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National sites pay tribute to the
Rev. Dr. King
National Historic Site in Atlanta, Georgia
In 1980, the National Park Service designated the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site and Preservation District in Atlanta, Georgia. This district, in the neighborhood known as Sweet Auburn, includes: King's birth home; Ebenezer Baptist Church where King, Sr. and King, Jr. were both pastors; the Freedom Hall Complex which is the home of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change; the Prince Hall Masonic Building which houses the national offices of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference; and many other historic places which preserve and commemorate the achievements of Dr. King and a vital community of Black families, businesses, churches, and other public institutions.
Together, the preservation district and the national historic site tell much of the history of Black urban culture in the South and provide the background for the story of the Civil Rights Movement. For additional information, the following organizations can be contacted:
- Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site/National Park Service
Interpretation Division: (404) 331-5190, Dean Rowley, Park Historian
75 Spring Street SW, Atlanta, GA 30303
The National Park Service provides extensive interpretive resources concerning the role of this national historic district in the life of Dr. King, the African American community, and the civil rights movement. A curriculum packet is available.
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Inc.
(404) 524-1956
449 Auburn Avenue NE, Atlanta, GA 30312
The Center for Nonviolent Social Change, under the direction of Coretta Scott King, carries on the nonviolent tradition of Dr. King through education, research and creative programs which operate within the permanent Program Institute of the Center. The center includes Freedom Hall, exhibit space, the library and archives housing Dr. King's papers, crypt and memorial.
- Southern Christian Leadership Conference
(404) 522-1420 Historian/Archivist Dana Swan
334 Auburn Avenue, NE, Atlanta, GA 30312
The SCLC National Headquarters offers tours of its offices, maintains historic archives including many tapes of Dr. King's speeches, publishes a quarterly magazine, and administers numerous youth and student activities.
National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee
The Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, has been dedicated to the memory of Dr. King and the movement to which he dedicated his life. This building now houses the National Civil Rights Museum. The museum, which opened in 1991, is a tribute to Dr. King and others, both celebrated and unknown, who participated in the Civil Rights Movement. For additional information, contact Museum Curator Barbara Andrews at (901) 521-9699, or 450 Mulberry Street, Memphis, TN 38103.
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