Laurel in Jones County, Mississippi — The American South (East South Central)

Dr. King Visits Laurel

Photographed by Mark Hilton, December 2, 2017

1. Dr. King Visits Laurel Marker

Inscription. On March 19, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke here at St. Paul Methodist Church to rally support for the Poor People's March on Washington against economic injustice. King told the overflow audience that the marchers were going to the Washington to demand improvement in the lives of poor people. This was among Dr. King's last stops in Mississippi, before his assassination in Memphis on April 4. The Poor People's March continued after his death, reaching Washington on May 12.

Erected 2009 by Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

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 Mississippi State Historical Marker Program series list. A significant historical date for this entry is March 19, 1968.

Location. 31° 41.151′ N, 89° 7.918′ W. Marker is in Laurel, Mississippi, in Jones County. It is on Jefferson Street west of South 4th Avenue, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 517 Jefferson Street, Laurel MS 39440, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Mississippi’s Pine Belt.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

and in the Piney Woods.

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 South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Triangle Homes (approx. 0.2 miles away); Jones County Blues (approx. half a mile away); Beacon Homes

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(approx. half a mile away); F.W. Woolworth Building (approx. half a mile away); Masonite Corporation (approx. half a mile away); Hotel Pinehurst (approx. half a mile away); Laurel City Hall (approx. half a mile away); Jones County Courthouse (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Laurel.

Also see . . . Historic marker commemorates visit by King. The Mississippi Conference of the United Methodist Church. (Submitted on December 3, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)

Marker in front of the St. Paul United Methodist Church image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, December 2, 2017

2. Marker in front of the St. Paul United Methodist Church

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1964) image. Click for full size.

Public domain (US-PD)

3. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1964)

Credits. This page was last revised on December 3, 2017. It was originally submitted on December 3, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 1,276 times since then and 65 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 3, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.