Charlestown in Montgomery in Montgomery County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Charlestown Community

Montgomery County

Photographed by Mark Hilton, February 10, 2025

1. Charlestown Community Marker

Inscription. Charlestown was developed by Charles Van Depoele, a pioneer in electric railway technology and inventor of the electric trolley pole. The first citywide electric streetcar system, the Capital City Street Railway or the Lightening Route ran parallel to Traction Avenue from 1886 until 1936. In the early 1900s, Montgomery established a racially segregated seating policy, which lead to a streetcar boycott from 1900 to 1902. In 1906, the white city council passed the Montgomery Streetcar Act that legally sanctioned segregation. As a result, the practice of Black passengers sitting in the rear while white passengers sat in front was introduced and continued until 1955.

Sponsored by the Charlestown Community Association

Erected 2024 by Alabama Historical Commission, Charlestown Community Association and Black Heritage Council.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1886.

Location. 32° 23.974′ N, 86° 17.391′ W. Marker is in Montgomery, Alabama, in Montgomery County. It is in Charlestown.

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It is at the intersection of Traction Avenue and Tolvert Street, on the right when traveling north on Traction Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2150 Traction Ave, Montgomery AL 36110, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Alabama’s Tri-Counties River Region.

It is also 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. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Militaires Francais Decedes Aux Etats-Unis Au Cours de la Guerre 1939-1945 (approx. one mile away); Claudette Colvin Home (approx. one mile away); Royal Air Force Burial Ground (approx. one mile away); Burial Site of Royal Air Force Trainee Pilots (approx. one mile away); King Hill Historic District (approx. one mile

Photographed by Mark Hilton, February 10, 2025

2. Charlestown Community Marker

At intersection of Traction Ave & Tolvert St.

away); Governor William Calvin Oates / Colonel W. C. Oates, CSA at Gettysburg (approx. 1.1 miles away); William C. Oates (approx. 1.1 miles away); Civil War Medicine / Montgomery's Confederate Hospitals (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Montgomery.

Photographed by Shaun Rose, June 29, 2024

3. Charlestown Community Marker

Photographed by Shaun Rose, July 1, 2024

4. Charlestown Community Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on February 10, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 11, 2024, by Shaun Rose of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 744 times since then and 63 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 10, 2025, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. 3, 4. submitted on July 11, 2024, by Shaun Rose of Montgomery, Alabama. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.