Last updated on .
Tuskegee, Alabama, is a short drive east of Montgomery. It has played an important part in the Civil Rights movement as the subject of notable civil rights cases such as Gomillion v. Lightfoot (1960) and Lee vs Macon County. The city was the birthplace of Rosa Parks and is the home of the Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site and Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site.
Town Square
Most people visit for the national historic sites and there isn’t much reason to stop in the city, but we decided to check out the town square. The most important building on the square is the Macon County Courthouse, a Richardsonian Romanesque building completed in 1906.
The middle of the square is a wide open green space with a gazebo on one corner. A controversial Confederate monument sits in the center. The monument was erected in 1906 by the United Daughters of the Confederacy.
The buildings around the square make up the Main Street Historic District. Some are vacant while others are filled with stores. The office of civil rights attorney Fred Gray is located on the square.
Conclusion
Other than a short stop at the square, we didn’t find anything else of interest to see in the city itself. The real highlights in Tuskegee are the national historic sites.
Also, I apologize for the quality of the photos on this post. They were snapped quickly with my iPhone as it was getting dark.
