Background

Freedom Riders National Monument: A Stand Against Segregation

Explore the pivotal sites of the Freedom Riders' courageous stand against segregation in Anniston, Alabama.

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Commemorating the courageous Freedom Riders who challenged segregation in 1961, this national monument in Anniston, Alabama, includes the former Greyhound bus station and the site of the bus burning, marking pivotal moments in the Civil Rights Movement [3, 6].

A brief summary to Freedom Riders National Monument

  • Friday 9 am-4 pm
  • Saturday 9 am-4 pm
  • Sunday 9 am-4 pm

Local tips

  • Visit the Calhoun County Chamber of Commerce for information, brochures, and passport stamps if the Greyhound Bus Depot visitor center is closed [13].
  • Allow ample time to explore both the Greyhound Bus Depot site and the Bus Burning Site to fully understand the events that occurred [9].
  • Take the Anniston Civil Rights Trail to learn about other key locations and stories associated with the Civil Rights Movement in Anniston [4, 5, 9].
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Getting There

  • Driving

    From I-20, take exit 185 to Alabama State Hwy 21 North. Turn left on East Eighth Street, then right on Gurnee Avenue. The Greyhound Station is located at the corner of East Eleventh Street and Gurnee Avenue [12]. Limited street parking is available. To reach the Bus Burning Site from the Greyhound station, take Alabama Highway 202 West and turn left onto Old Birmingham Highway; it is located at the junction of Highway 202 and Old Birmingham Highway [12]. Parking is limited to gravel patches along Old Birmingham Highway [7, 12]. There are no fees for parking at either site [7].

  • Walking

    The former Greyhound and Trailways bus stations are a few blocks apart, making it easy to walk between them [17]. From the Trailways station at 901 Noble Street, walk southeast to E 11th Street, then turn left onto Gurnee Avenue. The Greyhound station is at the corner of East Eleventh Street and Gurnee Avenue [12, 17]. This is a free way to see both sites.

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Discover more about Freedom Riders National Monument

Freedom Riders National Monument, established in 2017, stands as a powerful reminder of the brave individuals who challenged racial segregation in the Deep South during the Civil Rights Movement [3, 6, 8]. The monument comprises two significant sites in and around Anniston, Alabama: the former Greyhound Bus Station, located at 1031 Gurnee Avenue, and the site where aFreedom Riders bus was firebombed, six miles west of Anniston on Old Birmingham Highway (Highway 202) [3, 6, 8]. In May 1961, Freedom Riders, an interracial group of activists, set out to challenge state and local laws enforcing segregation on interstate buses and in bus terminal facilities [6, 8, 15]. Arriving in Anniston, the Greyhound bus was ambushed by a white supremacist mob [3, 8, 18]. The mob attacked the bus, slashed its tires, broke windows, and pursued it after it departed the station [3]. Six miles outside of Anniston, the mob firebombed the bus [3, 8, 18]. Today, visitors can explore exhibits at the former Greyhound Bus Depot, which serve as a visitor center [13]. Though the buildings are currently closed for restoration, outdoor exhibits are available [10, 11, 13]. The bus burning site, located at the junction of Highway 202 and Old Birmingham Highway, offers a place for solemn reflection on the events that transpired there [12, 16]. The Anniston Civil Rights and Heritage Trail connects these sites and others significant to the struggle for civil rights in Anniston [4, 5, 9].

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