Near Abbeville in Henry County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Rosa Parks Lived Here
Civil rights pioneer Rosa McCauley Parks was born on February 4, 1913 in Tuskegee, Alabama. Shortly after her birth her parents James and Leona McCauley, moved here to a 260 acre farm owned by her grandparents, Anderson and Louisa McCauley. Her father, a builder, designed and constructed the Henry County Training School for black students in 1914. After a few years in Henry County, Rosa and her mother moved to Pine Level, Alabama, to live with her maternal grandparents, while her father went north seeking new building opportunities.
Reverse
Rosa McCauley married Richard Parks of Pine Level in 1932. She returned to Henry County in 1944 on behalf of the NAACP to investigate the alleged rape of a young black mother by seven white youths. Rosa McCauley Parks gained national attention on December 1, 1955 when she refused to relinquish her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama public bus to a white man. Her refusal to go to the back of the bus sparked a successful bus boycott that earned Rosa McCauley Parks the title of “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement in America.” She died at her home in Detroit, Michigan, on October 24, 2005.
Erected 2006.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights. A significant historical month for this entry is February 1819.
Location. 31° 35.587′ N, 85° 17.663′ W. Marker is near Abbeville, Alabama, in Henry County. Marker is on Alabama 10 (Alabama Route 10) 1.3 miles west of U.S. 431, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: AL-10, Abbeville AL 36310, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Henry County Training School (approx. 1.7 miles away); Liberty Enlightening the World (approx. 2.6 miles away); Abbeville Southern Railroad / Pelham House (approx. 2.7 miles away); Alabama's First Peanut Oil Mill (approx. 3 miles away); A County Older Than the State (approx. 3 miles away); Henry, The Mother County (approx. 3 miles away); In Honor of William Calvin Oates (approx. 3 miles away); Nordan's (approx. 3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Abbeville.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 18, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 29, 2012, by David J Gaines of Pinson, Alabama. This page has been viewed 3,728 times since then and 158 times this year. Last updated on February 18, 2024, by James L.Whitman of Eufaula, Alabama. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 29, 2012, by David J Gaines of Pinson, Alabama. 4. submitted on August 25, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 5, 6. submitted on February 18, 2024, by James L.Whitman of Eufaula, Alabama. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.