Fountain Heights in Birmingham in Jefferson County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Julius Ellsberry

Photographed by Richard E. Miller (HMC, USN, Ret.)

1. Julius Ellsberry Marker

Inscription.
In dedication to Julius Ellsberry, the first Black Alabama man to die in World War II; born Birmingham, Ala, 1922.

Enlisted in the U.S. Navy, 1940; First Class Mate Attendant aboard battleship Oklahoma in the Battle of Pearl Harbor, did sacrifice his life to save his shipmates, December 7, 1941.

Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • War, World II • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical date for this entry is December 7, 1941.

Location. 33° 30.942′ N, 86° 48.82′ W. Memorial is in Birmingham, Alabama, in Jefferson County. It is in Fountain Heights. It can be reached from 16th Street North north of 5th Avenue. Located inside Kelly Ingram Park which is between 16th and 17th Streets, North; and 5th and 6th Avenues (south of I-20 and east of I-65). It is diagonally northeast (across the intersection) from the 16th Street Baptist Church National Historic Landmark. Touch for map. Memorial is at or near this postal address: 520 16th Street North, Birmingham AL 35203, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this memorial 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: Guards at the Gate (a few steps from this marker); Black Business Plans (a few steps from this marker); Dr. Ruth J. Jackson (a few steps from this marker); Carrie A. Tuggle

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(a few steps from this marker); Pauline Bray Fletcher (a few steps from this marker); Shores-Lee Law Offices/Post Office Garage (within shouting distance of this marker); Foot Soldier Tribute (within shouting distance of this marker); The New Strategy (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Birmingham.

More about this memorial. Adjacent to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, amidst heroic outdoor statuary commemorating the triumphant Civil Rights Campaign of 1963.

Regarding Julius Ellsberry. Mess Attendant First Class (MAtt1/c) Julius Ellsberry was one of 62 Black men killed in the Battle of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Along with 17 men killed who were of Guamanian or Filipino extraction, they were all members of the navy’s racially segregated messman/steward branch. Eighteen of these men (including Johnnie C. Laurie of Alabama) died with Ellsberry aboard USS Oklahoma together with 315 White enlisted men and 20 officers.

Ellsberry’s name was among the first of the battle’s fatalities’ to be leaked to the press, and he was immediately identified as the first

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (left) and 16th Street Baptist Church (rear) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Richard E. Miller, 1999

2. Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (left) and 16th Street Baptist Church (rear)

View from Kelly Ingram Park near Julius Ellsberry marker.

Alabamian to be killed in WWII. When a subsequent navy press release reported the heroism of an un-named Black mess attendant, many also connected Ellsberry’s name to this individual who was subsequently identified as Texas-born, MAtt2/c Doris Miller of the USS West Virginia.

Ellsberry’s status as the first Alabama servicemember killed in action was re-affirmed in Birmingham after the war, and a city park in a Black section of the city was eventually named in his honor. Ultimately, his memorial marker was erected in the once racially segregated (Whites-only) Kelly Ingram Park, a memorial itself to the heroism of another sailor from Birmingham, Gunner’s Mate Osmond Kelly Ingram, the first enlisted navy man killed in WWI and a recipient of the Medal of Honor. This park was also the locale of bloody confrontations between police and Black citizens protesting the brutal treatment given non-violent demonstrators during the pivotal Birmingham Civil Rights Campaign of 1963.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.

Also see . . . The Messman Chronicles: African-Americans in the U.S. Navy, 1932-1943. (Submitted on October 16, 2007, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland.) This website may earn income if you use this link to make a purchase on Amazon.com.

Additional commentary.
1. Fascinating
Thanks.

— Submitted October
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14, 2007, by Michael C Locker MD of Chicago, Illinois.

Additional keywords. Mess Attendant, Kelly Ingram Park, Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, USS Oklahoma, Pearl Harbor casualties.

Credits. This page was last revised on January 5, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 14, 2007, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. This page has been viewed 7,325 times since then and 68 times this year. Last updated on March 15, 2013, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. Photos: 1. submitted on October 14, 2007, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. 2. submitted on May 2, 2008, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.