Farish Street Historic District in Jackson in Hinds County, Mississippi — The American South (East South Central)
Greyhound Bus Station
— Mississippi Freedom Trail —
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On May 28, 1961, a Greyhound bus with nine Freedom Riders aboard arrived here, the third group of Riders into Jackson. The first two came on Trailways buses May 24. That summer 329 people were arrested in Jackson for integrating public transportation facilities. Convicted on "breach of peace" and jailed, most refused bail and were sent to the state penitentiary. Their protest worked. In September 1961, the federal government mandated that segregation in interstate transportation end.
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Greyhound Bus Station This former Greyhound bus station was the scene of many historic arrests in 1961, when Freedom Riders challenged racial segregation in Jackson’s bus and train stations and airport. The Freedom Riders, part of a campaign created by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), pressured the federal government to enforce the law regarding illegal racially separate waiting rooms, rest rooms, and restaurants—common in public transportation facilities across the South.
On May 4, 1961, thirteen Riders—blacks and whites, men and women—left Washington, D.C., on two buses. Trained in nonviolent direct action, they planned to desegregate bus stations throughout the South. They integrated stations in Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia with few incidents but were attacked by vicious mobs in Anniston, Birmingham, and Montgomery, Alabama. The Kennedy administration implored them to stop, a call echoed by the media and some civil rights leaders. The Riders, however, reinforced with new volunteers from the Nashville Student Movement, were determined to continue.
On May 24, two buses of Freedom Riders left Montgomery bound for Jackson, with highway patrolmen and National Guardsmen as armed guards. Instead of a protest mob, policemen met them in Jackson, urging them to “move on” when the Riders tried to use facilities denied them. When the Riders refused, they were arrested, charged with “breach of peace,” and quickly convicted. Embracing the "jail-no bail" tactic, they invited new Riders from around the country to join them in Jackson. Within three weeks the city’s jails were full, and the Riders were transferred to the state penitentiary at Parchman, where most served six weeks, suffering indignities and injustices with fortitude and resolve. Between May 24 and September 13, 329 people were arrested in Jackson—half black, half white, and a quarter of them women. Most were between the ages of eighteen and thirty. They came from thirty-nine states and ten other countries; forty-three were from Mississippi.
On September 23, the Interstate Commerce Commission mandated an end to segregation in all bus and train stations and airports. The victorious Freedom Riders left a legacy of historic changes, proving the value of nonviolent direct action, providing a template for future campaigns, and helping jump-start the movement in Mississippi.
Erected 2011 by the Mississippi Development Authority Tourism Division. (Marker Number 5.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights. In addition, it is included in the Mississippi Freedom Trail series list. A significant historical date for this entry is May 28, 1961.
Location. 32° 18.116′ N, 90° 11.131′ W. Marker is in Jackson, Mississippi, in Hinds County. It is in the Farish Street Historic District. Marker is on North Lamar Street south of East Griffith Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 219 North Lamar Street, Jackson MS 39201, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Woolworth's Sit-in (approx. 0.2 miles away); Galloway Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); Smith Park (approx. 0.2 miles away); Galloway Memorial United Methodist Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); H.C. Speir (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Mississippi Liberty Bell (approx. 0.2 miles away); Trumpet Records (approx. 0.2 miles away); Monument to Women of the Confederacy (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Jackson.
Regarding Greyhound Bus Station. The Jackson station was built from 1937-1938. This is the only station that William Strudwick Arrasmith designed with a structural glass faced exterior. Originally, the interior had a coffee shop with a horseshoe-shaped counter. The men's room had a shower, while the women's room had a bath tub. It was condemned when architect Robert Parker Adams bought the building in 1988. He restored it as office space for his architectural firm. This station is also part of desegregation history. Freedom Riders were arrested here for using white restrooms and waiting rooms.
Also see . . .
1. Robert Parker Adams Architect, P.A. Specializing in historic preservation. (Submitted on March 27, 2015, by Cleo Robertson of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.)
2. Civil Rights Markers in Mississippi. (Submitted on March 27, 2015, by Cleo Robertson of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.)
3. You Tube: Greyhound Bus Station Lamar Street. (Submitted on March 27, 2015, by Cleo Robertson of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.)
4. Jackson Free Press: Freedom's Main Line. Article about Robert Parker Adams by Lacey McLaughlin, May 18, 2011. (Submitted on March 27, 2015, by Cleo Robertson of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.)
5. Jackson Free Press: Freedom Rides Again. Their Story, 50 Years Later. (Submitted on March 27, 2015, by Cleo Robertson of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.)
6. The Clio: Old Greyhound Bus Station-Site of the Arrest of the Freedom Riders, 1961. (Submitted on March 27, 2015, by Cleo Robertson of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.)
7. Lingering "Baggage" at Jackson's Greyhound Bus Station. Article by Kevin Levin, March 30, 2014. (Submitted on March 27, 2015, by Cleo Robertson of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.)
8. Wikipedia: Freedom Riders - Into Mississippi. (Submitted on March 27, 2015, by Cleo Robertson of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.)
9. Jackson Free Press: Freedom Riders Recognized. Article by Adam Lynch, May 24, 2011. (Submitted on March 27, 2015, by Cleo Robertson of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.)
10. The Way I See It... (Submitted on March 27, 2015, by Cleo Robertson of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.)
11. Bus Digest Magazine: Greyhound Station Art Deco Architecture. (Submitted on March 27, 2015, by Cleo Robertson of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 27, 2015, by Cleo Robertson of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This page has been viewed 2,937 times since then and 149 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. submitted on March 27, 2015, by Cleo Robertson of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. 13. submitted on July 15, 2017, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.