Tuskegee in Macon County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Rosa Parks

— The Tuskegee Civil Rights and Historic Trail —

Photographed by Mark Hilton, September 20, 2019

1. Rosa Parks Marker

Inscription. Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (1913 – 2005) was an iconic activist during the mid twentieth century civil rights movement. Born in Tuskegee, Parks later moved with her mother to Pine Level located near Montgomery, Alabama. She was encouraged by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to challenge Alabama’s segregation laws through passive civil disobedience. On December 1, 1955, with the whites-only section filled, Parks rejected Montgomery bus driver James F. Blake’s demand to give up her seat to a white passenger. Her resistance led to a community-wide bus boycott, which lasted for over a year. When asked about her reluctance to give up her seat, she said that she “was tired of giving in.” The actions of Parks and others led to the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama ruling, in Browder v. Gayle, that bus segregation is unconstitutional under the Fourteenth Amendment protections for equal treatment. The U.S. Supreme Court eventually upheld this ruling, on November 13,

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1956. Parks’ actions resulted in her receiving a Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 and the Medal of Freedom in September 1996.

Erected 2019 by City of Tuskegee, Tuskegee University, Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation. (Marker Number 10.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Roads & Vehicles • Women. In addition, it is included in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation., and the Tuskegee Civil Rights and Historic Trail, Alabama series lists.

Location. 32° 25.21′ N, 85° 41.761′ W. Marker is in Tuskegee, Alabama, in Macon County. It is on West Martin Luther King Highway (U.S. 80) west of South Jericho Street, on the right when traveling east. Located next to Washington Plaza shopping center. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: West Martin Luther King Highway, Tuskegee AL 36083, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is 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 South.

Other nearby markers.

Rosa Parks Birthplace Marker looking westerly. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Jerry Klinger, September 19, 2019

2. Rosa Parks Birthplace Marker looking westerly.

At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Butler Chapel AME Zion Church (approx. ¼ mile away); Booker T. Washington (approx. ¼ mile away); 119 Westside Street (approx. 0.4 miles away); "Trade With Your Friends" (approx. 0.4 miles away); Brief History of Tuskegee, Alabama (approx. 0.4 miles away); Macon County Confederate Monument (approx. 0.4 miles away); Macon County Legal Milestone (approx. 0.4 miles away); Site of the Tuskegee Female College (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tuskegee.

Another marker is no longer nearby. William P. Mitchell (was approx. 0.3 miles away but has been confirmed missing).

More about this marker. The marker is near the site of the birthplace of Rosa Parks. Her birth site has been torn down and is up the hill directly adjacent to the marker location.

Regarding Rosa Parks. The Rosa Parks marker is part of a 13 marker Tuskegee Civil Rights Marker Trail System. The system is funded by the Jewish

Rosa Parks Marker looking east on Dr. Martin Luther King Highway. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, September 20, 2019

3. Rosa Parks Marker looking east on Dr. Martin Luther King Highway.

The Tuskegee Municipal Complex, where the Tuskegee Civil Rights and Historic Trail dedication was held on September 20, 2019, can be seen as the white 2-story building in center background.

American Society for Historic Preservation (JASHP). Close interactive cooperation between JASHP, Tuskegee University and the City of Tuskegee made the system possible. The System will be dedicated Sept. 21, 2019, as part of the Alabama Bi-Centennial celebrations.

Also see . . .
1. Rosa Parks. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on October 14, 2025, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)

2. Tuskegee Historical Marker Dedication (video). (Submitted on October 3, 2019, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)

Additional keywords. Birthplace

Rosa Parks - photo on marker image. Click for full size.

4. Rosa Parks - photo on marker

Dedication program and associated map of trail. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, September 20, 2019

5. Dedication program and associated map of trail.

Please note #1 on the map, Amelia Boynton Robinson marker is actually on Franklin Road, NNW of Tuskegee University, near Boy Scout Circle.

The Tuskegee Civil Rights and Historic Trail was dedicated on September 20th, 2019. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, September 20, 2019

6. The Tuskegee Civil Rights and Historic Trail was dedicated on September 20th, 2019.

Dedication was held at the Tuskegee Municipal Complex.

Credits. This page was last revised on October 14, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 1, 2019, by Jerry Klinger of Boynton Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,925 times since then and 135 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on September 21, 2019, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. 2. submitted on June 1, 2019, by Jerry Klinger of Boynton Beach, Florida. 3. submitted on September 21, 2019, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. 4. submitted on June 1, 2019, by Jerry Klinger of Boynton Beach, Florida. 5, 6. submitted on September 21, 2019, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.