Martin Luther King Jr. Birth Home
Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia
Marker Inscription
Birthplace of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., January 15, 1929, on Auburn Avenue in the heart of Atlanta's 'Sweet Auburn' district.
Erected by National Park Service
The Story
King was born and spent his early childhood in this two-story Queen Anne home. The surrounding Sweet Auburn district was a thriving center of Black business and culture.
Why it matters
It marks the beginning of the life of the Civil Rights Movement's most enduring leader and Nobel laureate.
Related people
- ยท Martin Luther King Jr.
Related events
- ยท Civil Rights Movement
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Dexter Avenue Baptist Church
Montgomery, AL ยท est. 1974
From this church near the Alabama Capitol, a young Dr. King led the 381-day Montgomery Bus Boycott after Rosa Parks's arrest. The boycott ended segregated buses and launched King to national prominence.
Edmund Pettus Bridge
Selma, AL ยท est. 1965
Some 600 marchers crossing the bridge toward Montgomery were attacked by police with clubs and tear gas. Televised nationwide, the violence galvanized support for the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Rankin House โ Underground Railroad
Ripley, OH ยท est. 1938
From his house above Ripley, John Rankin and his family sheltered more than 2,000 escaping enslaved people over four decades. The lantern in his window signaled safety across the river from Kentucky.
Harpers Ferry โ John Brown's Raid
Harpers Ferry, WV ยท est. 1963
Brown and 21 men captured the federal arsenal at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah. Cornered by U.S. Marines under Robert E. Lee, Brown was captured, tried, and hanged โ becoming a martyr to abolitionists and a warning to the South.