Any good storyteller knows there is power in how a tale is told.
Interactivity and emotion create authentic and highly impactful narratives that can sway hearts and minds. There are few better opportunities for good storytelling than on the U.S. Civil Rights Trail, which brims with powerful, emotional encounters of trials and triumphs of the Civil Rights Movement.
Here are five trail sites that use especially immersive visitor experiences to tell their incredible stories.
Central High School National Historic Site
Little Rock, Arkansas
Even after the victory of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case that affirmed racial segregation in schools was unconstitutional, there was still plenty of resistance. In Little Rock, Arkansas, Central High School was the site of a standoff. On one side were nine Black students attempting to exercise their right to attend the previously all-white school. On the other, stood the governor of Arkansas, angry mobs of locals and the National Guard, preventing them from attending. The struggle ended weeks later when the federal government stepped in with President Dwight D. Eisenhower sending federal troops to escort the nine students into the school. And the Little Rock Nine became a symbol of the Civil Rights Movement.
“It was one of those watershed moments where the power of the state, if gone unchecked, would have kept the Little Rock Nine from their Supreme Court-mandated right to go to an integrated school,” said Brian Schwieger, program manager of interpretation, education and visitor services at the national historic site. “This was one of those moments that really set the tone for how the government would handle this. Then it highlighted the power of young people, and young people would really be on the front lines of the Civil Rights Movement.”
Visitors to the national historic site can experience comprehensive ranger-led programs that guide them through the story of the Little Rock Nine and their broader impact on the Civil Rights Movement. The site’s visitors center is full of interactive exhibits and artifacts. Rangers then lead visitors on a walking tour of the site’s commemorative garden and around the property to interpret the events that unfolded. There’s a self-guided audio tour available as an alternative to the ranger-led tours.
Harpers Ferry National Historic Site
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
At the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers in West Virginia, travelers will find the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. There is enough history in the compact area to fill an itinerary for at least a full morning or afternoon. The picturesque mountain town of Harpers Ferry played a key role in the Civil War, and following the abolition of slavery, in the secondary education of Black students. It’s notable for being the site of John Brown’s War on Slavery in 1859, during which Brown, an abolitionist, and his men captured Harpers Ferry in a bid to end slavery, which ultimately pushed the country toward the Civil War. It’s also the site of Storer College, the first Black college in West Virginia.
“At Harpers Ferry we have layered history, and we have so much diversity in our history,” said Dennis Frye, chief historian emeritus at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.
Visitors can take a self-guided park tour or enlist a private licensed guide in the area. In Oldtown Harpers Ferry, often referred to as Lower Harpers Ferry, visitors can start by heading to The Point, which offers a view of the confluence of the rivers. This vantage point, in addition to offering gorgeous vistas of Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia, demonstrates Harpers Ferry’s strategic position in times of conflict. Then, visitors can head to the U.S. Arsenal Site, which Brown targeted to seize weapons for his war. Next, they’ll see the original location of the John Brown Fort, where Brown was captured, and a museum dedicated to him.
In Upper Town Harpers Ferry, visitors can see the former Storer College campus, including the places where Frederick Douglass and W.E.B. Du Bois gave powerful speeches. The Lockwood House, another trail site, was the first building of Storer College. Many additional historic landmarks help complete the town’s rich history.
Alabama Civil Rights Trail Experience
Montgomery and Selma, Alabama
Many of the Civil Rights Movement’s most recognizable events occurred in Alabama. Often, they intertwined tragedy and empowerment. Rosa Parks’ arrest spurred the Montgomery bus boycott and eventually the desegregation of city buses. Bloody Sunday, named for a march held from Mongomery to Selma, Alabama, in 1965 during which 600 people were attacked on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Law enforcement officers beat unarmed marchers with billy clubs and sprayed them with tear gas. This response so shocked the nation that it eventually encouraged the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
“One of the things that we try to do for this type of history is to bring people close to it, because it’s a history that once you experience it, you must feel it,” said Rosemary Judkins of Alabama Tourism. “So what we try to do is bring it to life.”
This effort includes crafting immersive experiences that let visitors walk in the footsteps of the key figures of the movement. On the road between Selma and Montgomery, there are plenty of opportunities. One incredibly moving experience is the walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, replicating the protest march from Selma to Montgomery, and even speaking to some of the foot soldiers who were on the bridge on Bloody Sunday.
Another notable opportunity involves a flash mob appearing outside of Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church in Montgomery. After visiting the church, visitors step outside to find a group of actors dressed in period clothing portraying the struggle between peaceful protestors and agitators. The visitors may choose to lock arms and walk to the capitol steps themselves, where an actor portraying Martin Luther King Jr. is delivering the powerful speech King once gave in front of those steps.
“And all the while, everybody is still locked arm-in-arm and as they’re singing,” Judkins said. “I tell you, the emotions get high.”
Visitors can contact Alabama Tourism to arrange their customized experiences in advance.
Hayti Heritage Center
Durham, North Carolina
Durham, North Carolina, has a rich Black history because of its Black neighborhoods, which were once thriving, self-sufficient communities. Though urban development and gentrification disrupted these communities, their legacy is kept alive through the Hayti Heritage Center, a historical, cultural arts center located in what was once the St. Joseph AME Church building. The center opened in 1975 and is now a hub for education and community events in the Durham area, as well as a U.S. Civil Rights Trail site.
Visitors can tour the building to learn about its long history, starting as a church built in 1891 and becoming a National Historic Landmark. They’ll see plenty of visual art, including rotating exhibits and more permanent fixtures like murals and stained glass. But they’ll also learn about the center’s ongoing community engagement, from annual film festivals to Kwanza celebrations to jazz performances.
The center is also where visitors can meet for a Whistlestop Tour, which takes visitors from the Hayti Heritage Center through the historic Hayti District and other historic Black neighborhoods for in-depth walking history tours. These tours can also be done via step-on guide on a bus and consist of powerful storytelling elements, including reenactors of prominent historic figures from these neighborhoods.
“They should come to learn about the rich heritage we have, the rich Black Wall Street history there,” said Marc Lee, site coordinator at the Hayti Heritage Center. “But there’s also amazing talent they can see on a regular basis, from visual talent with artwork to performances, poets or our musicians.”
Mound Bayou Museum of African American History and Culture
Mound Bayou, Mississippi
Many stories of the Civil Rights Movement are connected by a single thread: Mound Bayou, Mississippi. Founded in 1887 by formerly enslaved people as an independent Black community, the tiny town on the eastern border of the state is notable for its history from its antebellum years to the Civil Rights Movement. It’s on the National Register of Historic Places and has prominent ties to the movement’s leaders and martyrs, from Martin Luther King Jr. to Medgar Evers to Emmett Till. It’s also a place that demonstrated the resilience of its Black community in a time of violent racial segregation in the South. The Mound Bayou Museum of African American History and Culture was founded with the goal of sharing the stories of the community and bringing awareness of its importance to civil rights history.
“The story of Mound Bayou is one remarkable thing after another,” said museum director Hermon Johnson Jr. “There’s lots of those stories, and our focus was to tell that story. When we started working telling that story, the museum is what we ended up with.”
Museum visitors will find a massive collection of artifacts related to Black history and the town. This includes the Dr. Simpson collection, once valued at $3 million, donated to the museum to demonstrate public perceptions of African Americans throughout the course of history; the Emmett Till collection, featuring props from the 2022 film “Till” about Till’s murder; and the Mound Bayou collection, which has artifacts from the town, from its founding to present day. Tours can be customized to pertain to a particular area of history or of the Civil Rights Movement as a whole. The museum is also the site of workshops, lectures and community events.
