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The Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail commemorates the Voting Rights March of 1965.
Introduction to the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail
The 54-mile march, which took place between March 21-25 of that year, was instrumental in Congress passing the Voting Rights Act. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on August 6, 1965.
The march began at the Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church in Selma and ended at the Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery. Three interpretive centers along the route tell the stories of the events that unfolded during that week. There are no fees at any of the sites along the trail (as of November 2024). Check the official website for more information.
Selma Interpretive Center
The best place to start the trail is at the Selma Interpretive Center, at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in downtown Selma, Alabama. It’s open from 9am to 4:30pm daily except Sundays.
The Selma Interpretive Center includes a museum about the history of the march. There are photos and videos explaining why the march took place, the first two unsuccessful marches, and the long voting rights struggle that built up to the march. You can also learn about important figures on both sides of the march, such as Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), John Lewis (1940-2020), Governor George Wallace (1919-1998), and Sheriff Jim Clark (1922-2007).
Starting the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail
The rangers and staff at the Selma Interpretive Center can tell you about other Voting Rights landmarks to visit in Selma. After you visit them, you’re ready to set off on the 54-mile journey to Montgomery. Start at the Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church, follow the route across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, and continue down US Highway 80. After Selma, the highway narrows from four lanes to two. Only 300 marchers were allowed to continue to Montgomery along the two-lane portion of the highway.
Campsite #1 on the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail
The first point of interest along the route is Campsite #1, the David Hall Farm, where activists spent the night. It’s down a country road that isn’t well marked and is easy to miss.
Lowndes Interpretive Center
The next point of interest is the Lowndes Interpretive Center, open daily except Sundays from 9am to 4:30pm. Staff can put on an excellent film about the Voting Rights March and there’s also a wonderful museum.
The museum explains the struggles African-Americans had to endure just to register to vote in the South. Artifacts carried by marchers are on display as well as an exhibit about tent cities.
The Lowndes Interpretive Center sits on the site of a tent city that sprung up after the Voting Rights Act was passed. Hundreds of African-American sharecroppers were evicted from white-owned farms after registering to vote, some after living as long as 30, 40, or even 60 years on the same farm. A short trail outside the building has interpretive panels about the tent city.
Campsite #2 on the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail
The second campsite is located on the Rosie Steele Farm, where marchers camped on March 22, 1965. It’s easy to pass up, but the sign is located at a turnaround in the middle of the highway.
Viola Liuzzo Memorial
Activist Viola Liuzzo (1925-1965), a white housewife and mother of five from Detroit, traveled to participate in the march. On March 25, 1965, she was murdered by members of the Ku Klux Klan while taking other activists to the Montgomery Airport. The location of the murder is marked by a small memorial along the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail, and sits next to the Wright Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church.
Hayneville, Alabama
After the memorial, you can take an optional detour south to Hayneville. The Lowndes County Courthouse, built in 1856, is located in the center of this small town.
Jonathan Daniels (1939-1965), an Episcopalian seminarian from Keene, New Hampshire, went to Selma in March 1965 to integrate the local Episcopalian church. On August 14, he was arrested along with a group of protesters and held at the Hayneville Jail for six days. On August 20, the group was released and walked to Varner’s Cash Store in Hayneville to buy some soft drinks. A man named Tom Coleman approached them and fired a shotgun. Daniels pushed Ruby Sales, a 17-year-old Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee worker, out of the way and took the bullet for her. He was killed, and a Catholic priest, Father Richard Morrisroe, was wounded. An all-white jury acquitted Coleman of manslaughter.
Campsite #3 on the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail
On March 23, 1965, the 300 activists camped at the Robert Gardner Farm, which is marked by a sign.
City of St. Jude
The road widens to four lanes once reaching Montgomery County, and on the next day, March 24, several thousand marchers joined the 300 after reaching them by bus and car. They stopped for the night at the City of St. Jude, a Catholic complex founded in 1934. There, celebrities held a rally called “Stars for Freedom” to entertain an estimated 10,000 marchers. Joan Baez, Harry Belafonte, Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis Jr., Johnny Mathis, Shelley Winters, Peter, Paul, and Mary, and Pete Seeger were among the performers.
At City of St. Jude, there’s a church built in 1938. It’s still active and open for worship. A statue of St. Jude sits near the church.
The hospital, which was open from 1951 to 1985, was the first integrated hospital in the Southeast. Martin Luther King’s two eldest children, Yolanda (1955-2007) and Martin Luther III, were both born in the hospital. Viola Liuzzo was taken to the hospital after she was attacked and died there. The hospital was converted to low-cost apartments in 1992.
There’s also the now-defunct St. Jude Educational Institute on the site. It operated from 1947 to 2014, when it closed due to falling enrollment.
Alabama State Capitol
Finally, on the morning of March 25, 1965, over 25,000 marchers left St. Jude and continued to the Alabama State Capitol, where Martin Luther King delivered his famous How Long, Not Long speech.
In front of Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, hundreds of footprints have been painted on the crosswalk to commemorate the march. The footsteps face in the direction of the Alabama State Capitol.
Montgomery Interpretive Center
The Montgomery Interpretive Center opened in Spring 2020. It’s located on the campus of Alabama State University and open daily except Sundays from 9am to 4:30pm. It tells the story of the last leg of the march, student involvement in the Voting Rights Movement, and the rally at the City of St. Jude. There’s a 20-minute film about student protests in Montgomery during March 1965. I hope to go back and see it on a future visit.
Our Thoughts on the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail
Following the route in the footsteps of some of the greatest Americans in history was an experience we’ll never forget. Seeing the places that played an important part in the Civil Rights movement brought history to life for both us. In a country where discrimination and racism still rear their ugly heads, following the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail is a journey all Americans should be required to take.
