Downtown Memphis in Shelby County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

Clayborn Temple

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, April 25, 2020

1. Clayborn Temple Marker

Inscription.
This building. designed by architects Long & Kees with E. C. Jones supervising, was dedicated to the worship of God on Jan. 1, 1893. It was the second home of Second Presbyterian Church (organized Dec. 28, 1844) until sold to the AME Church in 1949 and then renamed Clayborn Temple. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. often spoke here. Many civil rights activities were held here in the 1960s.

Erected 1991 by Second Presbyterian Church and The Shelby County Historical Commission.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Architecture • Civil Rights • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, and the Martin Luther King, Jr. series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is January 1, 1893.

Location. 35° 8.198′ N, 90° 3.08′ W. Marker is in Memphis, Tennessee, in Shelby County. It is in Downtown Memphis. It is on Hernando Street just south of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue (U.S. 78), on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 294 Hernando Street, Memphis TN 38126, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in West Tennessee.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

in the Upper South,

in the Mississippi Delta,

and in the Great River Road Region.

Globally, it is in North America,

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: Lung Kong Tin Yee Association / The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882

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(about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); R.S. Lewis & Sons Funeral Home (about 800 feet away); The Blues Trail From Mississippi to Memphis (about 800 feet away); Beale Street Historic District (approx. 0.2 miles away); Ida B. Wells (approx. 0.2 miles away); Pee Wee Saloon (approx. 0.2 miles away); George Jackson (approx. 0.2 miles away); Rufus Thomas, Jr. (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Memphis.

Also see . . . Historic Clayborn Temple. Church website entry (Submitted on April 27, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, April 25, 2020

2. Clayborn Temple Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 27, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 439 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 27, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.