A piece of Selma’s civil rights history is preparing to open its doors in a new state, but city leaders say the story still begins in Alabama.
) - A piece of Selma ’s civil rights history is preparing to open its doors in a new state, but city leaders say the story still begins in Alabama.
The Jackson Home, once located in Selma, was moved to Greenfield Village at The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan. The home is set to officially open to the public during a grand opening weekend June 12-14. The Henry Ford describes the Jackson Home as the first home added to Greenfield Village in more than 40 years.
Selma Mayor Johnny Moss and Cheryl Smedley, executive director of the Selma-Dallas County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Information, say the move gives Selma’s history a chance to reach people who may have never traveled to Alabama.
“We hope that people will spark interest and people will want to come back to Selma to visit, to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge, to see the site where this historical home was located,” Moss said. The Jackson Home was the former home of Dr. Sullivan Jackson and Richie Jean Sherrod Jackson.
During the civil rights movement, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders used the home as a place to rest, meet and strategize during the Selma voting rights campaign. According to The Henry Ford, King and other civil rights leaders made historic plans inside the home as they worked to secure civil and voting rights. Their efforts helped lead to the signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Moss said the home was taken apart piece by piece, brick by brick and board by board before being moved to Michigan. The Associated Press reported the home was moved to be reconstructed at Greenfield Village, and archivists have worked to digitize and catalog thousands of items from the home. For Smedley, the home’s move is also a tourism opportunity for Selma.
She said she once spent hours speaking with Jackson family members about the home’s history, including the meals cooked there and the visits from King and other civil rights leaders.
“It was amazing,” Smedley said. “The history that she talked about, the visits that Dr. King would have. She talked about the meals that she cooked for them when they were all here visiting, and just a dynamic story. ” Smedley said thousands of visitors are expected to see the home in Michigan, including people who may not have otherwise known about Selma’s connection to the house.
Although the home itself is no longer in Selma, local leaders say they do not want the original site to become just another vacant lot. Moss said the city has already added a mural and a sign explaining the history of the home and what it represented. He said the city is also working to keep the area cleaned up so visitors can stop, take photos and reflect on the history that happened there.
“What we’re trying to do is continue to clean up this area,” Moss said. “And so that when people come in, they can stop here and visit, take photos, and just sit in this historical setting that, again, changed the world. ” Moss said the home’s history is also personal for him. His grandparents lived nearby, and he grew up in the neighborhood.
He said as a child, he did not fully understand the significance of the Jackson Home.
“As a young man, a young boy, I didn’t realize the significance of this house,” Moss said. “But now I do. And it’s just so historic. ” Moss said the home is part of the reason Selma remains important to the country’s history and future.
“It’s humbling to be able to serve as mayor of the city of Selma because without Reverend Jackson and without Dr. King, I wouldn’t be able to have this seat,” Moss said. The mayor said some people may question whether Selma is losing or selling its history by having the home relocated.
However, he believes the move will expand the home’s reach and encourage more visitors to come to Selma to see where the story started.
“This was an opportunity to actually, I think, enhance tourism,” Moss said. “We hope that that sparks interest in others to come to Selma to not only see this house, but see all the historical properties that we still have, to take the journey across the bridge. ” The original site of the Jackson Home is also located near Selma University, a historic HBCU. Smedley said that adds another layer to the history surrounding the area.
“Selma University is just right across the street from where it’s standing from,” Smedley said. “It’s a historic HBCU college. So, there’s just lots of rich history right here in this area. ” The Henry Ford says the Jackson Home will be restored to its appearance in 1965, a landmark year in the fight for civil and voting rights.
For Selma leaders, the hope is that visitors who walk through the home in Michigan will eventually make their way to Alabama.2 killed, 1 injured in overnight Montgomery crashSix men arrested in two-day Monroe County human trafficking operationKarmelo Anthony convicted of murder in fatal stabbing at a Texas high school track meet
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