White Hall in Lowndes County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

It Started in Selma

— Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail —

Photographed By Mark Hilton, January 6, 2018

1. It Started in Selma Marker

Inscription. At times history and fate meet at a single time in a single place to shape a turning point in man's unending search for freedom. So it was at Lexington and Concord. So it was a century ago at Appomattox. So it was last week in Selma, Alabama.
President Lyndon B. Johnson, March 15, 1965

In the 1950s and 1960s African Americans intensified their efforts to rise up and demand release from their oppressors. This rising was part of the Civil Rights Movement, and its leaders were many. The Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail represents a brief but important moment in this long struggle. It represents a fight to reaffirm in our country that "all men are created equal" and that all citizens are guaranteed the right to vote.

It started in the small, quiet southern town of Selma, Alabama, where hope, through tragedy and conviction, was brought to a nation. In Selma a black community simply had had enough. Through their momentum the dream of the right to vote rolled to the steps of the Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery and on to the front door of the White House. On August 6, 1965, the dream was signed into law as the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and it changed the world.

Marchers on Edmund Pettus Bridge, Selma, Alabama, March 9, 1965

Alabama State Capitol,

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at the conclusion of the march

Erected 2015 by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights. A significant historical date for this entry is March 15, 1965.

Location. 32° 16.242′ N, 86° 43.668′ W. Marker is in White Hall, Alabama, in Lowndes County. Marker can be reached from U.S. 80 west of White Hall Road. Located within the National Park Service Lowndes Interpretive Center. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 7002 US-80, Hayneville AL 36040, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. After the March—Tent City (here, next to this marker); You Gotta Move (within shouting distance of this marker); Day Two (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Marchers, Supporters, Hecklers (about 400 feet away); A Price Paid (about 500 feet away); No Isolated Incident (about 500 feet away); Holy Ground Battlefield (approx. 0.2 miles away); Mount Gillard Baptist Church (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in White Hall.

Regarding It Started in Selma. This National Park Service site is dedicated to those who peacefully marched 54 miles from Selma to the state capitol of Montgomery in order to gain the

It Started in Selma Marker at entrance to the Lowndes Interpretive Center. image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Mark Hilton, January 6, 2018

2. It Started in Selma Marker at entrance to the Lowndes Interpretive Center.

right to vote. This significant contribution to the trail serves as a reservoir of information about the unfortunate, yet significant, events that occurred in Lowndes County during the march. The museum exhibits interpret various events, including the confrontation of seminarian Jonathan Daniels; the slaying of Viola Liuzzo, a white woman who assisted the marchers by transporting them to Selma; and the establishment of Tent City, made up of temporary dwellings filled with cots, heaters, food and water that benefited families dislodged by white landowners in Lowndes County.

The $10 million structure was made possible through collaborative efforts between the National Park Service, the Federal Highway Administration and the Alabama Department of Transportation. There are no entrance fees required to visit this center.

Map of the Selma to Montgomery March trail. image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Mark Hilton, January 6, 2018

3. Map of the Selma to Montgomery March trail.

Located inside the Lowndes Interpretive Center along with other exhibits.

One of many trail signs marking the route of the march. image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Mark Hilton, January 6, 2018

4. One of many trail signs marking the route of the march.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 9, 2021. It was originally submitted on January 7, 2018, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 508 times since then and 84 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on January 7, 2018, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.