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Birth Home Of Martin Luther King, Jr |
Birth Home Of Martin Luther King, Jr
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Martin Luther King, Jr, was born in this two - story queen Anne - style
house on January 15, 1929, He oldest son of a Bapist minister and an
elementry school music teacher. His childload wap a normal one He prefered
playing baseball to piano lesson, liked to play Monopoly, and got a kick out
of tearing the heads off his older sisters dolls. To quote his sister,
Christine king Farris, " My brother was no saint ordained at birth, instead
he was an by god to perform extraordinary deeds. " King lived here through
the age of 12, then ,moved with his family to a house a few blocks away. A
visit provides many insights into the formative influences on one of the
greatest leaders of our time. The Rev. A.D. Williams, king's maternal
grandfather and pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, bought the house in 1909.
Reverend Williams was active not only in the church but in the community and
early manifestations of the civil rights movement. He was a charter member
of Atlanta's NAACP and led a series of black registration and voting drives
as far back as 1917. He was instrumental in getting black officers on the
Atlanta Police Force Martin Luther King, Sr, moved in on Thanksgiving Day,
1926, when he married Wiliams daughter Alberta when Reverend Williams died
in 1931, he became head of the household and also took over Williams's
pulpit at Ebenezer Church. The king family retained ownership of the house
of 501 Auburn even after thus moved away. king's younger brother, Alfred
Daniel, lived here with his family from 1954 to 1963. In 1971, king's mother
deeded the home to the Martin Luther King, Jr center. It has since been
restored to its appearnce during the years of king's boyhood. The
furnishings are all originals or similar period reproductions, and some
personal items belonging to the family are on display. Christine was
actively involved in the restoration, providing a wealth of detail about its
former appearance, as well as anecdotal material about life in the king
family.
Hours: Daily 9am to 9pm
Address: 501 Aubyrn Ave
Phone:404/331 - 6922 |
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