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Historical Markers and War Memorials in Jefferson County

 
Clickable Map of Jefferson County, Alabama and Immediately Adjacent Jurisdictions image/svg+xml 2019-10-06 U.S. Census Bureau, Abe.suleiman; Lokal_Profil; HMdb.org; J.J.Prats/dc:title> https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Usa_counties_large.svg Jefferson County, AL (380) Bibb County, AL (20) Blount County, AL (22) Shelby County, AL (64) St. Clair County, AL (29) Tuscaloosa County, AL (183) Walker County, AL (19)  JeffersonCounty(380) Jefferson County (380)  BibbCounty(20) Bibb County (20)  BlountCounty(22) Blount County (22)  ShelbyCounty(64) Shelby County (64)  St.ClairCounty(29) St. Clair County (29)  TuscaloosaCounty(183) Tuscaloosa County (183)  WalkerCounty(19) Walker County (19)
Birmingham is the county seat for Jefferson County
Adjacent to Jefferson County, Alabama
Bibb County (20)  
Blount County (22)  
Shelby County (64)  
St. Clair County (29)  
Tuscaloosa County (183)  
Walker County (19)  
 
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1 Alabama, Jefferson County, Bessemer — “Spirit of the American Doughboy” — Bessemer, Alabama
On 3rd Avenue North south of 17th Street North, on the left when traveling south.
North side To the memory of our World War heroes who died that civilization might not perish from the earth. West Side HONOR ROLL WORLD WAR Allbright Rufie PVT. Co. D. 167th Inf. KA Bailey Andrew SGT. Co. D. 167th . . . Map (db m39928) HM
2 Alabama, Jefferson County, Bessemer — Bright Star / Koikos Restaurant — "Alabama's Oldest Restaurant" / "An American Classic"
On 19th Street N, on the right when traveling south.
Bright Star In 1907, Greek immigrant Tom Bonduris invested his savings and opened a small cafe with only a horseshoe shaped bar at First Avenue and 21st Street in Bessemer, Alabama. Outgrowing three locations, the Bright Star moved to this . . . Map (db m83797) HM
3 Alabama, Jefferson County, Bessemer — Canaan Baptist Church — Jefferson County's Oldest Baptist Church
On Morgan Rd, on the right when traveling north.
Organized September 5, 1818 in home of Isaac Brown 3 miles west of Elyton. Met in homes and schoolhouse near Old Jonesboro until 1824. First building erected on site now the 14th Street entrance to Cedar Hill cemetery. Canaan Association (now . . . Map (db m37218) HM
4 Alabama, Jefferson County, Bessemer — Hosea Holcombe — 1780-1841 — "Alabama's first church historian" —
On 14th Street South (State Highway 150) south of Fairfax Avenue, on the right when traveling south.
In 1840 he published his study, History of Rise and Progress of the Baptists in Alabama. Also an evangelist and missionary. In 1818 moved to Alabama from Carolinas, organizing five churches in vicinity. President of Alabama Baptist . . . Map (db m27025) HM
5 Alabama, Jefferson County, Bessemer — McAdory House
On Eastern Valley Road south of Elrie Boulevard, on the right when traveling south.
A cotton plantation house circa 1840, with about 2,000 acres. Built by Thomas McAdory, Jr., the pioneer architecture was the dog-trot style built of numbered hand-hewn logs and wooden pegs. Born here: Robert McAdory, first mayor of Bessemer . . . Map (db m215904) HM
6 Alabama, Jefferson County, Bessemer — Owen House
On Eastern Valley Road (County Road 18) 0.1 miles north of Rosser Loop Drive, on the left when traveling north.
Thomas Hennington Owen, grandson of Methodist minister, David Owen and Lucy McCraw, moved into the 2 room rear wing with his bride Malissa Rose Sadler in 1833. Second wife was Mary Elizabeth Tarrant. The 2 story addition in 1838 was . . . Map (db m215730) HM
7 Alabama, Jefferson County, Bessemer — Sweet Home / Henry W. Sweet
On Arlington Avenue at 19th Street South, on the right when traveling west on Arlington Avenue.
This house was built in 1906 by architect William E. Benns for H. W. Sweet at a cost of $10,000. The house uniquely blended the Queen Anne and Neo-Classical architectural styles, featuring two identical pedimented entrance porticos supported by . . . Map (db m27024) HM
8 Alabama, Jefferson County, Bessemer — The Bessemer Site — Alabama Indigenous Mound Trail
On Alabama Avenue north of 19th Street N, on the right when traveling north.
The Bessemer Site was the largest indigenous mound site in what is now Jefferson County, and it once dominated a large territory in what became north-central Alabama. Occupied from about AD 1150 to 1250 during the early Mississippian period, . . . Map (db m144908) HM
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9 Alabama, Jefferson County, Bessemer — Thomas McAdory Owen — (1866-1920)
On Eastern Valley Road south of Elrie Boulevard, on the right when traveling south.
Thomas McAdory Owen, son of Dr. William Marmaduke Owen and Nancy Lucretia McAdory Owen, was born here on December 15, 1866, at the home of his maternal grandparents, Thomas and Emily McAdory. A University of Alabama graduate and lawyer, Owen . . . Map (db m215738) HM
10 Alabama, Jefferson County, Bessemer — Union Baptist Church And Cemetery
On County Road 18, on the left when traveling west.
Union Baptist Church was organized in 1834 by 18 or 20 members from Canaan Church. The Libscomb area was then known as East End. Members of the Rockett and Ware families donated the original two acreas of this site and a log cabin, which served as . . . Map (db m24352) HM
11 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — Highlands School
On Old Leeds Road (County Road 64) 0.3 miles south of Mill Springs Road, on the left when traveling south.
Evalina Brown Spencer founded Highlands Day School in 1958, expanding a daycare she operated in her family's backyard. In 1962, Highlands moved from rented space in St. Luke's Episcopal Church to this site, on land donated by Joseph and Virginia . . . Map (db m201032) HM
12 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Acipco-Finley — Julius Ellsberry Memorial Park
On Finley Avenue North 1 mile east of 13th Place North, on the right when traveling east.
In honor of Julius Ellsberry of Birmingham World War II Hero First Jefferson County Citizen to die for his country at Pearl Harbor while serving aboard the U.S.S. Oklahoma December 7, 1941Map (db m70261) HM
13 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Arlington - West End — Old Elyton Courthouse Bell
Near 3rd Street Southwest south of Cotton Avenue Southwest, on the right when traveling south.
From 1820 until 1878 this bell hung in the belfry of the old Elyton courthouse, one-half mile northeast of this spot. In 1861 Jefferson County boys were mustered in there and the bell tolled them off to war. John Felix McLaughlin was one of . . . Map (db m216063) HM
14 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Arlington - West End — United Confederate Veterans — Camp Hardee No. 39
On Martin Luther King Drive, on the right when traveling south.
(front): United Confederate Veterans Camp Hardee No. 39 Camp Hardee No. 39 was organized as a camp of the United Confederate Veterans on August 7, 1891. This cemetery plot was acquired by the camp to provide a final resting place for the men . . . Map (db m12487) HM
15 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Arlington - West End — Walker Memorial Church
On Tuscaloosa Avenue SW at 3rd Street SW, on the left when traveling east on Tuscaloosa Avenue SW.
In 1818 before Alabama, Jefferson County, Elyton or Birmingham existed, The Elyton Methodist Church was established on Center Street. It was moved to 14 Second Avenue, and in 1909, to its present site. Renamed in 1910 for Corilla Porter Walker . . . Map (db m24348) HM
16 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Arlington - West End — Wilson's Raiders — Headquarters March 28-31, 1865
On Cotton Avenue SW.
Gen. James H. Wilson, USA, having crossed the Tennessee River with a large force of well equipped cavalry, grouped them here at Elyton. Their mission: to destroy Alabama's economic facilities for supporting the War. From these headquarters he . . . Map (db m24358) HM
17 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Belview Heights — Belview Heights Neighborhood
On Avenue Q, on the left when traveling north.
The Corey Land Company, a group of prominent local businessmen headed by Robert Jemison, Jr., developed Belview Heights as a neighborhood for the professional employees of U.S. Steel in the 1910's. Extending the grid system being used in Ensley over . . . Map (db m24351) HM
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18 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Birmingham Civil Rights District — "Peace Be Still" — Mark 4:39
Near 17th Street N.
On Palm Sunday, 1963 Rev. N. H. Smith, Rev. John T. Porter and Rev. A. D. King led a sympathy march from St. Paul United Methodist Church down 6th Avenue North in support of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth and Rev. Ralph . . . Map (db m73023) HM
19 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Birmingham Civil Rights District — C10 — A. G. Gaston Building — Destination — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On 5th Avenue North east of 15th Street North, on the right when traveling east.
Built 1959-60, 1517 5th Ave. N. The A. G. Gaston Building's second floor conference room was the location of regular meetings of “Project C's” Coordinating Committee. Here, they planned strategies for the April - May 1963 marches, boycotts, . . . Map (db m187976) HM
20 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — A14 — A City of Two Governments — March Route to Government — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On 20th Street North north of Park Place, on the right when traveling north.
In 1963, Birmingham underwent a major political transformation. To force Commissioner “Bull” Connor from office, progressive Whites and Blacks plotted to change the form of government from Commissioners to a Mayor-Council system. Mayor Albert . . . Map (db m187705) HM
21 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — D6 — Alabama's Rebel Yell — March Route for Education — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On 22nd Street North south of 7th Avenue North, on the right when traveling south.
Southern members of the U.S. Congress in 1956 issued the "Southern Manifesto” that called the U.S. Supreme Court's Brown decision an "abuse of judicial power." By forcing public school integration contrary to social custom, the high court had . . . Map (db m187661) HM
22 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — E4 — Answering the Call — March Route Towards a Purposeful Life — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On Reverend Abraham Woods Jr Boulevard at 19th Street North, on the right when traveling east on Reverend Abraham Woods Jr Boulevard.
Shuttlesworth began to dedicate himself to the ministry and enrolled in Cedar Grove Bible College, a Baptist institution in the Mobile suburb of Pritchard. He took classes at night while he worked during the day. The young couple added two more . . . Map (db m187628) HM
23 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — A10 — Arrested at City Hall — March Route to Government — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On Park Place at 19th Street North, on the left when traveling east on Park Place.
Child protestors overwhelmed police, who found it hard to confine them to the Kelly Ingram Park area. Organizers used clever methods to get them to City Hall before police could stop them. Children were sent out in pairs. When they got closer to . . . Map (db m187836) HM
24 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — C30 — Birmingham City Hall — Destination — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On 19th Street North north of 7th Avenue North, on the right when traveling north.
Built 1947-50, 710 20th St. N. Birmingham City Hall was the administrative center for the enforcement of local segregation codes. Thus, this building was one of the major destination points for the “Project C" marchers in the 1963 . . . Map (db m187717) HM
25 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — E1 — Birth of an Icon — March Route Towards a Purposeful Life — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On 20th Street North north of Park Place, on the right when traveling north.
Freddie Lee Robinson was born March 18, 1922, in Mt. Meigs, Montgomery County, Alabama, to Alberta Robinson and Vetter Greene. The unmarried couple also conceived a girl, Cleola. Because Vetter could not provide for his growing family, Alberta's . . . Map (db m187631) HM
26 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — Boilers — Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark
Near 32nd Street North at 2nd Avenue North.
The Process The boiler was the source of power for most of Sloss. The boilers burned blast furnace gas to provide the heat necessary for converting water into steam. The steam produced here powered the blowing engines and turbo-blowers, the . . . Map (db m43728) HM
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27 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — C34 — Boutwell Auditorium — (Former Municipal Auditorium) — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On Reverend Abraham Woods Junior Boulevard at 20th Street North, on the left when traveling east on Reverend Abraham Woods Junior Boulevard.
Built 1924 (Extended in 1957), 1930 8th Ave. N. In 1924, Municipal Auditorium was one of the South's largest (6,000 seats) and most modern auditoriums. In April of 1956, Ku Klux Klansman Asa Carter led an attack on Montgomery native and . . . Map (db m187715) HM
28 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — Casting Pigs — Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark
Near 32nd Street North at 2nd Avenue North, on the left when traveling north.
The Process The technology of casting molten iron into bars called pigs changed dramatically over the years. Prior to 1931 casting at Sloss took place inside the cast shed. Men cut molds into the sand floor of the shed, allowing the . . . Map (db m69083) HM
29 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — B17 — Celebrity Star Power — March Route to Retail — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On 19th Street North at 2nd Avenue North, on the right when traveling north on 19th Street North.
Celebrities of all races - but particularly Black singers and actors such as Harry Belafonte, Sammy Davis, Jr., Eartha Kitt, Lena Horne, and Ossie Davis with wife Ruby Dee - played important roles in the Movement. Some, including comedian Dick . . . Map (db m187822) HM
30 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — D9 — Children's Crusade for Education — March Route for Education — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On 7th Avenue North at 22nd Street North, on the right when traveling west on 7th Avenue North.
Birmingham's Black schoolchildren played an important role in moving the city toward ending legal segregation. Under the leadership of SCLC field coordinators, thousands of children left their segregated schools to join the marches in the downtown . . . Map (db m187682) HM
31 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — Civil Rights Freedom Riders — May 14, 1961
On 19th Street North at 4th Avenue North, on the right when traveling north on 19th Street North.
On Mother's Day, May 14, 1961, a group of black and white CORE youth on a "Freedom Ride" from Washington, D.C. to New Orleans arrived by bus at the Birmingham Greyhound terminal. They were riding through the deep south to test a court case, "Boynton . . . Map (db m83809) HM
32 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — Clark Building
On 20th Street North.
This building was constructed in 1908 by Louis V. Clark (1862-1934), who also built the historic Lyric Theater located nearby on 18th Street. The Clark Theater on Caldwell Park is named in honor of Mr. Clark’s generosity to the Birmingham Little . . . Map (db m27515) HM
33 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — Concord Center — Time Capsule
Near 3rd Avenue North near Richard Arrington Jr, Blvd North.
To Be Opened March 1, 2022 Dedicated at the construction completion March 1, 2002 Project Team Owners - BLH Group, LLC Brookmont Investors II, LLC Spire Holdings, LLC Developer - Brookmont Realty Group, LLC General . . . Map (db m27010) HM
34 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — D13 — Desegregating Ramsay School — March Route for Education — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On 7th Avenue North at 23rd Street North, on the right when traveling west on 7th Avenue North.
Many African Americans continued to push for the right to an equal education that the 1954 Brown decision gave them. Despite angry threats of violence and intense economic pressure, those first few African American families in Birmingham who chose . . . Map (db m187693) HM
35 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — D12 — Desegregating West End School — March Route for Education — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On 7th Avenue North west of 23rd Street North, on the right when traveling west.
Community civil rights leaders who helped organize the Movement and embraced the philosophy of nonviolence looked for well-disciplined children with good moral character who would at retaliate if they encountered bullying or violence by White . . . Map (db m187690) HM
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36 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — Dewberry Drugs and Phenix Insurance Company Buildings
On Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard North at 2nd Avenue North, on the left when traveling north on Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard North.
The two commercial buildings on this corner lot are some of the earliest surviving business houses in Birmingham. The Dewberry building appeared on the corner about 1881, and it housed the first and longest surviving drug store in the city, starting . . . Map (db m36740) HM
37 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — Duncan House
Near 32nd Street South at 2nd Avenue North, on the left when traveling north.
The Duncan House was build in 1906 as a home place for James and Lelia Duncan and their eight children in what is now Tarrant City, Alabama. Duncan worked throughout his life in the nearby shops and yards of the L&N Railroad (know CSXI) as water . . . Map (db m86613) HM
38 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — D4 — Education of Black Folk — March Route for Education — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On Park Place east of Richard Arrington Jr Boulevard North, on the left when traveling east.
Black leaders debated how best to educate their children to live in a racially segregated society. Former slave Booker T. Washington, founder of Tuskegee Institute, was America's leading Black spokesman at the turn of the 20th century and promoted . . . Map (db m187636) HM
39 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — First Presbyterian Church
On 4th Avenue North at Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard South, on the right when traveling west on 4th Avenue North.
Birmingham's oldest church Founded 1872 – Erected 1888Map (db m216090) HM
40 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — C23 — Former F.W. Woolworth Store Building — Destination — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On 19th Street North at 3rd Avenue North, on the left when traveling south on 19th Street North.
Built 1939, 1901 3rd Ave. N. The F. W. Woolworth department store was one of the first sites targeted for the ACMHR and SCLC's economic boycotts and lunch counter sit-ins of “Project C” during the April - May 1963 mass demonstrations in . . . Map (db m188183) HM
41 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — Historic Black Bath House
Near Sloss Furnace Entry Road 0.3 miles east of 32nd Street North, on the right when traveling west.
Despite being dominated by black labor the industrial workplace was rigidly segregated until the 1960's. Men punched separate time clocks and bathed in separate bath houses. Following the implementation of desegregation laws in the 1960's the black . . . Map (db m173370) HM
42 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — D14 — Historic Demonstration at Phillips School — March Route for Education — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail
On 7th Avenue North at 23rd Street North, on the right when traveling west on 7th Avenue North. Reported damaged.
[Note: a portion of the wording on the first panel of the marker has been torn away.(See photo #1)] Paired marker September 9, 1957 In 1957, Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth and his followers in the Alabama Christian Movement for . . . Map (db m187702) HM
43 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — D5 — Hope Arrives — March Route for Education — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On Park Place at 22nd Street North, on the left when traveling east on Park Place.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) used its Legal Defense and Educational Fund and its team of skilled lawyers to attack the "separate but equal” education laws. Beginning in the 1930s, the NAACP filed lawsuits . . . Map (db m187658) HM
44 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — D11 — Integration Begins: Desegregating Graymont School — March Route for Education — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On 7th Avenue North west of 23rd Street North, on the right when traveling west.
As Birmingham's civil rights leaders pushed to desegregate city schools, radical opponents in Birmingham pushed back, sometimes violently. Responses against school integration included death threats by telephone to parents who dared send their . . . Map (db m187686) HM
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45 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — B18 — Integration Corner — March Route to Retail — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On 19th Street North north of 2nd Avenue North, on the right when traveling north.
After White business leaders failed to remove segregation signs and hire African Americans, by 1963 Birmingham Blacks felt betrayed by broken promises. Many Whites wanted the change that Blacks demanded to be gradual. Some Whites reasoned that . . . Map (db m187824) HM
46 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — Ironmaking — Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark
Near 32nd Street North at 2nd Avenue North.
The Industry That Built A City The minerals needed to make iron-iron ore, coal, and limestone-are abundant in the Birmingham area, and for ninety years men turned these materials into pig iron at Sloss. Sloss pig iron was sold to foundries, . . . Map (db m43973) HM
47 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — Jefferson County Courthouse Site
On Richard Arrington Junior Boulevard North north of 3rd Avenue North.
The county seat of Jefferson County was moved from Elyton to Birmingham in 1873. On this site stood the first Courthouse in the City of Birmingham. The Italianate style structure was designed by architect W. K. Ball. Completed in 1875, the . . . Map (db m27095) HM
48 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — Jefferson County Courthouses
Near Richard Arrington Junior Boulevard North.
Territorial legislature designated home of Maj. Moses Kelly (in Jones Valley) as site of first court in this area of Alabama, 1818. After creation of Jefferson County, 1819, court held at Carrollsville (Powderly) until county seat established . . . Map (db m25743) HM
49 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — C32 — Linn-Henley Research Library — Destination — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Near Park Place east of 20th Street North, on the left when traveling east.
Built 1926-27, 701 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd. N. The Birmingham Public Library was the city's main branch for 57 years. It was one of several protest target sites during the 1963 Birmingham Campaign. Like the city parks, Birmingham's most . . . Map (db m187712) HM
50 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — D3 — Little Lady Can Read — March Route for Education — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On Park Place east of Richard Arrington Jr Boulevard North, on the left when traveling east.
Immediately after the Civil War, Northern church groups funded by sympathetic Whites rushed to the South to start elementary schools and colleges to educate freed slaves. Soon afterward, Blacks took the lead in educating their own children. . . . Map (db m187635) HM
51 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — E3 — Love & Marriage — March Route Towards a Purposeful Life — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On Reverend Abraham Woods Jr Boulevard at 20th Street North, on the right when traveling east on Reverend Abraham Woods Jr Boulevard.
While working his first job after high school at the Southern Club in Birmingham, he fell in love with a fellow co-worker, Ruby Lanette Keeler (b. May 30, 1922). He was smitten with her beauty, complete with dark brown skin and long wavy hair. . . . Map (db m187629) HM
52 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — C25 — Loveman's Department Store/McWane Science Center — National Register of Historic Places Destination — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On 19th Street North at 3rd Avenue North, on the right when traveling south on 19th Street North.
Built 1934-35 (remodeled into science center 1997), 216 19th St. N. The Loveman's Department Store (originally Loveman, Joseph, & Loeb), was a high-and retail store targeted for economic boycotts, pickets. "Project C" coordinators . . . Map (db m188173) HM
53 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — D15 — March Route for Education Timeline — March Route for Education — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On 7th Avenue North west of 24th Street North, on the right when traveling west.
National Register of Historic Places In many ways, the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision fueled the modern Civil Rights Movement. The NAACP's legal team strategically chipped away at the “separate but equal" doctrine to end . . . Map (db m188205) HM
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54 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — Morris Avenue Historic District / Elyton Land Company — / (Successor, Birmingham Realty Co.)
On Morris Avenue, on the right when traveling east on Morris Avenue.
Created 1972 by the Jefferson County Historical Commission, the district is based on this avenue. Morris Avenue was named for one of the founders of Birmingham, Josiah Morris, who paid $100,000 for 4,157 acres of the original site of the city in . . . Map (db m27156) HM
55 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — B15 — Music in the Movement — March Route to Retail — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On 19th Street North at 3rd Avenue North, on the right when traveling south on 19th Street North.
Music was as much a tool in the Birmingham Movement as the marches themselves. The Movement Choir organized by the ACMHR performed regularly during the Monday night mass church meetings. The choir sang songs such as "God Will Make a Way Some How" . . . Map (db m187820) HM
56 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — C26 — Newberry's Department Store/IMAX Dome Theater — National Register of Historic Places Destination — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On 19th Street North at 2nd Avenue North, on the right when traveling south on 19th Street North.
Built 1916, Remodeled as an IMAX Theater in 1997, 200 19th St. N. The former Newberry's Department Store was also one of the first major retail stores where "Project C" demonstrators staged economic boycotts and lunch counter sit-ins to . . . Map (db m188072) HM
57 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — C35 — Phillips High School — (Now Phillips Academy) — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On 7th Avenue North west of 24th Street North, on the right when traveling west.
Built 1923, 2316 7th Ave N. Phillips High School was the flagship school in the center of Birmingham. It was named for John Herbert Phillips, the city's highly-esteemed first school superintendent, who served from 1883 until his death in . . . Map (db m187704) HM
58 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — Powell School
On 6th Avenue North at 24th Street North, on the left on 6th Avenue North.
Birmingham's first public school was named for Colonel James R. Powell, the city's first elected Mayor. This energetic promoter also served as the first President of the Elyton Land Company (now Birmingham Realty), which founded the city in 1871. . . . Map (db m83835) HM
59 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — A11 — Public Library Desegregated — March Route to Government — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On Park Place, on the left when traveling east.
Some of the marchers in the Movement also went to the main Birmingham Public Library, where Blacks were not allowed to go. As always, separate did not mean equal in Birmingham. Its Black citizens had a small library located in rented space at the . . . Map (db m187830) HM
60 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — Raymond Weeks — Founder of National Veterans Day
On Reverend Abraham Woods Junior Boulevard east of 20th Street North, on the right when traveling east.
A grateful nation remembers Raymond Weeks, founder and director of National Veterans Day. (Lower plaque) November 11, 2007, commemorating the 60th Anniversary of America's first National Veterans Day, Birmingham, Alabama. . . . Map (db m188212) HM
61 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — S. H. Kress Five-And-Ten Cent Store
On 19th Street North at 3rd Avenue North, on the right when traveling north on 19th Street North.
Built in 1937, Birmingham’s S. H. Kress Five-and-Ten Cent Store was the second completed of the three great mercantile buildings on this intersection. Its construction reflected Kress’s confidence in Birmingham’s economy and marked a break by its . . . Map (db m38557) HM
62 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — C24 — S.H. Kress Store Building — Destination — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On 19th Street North at 3rd Avenue North, on the right when traveling north on 19th Street North.
Built 1937, 301 19th St. N. The S. H. Kress store was another site of economic boycotts and lunch counter sit-ins during the student-led protests of Miles College students and their leader Frank Dukes in 1962 and “Project C” in 1963. Retail . . . Map (db m188176) HM
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63 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — D8 — School Integration Now — March Route for Education — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On 22nd Street North at 7th Avenue North, on the left when traveling north on 22nd Street North.
Birmingham had the well-earned reputation of being America's deadliest defender of segregation in the 1950s and 1960s. Civil rights leaders Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, head of the local Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights (ACMHR) and Dr. . . . Map (db m187681) HM
64 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — D2 — Separate But Unequal Education — March Route for Education — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On Park Place east of 20th Street North, on the left when traveling east.
Many social scientists of the early 20th century promoted the false belief that Blacks were intellectually and socially inferior to Whites and fit only for service jobs. Blacks, therefore, did not deserve to be educated on the same level as . . . Map (db m187633) HM
65 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — B20 — Shutting Down Downtown — March Route to Retail — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On 19th Street North at 3rd Avenue North, on the right when traveling north on 19th Street North.
The mass demonstrations of “Project C” forced White Birmingham's elite business leaders and downtown merchants back to the bargaining table in May 1963. Once again, leaders of Black Birmingham's power structure presented a list of demands in . . . Map (db m187828) HM
66 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — E5 — Shuttlesworth Goes to Work — March Route Towards a Purposeful Life — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On 19th Street North at Reverend Abraham Woods Jr Boulevard, on the right when traveling north on 19th Street North.
1955 After arriving in Birmingham, Rev. Shuttlesworth became active with the local NAACP and became its membership chair. He organized 76 Birmingham ministers to petition Birmingham's commissioners to hire Black police officers. The petition . . . Map (db m187625) HM
67 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — E6 — Shuttlesworth Starts the ACMHR — March Route Towards a Purposeful Life — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On 19th Street North north of Reverend Abraham Woods Jr Boulevard, on the right when traveling north.
By mid-1956, the Montgomery Bus Boycott was crippling that city's economic base. To stop its success, pro-segregationists searched for a legal loophole to block the NAACP, one of the boycott organizers. That loophole was that it had failed to . . . Map (db m187605) HM
68 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — E7 — Shuttlesworth v. "Bull" — March Route Towards a Purposeful Life — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On 19th Street North north of Reverend Abraham Woods Jr Boulevard, on the right when traveling north.
The newly formed ACMHR continued Rev. Shuttlesworth's battle to hire Black Birmingham police officers, mainly as a way to stop White officers from harassing, beating and, in some cases, even killing Black citizens. When the city rejected the . . . Map (db m187602) HM
69 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — B19 — Sitting in for Lunch — March Route to Retail — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On 19th Street North north of 2nd Avenue North, on the right when traveling north.
On February 1, 1960, four Black college students in Greensboro, North Carolina, sat down at Woolworth's "Whites Only" lunch counter. This started a national movement where Blacks used sit-ins as a direct, non-violent action to combat segregation . . . Map (db m187827) HM
70 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — Sloss Blast Furnaces — National Historic Landmark
Near 32nd Street South.
Sloss Blast Furnaces has been designated a National Historic Landmark. This site possesses national significance in commemorating the history of the United States of America. 1981. ASM International has designated Sloss Furnaces an . . . Map (db m173375) HM
71 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — Sloss Furnaces
Near 1st Avenue North (U.S. 11) near 32nd Street North.
The crossing of railroads in 1872 adjacent to this site gave rise to the industrial city of Birmingham. In 1881 Alabama railroad magnate and entrepreneur James Withers Sloss, capitalizing on the unusual coincidence of coal, iron ore and limestone in . . . Map (db m23498) HM
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72 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — Sloss Quarters
Near 32nd Street South at 1st Avenue N (U.S. 11).
In response to oppressive jobs and livelihoods such as sharecropping and tenant farming during post-Civil War Reconstruction, large numbers of African American and poor families from the Black Belt regions began to migrate towards northern, more . . . Map (db m220602) HM
73 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — B21 — South at the White House — March Route to Retail — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On 19th Street North south of 4th Avenue North, on the right when traveling north.
The Birmingham Movement was a defining moment for African Americans determined to win equal citizenship in their own country. Pictures and stories from the Birmingham struggle touched the hearts of the nation and the world. Often injured by . . . Map (db m188908) HM
74 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — D10 — Southern Resistance — March Route for Education — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On 7th Avenue North west of 23rd Street North, on the right when traveling west.
In Alabama, White parents used the 1956 Alabama Pupil Placement Act that let them “choose” which public schools their children would attend. When Black parents in Birmingham tried to use the same law to send their children to White schools, . . . Map (db m187685) HM
75 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — Steiner Bank Building
On 1st Avenue North (U.S. 78) at Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard South, on the right when traveling east on 1st Avenue North.
This property has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the InteriorMap (db m216072) HM
76 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — Temple Wilson Tutwiler, II / Tutwiler Hotel — March 22, 1923 - March 1, 1982
On 20th Street North at 5th Avenue North, on the right when traveling north on 20th Street North.
Temple Wilson Tutwiler, II “Tutwiler Green”, this section of Birmingham Green was so named in a resolution passed by the Birmingham City Council to honor the life and work of Temple Tutwiler II, who contributed greatly to the . . . Map (db m27525) HM
77 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — The Berry Project
On 2nd Avenue North, on the left when traveling west.
This row of buildings from 2009 to 2017 Second Avenue dates from the early years of the 20th century and has undergone a variety of changes and modernizations over the years. Originally part of a larger building that burned in 1944 (now the site of . . . Map (db m38563) HM
78 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — The Birmingham Public Library / The Linn - Henley Research Library
Near Park Place.
Birmingham’s first library was organized in 1886 and in 1891 became a subscription library for the general public. In 1908 the Birmingham Public Library Association established a free public library, and the City created an independent Library Board . . . Map (db m83856) HM
79 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — The Blast Furnace — Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark
Near 32nd Street North at 2nd Avenue North, on the left when traveling north.
In the blast furnace the combination of iron ore, flux (limestone and/or dolomite), coke, and hot air produced molten iron and two waste products: molten slag and blast furnace gas. The molten products collected in the bottom of the furnace and . . . Map (db m69078) HM
80 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — The Blowing Engine Room — Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark
Near 32nd Street North.
The blast furnace required a tremendous amount of air - about two tons for every ton of iron produced. These three rooms, known collectively as the blower building, house the equipment used to pump air to the furnaces. Workers called this blast of . . . Map (db m43628) HM
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81 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — E2 — The Boy Becomes a Man — March Route Towards a Purposeful Life — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On 20th Street North 0.1 miles north of Park Place, on the right when traveling north.
Young Fred loved pulling pranks with the aid of his younger siblings and friends. He enjoyed going to church every Sunday and began teaching Sunday School. Because he was so mischievous, his siblings could hardly believe that his secret goal was . . . Map (db m187630) HM
82 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — The Cathedral Church of the Advent
On 6th Avenue North at 20th Street North, on the left when traveling west on 6th Avenue North.
has been entered in the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service United States Department of Interior 1983Map (db m216137) HM
83 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — The Heaviest Corner On Earth
Near 20th Street North at 1st Avenue North (U.S. 11), on the right when traveling south.
At the turn of the 20th century, Birmingham was a small town of two and three story buildings with a few church steeples punctuating the skyline. During the industrial boom from 1902 to 1912 which made Birmingham the largest city in the state. Four . . . Map (db m27500) HM
84 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — D1 — The Importance of Being Educated — March Route for Education — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On Park Place east of 20th Street North, on the left when traveling east.
Thirteen years after the American Civil War, the U.S. Supreme Court began to uphold Jim Crow segregation laws that kept African Ameri- cans from enjoying their 14th Amendment rights. Its famous Plessy v. Ferguson decision in 1896 supported a . . . Map (db m187632) HM
85 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — The Rainbow Viaduct — Dedicated to the Brave Men of the 167th Infantry who fought to Preserve Our Freedom
On Richard Arrington Junior Boulevard South north of 1st Ave South, on the left when traveling north.
On May 10, 1919, soon after its completion, this 21st Street Viaduct was named the Rainbow Viaduct in tribute to Alabama's famous 167th Infantry of the Rainbow Division, renowned for Bravery and Honor. The 167th was the Nation's only regiment in . . . Map (db m83860) HM
86 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — A12 — The Right to Vote — March Route to Government — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Near 20th Street North.
Another strategy of “Project C” was voter registration for Birmingham Blacks. At the time, only 12,000 of 150,000 voting-age African-Americans in Jefferson County could vote. White state and local officials used such methods as reading tests and . . . Map (db m187708) HM
87 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — D7 — The Schoolhouse Stand at Alabama — March Route for Education — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On 22nd Street North south of 7th Avenue North, on the right when traveling south.
Southern governors, mayors and elected officials employed every means to resist public school integration, even famously using armed state guards to block Black students from entering. For example, Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus called the Arkansas . . . Map (db m187680) HM
88 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — A13 — The Stand for Freedom — March Route to Government — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On 20th Street North north of Park Place, on the right when traveling north.
"Bull” Connor's police force still tried in vain to stop the marches to City-Hall. The number of well-organized protestors overwhelmed the police. Some marchers actually made it to Woodrow Wilson Park (now Linn Park) that connects City Hall and . . . Map (db m187706) HM
89 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — The Tutwiler Hotel / The Tutwiler-Ridgely Rebirth — Est. 1914
Near Richard Arrington Jr Boulevard North at Park Place, on the right when traveling east.
The Tutwiler Hotel In 1913, George Gordon Crawford, President of Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company, complained to Robert Jemison Jr., that when friends and officers from U.S. Steel came to town they had no decent place to stay. . . . Map (db m99317) HM
90 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Central City — Title Building
On Richard Arrington, Jr. Blvd North at 3rd Avenue North, on the left when traveling north on Richard Arrington, Jr. Blvd North.
Designed by William C. Weston and erected in 1902, the Title Building was the second skyscraper built in Birmingham. It was the first building to supply its tenants with electric power with its own power-generating plant and the water supply was . . . Map (db m27501) HM
91 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, College Hills — H21 — Attorney for His People — March Route for Fair Housing — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On Center Street at 10th Court North, on the right when traveling north on Center Street.
1949 For four decades, Shores was deeply involved in civil rights challenges handling dozens of cases primarily for the Birmingham branch of the NAACP on behalf of African Americans. In the 1940s, the Birmingham NAACP had grown to more . . . Map (db m189188) HM
92 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, College Hills — Birmingham - Southern College
On Arkadelphia Road, on the right when traveling south.
. . . Map (db m37711) HM
93 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, College Hills — H2 — Black Birmingham Housing — March Route for Fair Housing — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On Center Street south of 9th Alley West, on the right when traveling south.
1937 Most of Birmingham's housing started as cheap, poorly built living quarters that large coal and mining companies created near their factories for their workers. Living in camp town housing carried a stigma that many Blacks and . . . Map (db m189162) HM
94 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, College Hills — H13 — Black Classes and the Masses — March Route for Fair Housing — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On Center Street at 10th Alley West, on the right when traveling south on Center Street.
1955 By the 1950s, North Smithfield was the residential area of choice for a new generation of Black middle-class families, despite the terror bombings meant to scare them away. This new generation of African American leaders included A. . . . Map (db m189171) HM
95 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, College Hills — H20 — Gentle Giant of Dynamite Hill — March Route for Fair Housing — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On Center Street north of 10th Court North, on the right when traveling north.
As both a lawyer and Smithfield real estate developer, Arthur Davis Shores' story is also the story of Dynamite Hill. He played a central role in African Americans' legal fight to build and buy houses where they wished, including the “White . . . Map (db m189185) HM
96 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, College Hills — Graymont Elementary School
On 8th Avenue West at 3rd Street West, on the right when traveling west on 8th Avenue West.
On September 4, 1963, Graymont Elementary School was the first public school in Birmingham to be racially integrated. Two brothers, nine and eleven years old, accompanied by their father, James Armstrong, along with Reverend Fred . . . Map (db m153229) HM
97 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, College Hills — H23 — Rev. Shuttlesworth Calls for Peace and Action — March Route for Fair Housing — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On Center Street north of 10th Avenue North, on the right when traveling north.
The explosions in August and the deaths of the girls and two boys in acts of violence on September 15, all attached to school integration in 1963, deeply shook Birmingham. The violence stoked deep resentment and anger in the Black . . . Map (db m189191) HM
98 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, College Hills — H11 — Secret Multiracial Meetings — March Route for Fair Housing — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On Center Street south of 10th Court West, on the right when traveling south.
1953 During the early 1950s, moderate White business leaders pressured city officials to find and prosecute the Dynamite Hill bombers and explore racial reforms. In April 1951, some worked with moderate Blacks to form the Interracial . . . Map (db m189176) HM
99 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, College Hills — H22 — The Price of Freedom — March Route for Fair Housing — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On Center Street north of 10th Avenue North, on the right when traveling north.
August 1963 The Shores daughters said their father handled civil rights cases across Alabama and across the South. As he advanced the African American struggle against unfair segregation through the courts, angry White militants turned . . . Map (db m189189) HM
100 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham, Collegeville — F3 — A New Organization is Born — March Route for Moral Justice — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On 29th Avenue North west of 33rd Street North, on the left when traveling west.
Rev. Shuttlesworth and his fellow ministers agreed to call the replacement organization the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights (ACMHR) so that its reach was both statewide and its aims wider than the African American community. Adding . . . Map (db m188971) HM

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Sep. 3, 2026