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Rural Southwest Alabama: Attractions

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First Baptist Church on M. L. K. Street at Selma, AL (built c. 1894: listed on the NRHP)

Black Heritage, Churches and Cemeteries | Selma in Dallas County  

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This Gothic Revival-style church building was constructed in 1894 by a local black architect, Dave Benjamin West. This church, along with its nearby neighbor, Brown Chapel AME Church, played pivotal roles in the Selma marches that helped lead to the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Brown Chapel served as headquarters for the marches. First Baptist was the financial headquarters of the Voting Rights movement. Among other things, it served as the center for the distribution of food and clothing donated for supporters of the movement. The First Baptist Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on September 20, 1979. It is the starting point of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Historic Walking Tour. The church is located at 709 Martin Luther King, Jr. Street (GPS coordinates 32.414367,-87.017953).

Sources: 1) NRHP “The First Colored Baptist Church” Nomination Form; 2) Selma’s Architecture and History Tour (A Self-Guided Driving Tour).

12/22/13

Tags: alabama, black belt, black heritage, church, dallas county, selma

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About This Website

Welcome to rural southwest Alabama. This website is dedicated to twelve counties located in rural southwest Alabama which includes a large portion of Alabama’s Black Belt area. This region is known for its rich and diverse heritage, historic homes and churches, and natural beauty. This website contains details about historic and interesting places that you will find in this area of Alabama.

PLEASE NOTE THAT MOST OF THE HOMES INCLUDED ARE PRIVATE RESIDENCES AND, UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED, ARE DRIVE BY ONLY.

We hope that you enjoy this website.

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Dedicated to the memory of Stacy Milstead Henson (1978-2008) & Inez “Sis” Watts (1924-2007).

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