Montgomery

1. Montgomery Our State Capital!

2. After the Civil War- Reconstruction • The reconstruction period was a hard time in the south. There were large economical, social, and environmental changes that took place for the defeated southern states. Newly freed slaves would begin building new schools, churches, buildings, and building new homes.

3. Montgomery After the War • Josiah Morris had his bank in Montgomery next to where Regions bank is now in Montgomery (Court Street) • He would finance many Montgomery businesses, railroads, and industries. • He purchased 4150 acres of land in December 1870 and named the City of Birmingham • The Regions bank pictured here was the 1st high rise in the state. • The Court Street Fountain which is also in the picture was built in 1885.

4. Dexter Avenue Baptist Church Land purchased for $270 on Dexter Avenue in 1879 would later become the national landmark known today as the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist church which was completed in 1887. The church was originally made of wood; and when Montgomery decided to pave Dexter Avenue in front of the Church, these red pavers were taken up and removed to the dump. The congregation went to the dump and used the pavers to brick their building which gave it the unique red color. Pavers are like bricks, but do not have holes in them.

5. Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church The Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church was founded in 1877 in a slave trader’s pen, located on Dexter Avenue • The Church’s first name - the Second Colored Baptist Church - was later changed to Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, when Market Street became Dexter Avenue in honor of Andrew Dexter, founder of the city. In 1978, the name was changed to Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, in memory of its twentieth pastor, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

6. More Inventions in Montgomery • In 1881, the telephone came to Montgomery, and in 1887 Montgomery became the first city in the nation to convert its mule drawn streetcar system to electric powered streetcars. The cars moved on the tracks at 6 miles per hour and ran 16 hours per day. They were called the “Lightning Route” In 1910 the people of Montgomery stood with eyes towards the sky as Wilbur and Orville Wright taught men to fly in their marvelous airplane.

7. Military in Montgomery • The military has always been an important part of Montgomery’s and the surrounding area’s history. From the beginning with Wilbur and Orville Wright, through both World Wars and to the present day, Montgomery has played a major role in our nations’ aviation. • In 1910 the world’s first flying school was established by Wilbur and Orville Wright at Maxwell Air Force Base near Montgomery.

8. Military in Montgomery • The US entered the First World War in 1917 and military bases came to Montgomery. Camp Sheridan was an infantry training camp and Ardmont (Mont. Air Repair Depot) was a shop for repairing airplanes. • The writer, F. Scott Fitzgerald, was stationed at Camp Sheridan. Later he would meet and marry a Montgomery girl named Zelda Sayre and become a very famous couple in the 1920s

9. World War II Montgomery • During World War II, Montgomery’s two air bases were very important in the training of fighter pilots. • Maxwell Air Force Base is home of the Air Forces’ Air War College and the Gunter Annex is a major training station for NCO’s (Non-commissioned Officers). • Fort Rucker which is 80 miles south of Montgomery is a major helicopter training base.

10. Montgomery: Birthplace of Civil Rights • Montgomery like many southern cities had laws that segregated blacks and whites and one that included bus companies forcing blacks to sit in the back of he bus. • Mrs. Rosa Parks, a black seamstress, would stand up against this unjust law on a cold day in Dec. 1955. She was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on the bus to a white man.

11. Montgomery Bus Boycott • The black people of Montgomery decided to boycott the city buses. The bus boycott would last for 381 days and at the end, the US Supreme court ruled the law unfair and took away the law.

12. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. • Dr. King was the preacher at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. He later became the leader of the Mont. Bus Boycott and the national Civil Rghts movement. He was elected president of the Montgomery Improvement Association. • Montgomery is the home of the Civil Rights Memorial which is located on Washington Street. It honors some 40 civil rights individuals who died during the time.

13. Civil Rights and the Freedom Riders • Freedom Riders came to Montgomery in 1961 to assist in civil rights events. They were attacked by an angry mob just behind the federal courthouse at the Greyhound Bus station.

14. So… When we get to Montgomery, Where are we going to visit?

15. Alabama Department of Archives and History This building is a state agency established in 1901 for the purpose of preserving our state’s history. There are artifacts dating from Indian artifacts, to Revolutionary items, Civil War and other major conflicts throughout AL history

16. Alabama Governor’s Mansion This is the building where Alabama’s Chief Executive lives. The house was originally built in 1907 and converted to the Governor’s mansion in 1951. When you enter the mansion, the first thing you will see is the lovely double staircase.

17. Alabama State House The State house is the Home of Alabama’s Legislative Branch. Inside the building is where the House of Representatives and the Alabama State Senate meets.

18. Alabama Judicial Building By visiting the Judicial building, you will get an understanding of how the Judicial Branch of our State Government operates. This building is the home of the Alabama Supreme Court

19. Old Alabama Town By visiting Old Alabama Town, you will experience an authentic view of how people lived and worked in the 1800s and very early 1900s. When you visit Old Alabama town, it is like taking a walk back in time. You will see Living in the 19th Century and Working in the 19th Century

20. MONTGOMERY TOMORROW! Be here bright and early at 6:30 a.m. Wear your walking shoes and a warm jacket!!! Remember to put your name on anything that you bring with you. LET’S HAVE FUN!!!

21. Review: Montgomery • Became a city on December 3, 1819. • Alabama became a state on December 14, 1819. • So which is older? • Formed by the joining of East Alabama and New Philadelphia at Court St. • Named for General Richard Montgomery.

22. Review: Montgomery Andrew Dexter donated a portion of his land to become the state capitol (although he never got to see it). What did he do on that land first?

23. The Capitol on Wheels! The capitol of Alabama has moved four times! We know some of them. Here are all of them! St. Stephens (1817-1819) Huntsville (1819-1820) Cahaba (1820-1826) Tuscaloosa (1826-1846) Montgomery (1846-today)

24. Historic Sites: Dexter Ave King Memorial Baptist Located on the same street as the capitol The church of the famous Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

25. Historic Sites: The Court St Fountain The on the street that joined the two settlements of Montgomery

26. Historic Sites: The Governor’s Mansion Built in 1907 as a private residence Bought in 1950 as Governor’s Mansion Governor Gordon Persons was the first to live there Closed to tourists until 2003 and the efforts of First Lady Patsy Riley

27. Historic Sites: Alabama State House Made up of the House of Representative and the Senate 105 members of the House 35 members of the senate

28. Historic Sites: Civil Rights Memorial Dedicated to those who lost their lives during the Civil Rights Movement On Washington Ave Completed in 1988 Designed Maya Lin

29. Historic Sites: First White House of the Confederacy On Feb. 4, 1861 the southern states met in Montgomery to form a new nation. Montgomery was chosen as the capitol of the new nation because of its central location Jefferson Davis was elected President of the Confederacy and sworn in on the steps of our capitol. There is a star to mark the spot.

30. Historic Sites: Alabama Judicial Building Home to the state Supreme Court

31. Historic Sites: Old Alabama Town “like walking back in time” Set in the 1800s Many buildings have been relocated from all over Alabama