HISTORY & MUSEUMS OUR STORIES

Some of the most important catalysts in the civil rights movement took place right here in Baton Rouge. From our nation’s very first bus boycott to the historic Bogalusa Civil Rights March to the State Capitol, visit the sites and walk the steps that others took before us that played inspiring roles in defining equality here and across the U.S.

Step back in time and tour a full exhibit inside an authentic bus from 1953 that held the first civil rights bus boycott — right here in Baton Rouge. The cotton-filled garden gives you a glimpse into the past of some of civil rights’ biggest figures. Hear the stories of the people of color who made an impact here that was felt around the world.

Lincoln Theater

During the civil rights movement, Lincoln Theater was one of the only theaters that allowed Black people, becoming a cultural sanctuary for people of color.

Capitol Park Museum

Exhibits at Capitol Park Museum cover everything from slave markets and Jim Crow laws to resistance and revolt, giving a glimpse into the unimaginable plight of people of color in the South.

Webb’s Barber Shop

This barbershop is an icon in Baton Rouge, having anchored the Black-owned business community with more than a century of cuts and a number of famous faces sharing the chair.

City-Brooks Community Park

Baton Rouge Gallery is now found at the heart of this park inside of the oncesegregated City Park Pool House. The pool house was closed in 1963 following civil rights activists' efforts at the Baton Rouge Swim-In.

LSU Rural Life Museum

One of the “World’s Top 10 Outdoor Museums,” this interactive museum gives a true-to-life view that focuses on the ways of life of the working classes during the 18th and 19th centuries.

Southern University

What began as a dream more than 136 years ago, now serves as a living legacy of determination, commitment and success. The Southern University and A&M College system is the only historically Black university system in the U.S. and the largest HBCU in the country. This storied university is famous in both the past and present, from playing a vital role in the civil rights movement to bringing the house down with The Human Jukebox every Saturday in the fall.

Magnolia Mound

Built in 1791 and known as the oldest house in Baton Rouge, Magnolia Mound is a nationally accredited museum and education center that tells the story of its French Creole history as a sugar plantation with its own community of enslaved residents.

1953 Bus Boycott

Markers at North Boulevard & St. Philips and the McKinley High School Alumni Center on Thomas H. Delpit Drive, denote these sites as part of the original bus boycotts. These historic sites served as the blueprint and catalyst for other bus boycotts around the country.

U.S. & Louisiana Civil Rights Trail Stops

View the markers at:

// A.Z. Young - In 1967 a group of activists marched 105 miles from Bogalusa, demanding to be heard at the steps of the Louisiana State Capitol.

// Brooks Park Pool - The first safe Black swimming pool, organized by Rev. W.K. Brooks and the United Negro Recreation Association.

// Kress Building - On March 28, 1960, seven Southern University students staged a sit-in at the all-white lunch counter and refused to leave when told. Their actions spoke loudly, inspiring further peaceful protests around the city.

// Southern Student Sit-ins - In response to the expulsion of 16 students that staged sitins around town, more than 1,000 students marched from campus to the Capitol.

// Mt. Zion First Baptist Church - The meeting spot for the nation’s first civil rights bus boycott, planned and led by Rev. T.J. Jemison.

// Louisiana's Old State CapitolThe Baton Rouge meeting site of the famous Freedom Riders, a group that rode interstate buses into the segregated Southern United States to challenge the lack of enforcement on the ruling to desegregate buses.