Tag Archives: Martin Luther King Jr.

-Georgia, Black History, Historic Photos, Hotels and Motels

Paschal’s Brothers Restaurant and Motel-Atlanta, Georgia

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Paschal’s Restaurant and Motel in Atlanta, Georgia, is a historic building with deep ties to Atlanta and the Civil Rights Movement. Founded in 1947 by brothers James and Robert Paschal, the restaurant became a hub for a good meal and social change. Originally a small 30-seat luncheonette, it was known for its fried chicken, which was Robert’s secret recipe. Because of its popularity, Paschal’s expanded to include a full-service restaurant and a motel, which is photographed above.

Paschal’s was more than just a place to eat. It was a meeting place for civil rights leaders, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Maynard Jackson, and John Lewis, who often strategized there. Other famous visitors included Aretha Franklin, Dizzy Gillespie, and Al Gore.

While the original Paschal’s is no longer open, the restaurant can still be visited at their Castleberry Hill location on Northside Drive.

-Georgia, Black History, Cemeteries, Historic Photos, National Register of Historic Places

The Four Crypts of Martin Luther King, Jr.-Atlanta, Georgia

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Most people know that Martin Luther King, Jr. Was first buried in South-View Cemetery in Southwest Atlanta and then The King Center. He was entombed into four different crypts over time.

After his murder on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee, the King family and the city of Atlanta quickly got ready for his funeral. On April 9th, his first crypt was used at South-view Cemetery. The crypt was created by the Roberts-Shields Memorial Company.

The new crypt after it was installed with Ebenezer Baptist Church in the background. (Photo is courtesy of The Atlanta Journal.)

After King’s death, Coretta Scott King immediately envisioned and founded The King Center. Land was identified and King was relocated on January 14, 1970. A new crypt was built by the same company.

The second crypt location has a fence and an eternal flame. (The photo is courtesy of the Georgia State University archives for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution).

The permanent dais was built in 1976 and the third crypt was constructed. Like the others, it was built out of Georgia marble.

The single crypt of Martin Luther King on the permanent dais. (Postcard image.)

When Coretta Scott King passed away in 2006, the Robert-Shields Memorial Company made the final double crypt.

Credit to Liz Clappin for providing the information on the Roberts-Shields Memorial Company.

-Georgia, Black History, Famous People, Houses

One Last Look-The Last Home of Martin Luther King Jr. Closes for Restoration

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Coretta Scott King lived in the final King family home on Sunset Avenue until 2004. In 2018, the National Park Service acquired the property. In August 2024, they offered final tours of the home until it closed for restoration. It is scheduled to reopen in 2027.

The Living Room

The Kings moved here in 1965 with their children Martin Luther King III, Dexter, Yolanda, and Bernice. It was in the basement of the home that Mrs. King began The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Center to memorialize the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The Kitchen
One view of Martin and Coretta King’s bedroom
Coretta Scott King had a beautician’s sink installed, so that she could get her hair done at home.
Coretta’s closet
Bernice and Yolanda’s bedroom
One section of Martin the III and Dexter’s bedroom
The shared bathroom of the children
The study of Martin Luther King Jr.
The dining area
Mrs. King’s car
The basement
The kitchen in the basement
-Georgia, Black History, Houses

Martin Luther King’s Last Home-Atlanta, Georgia

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Martin Luther King Jr and Coretta Scott King moved into this home on Sunset Avenue in 1965. The home was built in 1933 in a racially mixed neighborhood. As whites began to leave the neighborhood, many prominent Black Atlantans like Alonzo Herndon and Julian Bond called Vine City home.

Mrs. King continued to live in the home until 2004. It was here where she founded the King Center. The King family continued to own the home until the property was purchased by the National Park Service in 2019. It will eventually be opened as a house museum like his birth home.

The swing set is one of the many original items left on the property.
-Florida, Black History, Houses

The Janie Price Home of St. Augustine, Florida

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Located on what is now known as Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue in St. Augustine, Florida, the Janie Price Home is one of the stops on the ACCORD Freedom Trail. Mrs. Janie Price was a nurse at Flagler Hospital, who received her nursing training at Grady Hospital. While in Atlanta, she would attend dances at Morehouse College, where she met Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

When Dr. King visited St. Augustine on May 31, 1964, to join the protests at Monson Motor Lodge, he stayed in a series of homes to hide his whereabouts. Janie Price volunteered her home on Central Avenue to shelter Dr. King and Rev. Ralph Abernathy. During these protests, King was arrested and penned his “Letter from the Saint Augustine Jail” to his friend Rabbi Israel Dresner. Rabbi Dresner, along with sixteen other rabbis, joined the protests and were arrested. To date, it is the largest mass arrest of rabbis in the United States. Civil rights activists waded into the motel’s pool to protest segregation. In response, the motel manager, James Brock, poured muriatic acid into the pool to drive the protesters out of the water, thereby creating one of the most horrific and memorable images of the protest.

Protesters left St. Augustine on July 1, 1964, and President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act on July 2, 1964.

-Georgia, Black History, Churches and Temples

Martin Luther King, Jr. Monument Park-Dublin, Georgia

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Created by artist Corey Barksdale, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Monument Park commemorates the speech that Dr. King made as a school boy in 1944 at the First African Baptist Church. It sits between the church and Dublin’s downtown. More info about the park can be read here.