St. Augustine in St. Johns County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
1074 West King Street
ACCORD Freedom Trail
Photographed By Brandon D Cross, March 23, 2019
1. 1074 W King Street Marker
On March 31, 1964, Mrs. Reed was one of five St. Augustine women who accompanied Mrs. Mary Peabody, the 72 year old mother of the governor of Massachusetts, to the Ponce de Leon Motor Lodge on U.S. 1 North. The group sat down in the restaurant there and asked to be served. They were arrested instead.
That event was reported on the front page of newspapers around the country, and from that point on, international attention was focused on the activities in St. Augustine that led directly to the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Mrs. Reed suffered from polio, but she did not allow that to stop her on the day that she put on her Sunday best and walked off into American history. She told her story to Pulitzer Prize-winning author Taylor Branch when he was in St. Augustine in 1991, but did not live long enough to see his book Pillar of Fire (1998) in which her heroism was celebrated.
This Historic Marker Presented this 2nd Day of July 2008 by Northrop Grumman.
Erected 2008 by Northrop Grumman and the 40th Anniversary to Commemorate the Civil Rights Demonstrations, Inc.
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Industry & Commerce • Women. In addition, it is included in the Florida, St. Augustine Freedom Trail series list. A significant historical month for this entry is March 1903.
Location. 29° 53.378′ N, 81° 21.008′ W. Marker is in St. Augustine, Florida, in St. Johns County. Marker is on West King Street near Webb Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1074 W King Street, Saint Augustine FL 32084, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. St. Johns Railway (approx. ¼ mile away); Florida Memorial University (approx. 0.3 miles away); Our Native Son Lieutenant General Ronald L. Bailey (approx. 0.3 miles away); Zora Neale Hurston (approx. 0.6 miles away); New Augustine Colored Elementary School #36 (approx. 0.6 miles away); Pinehurst Cemetery (approx. 0.7 miles away); San Sebastian Cemetery (approx. ¾ mile away); 650 Julia Street (approx. 0.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in St. Augustine.
Also see . . . The ACCORD Freedom Trail web site. (Submitted on May 1, 2009, by Gwendolyn Duncan of St. Augustine, Florida.)
Photographed By Gwendolyn Duncan, February 24, 2008
2. 1074 W King Street Marker
Photographed By David Nolan, 1964
3. Mrs. Georgie Mae Reed leaving the Ponce de Leon Motor Lodge
1074 West King Street was the home of Mrs. Georgie Mae Reed (1926 - 1925) who took part in one of the most famous events in the civil rights movement that changed America and inspired the world. Mrs. Reed was one of the five St. Augustine women arrested in 1964 at the Ponce de Leon Motor Lodge with Mrs. Mary Peabody, mother of the Governor of Massachusetts.
Photographed By Brandon D Cross, March 23, 2019
4. 1074 W King Street were the home still stands
Credits. This page was last revised on November 10, 2019. It was originally submitted on April 13, 2009, by Gwendolyn Duncan of St. Augustine, Florida. This page has been viewed 3,137 times since then and 79 times this year. Last updated on May 19, 2013, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. Photos: 1. submitted on March 23, 2019, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. 2. submitted on April 30, 2009, by Gwendolyn Duncan of St. Augustine, Florida. 3. submitted on April 13, 2009, by Gwendolyn Duncan of St. Augustine, Florida. 4. submitted on March 23, 2019, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
