Albany, Ga., April 24, 2018 - The Georgia Historical Society will dedicate a new historical marker on Wednesday April 25, at 2:00 p.m., to Freedom Alley and City Hall, the downtown Albany locations where Civil Rights protesters were held to await booking during the mass arrests of the Albany Movement between 1961 and 1963. The marker is sponsored by the Georgia Historical Society, the Albany Civil Rights Institute, Inc., and the Albany-Dougherty Historic Preservation Commission.
The historical marker will be the latest addition to the Georgia Civil Rights Trail, an initiative focused broadly on the economic, social, political, and cultural history of the Civil Rights Movement. It will also be the second Georgia Civil Rights Trail marker in Albany, following the marker at Shiloh Baptist Church dedicated in 2014.
Historical Marker Dedication: Freedom Alley and City Hall
Wednesday, April 25, 2018 at 2:00 p.m.
Central Square Government Complex
230/240 Pine Avenue, Albany, GA 31701
The historical marker reads:
Freedom Alley and City Hall
During the Albany Movement (1961-1963), as part of the Civil Rights Movement, the area here bordering the former Albany City Hall and jail became known as Freedom Alley. Located at what is now the Central Square Government Complex, the location served as a holding spot as hundreds of Civil Rights protestors awaited booking during police chief Laurie Pritchett’s campaign of mass arrests. To avoid violent confrontations and charges of violating civil rights, Pritchett authorized arrests for minor offenses, which were harder to dispute in court. Using this tactic, Pritchett’s police force arrested far more inmates than the Albany jail could hold, and many protestors were sent to jails in neighboring counties. As many as 1,500 protestors were arrested. Many demonstrators, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., were arrested and jailed multiple times during the Albany Movement.
Erected by the Georgia Historical Society, Albany Civil Rights Institute, Inc., and
Albany-Dougherty Historic Preservation Commission.
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ABOUT THE GEORGIA HISTORICAL MARKER PROGRAM
The Georgia Historical Society (GHS) administers Georgia’s historical marker program. Over the past 20 years, GHS has erected over 250 new historical markers across the state on a wide variety of subjects. GHS also maintains the more than 2,100 markers installed by the State of Georgia prior to 1998. Online mapping tools allow users to design driving routes based on historical markers, and a mobile app helps visitors locate and learn about markers nearby.Visit georgiahistory.com for more ways to use Georgia’s historical markers and experience history where it happened.
ABOUT GEORGIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Georgia Historical Society (GHS) is the premier independent statewide institution responsible for collecting, examining, and teaching Georgia history. GHS houses the oldest and most distinguished collection of materials related exclusively to Georgia history in the nation.
To learn more visit georgiahistory.com.