CIVIL RIGHTS HISTORY DRIVING TOUR
Sites in Indianola and Sunflower County, Mississippi, were pivotal during the civil rights movement, particularly known for their roles in voter registration drives. These included homes, schools, stores and churches that welcomed activists who were fighting for equality.
Some of the significant sites include on the Driving Tour include:
Dr. Clinton Battle Medical Office – 913 B.B. King Road
From Dr. Battle’s Mississippi Freedom Trail marker: Dr. Clinton C. Battle (1927-1994), an Indianola native and gifted physician, was also an active civil rights leader in the Delta in the early 1950s. He was forced to attend Meharry Medical College, due to the state not having a medical college for African Americans.
He became quickly successful, and Indianolans of both races recognized his talents as a physician. In 1957, Battle managed the complicated delivery of Mrs. Missouri Matthews’s conjoined twins at her home, a feat that earned him a profile in Ebony magazine as well as articles in medical journals. He rejuvenated Indianola’s NAACP chapter, led successful voter registration drives, and assisted the prosecution of Emmett Till’s murderers before White resistance to civil rights organizing drove him out of the state.
A Mississippi Freedom Trail marker honoring his achievements is located at 310 Church Avenue.
Wayne and Minnie Cox Park – 300 Faisonia Avenue
A historic marker placed by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History here reads: On this site was the home of Wayne and Minnie Cox. In 1888, Wayne Cox was elected alderman, the first African American to hold that post in Indianola. Appointed by President Benjamin Harrison in 1891, Minnie Cox is the nation’s first known African American female postmaster. Both were also successful entrepreneurs.
Bell Grove Missionary Baptist Church – 1301 B.B. King Road
This church was the site of the funeral service for B.B. King where a standing-room-only crowd filled the sanctuary. From there, the funeral procession was led by two white horses as described in his song “See That My Grave is Kept Clean.”
Watch him performing it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWOHqo-Da6A
The Sunflower County Courthouse – 200 Main Street
After attending her first mass meeting at William Chapel Church in Ruleville, Fannie Lou Hamer attempted to register to vote at the Sunflower County Courthouse, facing intimidation from numerous police officers. Despite failing a discriminatory literacy test that day, she persisted and eventually succeeded in registering in early 1963. Although the original courthouse was replaced by a more modern structure in 1967, there is an interpretive panel that describes Ms. Hamer’s bravery in that pivotal moment in history.
https://www.fannielouhamersamerica.com/driving-tour/sunflower-county-courthouse-indianola-ms
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke on the courthouse steps on June 21, 1966, during the historic Meredith March Against Fear.
Bryant Chapel – Church and Mill Streets
Bryant Chapel A.M.E. Church served as a vital sanctuary for local African Americans and civil rights activists during the 1950s and 1960s, offering a safe space for voter registration efforts and community meetings. Pastors and congregant leaders welcomed activists from the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) to organize campaigns in the heavily segregated Sunflower County.
White Rose Café – 351 Mill Street
The White Rose Café opened in 1947 and served as a sanctuary for both Black and white civil rights activists during Freedom Summer of 1964. While no longer in business, the historic building features murals honoring civil rights and blues legends.
Freedom School Site – 676 Jefferson Street
Another site important to Freedom Summer, this building was used by the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO) and served as a center for voter registration and mass meetings before being repeated targeted and firebombed by white supremacists.
Irene Magruder Home – 210 Byas Street
This site was the home of Irene Magruder (1898-1973), who was the first African American in Indianola to open her home to civil rights workers during Freedom Summer. Her home was firebombed and destroyed on May 1, 1965.
Hollins Grocery – 202 Byas Street
This store served as a vital community hub and safe harbor for activists during the civil rights movement.
King Freedom House – 327 Oklahoma Avenue
Built around 1920 in Indianola’s historic Bear’s Den neighborhood, this small rental house was provided by Estell “Tide” King to support civil rights activists.
St. Benedict the Moor Catholic Center – 403 Church Avenue
The St. Benedict the Moor parish was established in Indianola in 1953 in a rented grocery store. In 1954, an old house was purchased, and later the church moved to a former funeral home on this site. Father Meinrad “Walter” Smigiel was the first pastor and also represented the Franciscan mission that served the poor and underprivileged. In 1960, construction started on St. Benedict the Moor Center, which served for decades as a religious, civic, social and educational center in Indianola. Father Walter was an advocate for civil rights and social justice. As well as personal participation in the movement, he opened the church and the center to the community at large. As a result, he and the congregation and the building were targets of threats and violence.
Carver Randle Law Office – 130 Second Street
Attorney Carver Randle (1942-2018) was a lifelong public servant who was an advocate for civil rights that centered on improving education and workforce opportunities for African Americans in Sunflower County. He was also instrumental in the revitalization of the area NAACP chapter.
Gentry High School – B.B. King Road and Battle Street
Gentry High School historically served as the town’s all-Black high school and later became a focal point for desegregation battles in the late 1960s when a 1960 federal court order mandated full integration of the town’s schools, leading to the creation of a local segregation academy.
Nathaniel “Slim” Jack – Second Street and Sunflower Avenue
Jack, also known as “Pogey Slim” was appointed in 1955 as Indianola’s first Black police officer and the first uniformed Black policeman in the state of Mississippi. A monument honoring his historic role was unveiled at the Indianola Police Department in 1993.
Fannie Lou Hamer Park – 929 Byron Street, Ruleville
One of the most well-known names in civil rights history, Fannie Lou Hamer was born in 1917. She moved to Ruleville with her parents when she was six and lived there for the next eighteen years. While there, she became interested in voting rights after attending a mass meeting in 1962, where she learned about her constitutional right to vote. Hamer co-founded the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP) to challenge the exclusion of African Americans from the political process. Her powerful speeches and personal story of overcoming systemic oppression garnered national attention, making her a symbol of the struggle for civil rights. Despite facing intimidation and violence, Hamer remained unwavering in her commitment to activism until her death in 1977. A statue of Hamer and a Mississippi Freedom Trail marker stand at the park to honor her contributions.
https://www.fannielouhamersamerica.com/driving-tour/fannie-lou-hamer-memorial-gardens
Giles Penny Saver Store
This store, established in 1946, served as a crucial hub for the local Black community during the civil rights movement. Owned by Oscar and Alice Giles, the store provided affordable groceries to Black cotton workers and became a meeting place for civil rights organizers. Oscar Giles was involved in the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, advocating for voting rights alongside figures like Fannie Lou Hamer. Their activism led to retaliation, including the firebombing of the store in 1965, yet they continued to support initiatives like the Head Start Program for Black children. The Giles’ dedication to their community and civil rights left a lasting legacy, recognized by a historical marker at the store’s former site.