Freedom Rides Museum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Montgomery Greyhound Bus Station
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The Greyhound Bus Station in 2009
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| Location | 210 S. Court St., Montgomery, Alabama |
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| Built | 1951 |
| Architect | W.S. Arrasmith |
| Architectural style | Streamline moderne |
| NRHP reference No. | 11000298 |
| Added to NRHP | May 16, 2011 |
The Freedom Rides Museum is located at 210 South Court Street in Montgomery, Alabama. This building used to be the Montgomery Greyhound Bus Station until 1995. It's a very important place in American history.
In 1961, this bus station was where brave people called Freedom Riders faced a violent attack. These Freedom Riders were part of the Civil Rights Movement. They were trying to end unfair segregation laws. The attacks in May 1961 were carried out by a large group of white protesters. These events shocked the country and led the Kennedy Administration to support the civil rights activists for the first time.
The building is no longer a bus station. It was saved from being torn down, and its outside look has been fixed up. The Alabama Historical Commission took over the site. A special historical marker was placed in front of the building. In 2011, a museum opened inside. The building was also added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 2012, the museum won a national award for its preservation efforts.
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Building the Bus Station
In 1950, Greyhound Lines hired an architect named W.S. Arrasmith. He was asked to design a new bus station in Montgomery, Alabama. This new station would replace an older one.
The building was designed in a "streamlined" style. It had a tall "Greyhound" sign in neon lights. It was a typical Greyhound station for that time. It cost about $300,000 to build and opened in August 1951.
The bus station became famous because of what happened there on May 20, 1961. The building had a door marked "Colored Entrance." African Americans had to use this door. They entered directly into the bus area. From there, they could get into the segregated waiting areas inside. The station was located right behind Montgomery's U.S. District Courthouse.
The Freedom Ride to Montgomery
Freedom Riders were civil rights activists. They rode buses across the southern United States in 1961. They wanted to challenge unfair laws that separated people by race. These laws were called segregation. The riders wanted to show that the U.S. Supreme Court had already said segregated public buses were against the law.
The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) organized these rides for May 1961. The plan was for mixed groups of riders to sit together on Greyhound and Trailways buses. They would travel across the American South. The journey was from Washington, D.C. to New Orleans. Stops in Alabama were planned for Anniston, Birmingham, and Montgomery.
Challenges in Anniston and Birmingham
In Anniston, an angry crowd attacked the Greyhound bus. They even set it on fire. The riders on board were badly hurt. The Trailways bus arrived an hour later. Members of the Ku Klux Klan got on the bus in Anniston. They also hurt the Freedom Riders.
The Trailways bus was attacked again in Birmingham. Several riders, including James Peck, were hurt in front of news reporters. News of this violence reached U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. He asked the Freedom Riders to be careful. He also sent an assistant, John Seigenthaler, to Birmingham. CORE decided to stop the Freedom Ride in Birmingham on May 14. The remaining riders flew to New Orleans.
New Riders Continue the Journey
Diane Nash, a leader from the Nashville Student Movement, and others were not discouraged. Twenty-one young students decided to continue the Freedom Ride. They took the place of the original riders. Their goal was to reach Montgomery. The final destination was Jackson, Mississippi. Most of these new riders were from Nashville, Tennessee. Many were students from Fisk University.
At first, Greyhound refused to let any of their drivers drive the bus. But after Robert F. Kennedy got involved, a driver was found. The bus left Birmingham for Montgomery on May 20. It had an escort of state troopers led by Floyd Mann, Alabama's Director of Public Safety.
Violence in Montgomery and Government Help
As the bus reached the city limits of Montgomery, the highway police escort left them. The riders arrived at the bus station at 10:23 AM. They were met by a large, angry crowd of white protesters. This crowd included women and children.
Several riders were hurt in the attack. John Seigenthaler, Robert Kennedy's assistant, was also injured. He had followed the bus in his car. When he tried to help two white female riders, he was hit on the head and became unconscious. Floyd Mann, the Director of Public Safety, stepped in to protect William Barbee. Barbee was severely beaten and later died from his injuries. Mann fired his gun into the air. He yelled, "There'll be no killing here today." When one attacker raised his bat for another blow, Mann put his gun to the man's head and said, "One more swing, and you're dead."
On Sunday, May 21, Martin Luther King, Jr. and other civil rights leaders came to support the Freedom Riders. That evening, they joined a church service at Ralph Abernathy's First Baptist Church. Outside, about 3,000 angry protesters yelled. They burned a car and threatened to burn the church.
From inside the church, King called Robert Kennedy. Kennedy asked the activists to "cool down," but they refused. Kennedy had already sent 500 U.S. Marshals to help. These marshals, with the help of Floyd Mann and his state troopers, managed to control the angry crowd. The crowd finally left after the National Guard arrived at midnight.
On Wednesday, May 24, the Freedom Ride continued. Riders boarded buses from Montgomery heading to Jackson, Mississippi. In Jackson, the students were arrested. They had tried to use the "Black" and "White" waiting rooms together in the bus terminal.
Because of these events and the attention the Freedom Rides received, Robert Kennedy asked the Interstate Commerce Commission to make stronger rules. These new rules would help end segregation in travel between states. The bus station attack also led to a court order against the Ku Klux Klan. This order was issued by Judge Frank M. Johnson. His courthouse was right behind the Greyhound station.
Saving the Station
The Greyhound station closed in 1995. A historical marker was placed there in 1996 to remember its history. The station started to fall apart. Plans to open a museum were delayed many times.
In 2008, special panels were added to the outside of the building. These fifteen panels used pictures and words to show what happened in May 1961. However, people still could not go inside the building.
In 2009, architects from Cohen Carnaggio Reynolds were hired. The Alabama Historical Commission asked them to fix up the inside of the bus station. Their goal was to turn it into The Freedom Rides Museum.
Freedom Rides Museum Today
In May 2011, the museum officially opened. This was the fiftieth anniversary of the riot at the bus station. Jim Zwerg, one of the original Freedom Riders, was there. The museum is about 3,000 square feet. On May 16, 2011, the building was also added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Images for kids
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In 2008, exterior panels were added that illustrate the events of May 1961
