On the Road to Gillette

Since we had our quota of mosquito bites, we decided to leave St. George's Island a day early. We followed the coast line to Panama City and turned north leaving Florida behind. We stopped that night at The Woods RV Park in Montgomery Alabama. This park was OK for a short stop. No amenities but really nice owners. And they had a lending library so I could swap off for some new books to read.



We spent two nights there while I worked to catch up and make all of my hours for the week. One evening we went to downtown Montgomery and checked out the many historic buildings. Montgomery has a rich history. From the Civil war to the Civil rights movement.
We saw the first White House of the Confederacy. This house was built in the 1830’s and currently stands in the shadow of the Alabama State Capitol. On February 18, 1861, Jefferson Davis stood on the steps of the Alabama State Capitol and took the oath of office as President of the Confederate States of America. A few days later the Confederate Congress approved renting this house owned by Colonel Edmund S. Harrison. Colonel Harrison rented the fully furnished and staffed for $5,000 per year. President and Mrs. Davis occupied the home from late February 1861 until the Confederate Capitol was moved to Richmond, Virginia in May 1861. During the short time President and Mrs. Davis occupied the house they hosted several large parties and receptions.
Following the Civil War the house passed through several owners before members of the United Daughters of the Confederacy proposed to the State of Alabama that this historic house should be preserved. On July 1, 1900 27 ladies organized the White House Association of Alabama. During the next 20-years they worked to raise the funds necessary to purchase the house. On June 3, 1921, the restored White House was opened. During the ceremony the White House Association gave the house to the People of Alabama. We didn't go inside since it has recently been closed for renovations.

We also saw the 1961 FREEDOM RIDES EXHIBIT ON the exterior of the former Greyhound Bus Station. This is the first in a series of exhibits about the 1961 Freedom Rides. The 1961 Freedom Rides marked a turning point in the civil rights movement. The goal was to compel the U.S. government to enforce Supreme Court decisions outlawing segregated transportation seating and facilities.
Montgomery’s Greyhound Bus Station is the site most closely associated with key Montgomery events of the 1961 Freedom Rides — generally acknowledged as one of the critical mid-20th-century campaigns by African Americans to win full democratic rights in the United States. Mob violence that met interracial student bus riders at this station on May 20, 1961, shocked the nation and led the Kennedy Administration to side with civil rights protestors for the first time. The most obvious result of the rides was a sweeping ruling by the Interstate Commerce Commission that effectively ended segregation in interstate bus, train, and air transportation. The Freedom Rides continue to evoke the power of nonviolent protest to change unjust laws.
The façade has been restored and an exterior exhibit was installed in May 2008.















We also saw the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church. It is the church where Dr. Martin Luther, King, Jr. pastored from 1954-1960 and began his quest for civil rights.