Anniston in Calhoun County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Anniston Public Library Desegregation

September 15-16, 1963

— Anniston Civil Rights Trail —

Anniston Public Library Desegregation Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, August 5, 2017

1. Anniston Public Library Desegregation Marker

Inscription. Desegregation of the Library began when two African American pastors, Reverends William B. McClain and Nimrod Q. Reynolds, peacefully attempted to enter the building on September 15, 1963. Their actions were endorsed by the city of Anniston Human Relations Council, which was pursuing desegregation of public institutions in Anniston. As the men approached the Library, several white men attacked them, and both men were injured, Reynolds seriously. The next day, Reverends J. Phillips Noble and George Smitherman, City Commissioner Miller Sproull, and Library board members Charlie Doster and Carelton Lentz accompanied McClain as he entered the Library without incident and checked out a book.

Erected 2016 by City of Anniston Historic Trails Program. (Marker Number 6.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Arts, Letters, Music • Civil Rights. In addition, it is included in the Anniston Civil Rights Trail, Alabama series list. A significant historical date for this entry is September 15, 1963.

Location. 33° 39.419′ N, 85° 49.666′ W. Marker is in Anniston, Alabama,

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in Calhoun County. It is at the intersection of East 10th Street and Wilmer Avenue, on the right when traveling east on East 10th Street. Was located at the very east side of the library. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 108 East 10th Street, Anniston AL 36201, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in East Alabama. It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

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 original Cherokee Nation,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Tyrus Raymond Cobb (within shouting distance of this marker); Calhoun County World War I Memorial (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); 15 E. 10th Street (about 400 feet away); First Lot Sold (about 600 feet away); 1005 Noble Street (about 600 feet away); 913 Noble Street (about

The Public Library of Anniston-Calhoun County (marker to the left). image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, August 5, 2017

2. The Public Library of Anniston-Calhoun County (marker to the left).

600 feet away); Grace Episcopal Church (about 600 feet away); 920 Noble Street (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Anniston.

Also see . . . Integration and the Anniston Public Library, Anniston, Alabama (blog). The original Anniston Public Library was built in 1918 with a grant of $20,000 from Andrew Carnegie. Like many libraries during the pre-Civil Rights Era, the Anniston Public Library was segregated. The current library, in the same location, was built in 1966. (Submitted on August 6, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)

Credits. This page was last revised on January 11, 2022. It was originally submitted on August 6, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 1,225 times since then and 37 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 6, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.