Woodlawn in Birmingham in Jefferson County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
1963 Church Bombing Victims
Photographed by Tim Carr, December 9, 2009
1. 1963 Church Bombing Victims Marker
This cemetery is the final resting place of three of the four young girls killed in the September 15, 1963 church bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church. Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley and Carol Robertson are buried here. The fourth victim, Denise McNair, is buried elsewhere.
The tragic loss of these lives led to the end of the era of massive resistance to social change in Birmingham and the release of the city from the fear which long paralyzed progress in human relations.
Erected 1990 by Alabama Historical Commission.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Civil Rights • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the Alabama Historical Commission series list. A significant historical date for this entry is September 15, 1963.
Location. 33° 33.24′ N, 86° 45.156′ W. Marker is in Birmingham, Alabama, in Jefferson County. It is in Woodlawn. It can be reached from the intersection of Messer Airport Highway and University Avenue, on the right when traveling north. The marker stands behind a fence hidden by bushes on the corner of Messer Airport Highway and University Avenue. The entrance to Greenwood Cemetery is just
this page online
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 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Forrest Camp No. 1435 (approx. Ό mile away); United Confederate Veterans (approx. Ό mile away); CDR "Snuffy" Smith (approx. 1.1 miles away); East Lake Community (approx. 1½ miles away); History of the 117th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing (approx. 1.6 miles away); Howard College (approx. 1.7 miles away); East Birmingham (approx. 1.8 miles away); Ruhama Baptist Church (approx. 1.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Birmingham.
Regarding 1963 Church Bombing Victims. Denise McNair is buried in Elmwood Cemetery west of Downtown Birmingham. The entrance is located off Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and 6th Avenue Southwest.
Also see . . .
1. Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Bombing. Birmingham Public Library Digital Collections
Links to numerous materials (Submitted on December 10, 2009, by Timothy Carr of Birmingham, Alabama.)
2. Civil Rights Movement Sites. UNESCO World Heritage Website entry (Submitted on November 14, 2012, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland.)
3. 16th_Street_Baptist_Church (U.S. National Historic Landmark). Wikipedia entry (Submitted on November 18, 2012, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland.)
Photographed by Tim Carr, December 9, 2009
2. 1963 Church Bombing Victims Marker
Additional keywords. Sixteenth Street Baptist Church
Photographed by Tim Carr, June 22, 2009
3. 16th Street Baptist Church
Photographed by Tim Carr, December 9, 2009
4. Addie Mae Collins Gravestone (1949-1963)
Civil Rights Martyr
Addie Mae Collins
Apr. 18, 1949
Sept. 15, 1963
"She Died So Freedom Might Live"
Photographed by Tim Carr, December 9, 2009
5. The Wesley Family Burial Plot
Photographed by Tim Carr, December 9, 2009
6. Cynthia Dionne Wesley Gravestone (4/30/49-9/15/63)
Photographed by Tim Carr, December 9, 2009
7. Robertson Family Burial Plot
Photographed by Tim Carr, December 9, 2009
8. Carole Rosamond Robertson Apr 24. 1949 Sept 15, 1963
Photographed by Richard E. Miller, 1999
9. 16th Street Baptist Church
Photographed by Richard E. Miller, 1999
10. 16th Street Baptist Church
- view past the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s statue at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, across 16th Street in Kelly Ingram Park.
via Birmingham Public Library Collection, March 19, 2021
11. "10 Sticks Of Dynamite ... Four Dead Children"
The Birminhgham News; Monday, September 16, 1983
Credits. This page was last revised on January 3, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 10, 2009, by Timothy Carr of Birmingham, Alabama. This page has been viewed 8,033 times since then and 90 times this year. Last updated on November 18, 2012, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. submitted on December 10, 2009, by Timothy Carr of Birmingham, Alabama. 9, 10. submitted on April 5, 2011, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. 11. submitted on March 19, 2021, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
