9 Powerful Civil Rights Stops in Selma, Alabama

Selma’s Civil Rights History Landmarks

Walk through Selma today and you’ll find a living museum of Civil Rights history. From the iconic Edmund Pettus Bridge to small churches where leaders once spoke, each street corner holds part of America’s story.

Here are 9 of the most powerful landmarks you should visit, and the story behind them.

Where Troopers Attacked Peaceful Marchers

The Edmund Pettus Bridge stretches across the Alabama River, standing as the most recognized symbol of the civil rights movement.

On March 7, 1965, state troopers and county possemen violently attacked about 600 peaceful marchers trying to walk from Selma to Montgomery to fight for voting rights.

This assault, shown on national television, shocked Americans across the country. Congressman John Lewis led marchers across this bridge before they got beaten and clubbed by Dallas County posse and Alabama State Troopers.

Pictures of the violence pushed millions to support voting rights legislation.

Two weeks later, with federal protection ordered by President Lyndon B. Johnson, thousands of marchers successfully crossed this bridge starting their journey to Montgomery.

In March 2025, the bridge again filled with people marking the 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, including civil rights veterans in wheelchairs being pushed across the span.

Twin-Towered Sanctuary for Civil Rights Leaders

Brown Chapel AME Church was the heartbeat of Selma’s civil rights history.

Built in 1908 by Black builder A.J. Farley, this church played a crucial role in the marches that eventually led to the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

Leaders of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference made the church their headquarters during early 1965.

Despite Governor George Wallace banning protest marches, about 600 Black protesters gathered outside Brown Chapel on March 7, 1965, to begin their journey to Montgomery.

Named a National Historic Landmark in 1997, the church gave shelter to injured marchers after Bloody Sunday’s violence.

You can visit the church today at 410 Martin Luther King Street and take tours by appointment Monday through Friday between 10:00-12:00 and 2:00-4:00.

First Church Opening Doors for Voter Registration

First Baptist Church sits proudly on Martin Luther King Jr. Street, showcasing its striking Gothic Revival architecture.

Local Black architect Dave Benjamin West designed this 1894 church, which made history as the first in Selma to welcome activities and meetings of the Dallas County Voters League in 1963 under Reverend M.C. Cleveland’s leadership.

During 1964 and early 1965, activists planned mass rallies and demonstrations here that eventually led to the Selma-to-Montgomery march. Many African Americans learned nonviolent protest methods, sang freedom songs, and filled out voter registration forms for the first time within these walls.

Martin Luther King Jr., Ralph Abernathy, and other Southern Christian Leadership Conference leaders spoke many nights to students gathered at the church.

After the famous march to Montgomery, First Baptist continued serving as Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee headquarters and gave out food and clothing to people who lost jobs because they joined civil rights activities.

Victorian Building Where Registrars Blocked Voters

Dallas County Courthouse, built in 1900 in Victorian style, worked as both a physical and symbolic roadblock to Black voting rights.

On October 7, 1963, called “Freedom Day,” hundreds of local Black residents lined up before sunrise at the courthouse, determined to register despite facing threats, especially from the Dallas County sheriff’s department.

Sheriff Jim Clark and his armed deputies watched the growing crowd with rising anger, beating and arresting people who tried to bring food and water to those waiting in line.

Justice Department lawyers saw these abuses from the Federal building across the street but did nothing, angering author James Baldwin who came to witness events firsthand.

This courthouse became central to the voting rights struggle as the Dallas County Voters League asked for help from national civil rights groups, including the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and later the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

Today, you can visit this still-functioning courthouse that continues serving as Dallas County’s administrative center.

Spanish Moss-Draped Final Resting Places

Live Oak Cemetery, started in 1829, shows Selma’s complicated history through its mix of monuments to different causes.

You’ll find graves of Confederate soldiers and prominent Selma residents, including a statue of Elodie B. Todd, half-sister of Mary Todd Lincoln, and the tomb of Vice President William Rufus King.

Among these Confederate memorials lies the grave of Benjamin Sterling Turner (1825-1894), the first African American U.S. Congressman from Alabama, who was born enslaved in North Carolina and brought to Selma as a child.

Turner stayed enslaved until the Civil War ended and later worked in Congress seeking money to help rebuild his damaged state while pushing for mixed-race schools and financial help for former slaves.

Confederate Monument stones declare “THERE IS GLORY IN THE GRAVES,” while nearby rest civil rights advocates who fought against the very segregation that Confederate soldiers died defending.

Listed on both the National Register of Historic Places and the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage, you can visit this historic cemetery on Dallas Avenue about 0.7 miles west of downtown Selma.

Footprints of Marchers Preserved in Museum

National Voting Rights Museum and Institute stands right at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, marking where “Bloody Sunday” happened.

Located in Selma’s Historic District, it was founded to keep the voting rights campaign’s history alive, you can see items and stories from the beginning of the marches through the final victory.

Faya Ora Rose Touré (formerly Rose Sanders), the first African American female judge in Alabama, and Marie Foster started this museum in 1991, opening its doors in 1993.

Inside, you’ll discover several unique exhibits, including the “Footprints to Freedom” room containing actual foot impressions of march participants, and a “Women’s Suffrage Room” honoring those who fought for women’s voting rights.

Collections of artifacts, personal stories, and exhibits document the struggle that resulted in the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Open Monday through Thursday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm and Friday through Sunday by appointment.

The Selma Interpretive Center

Selma Interpretive Center, run by the National Park Service, usually welcomes visitors to the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail. Located right at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge at 2 Broad Street, it marks the starting point of the 54-mile route honoring the 1965 voting rights march.

You should know that as of March 2025, the center remains closed for major renovations. According to the National Park Service, this closure will continue until fall 2026, longer than initially planned.

This shutdown is part of a $10 million renovation project of several buildings along Broad Street that started in December 2023, focusing on expanding educational programs, accessibility, and community engagement.

The project has since grown to about $20.7 million in total investment. Anonymous donors and foundations purchased six properties near the Edmund Pettus Bridge to build this expanded education center.

During construction, you can still visit the Lowndes and Montgomery interpretive centers at other points along the trail.

Journey from Ancient Africa to Civil Rights

Ancient Africa, Enslavement and Civil War Museum offers a unique view by connecting African heritage directly to the civil rights movement.

Created to provide historical context for understanding racism in America, you’ll see artifacts and exhibits tracing the journey from African origins through enslavement to freedom fights.

Collections highlight African civilizations before colonization and slavery, showing the rich cultures from which many Americans descended.

Exhibits connect African heritage, slavery experiences, and continued struggles for equality that peaked in the civil rights movement.

Dentist’s Home That Sheltered Movement Leader

During the intense voting rights campaign of 1965, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. needed safe lodging in Selma.

Dr. Sullivan Jackson, a local dentist and Tabernacle Baptist Church trustee, along with his wife Jean, opened their home to King and other civil rights leaders in a segregated city where hotels remained off-limits to Black visitors.

This modest house provided not just a bed but a strategic planning space and brief refuge from Selma’s tensions.

King coordinated with local activists from this living room, made crucial decisions about march strategies, and spoke with federal officials seeking protection for demonstrators after violence erupted.

Late-night strategy sessions, prayer meetings, and intense discussions among movement leaders took place under this roof as they decided next steps after Bloody Sunday.

Today, you can find a historical marker noting this home’s significance as a place where ordinary citizens supported the movement by sheltering its leaders during dangerous times.

Planning Your Visit

Edmund Pettus Bridge and most landmarks sit within easy walking distance in downtown Selma, about 50 miles west of Montgomery off US Highway 80.

• National Voting Rights Museum: 6 US Highway 80 East; open Monday-Thursday 10am-4pm, Friday-Sunday by appointment; admission $6.50 adults, $4.50 students/seniors; (334) 526-4340.

• Brown Chapel AME Church: 410 Martin Luther King Street; tours by appointment Monday-Friday 10am-12pm and 2pm-4pm; (334) 874-7897.

• First Baptist Church: 709 Martin Luther King Jr. Street; tours by appointment; contact (334) 874-7331 or (334) 412-0938.

Remember that Selma Interpretive Center remains closed for renovations until fall 2026. During this time, visit the Lowndes Interpretive Center (halfway to Montgomery) and Montgomery Interpretive Center instead to complete your journey through this pivotal American story.

Read More from This Brand:

• The Alabama Bridge Named After a KKK Leader & Became a Powerful Civil Rights Monument
• 10 Reasons Why Alabama Is Way More Interesting Than You Ever Thought
• 7 Places to Learn About Alabama’s Civil Rights History this 2025