Hall, Alabama, in Lowndes County. It is at the intersection of U.S. 80 and Trickum Cutoff Road, on the right when traveling west on U.S. 80. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 8376 US Highway 80 West, Tyler AL 36785, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Alabama’s Tri-Counties River Region. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, and in the Black Belt. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum
Photographed by Mark Hilton, May 25, 2017
2. Mount Gillard Missionary Baptist Church
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: It Started in Selma (approx. 1.1 miles away); After the MarchTent City (approx. 1.1 miles away); You Gotta Move (approx. 1.2 miles away); Day Two (approx. 1.2 miles away); Marchers, Supporters, Hecklers (approx. 1.2 miles away); A Price Paid (approx. 1.2 miles away); No Isolated Incident (approx. 1.2 miles away); Holy Ground Battlefield (approx. 1.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in White Hall.
Also see . . . Mt. Gillard Missionary Baptist Church. Church website homepage (Submitted on May 27, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)
Credits. This page was last revised on September 24, 2021. It was originally submitted on May 27, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 1,538 times since then and 85 times this year. Last updated on June 4, 2017, by Byron Hooks of Sandy Springs, Georgia. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 27, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
