Anniston in Calhoun County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Freedom Riders
Photographed By Tim & Renda Carr, September 14, 2010
1. Freedom Riders Marker
On May 14, 1961, a Greyhound bus left Atlanta, GA carrying among its passengers seven members of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), a.k.a. the “Freedom Riders,” on a journey to test interstate bus segregation. The bus was met by an angry mob at the bus station in Anniston, AL where tires were slashed and windows broken. Upon leaving Anniston, the bus was followed by the mob to this site where the driver stopped to change the tire. The crowd set the bus on fire and attacked passengers as they departed. The incident served to strengthen the resolve for the civil rights movement.
Erected 2007 by Alabama Historical Association and Sponsored by Theta Tau Chapter of Omega PSI Phi Fraternity Inc. of Anniston.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Roads & Vehicles. In addition, it is included in the Alabama Historical Association series list. A significant historical month for this entry is May 1919.
Location. 33° 38.076′ N, 85° 54.623′ W. Marker is in Anniston, Alabama, in Calhoun County. Marker is on Albert P. Brewer Highway (State Highway 202) west of Old Birmingham Highway, on the right when traveling east. Marker is located above mile marker 4 on Highway 202. Touch for map
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Town of Hobson City, Alabama (approx. 4 miles away); The City of Oxford Cemetery (approx. 4.3 miles away); Cooper-Pope House (approx. 4˝ miles away); Historic Oxford (approx. 4.6 miles away); Simmons Park (approx. 4.6 miles away); Creek Indian Campaign Memorial (approx. 4.6 miles away); Southern Railway Station Attack (approx. 4.6 miles away); Seventeenth Street Missionary Baptist Church, Organized 1887 (approx. 4.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Anniston.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Also see . . .
1. Freedom Rides. CORE website entry (Submitted on September 14, 2010, by Timothy Carr of Birmingham, Alabama.)
2. The Freedom Riders, Then and Now. Smithsonian Magazine website entry (Submitted on September 14, 2010, by Timothy Carr of Birmingham, Alabama.)
Photographed By Tim & Renda Carr, September 14, 2010
2. Freedom Riders Marker
Looking east toward the direction of Anniston with Highway 202 on the left, and the Old Birmingham Highway on the right. This is the same route that the bus had taken on that fateful day.
3. Freedom Rider's Burning Bus
Photographed By Tim & Renda Carr, September 14, 2010
4. Freedom Riders Marker viewed from Highway 202
Credits. This page was last revised on April 29, 2022. It was originally submitted on September 14, 2010, by Timothy Carr of Birmingham, Alabama. This page has been viewed 4,987 times since then and 128 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 14, 2010, by Timothy Carr of Birmingham, Alabama. 4. submitted on September 15, 2010, by Timothy Carr of Birmingham, Alabama. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.
