Fountain Heights in Birmingham in Jefferson County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Trailways Bus Station
Destination
| | Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail | |
Photographed by Mark Hilton, December 5, 2021
1. Trailways Bus Station Marker
On Mother's Day in 1961, the Freedom Riders, Black and White members of the Congress for Racial Equality (CORE), arrived at Birmingham's Trailways bus station. Though integrated interstate travel was federal law, Deep South states refused to enforce it. When the riders arrived, a group of angry Ku Klux Klansmen attacked and viciously beat them. Rev. Fred L. Shuttlesworth, leader of the local civil rights organization, Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights (ACMHR), rescued and protected the riders with the help of his church members at Bethel Baptist, where he was the pastor. A snapshot of the melee by Birmingham Post-Herald photographer Tommy Langston went around the world and embarrassed Birmingham's White leaders. They began a two-year plan to put Public Safety Commissioner Eugene Bull Connor out of office because he delayed sending policemen to the bus station for 15 minutes. The station was also a target site for protestors during the 1963 Birmingham Campaign.
"You have to be prepared to die before you can begin to live."
Rev. Fred L. Shuttlesworth
on
this page online
Lesson C21: Why do you think Southern states ignored federal civil rights laws?
Erected by the Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail. (Marker Number C21.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Roads & Vehicles. In addition, it is included in the Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1961.
Location. 33° 31.001′ N, 86° 48.537′ W. Marker is in Birmingham, Alabama, in Jefferson County. It is in Fountain Heights. It is at the intersection of North 19th Street and 4th Avenue North, on the right when traveling north on North 19th Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 401 19th St N, Birmingham AL 35203, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is 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.
Photographed by Mark Hilton, December 5, 2021
2. Trailways Bus Station Marker
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Civil Rights Freedom Riders (here, next to this marker); Picketing for a Point (within shouting distance of this marker); South at the White House (within shouting distance of this marker); Equality for All (within shouting distance of this marker); The Bad Guy (within shouting distance of this marker); Courthouse Prayer (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); S. H. Kress Five-And-Ten Cent Store (about 400 feet away); Vance Federal Building (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Birmingham.
Regarding Trailways Bus Station. The Civil Rights Activist Committee Home of the Foot Soldiers is the Information Center for the Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail.
Photographed by Mark Hilton, December 5, 2021
3. Trailways Bus Station Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on July 31, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 10, 2021, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 1,438 times since then and 90 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 10, 2021, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
