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

1031 Gurnee Avenue

1952

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, February 26, 2023

1. 1031 Gurnee Avenue Marker

Inscription. has been placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights. A significant historical year for this entry is 1952.

Location. 33° 39.487′ N, 85° 49.879′ W. Marker is in Anniston, Alabama, in Calhoun County. It is on Gurnee Avenue south of West 11th Street, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1031 Gurnee Ave, 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: Greyhound Bus Station Protest, May 14, 1961 (here, next to this marker); 50 Years Later (a few steps from this marker); The Photograph (a few steps from this marker); Triumph (a few steps from this marker); Rescue / Escape (a few steps from this marker); The Burning Bus (a few steps from this marker); Horror and Disbelief (a few steps from this marker); Pursuit / Trapped (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Anniston.

Regarding 1031 Gurnee Avenue. This building, then a bus depot, was the scene of two violent attacks against Civil Rights activists on May 14, 1961. In the first assault, an armed mob led by a local Ku Klux

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Klan leader attacked and subsequently firebombed a Greyhound bus carrying “Freedom Riders” who were pushing to end racial segregation in interstate travel. The second attack happened an hour later, when Klansmen boarded a Trailways bus with Freedom Riders that had pulled into the station. The Klansmen then proceeded to beat the activists into a nearly unconscious state. The former bus depot became the Freedom Riders National Monument in 2017.

Also see . . . The Fire in Anniston: A Freedom Riders Story. This Alabama Public Television documentary on the 1961 attacks first aired May 17, 2021. (Submitted on March 2, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, February 26, 2023

2. 1031 Gurnee Avenue Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on March 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 1, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 466 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 1, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.