North Titusville in Birmingham in Jefferson County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Colored Memorial Park

Jefferson County

Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, March 11, 2026

1. Colored Memorial Park Marker

Inscription.
Memorial Park is the site of the Miracle Sunday Prayer Vigil that occurred on May 5, 1963. to protest the incarceration of Civil Rights demonstrators held in the city jail. Citizens attending a mass meeting at New Pilgrim Baptist Church staged a spontaneous march to the jail. Marchers emerged from the 6th Avenue South underpass to find police, firemen, and Commissioner Eugene "Bull" Conner blocking their path. Miraculously, the firemen did not turn the fire hoses on the demonstrators, who were redirected to the park.

In Memorial Park was the first municipal park for African Americans in Birmingham. Under Jim Crow laws the city operated segregated recreational programs and facilities for Black and White people. The city owned land for whites-only public parks, but leased land for African American recreation. 1941, the city bought the land for this park using public funds and community donations. The park was dedicated on May 31, 1942. The citizens of Titusville selected the name Colored Memorial Park to honor African American veterans.

Listed in the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage on March 8, 2023

Erected 2024 by Commissioner Shelia Tyson, Jefferson County Commissioner for District 2 & Alabama Historical Commission.

Topics and series.

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Parks & Recreational Areas • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the Alabama Historical Commission series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1963.

Location. 33° 29.913′ N, 86° 49.319′ W. Marker is in Birmingham, Alabama, in Jefferson County. It is in North Titusville. It can be reached from the intersection of Alpha Street South and Kappa Avenue South, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 524 6th Ave S, Birmingham AL 35205, 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.

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: Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘Letter From Birmingham Jail’ (approx. 0.2 miles away); The New Pilgrim Baptist Church / New Pilgrim Baptist Church Timeline (approx. 0.4 miles away); St Paul Lutheran Church (approx. 0.4 miles away); Washington School (approx. half a mile away); South Elyton Baptist Church (approx. half a mile away); Disabled American Veterans

Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, March 11, 2026

2. Colored Memorial Park Marker

(approx. 0.6 miles away); Glen Iris Park (approx. 0.8 miles away); Wilson's Raiders (approx. one mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Birmingham.

Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, March 11, 2026

3. Colored Memorial Park Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on March 15, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 15, 2026, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. This page has been viewed 11 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 15, 2026, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.