Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site

National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site

Long-Range Interpretive Plan
December 2011

Prepared by:

Harpers Ferry Center Interpretive Planning, and

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site staff and partners

National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site

Long-Range Interpretive Plan

Front cover: 

Photo of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Ebenezer Baptist Church, donated by Corbis/Photographer Flip Schulke; 

other photos credit: NPS Photographer Gary Tarleton
Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I i

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Message from Superintendent

Introduction

Introduction 

The Planning Process

Foundation for Planning

Legislative History

Enabling Legislation

Historical Background

Park Mission

Park Vision

Planning Documents Significant to Interpretation

For Future Planning Purposes

Park Purpose and Significance Statements

Interpretive Themes

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Interpretive Themes and 

Supporting Concepts

Segregation and Struggle

Childhood and Character

Church and Community

Leadership and Legacy

Visitor Experience Goals

Existing Conditions

Visitor Profiles

Interpretive Facilities and Sites

National Historic Site Facilities Operated by the National Park Service

National Historic Site Facilities Operated by The King Center

Martin Luther King, Jr. Preservation District

National Park Service Interpretive Programming

Issues and Influences

Recommendations

Guiding Principles for Recommendations

Parkwide Recommendations

Organizational Effectiveness

Pre-Visit

Arrival Experience

Interpretive Media

Cell Phone Tour

Publications

Wayfinding

Website

Other Future Website Opportunities

iii

v

v 

viii

1

1

1

4

5

5

5

6

6

8

9

9

11

13

14

15

16

16

23

23

37

40

42

48

52

52

55

55

56

57

59

59

59

60

61

62
Introduction

ii I National Park Service

Personal Services

General Staffing Recommendations

Education Program

New Program Ideas

Research Needs Documented During the Workshop

How to Deal With the Difficult Topics?

Partnerships

Site-Specific Recommendations

Visitor Center

Summary of the Visitor Center Recommendations

Visitor Center Theater and Audiovisual Programs

Birth Home of Dr. King

Birth Home Block

Historic Fire Station No. 6

Ebenezer Baptist Church 

Expanding the Park Visitor Experience

Sunset Avenue Residence

The Park Preservation District: Auburn Avenue’s Commercial District

Prince Hall Masonic Lodge (Headquarters of the Southern Christian 

Leadership Conference)

Connecting with Ebenezer Baptist Church’s Horizon Sanctuary

Appendices

Appendix A: Implementation Plan for the Long-Range Interpretive Plan 

Appendix B: Park Legislation

Appendix C: Park Planning Team

Appendix D: Guidance for Future Education Program Development

Appendix E: Bibliography

64

64

65

66

66

67

71

72

72

72

76

78

82

84

86

90

90

93

97

100

102

102

111

117

118

119
Introduction

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I iii

MESSAGE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT
iv I National Park Service

Map of Martin Luther King, Jr. 

National Historic Site and Preservation 

District, showing current park 

boundaries. (Credit: NPS HFC, 2010)

Cain Street

Wm. Holmes

Borders, Sr. Drive

Irwin Street 

Old Wheat Street

John Wesley Dobbs Avenue

Brooks Alley

Boaz Street

Ezzard Street

Howell St

Coca-Cola Place

Cooks Alley

Randolph Street

Bell Street

Chamberlain Street

Edgewood Avenue

Tanner Street

 Avenue

Ellis Street

Old Wheat Street

(former Butler Street)

Courtland Street

Jesse Hill, Jr. Drive Irwin Street 

Andrew Young International Boulevard

Cornelia Street

John Wesley Dobbs Avenue

Hogue Street

Hilliard Street Hilliard Street

Daniel Street

Jackson Street

Piedmont Ave

Edgewood Avenue

William 

Irwin Street 

Auditorium Place

John Wesley Dobbs 

Piedmont Avenue

Fort Street

Jesse Hill, Jr. Drive

Howell Street

Bell Street

Bradley Street

Bradley Street

Boulevard

Auburn Avenue

Auburn Avenue Auburn Avenue

Boulevard

Auburn Avenue

A T L A N T A E X P R E S S W A Y

F R E E D O M P A R K W A Y

BUS PARKING Parking

entrance

and exit

BUS PARKING

Main

Visitor

Parking

Exit 248BEdgewood/Auburn Avenue

Exit 248CCarter Center,Freedom Parkway(Ga. 10)

Exit 248D

Jesse Hill, Jr. Drive

20 To , Zoo,

and Cyclorama 

To King MemorialMARTA Station

To downtown Atlanta

To Carter Center1.5mi/2.4km

Martin Luther

King, Jr. 

Branch Library

(Atlanta–Fulton County

Public Library System)

Helene S. Mills SeniorMultipurpose Facility(Fulton County)

Eternal

Flame

John HopeElementary School

Martin Luther King Jr.Community Center

(City of Atlanta)

Parkview Manor Nursing Home

FreedomHall

National Park ServiceMaintenanceFacility

David T. HowardSchool(Historical Archivesfor Atlanta PublicSchools)

PROMENADE

Martin Luther King Jr.Natatorium(City of Atlanta)

HISTORIC RESIDENTIAL AREA

APEX Museum135 Auburn Ave.

Peace Plaza

King Birth Home501 Auburn Ave. Built 1895. Atlanta Daily World Building

145 Auburn Ave.

Historic Fire Station No. 6

Atlanta Life InsuranceCompany Building148 Auburn Ave. Completed1920; annex (142 Auburn) built1936.

Odd Fellows Buildingand Auditorium228–250 Auburn Ave.Built 1912–1914.

Royal Peacock Club184–186 Auburn Ave.Built 1922.

Butler Street YMCABuilt 1918–1920.

Wheat StreetBaptist Church365 Auburn Ave.Built 1920–1931.

Prince Hall MasonicBuilding332–334 Auburn Ave. Completed 1941. Served as headquarters for the national oce of the Southern Chris-tian Leadership Conference.

Sweet AuburnCurb Market209 Edgewood Ave. Completed 1923. The market is still in operation.

The King Center449 Auburn Ave. Founded in June 1968 by Coretta Scott King and other supporters of the Dr. King legacy.

Big Bethel AfricanMethodist EpiscopalChurch220 Auburn Ave. Built 1890s;rebuilt 1924.

Our Lady of LourdesCatholic Church

25 Boulevard

ParkBookstore

450 Auburn Ave. Built 1996. Begin your visit here.

Herndon Building231–245 Auburn Ave.Built 1926. 

Ebenezer Baptist ChurchHorizon Sanctuary400 Auburn Ave. 

Historic Ebenezer Baptist ChurchHeritage Sanctuary407–413 Auburn Ave.

Built 1999.

Dr. King’s TombThe present tomb locationand the Eternal Flame were dedicated in 1977.

Auburn AvenueResearch Library (Atlanta–Fulton CountyPublic Library System)101 Auburn Ave.

Freedom Park Trail

NationalPark ServiceVisitor Center

10

7585

7585

Other structures

National HistoricSite

Visitor-usefacilities

PreservationDistrict

20 100 Meters

100 0 500 Feet

0

North
Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I v

Introduction

Martin Luther King, Jr. is best known nationally and internationally for his leadership of the modern 

American Civil Rights Movement and his subsequent efforts to promote world peace and economic 

equality. The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site, located in the Atlanta, Georgia community 

where Dr. King was reared and to which he later returned in the height of his activism, commemorates 

Dr. King’s lifetime achievements. The site preserves the King Birth Home and the historically African 

American neighborhood where Dr. King spent his youth. The larger Sweet Auburn community, 

which served as the economic, cultural, and religious center for Atlanta’s segregated African American 

population from 1910 through the 1960s, greatly influenced Dr. King both as a youth and as an adult.

On January 15, 1929, Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in Atlanta at 501 Auburn Avenue within a 

prosperous African American commercial and residential district. He lived in this house with his 

maternal grandparents, mother, father, sister, brother, extended family members, and occasional 

boarders until he was twelve years old. Dr. King attended public schools nearby and walked to services 

at Ebenezer Baptist Church where his maternal grandfather and father served as pastors. In 1941, the 

family moved to another house within the Sweet Auburn community, and Dr. King began attending the 

Laboratory High School of Atlanta University and Booker T. Washington High School. At the age of 

fifteen, after having skipped both the ninth and twelfth grades, Dr. King entered Morehouse College 

and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology.

Dr. King left Atlanta to attend Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania in the fall 

of 1948. In 1951, he graduated from Crozer with a Bachelor of Divinity degree, and continued his 

education at Boston University’s School of Theology, earning a Doctorate of Philosophy in Systematic 

Theology in 1955. It was in Boston, Massachusetts where Dr. King met Coretta Scott, who was 

attending the New England Conservatory of Music. They were married on June 18, 1953, in Marion, 

Alabama. In 1954, Dr. King accepted the pastorate at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, 

Alabama. Dr. King began to emerge as a leader of the modern American Civil Rights Movement after 

being elected President of the Montgomery Improvement Association, the organization which was 

responsible for the successful 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott.

In November 1959, Dr. King resigned as pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church and by February 

1960, he and his family moved back to Atlanta. From 1960 until his death in 1968, he was co-pastor 

with his father at Ebenezer Baptist Church and President of the Southern Christian Leadership 

Conference (SCLC), an organization dedicated to defeating all forms of racial segregation through the 

use of nonviolent direct action, including drives for the registration of all eligible African American 

voters in the South. While campaigning on behalf of sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee, 

Dr. King was assassinated while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel on April 4, 1968. 

INTRODUCTION
Introduction

vi I National Park Service

During the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Dr. King reset the moral compass of the 

nation with his “I Have a Dream” speech. This speech became a landmark of the modern American 

Civil Rights Movement and facilitated the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights 

Act of 1965, major legislative victories for the Movement. Dr. King was the unique American voice 

that redefined the American promise to include all citizens. His charismatic and visionary leadership 

changed the course of American history, garnering him international distinction; Dr. King received 

numerous awards, including the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize, in recognition of his nonviolent civil rights 

work. 

Following her husband’s assassination, Mrs. Coretta Scott King established The Martin Luther King, 

Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Inc. (originally named The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial 

Center) in 1968 as the official living memorial dedicated to advancing the legacy of Martin Luther 

King, Jr. Mrs. King later advocated for the establishment of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National 

Historic Site, a unit of the National Park Service.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site annually hosts more than 700,000 national and 

international visitors. A 38-acre area in the City of Atlanta, Georgia, the site was listed as a National 

Historic Landmark on May 5, 1977, and was made a National Historic Site on October 10, 1980, with 

the passage of Public Law 96-428.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site includes:

•	 501 Auburn Avenue, the home where Martin Luther King, Jr. (“M.L.”) was born on January 15, 

1929, to Reverend Martin Luther King, Sr. and Mrs. Alberta Christine Williams King. Dr. King lived 

here until age twelve with his sister, Willie Christine, and his brother, Alfred Daniel (“A.D.”). 

•	 Ebenezer Baptist Church, Dr. King’s spiritual home. It is where he preached his first sermon at the 

age of 17 and where he co-pastored with his father from 1960-1968.

•	 The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Inc., commonly referred to as 

“The King Center.” This organization is currently managed by direct descendants of Dr. King and 

Mrs. Coretta Scott King to promote the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.

•	 The Birth Home Block, portions of the historically African American Sweet Auburn residential 

community, which was, by law, a racially segregated community during Dr. King’s childhood.

•	 Historic Fire Station No. 6, historically where white firefighters operated within the predominantly 

African American Sweet Auburn community; it was one of the first racially integrated fire stations in 

Atlanta.

•	 A Preservation District links Dr. King’s career to the African American businesses, religious, social, 

and political organizations that flourished along Auburn Avenue and Edgewood Avenue prior to 

and during Dr. King’s lifetime.

Of notable interest, Prince Hall Masonic Lodge at 332 Auburn Avenue is where Dr. King 

established the headquarters of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). The SCLC 

was dedicated to defeating all forms of segregation, including a drive for the registration of all 

African American voters in the South, through the use of nonviolent direct action and collaboration 

with African American churches and many other organizations.
Introduction

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I vii

In 2009, the park requested and received the assistance of the National Park Service’s Interpretive 

Planning and Design Center, commonly referred to as Harpers Ferry Center (HFC) to initiate 

comprehensive interpretive planning through the development of a Long-Range Interpretive Plan 

(LRIP). The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site LRIP is the direct result of two planning 

workshops held in December 2009 and April 2010 with park staff, historians, HFC media specialists, 

and partners. The intended audience for this plan includes National Park Service staff, partners, 

stakeholders, interested visitors, and future contractors. The plan is concurrent with all park planning 

documents.

The Long-Range Interpretive Plan (LRIP) is both a visionary and pragmatic document that outlines 

cost-effective recommendations to guide the planning and delivery of the park visitor experience and 

to assist with resource preservation for the next decade. Due to the scope of the recommendations 

to improve interpretive facilities and media, and the commensurate funding required, the park 

acknowledges fulfillment of this plan may take 10-15 years. Recommendations address personal 

services, media, and partnerships that assist with the delivery of the interpretive program. The LRIP is 

divided into five major sections:

1. The Introduction provides important context for readers of this LRIP and includes a description of 

the National Park Service’s Comprehensive Interpretive Planning Process.

2. The Foundation for Planning section includes the park’s purpose and significance statements, 

interpretive themes and supporting interpretive concepts, and visitor experience goals. These key 

sections were developed during the December 2009 workshop. 

3. The Existing Conditions section includes a description and evaluation of existing park facilities, 

media, visitor profiles, and “interpretive issues,” which summarizes the challenges park staff face with 

regards to the delivery of the interpretive program. The Existing Conditions section was developed by 

the interpretive staff prior to the workshops and refined during both group workshops.

4. The Recommendations section synthesizes recommendations discussed during both workshops. 

It begins with core principles that will guide the delivery of the present and future interpretive 

program. This section presents parkwide recommendations and is followed by detailed site specific 

recommendations. It outlines short and long-term recommendations.

5. The Appendices provide supporting information that will be helpful to park staff in the planning and 

delivery of the park’s program for interpretation, education, and visitor services, as well as for training 

of new park staff. The LRIP implementation plan is located in Appendix A.

At the introduction of the first workshop, Superintendent Judy Forte quoted Dr. King, challenging 

participants to give their best efforts in the development of the LRIP:

“All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance

and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

In the spirit of Dr. King’s aforementioned quotation, the goal of this Long-Range Interpretive Plan is 

to promote park resource values through strategically planned visitor experiences and excellence in 

interpretation. Realization of this vision requires new funding to implement the recommendations, 

strong internal collaboration, and external partnering.
Introduction

viii I National Park Service

The Planning Process

The goal of the interpretive planning process is not simply the creation of a plan. Long-Range 

Interpretive Plans (LRIPs) provide a vision for future interpretation, education, and visitor experience 

opportunities. LRIPs identify and analyze interpretation, education, and visitor experience goals and 

issues. They recommend the most effective, efficient, and practical ways to address those goals and 

issues. LRIPs address both non-personal services (interpretive media and facilities) and personal 

services (programs and personal contacts). Plans match interpretive media to messages to make sure 

they work well individually and collectively. The interpretive planning process is sensitive to which 

park resource experiences should be made accessible to visitors. Negative impacts on resources are 

minimized, and active stewardship is encouraged. The LRIP is one component of a Comprehensive 

Interpretive Plan (CIP); two other components are an Annual Implementation Plan and an Interpretive 

Database. 

The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan (LRIP) recommends 

actions that should occur over the next ten to fifteen years. It identifies park themes, describes visitor 

experience goals, and recommends a wide array of interpretive services, media, programs, and 

outreach activities to communicate the park’s mission, significance, themes, and values. It will join the 

park-produced Annual Implementation Plan and Interpretive Database to make up the Comprehensive 

Interpretive Plan.

The planning foundation expressed in this LRIP – purpose, significance, themes, and visitor 

experience goals – will remain constant over the life of this plan, barring legislative changes or major 

new research. Specific recommendations about media and programs may require updating as staffing, 

funding, technology, or resource conditions change. Further design documents will need to be 

prepared to implement some of the goals and recommendations in this plan.
Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 1

Legislative History

National Park Service units are created by Congressional legislation, Presidential proclamation, 

or through an Order of Designation by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior by the 

authority of the 1935 Historic Sites Act. Excerpts from several documents summarize the legislative 

history of Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site.

The park has three pieces of legislation that have guided park preservation, management, and facility 

development. The park’s 2006-2011 Strategic Plan briefly summarized each law:

•	 Public Law 96-428 established Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site on October 10, 

1980. This legislation established the original boundary of the National Historic Site (NHS). The 

boundary generally centered on a portion of Auburn Avenue that includes Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 

birthplace, Ebenezer Baptist Church, and the immediate neighborhood.

•	 Public Law 102-575 (1992) modified the boundary of Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site 

and Preservation District. The additional land acquisitions authorized by the 1992 legislation have 

largely been completed, and visitor facilities have been constructed.

•	 Public Law 108-314 (2004) expanded the boundary to enhance emergency street access to the 

National Historic Site Visitor Center and Museum. The act authorized the Secretary to exchange a 

vacant lot on Edgewood Avenue (comprising three small tracts) for property owned by the City of 

Atlanta immediately adjacent to the Visitor Center and Museum.

Enabling Legislation

Following the establishment of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Center in 1968, millions of 

national and international visitors came to the site; the influx of tourists deeply affected The King 

Center staff’s ability to maintain its broad mission. Mrs. King, aware of the National Park Service’s 

preservation and heritage education mission, sought help through the assistance of fellow Georgian, 

President Jimmy Carter. On October 10, 1980, the ninety-sixth Congress passed Public Law 96-428, 

establishing Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site, in order to:

...protect and interpret for the benefit, inspiration and education of present and future 

generations the places where Martin Luther King, Junior, was born, where he lived, worked, and 

worshipped, and where he is buried...

The legislation also designated a Preservation District that extended protection beyond the immediate 

neighborhood surrounding Dr. King’s birthplace and Ebenezer Baptist Church to include the broader 

Sweet Auburn community’s commercial district.

foundation for planning
Foundation for Planning

2 I National Park Service

In the Oval Office of the White House, Mrs. Coretta Scott King and other supporters observe President Jimmy Carter signing 

Public Law 96-248, which established the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site. (Credit: Courtesy, Jimmy Carter Library)

A detailed map showing the boundaries of the National Historic Site and Preservation District 

accompanied the legislation. The core of this new national park – legislatively named a National 

Historic Site (NHS) – included the sites owned by The King Center, Ebenezer Baptist Church, and 

properties (lands and structures) owned privately or by the City of Atlanta. The enabling legislation 

(attached in Appendix B) charts a complex Federal/private partnership to be administered by the NPS 

through a variety of cooperative agreements. It also authorized, within the boundary of the historic 

site, the acquisition of property through purchase or leasing with private residents and through land 

exchanges with the City of Atlanta.
Foundation for Planning

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 3

Provisions specific to interpretation, education, and visitor services:

•	 The National Park Service (NPS) is authorized to restore historic properties within the National 

Historic Site and to “mark, interpret, improve, restore and provide technical assistance” to private 

property owners within the National Historic Site and Preservation District through cooperative 

agreements. The NPS shall also have “the right of access at reasonable times to the public portions 

of the property for interpretive or other purposes; and that no changes or alterations shall be made 

in the property except by mutual agreement.”

•	 “Structural space requirements for the NPS to meet its administrative, operational, and interpretive 

functions for the National Historic Site and the preservation district shall, to the maximum extent 

feasible without displacing residents, be met within the district through the adaptive use of existing 

structures.”

•	 “...take only such actions within and upon the grounds of Ebenezer Baptist Church as will directly 

support appropriate public visitation to and within the church in accordance of the purposes of this 

Act.”

•	 “Not withstanding any other provisions of law, no fees shall be charged for entrance or admission 

to the National Historic Site or the preservation district established by this Act.”

•	 “...any lands or interests therein which are owned wholly or in part, by the widow of Martin 

Luther King, Jr., or by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Social Change, shall be acquired only 

with consent of the owner...”

•	 Allows for future acquisition of the property located at 234 Sunset Avenue, which was the home of 

Dr. King at the time of his death and Mrs. King’s home until shortly before her death.

•	 Gives “first preference to the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Inc. 

with respect to any contract for a concessions to sell books, postcards, tapes, or similar types of 

appropriate mementos related to the purposes of this Act, on facilities operated and maintained 

by the Secretary within the historic site: Provided that the agreement can be reached on terms and 

conditions acceptable to the Secretary.”

•	 “...in cooperation with the Georgia Department of Transportation, is hereby directed to insure 

that any design and reconstruction of the Interstate 85 and Interstate 75 Expressway over Auburn 

and Edgewood Avenues in the city of Atlanta, Georgia, the interchange at Edgewood Avenue, shall 

minimize the adverse impacts on the preservation district.”

•	 “Complete a comprehensive general management plan for the historic site and preservation 

district,” within three years from the effective date of this Act.
Foundation for Planning

4 I National Park Service

Historical Background

“What is past is prologue.”

William Shakespeare

On January 15, 1969, the fortieth birthday of slain civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., his 

widow, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, announced the founding of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial 

Center in Atlanta, Georgia (now called the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social 

Change, Inc. or “The King Center”). Speaking on behalf of the King Family, Mrs. King (founder of The 

King Center) described the institution as a “living memorial” that would:

•	 Design and establish a final resting place for Dr. King’s Tomb.

•	 Establish a permanent archive for researchers. The future library’s holdings would include 

Dr. King’s writings and memorabilia related to his leadership of the modern American Civil Rights 

Movement.

•	 Protect two sites holding deep personal meaning to Dr. King – his birthplace and childhood home, 

and Ebenezer Baptist Church, his “spiritual home.”

•	 Launch an Institute for Nonviolent Social Change to continue teaching Dr. King’s philosophy and 

practices of how to create constructive social change that benefits all members of society.

•	 Plan for the development of Freedom Hall, where all could come and learn about the history of the 

modern American Civil Rights Movement during Martin Luther King, Jr.’s leadership.

Mrs. King stated, “...it is my privilege and pleasure to announce today the creation of the Martin 

Luther King, Jr. Memorial Center here in Atlanta. I do this with pride because we as members of the 

family are convinced that this newly established center will seek with integrity to extend Martin Luther 

King’s best hopes and deeds.”

Mrs. Coretta Scott King worked closely with fellow Atlantans to preserve the immediate Sweet Auburn 

neighborhood surrounding Dr. King’s birthplace and to assist neighborhood residents with the care of 

their properties through community grants. From the 1930s to 1950s, Sweet Auburn was known as one 

of the most influential and most financially successful streets in “Black America.”

This community included a large, successful business district that extended towards downtown 

Atlanta. By the 1960s, Atlanta’s transition to integrated businesses and neighborhoods brought 

economic decline to Sweet Auburn, and integration prevented the creation of a new center of African 

American businesses and social life within the Sweet Auburn community and commercial district.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Historic District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places 

in 1974 and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1977. The 1980 Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Preservation District, established by the site’s enabling legislation, includes all property listed in the 

1974 Historic District. The Sweet Auburn Historic District was made a National Historic Landmark 

in 1976. In addition, the City of Atlanta, through the Atlanta Urban Design Commission, established 

the Martin Luther King, Jr. Landmark District in 1989, consolidating two existing city Preservation 

Districts. Most of these districts overlap within the site, providing protection through federal programs 

and local zoning ordinances.
Foundation for Planning

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 5

Park Mission

A park mission statement serves a dual role: it articulates the philosophical direction underlying the 

daily operation of a park and serves as a measure to evaluate whether actions planned and taken by 

staff members and partners are consistent with the park’s purpose and significance. The ongoing 

planning efforts conducted at the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site have resulted in a 

shared understanding of the reason the park was established and the identification of the park’s 

significant resources and values to be protected. During an earlier planning effort, the park staff and 

partners expanded the park’s mission and vision, elaborating on verbiage established in the enabling 

legislation:

“...to preserve, protect, and interpret for the benefit, inspiration, and education of present 

and future generations the places where Martin Luther King, Jr. was born, where he lived, 

worked, and worshiped, and where he is buried, while also interpreting the life experiences and 

significance of one of the most influential Americans in the twentieth century.”

Park Vision

The Martin L. King, Jr. National Historic Site is a world treasure embracing humanity in an 

environment that inspires peace, justice, and equality.

Planning Documents Significant To Interpretation

The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan (LRIP) is concurrent 

with all park planning documents. In addition to the park legislation, the park primary documents 

guiding LRIP development include:

•	 The 1986 Martin Luther King, Jr. General Management Plan/Development Concept Plan/

Environmental Assessment (GMP) was updated and amended in June 1994 to address the large 

increases in annual visitation and the lack of adequate facilities to serve park visitors and provide 

for basic park operations. The timing of this update was crucial to plan for the additional crush of 

visitors expected for the Summer Olympics, scheduled to be held in Atlanta, Georgia in 1996. The 

purpose, scope, and conceptual design for specific elements of the park’s current visitor support 

facilities were outlined in the 1994 GMP amendment. The official document title of the amended 

GMP is 1994 Martin Luther King, Junior General Management Plan/Development Concept Plan/

Environmental Assessment.

•	 The 2006-2011 Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Strategic Plan provides broad guidance 

over a five-year period and establishes measurable performance objectives for all aspects of park 

operations.

•	 The 1994 Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Historic Resource Study provides guidance 

to park management about the historic values embodied in this unit of the national park system.
Foundation for Planning

6 I National Park Service

For Future Planning Purposes

The park’s 2006 – 2011 Strategic Plan notes that the authorized boundary does not include the adjacent 

property also owned by the King Family at 220 Sunset Avenue. In the future, if the National Park 

Service (NPS) in partnership with the King Family provides public access to Dr. and Mrs. King’s 

residence at 234 Sunset Avenue, the adjacent property might be very useful in staging visitor use and 

for administrative purposes.

The Prince Hall Masonic Lodge, former headquarters of the Southern Christian Leadership 

Conference (SCLC) during Dr. King’s tenure as founding President, is located at 332 Auburn Avenue. 

A significant part of the park’s story, the SCLC began at the Alexander Building on Auburn Avenue in 

1957 and moved to the Prince Hall Masonic Lodge in 1960. Besides housing the offices of the SCLC, 

the Prince Hall Masonic Lodge was home to WERD, the first African American-owned radio station in 

the United States.

Park Purpose and Significance Statements

Park Purpose

Park purpose statements summarize the reasons a park is included in the National Park System. 

They are derived from the legislation that created both the National Park Service and a specific park. 

Purpose statements provide the foundation for park management and use.

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Purpose Statement

The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site, located in the city of Atlanta, Fulton County, 

Georgia, was established on October 10, 1980 to preserve, protect, and interpret the places where 

Dr. King was born, where he lived, worked, worshipped, and is buried. The park is managed for 

memorial and preservation purposes.

Park Significance

Statements of significance describe a park’s distinctive natural, cultural, and recreational resources 

and values. These statements are the factual rationale for national recognition of the site; they provide 

the foundation for park management and use; and describe the park’s distinctiveness to help place the 

park in its regional, national, and international contexts. Statements of significance are the basis for the 

development of the park’s primary interpretive themes and programs.

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Statements of Significance

The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site represents the lives and legacies of Dr. Martin 

Luther King, Jr. and his wife, Mrs. Coretta Scott King. Contributing features include Dr. King’s 

birthplace and childhood home at 501 Auburn Avenue; a portion of the surrounding neighborhood, 

including an 1894 Fire Station, The King Center complex, the entombment of Dr. and Mrs. Martin 

Luther King, Jr., and Ebenezer Baptist Church (circa 1922). The significance of each contributing 

feature is briefly summarized below:
Foundation for Planning

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 7

•	 Martin Luther King, Jr. (“M.L.”) was born and raised at 501 Auburn Avenue, where his family lived 

until M.L. was 12 years old. Reared in a strong, Christian, multigenerational family that valued 

education and hard work, he was afforded love, security, discipline, and both educational and 

social opportunities. His childhood experiences, in conjunction with a developing awareness of 

racism and injustice, laid the foundation for his answering the call to leadership during the modern 

American Civil Rights Movement.

•	 Ebenezer Baptist Church was Dr. King’s spiritual home where, during his childhood, he observed 

his maternal grandfather, Reverend Adam Daniel Williams, and his father, Reverend Martin Luther 

King, Sr. preach about love, equality, and righteousness. Dr. King was baptized and ordained in 

Ebenezer Baptist Church. He returned to Ebenezer to serve as co-pastor with his father in 1960; he 

utilized the pulpit to preach social change grounded in Christian values, and promoted his vision 

for “the beloved community.” After he was slain, Dr. King’s body was brought home to Ebenezer 

Baptist Church, where family, friends, and distinguished guests gathered to attend his funeral 

services.

•	 The park protects a significant portion of the Sweet Auburn community, in Atlanta, Georgia. In 

addition to the Birth Home and church, the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site contains 

additional elements related to M.L.’s childhood, including the original Historic Fire Station No. 

6 and the historic residences immediately surrounding the Birth Home. The Preservation District 

protects the remnants and surviving core elements of the Sweet Auburn community’s commercial 

district. While serving as the first co-pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church with his father, Dr. King 

maintained the Presidential leadership of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), 

whose headquarters were relocated from the Alexander Building to the Prince Hall Masonic 

Lodge, within the heart of Sweet Auburn’s business district.

Sweet Auburn was known as one of the most prosperous and influential streets in segregated 

“Black America,” from 1910 to 1960. It included thriving businesses and educational institutions, 

a diversity of churches, and all classes of people. There were groups within the Sweet Auburn 

community that were very active in the modern American Civil Rights Movement – the National 

Negro Business League, the National Negro Chamber of Commerce, and the Atlanta Daily 

World Newspaper. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and many other prominent and influential Atlanta 

community leaders came from this unique environment of African American independence, pride, 

and progress.

•	 The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Inc., commonly referred to 

as “The King Center,” preserves and operates the Freedom Hall Complex and The King Center 

Administrative, Library, and Archives Facility. The Freedom Hall Complex includes Freedom Hall 

(and associated exhibit areas), the Tomb of Dr. and Mrs. Martin Luther King, Jr., Reflecting Pool, 

Eternal Flame, Freedom Walkway, and Screening Room. The King Center Administrative, Library, 

and Archives Facility holds the largest collection of documents, photographs, personal effects, 

and memorabilia related to Dr. and Mrs. King’s involvement in the modern American Civil Rights 

Movement.

The physical structures, features, and character of the National Historic Site and Preservation District 

are vital to the expression of the idea that global change can be effected by the transformative power of 

love and peace.
Foundation for Planning

8 I National Park Service

Martin Luther King, Jr. delivers his “I Have a Dream” speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, 1963. 

(Credit: National Archives photo no. 306-SSM-4D(107)8)
Foundation for Planning

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 9

Interpretive Themes

Primary interpretive themes are those ideas or concepts that every visitor should have the opportunity 

to understand. They are the key ideas through which the park’s nationally significant resource 

meanings and values are conveyed to the public. These themes provide the foundation for planned 

park experiences, including interpretive programs, interpretive media, and partnerships that support 

the delivery of the interpretive program. The themes do not include everything interpreted at the park, 

but rather the ideas that are critical to a visitor’s understanding of the park’s significance. Interpretive 

efforts should relate to one or more of the themes, and each theme should be addressed in the overall 

interpretive program. These themes will provide more detailed information for the interpretive staff 

when developing future programs and interpretive media, and will guide partnerships that work to 

support the delivery of the interpretive program. 

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Interpretive Themes and Supporting 

Concepts

The interpretive themes are numbered below, but not in any priority order.

1. Segregation and Struggle

The life of Martin Luther King, Jr. and his death were central to the transformation of America’s 

segregated past and the promise of equality and justice for all citizens.

Supporting Interpretive Concepts

•	 The United States of America was founded on the constitutional law of life, liberty, and justice 

for all. However, by the late nineteenth century, the United States was a segregated society with 

little hope of resolving the contradictions between the national creed and practice. Jim Crow laws 

established a legal precedence that codified the social climate of racial discrimination.

•	 Riding the legal nomenclature created by landmark judicial decisions outlawing segregation, Dr. 

King utilized nonviolent direct action to challenge the practices of a deeply segregated South.

•	 Dr. King’s commitment to, and the success of, nonviolent direct action beginning in Montgomery, 

Alabama and spreading nationally to the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom resulted in a 

method of social reform that is emulated nationally and internationally.

•	 Dr. King’s leadership of the modern American Civil Rights Movement transformed the American 

Dream of promise and hope to include all people.

•	 Dr. King’s commitment to the modern American Civil Rights Movement necessitated many 

personal sacrifices. For example, due to extensive travel, he gave up a typical family life. Conflicting 

philosophies resulted in his not being embraced by all segments of the African American 

community. In the end, he made the ultimate sacrifice – he died in the pursuit of unmitigated 

freedom, justice, and equal rights for all people.

•	 Dr. King was aware that his life was in jeopardy and once said publicly “it was a cause worth 

dying for.” Dr. King made the choice to continue, even though he knew his life was continuously 

threatened.
Restricted Photograph.

This photo is removed from plans printed from the Internet, at the request of the donor.

Foundation for Planning

10 I National Park Service

King Family photo, 1939. Standing from left to right: Mrs. Alberta Williams King (mother), Rev. Martin 

Luther King, Sr. (father), Mrs. Jennie Williams (maternal grandmother); seated from left to right: 

Alfred Daniel King (brother), Willie Christine King (sister), Martin Luther King, Jr. (age 10). 

(Credit: The King Center)
Foundation for Planning

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 11

2. Childhood and Character

The development of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s character was the result of a solid family structure and 

spiritual commitment that began in the home and was influenced by the Sweet Auburn community.

Supporting Interpretive Concepts

•	 Martin Luther King, Jr. grew up in an Atlanta neighborhood that was racially segregated; childhood 

incidents helped to develop his awareness of the effects/impact of Jim Crow laws and practices on 

people of color.

•	 Affectionately known as “Daddy King” later in life, Reverend Martin Luther King, Sr.’s leadership 

regarding intolerance to injustice inspired his son to become an activist.

•	 Martin Luther King, Jr. was raised in a solid, close, and supportive multigenerational family with 

strong family values and bonds of love. 

•	 On a daily basis, the King Family practiced family unity in which togetherness, respect, 

and responsibility were stressed, shared, and learned in every aspect of home, church, and 

neighborhood.

•	 A multigenerational Christian heritage focusing on spirituality, family ministry, and service began in 

Dr. King’s childhood and continued throughout his life.

•	 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was raised in a family and community that valued and nurtured 

education.

•	 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was raised in the Sweet Auburn community, where he experienced both 

the support of the “beloved community” and the sting of racism.

•	 The Sweet Auburn community was where Dr. King experienced a unique environment of 

independence, pride, progress, and opportunities, generally not available in mainstream American 

society for African Americans.
Foundation for Planning

12 I National Park Service

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Ebenezer Baptist Church. 

(Credit: Donated by Corbis/Photographer Flip Schulke)
Foundation for Planning

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 13

3. Church and Community

Ebenezer Baptist Church and the Sweet Auburn community embodied the persona, spirituality, 

passion, and career of Dr. King.

Supporting Interpretive Concepts

Ebenezer Baptist Church

•	 Ebenezer Baptist Church was the Christian foundation of Dr. King’s spirituality, values, philosophy, 

and social activism.

•	 The Heritage Sanctuary of Ebenezer Baptist Church is where Dr. King preached and delivered 

several of his most important sermons and speeches.

•	 Dr. King was a Baptist minister from a multigenerational heritage of ministry leaders; his father and 

grandfather collectively led Ebenezer Baptist Church for more than 80 years.

•	 Ebenezer Baptist Church serves as an example of many churches during America’s long Civil 

Rights Movement that were actively involved in “social and political activism.” Through the pastor’s 

leadership, the pulpit was used to convince members of the church community to work to change 

laws that denied voting rights or imposed segregation based on the color of one’s skin through 

peaceful, nonviolent direct action.

•	 Ebenezer Baptist Church served as a sanctuary for the King Family during times of happiness, 

tragedy, and loss.

Sweet Auburn Community

•	 The Sweet Auburn community was where Dr. King’s family brought him to his final resting place.

•	 The Sweet Auburn community fostered many organizations and businesses that actively supported 

the modern American Civil Rights Movement.

•	 The Sweet Auburn community was a self-sufficient African American community nurturing all 

classes of people, thriving businesses, educational institutions, and diverse religious affiliations.

•	 The Sweet Auburn community was the “beloved community” where Dr. King grew up; this 

community embodied both the American Dream and the obstacles to the fulfillment of that dream.

•	 Historic Fire Station No. 6 was a station where white firefighters operated within the predominantly 

African American Sweet Auburn community, and it was one of the first racially integrated fire 

stations in Atlanta.

•	 The role the churches played in the Sweet Auburn community helped the community to thrive.

•	 Dr. King returned home to the Sweet Auburn community in 1960 and continued to pursue his 

religious ministry as co-pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church and his civil rights ministry as President 

of the SCLC.
Foundation for Planning

14 I National Park Service

4. Leadership and Legacy

Dr. King’s visionary leadership of the modern American Civil Rights Movement, as shown through his 

philosophy, words, and works, changed the course of American history and redefined the American 

promise to include all citizens, and continues to have national and international influence today.

Supporting Interpretive Concepts

•	 Under Dr. King’s leadership, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) used churches 

to teach nonviolent direct action methods and to plan and strategize for mass meetings, marches, 

sit-ins, and other protests. Sometimes, the churches were safe havens for taking refuge. As a result, 

many churches were burned and bombed, and innocent lives destroyed.

•	 Dr. King, through the SCLC, strategized with other religious leaders to promote equality, freedom, 

and justice using nonviolent principles of direct action.

•	 Dr. King’s work gave hope to people in pursuit of the American Dream – including civil and human 

rights that embraced freedom, equality, and justice for all.

•	 Dr. King was inspired and influenced by Christian principles and the writings of many 

philosophers and theologians: Mahatma Gandhi, Henry David Thoreau, Howard Thurman, 

Benjamin E. Mays, and others. Dr. King embraced many concepts from these great thinkers, 

integrating their ideas in his stirring sermons.

•	 Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, delivered as a part of the March on Washington for Jobs 

and Freedom, electrified mainstream America and changed hearts, turning the tide to slowly 

gain sympathy and support across racial, cultural, religious, and economic lines for the modern 

American Civil Rights Movement. In time, this movement was embraced by mainstream clergy and 

the American public.

•	 Dr. King played a prominent role in American and world activism by “speaking truth to power,” 

which is emulated today.

•	 Kingian philosophy of social change through nonviolent direct action has been embraced and 

practiced in the United States as well as in other countries.

•	 Dr. King was a visionary. His charismatic leadership fostered the economic transformation of the 

South from an economically deprived region to a successful, competitive, and thriving business 

economy – known today as the “Sunbelt.”

•	 Dr. King’s efforts continue to encourage many others to work for civil and human rights in the 

United States and abroad.

•	 Mrs. Coretta Scott King, widow of Martin Luther King, Jr., envisioned preserving the works and 

philosophies of Dr. King. She founded the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social 

Change, Inc. and later advocated for the creation of Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site.

•	 As partners, The King Center, Ebenezer Baptist Church, the City of Atlanta, the National Park 

Service, and other organizations preserve the historic and cultural resources that document the 

life, works, and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. within the National Historic Site legislative 

boundary.
Foundation for Planning

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 15

Visitor Experience Goals 

Visitor experience goals describe what opportunities for physical, intellectual, emotional, and sensory 

experiences should be available for visitors to the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site. These 

experiences will be available to visitors of all abilities, including those with visual, auditory, mobility, or 

cognitive impairments.

Visitors will have opportunities to:

•	 Have a memorable and meaningful visitor experience—in the words of Dr. King, a “mountaintop” 

experience—at the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site.

•	 Be inspired to more fully appreciate the nation’s history in the context of the life and contributions 

of Martin Luther King, Jr.

•	 Gain a better understanding of the history of segregation and race relations during Dr. King’s 

lifetime (1929-1968).

•	 Effectively navigate throughout the park.

•	 Have their necessary comfort needs met. 

•	 Contemplate, relax, and enjoy park resources in a safe environment.

•	 Acquire accurate and current information and material to learn about themes before, during, and 

after their visit, and have the ability to obtain this information in a variety of formats, including 

personal services and interpretive media (includes electronic media), and through partner services 

developed in support of the interpretive program appropriate to their age, ability, and experience.

•	 Receive translated, printed pre-visit information and on-site basic information and orientation in 

the language of the primary international audience groups that visit the site.

•	 Obtain visitor experience recommendations regarding how to plan their on-site experience if they 

have one, two, or three hours to spend that day.

•	 Have a Birth Home experience. The carrying capacity of the historic structure limits the number of 

people able to visit the Birth Home. In addition to the Birth Home Orientation Film, the park will 

explore alternatives for a more interactive and satisfying alternate experience.

•	 Relate to Dr. King’s life experiences, and be inspired to share this information with others.

•	 Have an Ebenezer Baptist Church experience, to meditate and reflect.

•	 Learn about and experience the Sweet Auburn community.

•	 Experience the park resources, regardless of physical ability.

•	 Interact with the park staff informally and formally, in a way that respects their personal and civil 

rights and their expectation to receive courteous treatment and factual information.

•	 Recognize that Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site is a national park. Learn the mission 

of the NPS and have the opportunity to become engaged in the preservation of the park through a 

variety of stewardship projects.

•	 Find out about the unique partnership between the National Park Service, The King Center, and 

Ebenezer Baptist Church—a collaborative effort that makes the park visitor experience possible—

and discover ways they can contribute to each organization’s mission.
16 I National Park Service

Visitor Profiles

For future planning needs, this 

section of the document includes 

three sources of information, in the 

following order: a visitor profile, 

developed from staff and partner 

observations; monthly visitor 

statistics collected over the past ten 

years; and the 1997 visitor survey 

conducted by the Cooperative 

Park Studies Unit at the University 

of Idaho. Although dated, the 

1997 visitor survey provides some 

interesting insights on park visitors. 

The planning team acknowledges 

the importance of continuing to 

seek visitor opinions regarding their 

park experience; this information 

will inform management decisions 

relative to improvements to facilities, 

interpretive media, and programs. 

The information in this section will 

be used to guide the visitor survey 

focus group scheduled for fiscal year 

2012; future visitor surveys should 

similarly reference this information. 

Staff and Partner 

Observations

•	 Most visitors do not know about 

the variety of opportunities 

available at Martin Luther King, 

Jr. National Historic Site.

•	 The experience at Martin 

Luther King, Jr. National 

Historic Site can be emotionally 

overwhelming.

•	 Most visitors come to Martin 

Luther King, Jr. National Historic 

Site for education rather than 

recreation.

•	 Large numbers of church groups 

have an interest in the religious 

aspect of the park.

•	 Weather conditions/season and 

distance between park facilities 

impact visitors’ motivation to visit 

multiple locations in the park.

•	 Visitors represent diverse 

socioeconomic demographics.

•	 When staff members converse 

with visitors and ask—“Why are 

you visiting the site?”—these 

are the kinds of responses they 

typically receive:

o	 To pay respect—they consider 

Dr. King an icon, an American 

hero, and/or a renowned civil 

and human rights leader

o	 As a pilgrimage—they always 

wanted to come

o	 To seek hope or 

encouragement

o	 To learn about (or more 

about) Dr. King

o	 To learn about the direct 

nonviolent social teachings of 

Dr. King

o	 To connect Dr. King’s story 

to their daily experiences 

(relevancy)

o	 Because of a personal 

connection to the modern 

American Civil Rights 

Movement

o	 To see the places where Dr. 

King was born, where he 

worked, and where he is 

buried

o	 To see where Dr. King 

preached—for many, visiting 

Ebenezer Baptist Church “is a 

very spiritual experience”

o	 The National King Holiday 

(King Week)

o	 Because “It’s free” 

EXISTING CONDITIONS
Existing Conditions

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 17

Visitor Expectations

The staff also identified expectations 

common to most visitors:

•	 Pre-visit information

•	 Availability of public 

transportation to the park

•	 Easy wayfinding throughout 

the park and a companion 

guide/handbook to refer to 

that provides more detailed 

information than the park Unigrid 

brochure

•	 A reservation system or the ability 

to make a reservation to tour the 

Birth Home

•	 A guided tour of the Birth Home 

or of the historic site

•	 Accessible facilities and ease of 

access at primary features

•	 Information on nearby places to 

have lunch

•	 Park orientation film

•	 Restrooms, water, and a gift shop

•	 A visit to Dr. and Mrs. King’s 

Tomb

•	 A safe visit (visitors often 

comment they feel safe because 

the site is a national park; this can 

be problematic because of the 

urban environment)

Visitor Categories

Visitors to the park can be grouped 

into the following categories; this 

next section also notes any unique 

visitor planning needs for a particular 

group:

Adult Groups

Organized adult groups include 

commercial tour groups, church 

groups, family reunions, education 

groups, and international groups. 

Although the season or time of year 

seems to be a little less important to 

these groups when visiting the park, a 

lot of these groups come in the spring 

and fall. Often, the adult groups 

will tour the park from a bus and/or 

request an indoor talk on a particular 

aspect of the site’s history; thus, 

weather is less of a factor in the visit.

Conventioneers

Atlanta is a city that hosts many 

conventions. Many conventions 

provide time for their participants 

to visit the site. Others do not, but 

their participants will manage to find 

time to visit the site. Because this 

group usually has such limited time, 

they seek portable information, such 

as free handouts and souvenirs for 

purchase, so they can learn more 

about the park at their leisure.

Sometimes, the park is contacted by 

convention organizers with a special 

request to use a park facility as part of 

the convention experience. In other 

instances, the convention organizer 

may also request the park to partner 

with the convention and provide a 

visitor experience for attendees.
Existing Conditions

18 I National Park Service

Dignitaries

A large number of Southeast Regional 

Consulate General offices (foreign 

governments) are located in Atlanta; 

the park receives many requests 

from these offices to provide tours of 

the site. The park provides tours to 

dignitaries who are interested in the 

life, works, and legacy of Dr. King. 

These groups sometimes require 

special security details. 

International Visitors

According to the 1997 visitor survey, 

international visitors account for 

ten percent of park visitation; these 

visitors come from all over the 

world. Many of these visitors have 

some knowledge of English; others 

require a translator or some other 

type of assistance. Because of Dr. 

King’s international renown, most 

individuals in these groups expect 

to find information and orientation 

in their native language (either 

a publication or an interpreter/

translator). Many international 

visitors travel with their luggage; 

they expect to find a place on site 

to store it while they tour the park. 

Some international groups stage 

commemorative moments in the park 

– in some instances spontaneous, in 

others as part of the park’s education 

or special permit program. The park 

has printed material in a variety of 

other languages, though these are 

outdated. 

Local Residents

Many local residents bring outof-town guests for a special visit. 

Some people state they have known 

about the park for years, but today 

was the day to stop by for a visit. 

All workshop participants agreed 

that this audience needs special 

attention. It was expressed several 

times during the workshop that 

“many local residents are not 

coming due to concerns about the 

neighborhood the park is located 

in, and its safety.” One participant 

stated, “The park is surrounded by 

vacant and unused buildings and 

there are many homeless people that 

panhandle park visitors – this is part 

of the current arrival experience 

and while this affects all visitors’ 

perceptions, this perception is strong 

enough to keep local residents away.” 

All workshop participants confirmed 

this assessment.

Military Groups

This represents a special audience 

that is especially interested in 

Dr. King’s life, Kingian nonviolence, 

and participate in educational 

tours. Approximately fifteen groups 

come annually. These groups 

usually represent active duty and 

reserve components of the United 

States Army, Air Force, and Navy. 

The officer classes often will have 

students from nearly thirty different 

countries in each group. Many 

times, these groups need an English/

Spanish interpretation.
Existing Conditions

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 19

Subject Matter Enthusiasts and 

Repeat Visitors

Each year, a significant number of 

people visit Martin Luther King, Jr. 

National Historic Site because they 

are particularly interested in the 

site’s history. These subject matter 

experts and enthusiasts are often 

times professionals researching for 

books and articles; however, most 

are simply individuals with a strong 

desire to learn or experience history.

School Groups

School groups are the most 

numerous organized group visiting 

the park. Annually, they account for 

one-half of all park groups. School 

groups visiting the park range from 

preschool to college groups. Homeschool groups also visit. Most 

teachers bring students to meet 

curriculum standards and expect to 

have an educational experience on 

site; at minimum, they expect a staffled orientation talk, followed by a 

teacher-led park activity. Most school 

groups expect to pay an entrance fee 

or program fee. Many teachers have 

requested the park staff to develop 

activity sheets they can utilize. There 

are activity sheets on the website. 

Some school groups look for a place 

to have lunch in the park, when 

students bring their lunches. All 

school groups want to visit the Birth 

Home.

Organized Sporting Groups

Each year collegiate teams of Bowl 

Games, hosted by Atlanta, visit the 

park. Middle schools, high schools, 

colleges and sports professionals 

participating in various metroarea competitions visit the park 

throughout the year.

Virtual Visitors

Virtual visitors may or may not 

ever physically visit the park; 

however, they are a substantial 

park audience. Since 2007, the park 

website has received an average of 

thirty thousand visits each year. 

People look at the park website 

in order to help plan a visit or to 

gain information about the park’s 

historical themes.

Who’s Not Coming and Why?

•	 School groups without school 

transportation funds.

•	 “Generation Y” (the demographic 

cohort following “Generation 

X”) – they lack knowledge of the 

modern American Civil Rights 

Movement. They were not part of 

the struggle.

•	 Individuals who lack an 

appreciation for Dr. King’s 

leadership and legacy.

•	 Local residents and suburban 

Atlantans: familiarity of the 

historical significance of the site 

and the perception of unsafe area, 

being in an urban environment.
Existing Conditions

20 I National Park Service

MONTH 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

January 81,946 103,671 107,402 105,347 103,525

February 38,952 35,399 36,013 33,045 37,001

March 40,652 42,365 46,951 50,020 48,618

April 50,202 55,015 52,638 33,994 37,463

May 47,443 50,805 63,750 61,113 57,410

June 69,873 69,131 66,504 87,292 57,820

July 107,894 86,773 94,168 98,395 63,002

August 53,072 56,992 64,475 70,073 46,497

September 35,811 21,859 26,131 23,685 25,111

October 33,143 26,899 38,050 40,071 32,978

November 31,108 28,378 27,248 30,823 32,292

December 21,969 23,815 31,359 32,327 38,540

TOTAL 612,065 601,102 654,689 666,185 580,257

MONTH 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

January 106,510 107,810 105,588 99,102 89,877

February 42,015 192,854 51,864 51,469 49,331

March 52,632 60,375 64,431 65,672 57,965

April 54,594 57,650 64,461 64,523 65,806

May 61,525 57,405 60,527 62,038 63,308

June 63,848 69,371 66,529 67,339 68,315

July 62,693 70,915 76,177 74,107 74,720

August 44,410 45,441 48,626 49,940 48,955

September 25,976 24,432 24,440 27,011 29,022

October 31,537 25,376 24,940 26,433 27,848

November 35,076 36,905 26,328 31,191 32,546

December 44,032 43,083 39,456 40,048 42,576

TOTAL 624,848 791,617 653,367 658,873 650,269

Monthly Visitor Statistics, 2000 - 2009
Existing Conditions

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 21

Yearlong Snapshot and 

Assessment

First-time visitors normally spend 

from thirty minutes to two hours 

experiencing the park. After their 

first visit, most visitors found they 

needed more time to see everything 

in the park. Most school groups 

come ill-prepared for their visit and 

need park staff to enhance it. Most 

visitors are also visiting several other 

attractions in Atlanta on the same 

day. Most family reunion groups 

come in the summertime. The size 

of reunion groups ranges from thirty 

to three hundred. Saturday is the 

most-visited day of the week; most 

visitors arrive in the afternoon. The 

second-most-visited day of the week 

is Friday, a favorite school trip day. 

School groups make heavy use of the 

park from January through April. As 

many as five hundred schoolchildren 

may visit the park in a single day. On 

Fridays and Saturdays, the park may 

have as many as ten buses unloading 

at the same time. During a typical 

year, early December is the period of 

lowest visitation, while June through 

July is the period of highest visitation. 

The majority of visitors to Martin 

Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site 

are from out of town. International 

visitors account for approximately 

ten percent. 

The 1997 Visitor Survey

The most-recent visitor survey was 

conducted in 1997. This Visitors 

Services Project conducted a visitor 

study at Martin Luther King, Jr. 

National Historic Site during the 

week of April 13-19, 1997. A total of 

473 questionnaires were distributed, 

and 286 were returned, for a 

response rate of 61%. Some of the 

study’s summary findings are:

•	 Forty-three percent of the visitor 

groups were family groups. 

Thirty-seven percent of visitor 

groups were groups of two. Fortyone percent of visitors were aged 

26-45 years.

•	 Eighty-two percent of visitors 

were making their first visit to 

Martin Luther King, Jr. National 

Historic Site. Forty-four percent 

of the visitor groups spent two 

hours at the park, while 25% 

spent one hour, and 20% spent 

three hours.

•	 US visitors were from Georgia 

(24%), New York (8%), California 

(7%), Florida (6%), 40 other 

states, and the District of 

Columbia. International visitors 

(13% of total visitation) were 

from France (28%), Germany 

(28%), England (13%), and 

twelve other countries.

•	 On each respondent’s visit, the 

most common activities were 

viewing Visitor Center exhibits 

(97%), visiting Martin Luther 

King, Jr.’s Tomb (89%), and 

watching the Visitor Center video 

(73%).
Existing Conditions

22 I National Park Service

•	 Travel guides and tour books 

(31%) and friends or relatives 

(28%) were the most-used 

sources of information by visitor 

groups; 20% of the groups 

received no information prior to 

their visits.

•	 Eighty-six percent of visitor 

groups indicated that learning 

more about Martin Luther King, 

Jr. was a primary reason for 

visiting the park. Another 70% 

reported that seeing the area 

where Dr. King grew up was a 

primary reason for visiting the 

park. Thirty-six percent of visitor 

groups indicated that the park 

was the primary destination 

on this visit. Other Atlanta area 

attractions visited by groups 

included Underground Atlanta 

(65%), Stone Mountain (41 %), 

and CNN Center (35%).

•	 Sixty-one percent of visitor 

groups had members with 

a special interest in African 

American history. Other civil 

rights sites visited in the past by 

groups included the Civil Rights 

Monument in Montgomery, AL 

(35%) and the National Civil 

Rights Museum in Memphis, TN 

(35%).

•	 Twenty percent of visitor groups 

reported that there were things 

they had hoped to do or see at the 

park but which they were unable 

to do. Included in this category 

were visiting Ebenezer Baptist 

Church and touring Martin 

Luther King, Jr.’s Birth Home.

•	 In regard to the use, importance, 

and quality of services, it is 

important to note the number 

of visitor groups that responded 

to each question. The services 

that were most used by 247 

respondents were Visitor 

Center exhibits (78%), the park 

brochure/map (66%), and the 

Visitor Center video program 

(65%). According to visitors, 

the most important services 

were Visitor Center exhibits 

(91% of 184 respondents), the 

Visitor Center video (85% of 

157 respondents), and restrooms 

(85% of 130 respondents). The 

highest-quality services were 

Visitor Center exhibits (93% 

of 177 respondents) and the 

Visitor Center video (93% of 154 

respondents).

•	 Sixty-seven percent of visitor 

groups want to learn more about 

the life and teachings of Dr. King 

on a future visit, and 61% want 

to learn more about the modern 

American Civil Rights Movement.

•	 Ninety-one percent of visitor 

groups rated the overall quality of 

visitor services at Martin Luther 

King, Jr. National Historic Site as 

“very good” or “good.” None of 

the groups rated services as “very 

poor.”
Existing Conditions

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 23

Interpretive Facilities and Sites

The national historic site is 

comprised of facilities and venues 

operated by the National Park 

Service and the King Center.

National Historic Site Facilities 

Operated by the National 

Park Service

Visitor Center

The Visitor Center opened in 1996, 

during the International Summer 

Olympic Games. The exhibits are 

adequate and very effective. Wording 

in the exhibit may be a little small, 

and visitors do not know that the 

quotes etched onto the glass panels 

are from Dr. King’s sermons and 

speeches. There are small blue panels 

that were installed to reach the young 

children. There is an interpretive 

marker, but it is not in viewing sight.

The “Children of Courage” exhibit 

located in the center of the atrium is 

an interactive exhibit that reaches all 

age groups and demographics. It has 

been quite successful and frequently 

needs repairs due to heavy visitor 

use.

The films (Children of Courage

and New Time, New Voice) are also 

very effective. The Freedom Road 

exhibit is adequate and very popular, 

but maintenance and upkeep can 

be costly. The mannequins were 

designed to be touched, and receive 

heavy public use. An interpretive 

message is needed to share with the 

visitor what the exhibit’s significance 

is to the modern American Civil 

Rights Movement.

The information desk includes:

•	 Monitoring security system

•	 Film playback monitor

•	 Public address system (broadcast 

format)

Challenges: Orientation is needed 

at every location in the park. Visitors 

do not necessarily stop at the Visitor 

Center first. Many visitors do not 

park in the official visitor parking lot, 

one and a half blocks from the Visitor 

Center.

Another concern is that visitors 

think that only the Visitor Center is 

the Historic Site, not the two-block 

area surrounding the building. The 

exterior of the building has the 

name of the park on both sides in 

large letters, with “Visitor Center” in 

smaller font. 

At times, there are conflicting 

demands on the Visitor Center. The 

Visitor Center is also used by special 

permit user groups. 
Existing Conditions

24 I National Park Service

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Visitor Center. 

(Credit: NPS Photographer Gary Tarleton)

Atrium (Lobby)

Includes the following features:

Wall graphics:

•	 A color map of the National Park 

System, located behind the front 

desk.

•	 Black-and-white photograph of 

President Jimmy Carter signing 

Public Law 96-428, establishing the 

Martin Luther King, Jr. National 

Historic Site, located on the rear 

wall near the Theater. 

•	 Before and after photographs of 

the restoration work performed on 

historic structures located in the 

National Historic Site.

•	 Large black-and-white portrait of 

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Orientation monitor: a 48” flatscreened monitor that displays 

available visitor resources and current 

program information.

Interactive Interpretive Stations

•	 A virtual Birth Home Tour 

•	 The International Civil Rights 

Walk of Fame (This walk is located 

outside of the Visitor Center, and 

described later in this section of the 

document.)
Existing Conditions

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 25

Courage to Lead Exhibit 

This is the primary exhibit in the 

Visitor Center; it opened in 1996. 

Six circular exhibit pods contain 

vertical wooden cases with glassfront panels, contents of reproduced 

historic graphics, supporting 

texts, etched quotes of Dr. King 

to “tell the story,” dioramas, and 

audiovisual components. Professional 

rehabilitation for this exhibit has 

been completed. Each exhibit has 

audiovisual components, including: 

a 40” Samsung flat-screen monitor, 

memory card disc player, and speaker 

system. All components were upgraded 

in 2011, except for the speaker system. 

Exhibit 9: Freedom Road components 

are the same ones originally installed in 

1996.

Exhibit 1: Graphic of Dr. King, side 

profile

Exhibit 2: Temporary Gallery Wall. 

Large, framed black-and-white 

graphics displayed along a stretch of 

wall. This exhibit has been dismantled 

over the past years due to the Changing 

Exhibit Program. It is still a viable 

exhibit. 

Exhibit 3: Segregation. Defines 

segregation and Jim Crow laws.

Exhibit 4: The King Family. Focuses 

on the family and church influences on 

Dr. King.

Exhibit 5: Call to Lead. Interprets the 

beginning of Dr. King’s philosophy 

and activism.

Exhibit 6: Visiting the Mountain. 

Discusses Dr. King’s experiences in the 

Birmingham, Alabama jail, his “I Have 

a Dream Speech”, and the awarding of 

the Nobel Peace Prize.

Exhibit 7: Expanding the Dream. 

Focuses on Dr. King’s work in 

addressing poverty and his antiwar 

stand. 

Exhibit 8: Overcoming Loss. Centers 

on Dr. King’s assassination and 

funeral.

Exhibit 9: Freedom Road. The lifesize mannequins are positioned on 

the road. Geographic locations and 

organizations of the Movement 

identified on the road surface offer 

additional interpretation of the 

modern American Civil Rights 

Movement. This exhibit includes an 

audio system for playback of Freedom 

Songs. 

Artifact: The Funeral Wagon. The farm 

wagon used as a caisson for Dr. Martin 

Luther King, Jr.’s funeral procession on 

April 9, 1968, was from Cook’s Antique 

Shop in Atlanta. Pulled by mules Belle 

and Ada, the wagon led more than 

200,000 mourners along 4.3 miles of 

road from Ebenezer Baptist Church 

to the campus of Morehouse College, 

Dr. King’s alma mater. The wagon 

symbolized Dr. King’s committed 

work to eliminating poverty. The King 

Center has permitted the NPS to 

exhibit this artifact. 

Challenges: This artifact has had 

minimal restoration work.
Existing Conditions

26 I National Park Service

Freedom Road component of the Courage to Lead Exhibit in the National Park Service Visitor Center. 

(Credit: NPS)

Testimony & Response Stations:

Were developed to encourage visitors 

to contribute to the dramatic story of 

Dr. King’s dream of equality, freedom 

and hope. It was considered a stateof-the-art digital audio recording 

and playback technology to enable 

thousands of visitors to record their 

personal reflection of the modern 

American Civil Rights Movement.

The recordings were to eventually 

form a large oral history database 

for use by historians, schools, 

universities, and the general public. 

However, within two years, the 

system was malfunctioning, even with 

technical support. Eventually, the 

stations were converted into writing 

stations. 

Free exhibit-related publications:

Jim Crow site bulletin and Courage to 

Lead source of quotations.
Existing Conditions

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 27

Children of Courage Exhibit 

“Young People and the Struggle 

for Civil Rights Discovery Center” 

opened in the atrium in 2000. The 

park staff took a lead role in planning 

this exhibition with NPS media 

planners, designers, and producers 

at HFC. This exhibit also includes an 

interactive computer program and 

movie. Contractors included a writer, 

artist, exhibit design and fabrication 

firm, and media and audience 

evaluation specialist. This exhibit 

has been very successful because it 

reaches all age groups, breaks down 

human barriers, and embraces the 

opportunity for the visitor to address 

segregation and other human rights 

issues in a safe environment.

Exhibit elements include:

1. Introductory area: a silent video 

program to quickly orient visitors 

to the overall message of this 

exhibition. 

2. “1930s The Sting of 

Segregation”: panels convey 

actual stories from the life of 

Martin Luther King, Jr. that 

help interpret what it was like 

to experience segregation in 

the 1930s and 1940s. The Sweet 

Auburn neighborhood section 

was accompanied with a takehome map, “Exploring the 

Neighborhood.” The intent was 

to encourage visitors to further 

explore the Sweet Auburn 

neighborhood on their own. 

Objects located in discovery 

drawers interpret segregation, 

negative stereotypes, and the daily 

life of this era.

3. Interactive computer program, 

“Doors of Opportunity”: allows 

visitor to further explore the 

history of segregation and the 

modern American Civil Rights 

Movement. Freedom Songs 

add richness to the interactive 

experience; the songs also 

provide an audio element to the 

exhibition.

4. “1950s-60s, Young Soldiers of 

Freedom” includes:

•	 A discovery drawer 

with objects to interpret 

segregation, the modern 

American Civil Rights 

Movement, daily life, and the 

changing times of this era

•	 Profiles young students, 

including Harvey Gantt, 

Bernice Johnson, Ruby 

Bridges, Ernest Green, Ezell 

Blair, Jr., Elizabeth Eckford, 

and others, who stood up 

for their rights in nonviolent 

protests

•	 A national map that identifies 

significant Civil Rights 

Movement and protest sites

•	 Photographs of the movement 

with thought-provoking 

questions that allow for the 

evaluation of one’s belief 

systems and character

•	 Interactive panel that activates 

audio recording of two young 

girls singing a protest song. 

This section has been “out of 

service” for a while.

5. Memorial: This element 

memorializes the young people 

who were killed due to racial 

hatred.

6. Today: The contemporary section 

of the exhibition is a series of 

stations for people to make 

personal commitments toward 

continuing Dr. King’s dream.
Existing Conditions

28 I National Park Service

Free exhibit-related publications: 

Make Dr. King’s Dream Come True

pledge card; To Learn More/To Do 

More handout and Jim Crow Laws/

What is your life’s blueprint? Handout.

The audiovisual program Children 

of Courage was developed as a 

companion experience for this 

exhibit. The film reinforces the 

themes and stories presented in the 

exhibit. Historic footage, with audio 

elements, documents the history of 

the modern American Civil Rights 

Movement and the critical role 

played by students. This film also 

includes contemporary interviews 

with young people; this aspect of the 

film helps younger visitors make a 

personal connection to Dr. King’s 

life and contributions. Since 2000, 

this film has been used as one of 

the standard park films offered on a 

scheduled basis in the Visitor Center 

Theater.

Challenges: When a remake or 

update is pursued, a word spelling 

(“persistent”) at the end of film 

is needed, along with corrections 

to the misuse of a hyphen in the 

words “African American” and 

“nonviolence.” 

Length: 15 minutes.

Theater (Auditorium)

Seating capacity: 126. Large 

groups in excess of 126 cannot 

be accommodated. The original 

audiovisual system was installed by 

Harpers Ferry Center in 1996. The 

first upgrade occurred in 2000 and 

included the following elements:

•	 Installation of front projection 

screen, ceiling mounted. (Since 

1996, the images were projected 

onto the front wall.)

•	 A smaller state-of-the-art SONY 

CRT projector replaced the 

SHARP LCD projector.

•	 A new captioning component 

replaced the wall captioned 

display.

•	 Limited track lighting was 

installed.

The audiovisual system was 

upgraded again in 2006-2007. Major 

connectivity problems still exist.

Standard park films:

•	 Current park films:

o	 New Time, New Voice serves 

as the main featured film that 

relates to Dr. King and his 

life and involvement in the 

modern American Civil Rights 

Movement. 

Length: 28 minutes.

o	 Children of Courage

recognizes the young people 

who played a major role in the 

modern American Civil Rights 

Movement. 

Length: 15 minutes.
Existing Conditions

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 29

o	 Birth Home interprets the 

Birth Home story on film. 

This film serves large groups 

very well. It is especially useful 

when the Home Tours are 

booked for the rest of the day. 

Length: 18 minutes.

•	 Popular children’s films shown: 

o	 Martin Luther King Day 

Length: 10 minutes.

o	 A Picture Book of Martin 

Luther King, Jr. 

Length: 9 minutes, 30 seconds.

o	 Our Friend Martin 

Length: 60 minutes.

Note: When the Courage to Lead

exhibit opened in 1996, two films 

were developed to support the visitor 

experience and provide information 

and orientation: Sweet Auburn and 

New Time, New Voice.

•	 Sweet Auburn was the original 

park film that offered a brief, yet 

comprehensive history of the 

residential and business district 

of the Sweet Auburn community, 

focusing on the 1930s up through 

the 1960s. Length: 15 minutes.

•	 The second film, New Time, New 

Voice, was a newly produced 

project that supported the Visitor 

Center’s new exhibit, Courage to 

Lead. 

By April of 1999, New Time, New 

Voice became the main interpretive 

film, and in 2000, the Sweet Auburn

film was replaced by Children of 

Courage.

D.R.E.A.M. Gallery

The Visitor Center’s temporary 

exhibit space was intended to be 

used as a multipurpose room with 

audiovisual and closed-circuit 

capability. By 2002, the space 

had evolved into the D.R.E.A.M. 

(Developing Racial Equality through 

Art and Music) Gallery to stage the 

Changing Exhibit Program. These 

temporary exhibits are achieved 

primarily through partnerships and 

collaborative efforts of academic 

institutions and archival collections. 

The space is fully accessible, except 

for three fixed wooden cases (not 

accessible to wheelchair users, 

people short in height, or children).

The Changing Exhibit Program has 

offered the following exhibits:

•	 From Memphis to Atlanta, the 

Drum Major Returns Home, 

displayed annually around the 

anniversary of when Dr. King was 

slain on April, 4 1968.

•	 Visa for Life: Diplomats Who 

Rescued Jews, May 5 – July 25, 

2010.

•	 Bobby, Martin & John, Once Upon 

an American Dream, November 

19, 2009 – February 28, 2010.

•	 I Have a Dream: International 

Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, 

Jr., art exhibition, May –July, 

2009.

•	 Coalition to Remember, Red Was 

the Midnight: The 1906 Atlanta 

Race Riot, Sept. 15, 2006 – August 

31, 2007.

•	 Of Ballots Uncast, the AfricanAmerican Struggle for the Right to 

Vote, August 4, 2005 – March 7, 

2006.
Existing Conditions

30 I National Park Service

From Memphis to Atlanta, the Drum Major Returns Home Exhibit (2011), in the D.R.E.A.M. Gallery of 

the National Park Service Visitor Center. 

(Credit: NPS)

•	 Speak Truth to Power: Human 

Rights Defenders Who Are 

Changing Our World, December 

2004 – January 2005.

•	 Sweet Auburn: Where the Dream 

Began, 2004.

•	 Confederate Currency, the Color 

of Money, May 15 – December 15, 

2003.

•	 Without Sanctuary, Lynching 

Photographing in America, May 1– 

December 31, 2002.

Sales Outlet

The King Center has a Gift Shop in 

the Visitor Center.
Existing Conditions

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 31

Visitor Center Grounds

“BEHOLD” Monument

This piece of artwork was 

unveiled on its present site in 1996, 

commemorating the heroic principles 

that guided the life and works of 

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The 

statue was originally unveiled by Mrs. 

Coretta Scott King on January 11, 

1990, as a tribute to her late husband. 

The sculptor Patrick Morelli was 

inspired to create this artwork 

through an ancient African ritual of 

lifting a newborn to the heavens and 

reciting the words, “Behold the only 

thing greater than yourself.” 

“I Have A Dream” International 

World Peace Rose Garden

The “I Have a Dream” International 

World Peace Rose Garden is centrally 

located on the Peace Plaza of the 

National Park Service Visitor Center 

grounds and is aligned with the Tomb 

of Dr. and Mrs. Martin Luther King, 

Jr. across Auburn Avenue at The 

King Center. The starburst design 

signifies the brilliance of Dr. King’s 

life and the impact of his ideals 

on humankind. The pink roses in 

the garden’s center represent Mrs. 

Coretta Scott King’s oneness with 

Dr. King as she continued to carry 

out his work and legacy. The “I 

Have a Dream” International World 

Peace Rose Garden is a joint project 

of International World Peace Rose 

Gardens and Martin Luther King, Jr. 

National Historic Site.

The Gandhi Statue 

The bronze statue of Mahatma 

Gandhi (Dr. King’s mentor in 

nonviolence) was sculpted by 

Sri Ram Sutar of New Delhi and 

dedicated by Honorable Andrew 

Young on January 24, 1998. This 

sculpture was donated by the Indian 

American Cultural Association 

and the National Federation of 

Indian American Associations. The 

statue is maintained through a joint 

partnership between the National 

Federation of Indian American 

Associations, Gandhi Foundation 

USA, and Martin Luther King, Jr. 

National Historic Site.

International Civil Rights Walk of 

Fame

This exhibit was created in 2004 

to pay homage to the brave foot 

soldiers of justice who sacrificed 

and struggled to make equality a 

reality for all. Located along the 

promenade leading to the Martin 

Luther King, Jr. National Historic 

Site Visitor Center, the Civil Rights 

Walk of Fame is represented by 

a procession of embedded 2’x 2’ 

granite markers featuring engraved 

footsteps of civil and human rights 

icons such as Rosa Parks, Desmond 

Tutu, Andrew Young, John Lewis, 

and others. Inductions occur 

annually in partnership with the 

Trumpet Awards Foundation, Inc., 

founded by Xernona Clayton. The 

International Civil Rights Walk of 

Fame is maintained through a joint 

partnership between the Trumpet 

Awards Foundation and Martin 

Luther King, Jr. National Historic 

Site.
Existing Conditions

32 I National Park Service

Birth Home of Martin Luther King, Jr. 

(Credit: NPS Photographer Gary Tarleton)

Birth Home of Dr. King

The Birth Home is where Dr. King was born and nurtured until age 12. The National Park Service, 

through a Memorandum of Agreement with The King Center, maintains the historic house and 

grounds, and provides public access and interpretive programming.

Guided Tours

Emphasis is placed on exceptional 

visitor services, accuracy of 

information, and discussion of 

preservation issues. The Birth Home 

is special. There is no place like 

it. Visitors can come and see the 

place where Dr. King was born and 

lived for twelve years. Visitors are 

immersed in the resource.

Tours are currently limited to fifteen 

visitors per tour. Tours are offered 

every half hour depending on staffing 

availability. Only 6% of the park’s 

600,000+ visitors were able to tour 

the home in fiscal year 2009.

In addition to the Virtual Birth Home 

Tour Interactive Interpretive Station 

in the Visitor Center, a Birth Home 

Tour film is available for viewing 

upon request in the Visitor Center 

and in Historic Fire Station No. 6. 

Also, a photographic exhibit on the 

Birth Home has been installed in 

the parlor area of the new Eastern 

National Bookstore at 497 Auburn 

Avenue, just next to the Birth Home, 

to help further educate the public 

and reach those visitors who may 

not be able to tour the interior of the 

Birth Home itself.
Existing Conditions

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 33

Historic Fire Station No. 6.

(Credit: NPS Photographer Gary Tarleton)

Historic Fire Station No. 6

Through an agreement with the 

City of Atlanta Fire Department, the 

National Park Service preserves and 

interprets Historic Fire Station No. 6.

Historic Fire Station No. 6 was 

built in 1894 and operated within 

the Sweet Auburn community 

for nearly 100 years. During Dr. 

King’s childhood, this fire station 

was segregated, with white firemen 

serving a predominantly African 

American community. This was 

one of Atlanta’s first fire stations to 

racially integrate its staff in the 1960s.

The first floor features the exhibit, 

“Out of the Ashes: the Birth of 

Auburn Avenue.” This exhibit 

interprets the history of the Sweet 

Auburn community from the 

Reconstruction era through the 

modern American Civil Rights 

Movement and incorporates 

the history of the Atlanta Fire 

Department and the historic fire 

station that operated within Dr. 

King’s Sweet Auburn community 

for 97 years. This exhibit includes 

some artifacts (the most significant: 

a restored 1927 American LaFrance 

fire engine) that helps to tell the 

story of the 1894 Fire Station and 

its significance in the Sweet Auburn 

community.

The rear of the Fire Station is a 

multipurpose space that includes a 

television monitor and audiovisual 

components for screening park films. 

This space is separated from the main 

exhibit area by a portable partition, 

with flexible seating arrangements.

The second floor is not open to 

the general public, but used for 

educational programs and special 

use. Several exhibit panels from the 

Changing Exhibit Program, “Sweet 

Auburn...,” are on display. In 2006 

– 2007, a full audiovisual system was 

permanently installed in this space.
Existing Conditions

34 I National Park Service

Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church 

The Heritage Sanctuary of Ebenezer 

Baptist Church is where Dr. Martin 

Luther King, Jr. grew up, preached, 

and delivered several of his most 

important sermons and speeches. 

Today, it is no longer used by its 

congregation for regular worship 

or baptismal services. The historic 

period of significance for Ebenezer 

Baptist Church is from 1960 to 1968, 

the time when Dr. King was copastor. The building exterior and 

two primary interior spaces—the 

Heritage Sanctuary and Fellowship 

Hall—are significant features key to 

the commemorative historic period.

In cooperation with Ebenezer Baptist 

Church through a Memorandum of 

Agreement, Martin Luther King, Jr. 

National Historic Site operates the 

historic church and provides public 

access and programming. Across the 

street, Ebenezer Baptist Church has 

built a new structure, the Horizon 

Sanctuary, with seating for 2,000+ 

in order to accommodate the needs 

of a twenty-first century church 

community for all nations.

One long-term goal in the 

Memorandum of Agreement is to 

have no contemporary churchrelated activities in the historic 

church during daily park hours of 

operation, so the general public can 

always have access to this historic 

site.

Restoration of the Historic 

Structure

The park re-opened the church 

in April 2011. In consultation 

with Ebenezer Baptist Church 

and through the Memorandum 

of Agreement, the NPS provides 

maintenance and restoration to this 

important historic structure. In 2002, 

all major utility systems (heat and 

air, electrical, fire protection, and 

fire alarm) were either replaced or 

installed under Phase I – Restoration 

of the church. In 2002 and in 2009, 

the iconic neon sign on Ebenezer 

Baptist Church was also restored.

Historical note:

The blue neon sign on the front of 

the church was an improvement 

made by Martin Luther King, Sr. 

in 1956; for some members of 

the church, this sign was a bit of a 

controversy. In their minds, Martin 

Luther King, Sr. reflected, that we 

“put a night club sign in front of 

the church.” This neon sign is very 

nontraditional for churches in the 

South; however, it is a notable feature 

along Auburn Avenue, in much the 

same way as the neon cross and 

“Jesus Saves” sign are on the steeple 

of the nearby Big Bethel church. 

Notably, the neon sign on Big Bethel 

church was installed in 1918, so 

Martin Luther King, Sr. would have 

been aware of it when he made the 

decision to get a similar one made for 

Ebenezer.

In 2007, the Heritage Sanctuary 

and Fellowship Hall were closed to 

restore to their appearances back the 

1960s, when Dr. King was co-pastor.

The Sanctuary includes the 

restoration of the historic pipe organ 

and its antiphonals, Church pews, 

stained glass windows, hardwood 

floors, wall paneling, and balcony 

theater-seating. The original pulpit 

furniture and supporting furnishings 

have been returned to their position 
Existing Conditions

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 35

Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church 

Heritage Sanctuary.

(Credit: NPS Photographer Gary Tarleton)

to depict the Sanctuary’s 1960’s 

appearance. The choir loft seating 

is a reproduction. The paint finishes 

and other architectural elements 

are recreations of that same time 

period. The park intends to record 

an organist playing favorite hymns 

sung by the congregation during 

Dr. King’s time. 

The balcony was closed for many 

years due to termite damage. It 

has been repaired and structurally 

reinforced; the original chairs used 

during the 1968 period of historical 

significance have also been restored 

and reinstalled in the balcony area. 

This area is not open to the public 

due to safety concerns relating to 

the low-profile balcony, but it can be 

observed from the main level of the 

Sanctuary. 

The choir loft (at the front of the 

church, behind the pulpit) was 

restored using modern replicas of the 

same style as the balcony seating; the 

Baptismal Pool was similarly restored 

using modern substitutes to recreate 

the historic appearance.

Fellowship Hall is a multiuse 

space that includes a stage built 

in the 1950s after the baptistery 

was relocated in the Sanctuary. 

The characteristic green and white 

checkerboard linoleum that was 

present in Fellowship Hall during the 

historic period contained asbestos, 

and so was replaced with a modern 

alternative during restoration. 

While kitchen appliances have 

been removed owing to fire code 

regulations, the park will still allow 

the permitted use of this area, and 

catered activities will be allowed.

Historically, this area was used 

by the congregation for a variety 

of educational and social church 

activities. This part of the church also 

has national significance, because 

under the leadership of Dr. King, 

SCLC would hold many of its 

planning and strategy meetings here 

in this space.

In 2011, the Historic Heritage 

Sanctuary and Fellowship Hall was 

made accessible for the visiting 

public according to the Americans 

with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). 

Wheelchair access for the mobility 

impaired is provided through 

a ground floor entrance into 

Fellowship Hall from Jackson Street. 

Visitors with mobility impairments 

will gain access to Heritage Sanctuary 

from Fellowship Hall through the use 

of a wheel-chair accessible lift.

On April 15, 2011 Historic Ebenezer 

Baptist Church Heritage Sanctuary 

and Fellowship Hall were officially 

reopened for visitor use.
Existing Conditions

36 I National Park Service

Interpretive Media Elements

Interpretive media elements include 

the audio recordings of Dr. King’s 

sermons and speeches, gospel 

and spiritual songs by members of 

Ebenezer, Mahalia Jackson, Freedom 

Songs, and recordings of music from 

the church organ.

For special events, additional sound 

equipment and audiovisual systems 

may be required; these would be 

loaded in and removed after the 

event.

Fellowship Hall has been furnished 

with two exhibit cases and numerous 

exhibit panels that interpret the 

historical significance of Ebenezer 

Baptist Church and the restoration 

efforts by the National Park Service. 

It has also been equipped with a 

television monitor that currently 

displays an oral history provided by 

Dr. Christine King Farris, Dr. King’s 

sister, on the significance of the 

church to the King Family.

An Ebenezer Baptist Church (EBC) 

rack card that focuses on its history is 

available.

Interpretive Program

The interpretive program includes 

formal and informal ranger talks 

about Dr. King and the church. 

Visitors come to the church to see 

the place where Dr. King and his 

father, “Daddy King,” preached. 

Visitors also come to meditate and 

reflect. Visitors proceed directly to 

the Sanctuary to listen to sermons of 

Dr. King and enter Fellowship Hall 

for a brief talk by an interpreter.

Program strengths:

•	 The park has excellent audio 

recordings of sermons and 

speeches.

•	 The Heritage Sanctuary is now 

restored back to the correct time 

period.

•	 Family members and church 

associates connected to Dr. King 

are still alive and can help the 

park preserve important history.

•	 Reverend Joseph L. Roberts, Jr. 

(former Ebenezer Baptist Church 

pastor, 1975 – 2005) and other 

long-time church members are 

resources related to topics on 

Baptist ministry and civil rights.

•	 Visitors are really interested in 

Ebenezer Baptist Church and 

Dr. King’s work here, and how it 

relates to the modern American 

Civil Rights Movement.

•	 Ebenezer Baptist Church is 

still an active, growing church 

with a world view. It is known 

internationally.

Program weaknesses:

•	 Volunteers are needed to help 

meet, greet, and direct the flow 

of visitors into the Sanctuary and 

Fellowship Hall.

•	 There is a lack of staff and funds 

to support expanded interpretive 

opportunities.

•	 The partnership with the 

Ebenezer Baptist Church 

community should be 

strengthened.

•	 Capturing the oral histories of 

church members, clergymen, and 

civil rights activists connected 

with Dr. King is an urgent need.
Existing Conditions

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 37

The King Center’s Freedom Hall Complex.

(Credit: NPS Photographer Gary Tarleton)

National Historic Site Facilities Operated by The King Center

The facilities owned and operated 

by the King Center are commonly 

referred to as the “Freedom 

Hall Complex”. The complex 

is comprised of two structures, 

Freedom Hall, and The King Center 

Administrative Office, Library and 

Archives Facility; and, several site 

features including:

•	 The Tomb of Dr. and Mrs. King,

•	 The Eternal Flame, 

•	 The Reflecting Pool, 

•	 A Screening Room; 

•	 The International Chapel of All 

Faiths, and 

•	 Freedom Walkway.
Existing Conditions

38 I National Park Service

Freedom Hall

The National Park Service currently 

utilizes Freedom Hall to conduct 

the Birth Home Tour registration 

and ticket distribution operation. A 

ranger provides visitors information, 

orientation, and interpretation.

This visitor facility features artwork 

and artifacts from The King Center 

Collection on the first and second 

floor. 

•	 On the first floor in the atrium are 

various pieces of original artwork; 

they illustrate the life and legacy 

of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Some of Dr. King’s powerful 

quotes are displayed on vertical 

banners throughout the atrium’s 

ceiling. 

•	 On the second floor are three 

exhibit rooms. One is for Dr. and 

Mrs. Martin Luther King, Jr.; the 

second is for Mahatma Gandhi, 

and the third is for Mrs. Rosa 

Parks. There are photographic 

timelines, historic photographs, 

text panels, and numerous 

personal artifacts that help tell 

their personal stories as global 

leaders of nonviolence.

In May 1996, the NPS conducted 

extensive exhibit rehabilitation for 

the King and Gandhi exhibit rooms. 

The design, planning, development, 

and installation of these exhibits 

were the responsibility of the 

National Park Service. All of the 

artifacts came from The King Center 

Collection; other graphics panels 

and text panels were developed and 

produced by National Park Service. 

The Rosa Parks exhibit was not on 

the rehabilitation schedule.

In June 2010, the park received the 

assistance of Harpers Ferry Center’s 

Museum Conservation Service 

to assist The King Center with a 

condition assessment of artifacts, 

cases, and exhibits on display in 

Freedom Hall.

The King Center’s main Resource 

Center and Bookstore are located in 

Freedom Hall.
Existing Conditions

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 39

The Tomb of Dr. and Mrs. Martin Luther King, Jr.

(Credit: NPS Photographer Gary Tarleton)

The Tomb of Dr. and Mrs. Martin 

Luther King, Jr.

In 1972, Dr. Martin Luther King, 

Jr. was laid to rest in a single Tomb 

in The King Center’s Reflecting 

Pool. The entombment of both Dr. 

and Mrs. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

was unveiled in November of 2006. 

Throughout the year, memorial 

events, such as wreath-layings, are 

held at the Tomb to commemorate 

the lives and legacies of Dr. and Mrs. 

King.

The Reflecting Pool and fountains 

received maintenance rehabilitation 

in 2009. A new Eternal Flame was 

installed in 2009.

Screening Room

The Screening Room is a multipurpose space used for King Center 

events. The National Park Service has 

utilized this area in the past for some 

of their interpretive programs.

The King Center Administrative, 

Library, and Archives Facility

This building serves as the 

administrative facility and houses the 

King Library and Archives, and is the 

largest repository of primary source 

materials on Dr. Martin Luther King, 

Jr. The Library and Archives are 

available by appointment only.
Existing Conditions

40 I National Park Service

Martin Luther King, Jr. Preservation District 

(“Preservation District”)

The Preservation District was 

established in the 1980 enabling 

legislation and adjoins the historic 

site on the east, north, and west. 

The western park boundary for the 

historic site is at Jackson Street. From 

there, the Preservation District begins 

at Jackson Street and moves west 

along Auburn Avenue to Courtland 

Street (the western boundary of the 

Preservation District). This district 

embraces the larger Auburn Avenue 

African American community 

in which Dr. King grew up. The 

Preservation District links Dr. King 

to the African American businesses 

and the religious, social, and political 

organizations that flourished along 

Auburn Avenue prior to and during 

Dr. King’s lifetime.

Important African American 

businesses and institutions operated 

along Auburn Avenue between 

Jackson Street and Piedmont Avenue, 

including Prince Hall Masonic 

Lodge, the Royal Peacock Club, the 

Rib Shack, the Atlanta Daily World, 

WERD Radio, the Butler Street 

YMCA, the Odd Fellows Building, 

Haugabrooks Funeral Home, and 

Cox Brothers Funeral Home.

Following the success of the 

Montgomery Bus Boycott, the 

Southern Christian Leadership 

Conference (SCLC) was established 

in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1957 by 

Dr. King and other civil rights leaders 

to coordinate the action of local 

protest groups throughout the South 

to defeat all forms of segregation 

through the use of nonviolent direct 

action techniques, such as marches, 

strikes, and sit-ins. In 1960, SCLC 

decided to rent office space from 

the Prince Hall Masonic Lodge, at 

332 Auburn Avenue. The Masonic 

Lodge building is named in honor 

of Prince Hall, an African American 

Revolutionary patriot, civic leader, 

and founder of the first free African 

American Masonic Lodge in Boston, 

Massachusetts.

Dr. King’s office was located 

on the first floor of Prince Hall 

Masonic Lodge. His office had a 

separate entrance with space for a 

receptionist/secretary in front of 

the separate office he maintained. 

Immediately above Dr. King’s office 

was the radio station WERD—the 

first African American-owned radio 

station in the country. The radio 

station broadcast some of Dr. King’s 

sermons. The establishment of SCLC 

headquarters at 332 Auburn Avenue 

enabled Dr. King to continue leading 

the modern American Civil Rights 

Movement and serve as a co-pastor 

at Ebenezer Baptist Church; both of 

these organizations were critically 

important to him. 
Restricted Photograph.

This photo is removed from plans printed 

from the Internet, at the request of the 

donor.

Existing Conditions

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 41

Martin Luther King, Jr. in front of the Southern 

Christian Leadership Conference (S.C.L.C.) 

Headquarters, Prince Masonic Lodge.

(Credit: Courtesy, Benedict J. Fernandez)

The Masonic Lodge has provided 

the NPS access to the building and 

assisted the park with several studies. 

The NPS has conducted a structural 

assessment and has measured 

drawings of what was Dr. King’s 

office space. The NPS also has in its 

collections several original SCLC 

items that could be considered for 

exhibit.

Visitors are informed about the 

Auburn Avenue commercial district 

in the following ways:

•	 Formal and informal interpretive 

talks—many well-documented 

events in Dr. King’s life occurred 

in this area. These stories are 

often shared with park visitors.

•	 Wayside exhibits are placed at 

several key structures along the 

commercial district of Auburn 

Avenue. However, some of the 

waysides are vandalized and need 

to be replaced.

•	 The park experimented with 

conducting guided trolley tours 

during August of 2009; these 

tours were well-received by park 

visitors.

The park’s role along Auburn 

Avenue’s commercial district is 

limited to providing technical 

assistance to interested property 

owners desiring to maintain and/or 

interpret surviving historic structures 

connected to the historic period of 

Dr. King’s life (1929 – 1968). Short 

and long-term recommendations 

for interpretation, education, and 

visitor services are located in the 

“Expanding the Visitor Experience” 

section of this document.
Existing Conditions

42 I National Park Service

Interpretive Services

(Credit: NPS)

National Park Service Interpretive Programming

The current permanent interpretive 

staff is composed of a GS 12 Chief 

of Interpretation, a GS 11 Lead Park 

Ranger, four GS 9 Park Rangers, one 

GS 7 Park Guide, and several GS 

5 Park Guides. The park currently 

has one GS 7 Museum Technician 

with a not-to-exceed two-year 

appointment. The number of Student 

Temporary Employment Program 

(STEP) student hires varies.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. National 

Historic Site also has a very active 

Volunteer-In-Parks (V.I.P.) Program. 

Volunteers support park staff in a 

variety of functions, especially with 

daily Interpretive operations.

Personal Services

The park staff offers a variety of 

interpretive services on a daily basis. 

Park interpreters are always stationed 

at the Visitor Center information 

desk in order to provide informal 

interpretation and site orientation 

to park visitors. The park provides 

visitors with a number of formal, 

educational, and outreach programs, 

such as the Junior Ranger program. 

The following interpretive program 

summary comes from the summer 

2009 program description on the 

park website.
Existing Conditions

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 43

On Site Programs

•	 Birth Home Tours – Daily

Tour the home that Dr. Martin 

Luther King Jr. lived in from 

birth to age twelve. Explore the 

community and family life that 

guided this future Civil Rights 

leader. Thirty-minute tours are 

available on a first-come, firstserve basis every hour beginning 

at 10:00 a.m. Reservations must 

be made in person the day of the 

tour. Tours fill up quickly, and 

it is advised that visitors arrive 

early in the day. Obtain your free 

Birth Home tickets at The King 

Center’s Freedom Hall.

•	 Encounter History 

Presentations – Daily

Discover the history that shaped 

the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther 

King, Jr. during this free thirtyminute ranger-led program. 

Information about Ebenezer 

Baptist Church, the Sweet Auburn 

neighborhood, The King Center, 

Dr. King and Mrs. Coretta Scott 

King’s Tomb, the Birth Home, and 

Historic Fire Station No. 6 will be 

presented. 

•	 King for Kids: Live Like a King 

– Wednesdays, Fridays, and 

Saturdays (summer), 10:00 a.m.

Youth ages 6 – 11 explore the 

childhood life of Dr. Martin 

Luther King, Jr. through hands-on 

activities. Learn about the games 

played, books read, clothes worn, 

chores done, and music listened 

to in the 1930s that developed Dr. 

King’s character. Meet on second 

floor of Historic Fire Station No. 

6 for this free program.

•	 Sweet Auburn Trolley Tours – 

Wednesday through Sunday, 

July 1 – 5, 11:00 a.m., 2:00 or 

4:00 p.m. 

Board a replica historic trolley 

for a cruise along Sweet Auburn 

with a park ranger. Explore the 

history of Dr. King’s boyhood 

neighborhood and the business 

district that comprised one of the 

most influential African American 

communities during the 1930s.

•	 D.R.E.A.M. Film Series – Every 

third Thursday evening (fall, 

winter, spring), 7:30 p.m.

Films are presented in the 

Visitor Center Theater under the 

umbrella of the park’s Developing 

Racial Equality through Art and 

Music (D.R.E.A.M.) Series. Films 

address national and international 

issues of racial, economic, and 

social injustices with a focus on 

civil and human rights.

•	 Mondays, February 2, 9, 16, and 

23 – Lessons of a King – 10:00 

a.m.

Children ages pre-K through third 

grade can join storyteller Mama 

Koku as she weaves animal stories 

into lessons taught by Dr. Martin 

Luther King, Jr.

•	 Tuesdays and Thursdays, 

February 3, 5, 10, 12, 17, 19, 24, 

and 26 – A Dream Shared By 

Two – 10:00 a.m.

Children ages pre-K through 

third grade can join Uncle Jessie 

and Malcolm as they tell tales 

of Dr. King’s boyhood and the 

importance of celebrating his 

birthday during this 30 minute 

puppet show.
Existing Conditions

44 I National Park Service

Dr. Christine King Farris, 

Dr. King’s sister, reading 

to school children from 

her book My Brother 

Martin, during the 

annual King Week 

celebration.

(Credit: NPS)

•	 Sweet Auburn Neighborhood 

Walking Tours

Available in advance by 

reservation for groups wishing 

a guided experience of the site. 

Explore the history of Dr. King’s 

boyhood neighborhood and the 

business district that was one 

of the most influential African 

American communities during the 

1930s. 

Annual Special Events

The park has built a tradition of 

including several special events 

into their annual Interpretive 

Programming calendar; they are 

listed here in calendar order.

•	 Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal 

Holiday Celebration (“King 

Week”)

Every year, the Martin Luther 

King, Jr. National Historic Site 

commemorates Martin Luther 

King, Jr. Day (the federal holiday 

marking Dr. King’s birthday) 

with several days of activities. 

Commonly referred to as “King 

Week,” the park receives its 

highest public visitation of the year 

during this one week in January 

surrounding the federal holiday. 

The park’s primary partner, The 

King Center, spearheads local 

King Week celebrations that 

inspire similar events across the 

nation. Each year the park lends its 

support to The King Center to help 

facilitate the numerous activities 

held within park boundaries. 

One of the park’s signature King 

Week programs is the children’s 

birthday party honoring Dr. King, 

during which Dr. Christine King 

Farris, Dr. King’s sister, reads to 

school children from her book My 

Brother Martin.

Various other King Week 

activities include increased tours 

of the Birth Home and Historic 

Site, workshops and seminars, 

a march and rally, the annual 

Salute to Greatness Dinner, 

and the nationally televised 

Commemorative Service at 

Ebenezer Baptist Church Horizon 

Sanctuary.

•	 International Civil Rights Walk 

of Fame Ceremony

Each year following the King Week 

activities in January, the Martin 

Luther King, Jr. National Historic 

Site partners with the Trumpet 

Awards Foundation, Inc. (founded 

by Xernona Clayton) to present 

the International Civil Rights Walk 

of Fame Ceremony. This program 

features an induction ceremony 

for the year’s distinguished 

honorees, as well as an unveiling 

of the honoree’s granite footstep 

markers, and the exhibition of the 

actual shoes of the honorees used 

to create the footsteps.
Existing Conditions

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 45

Annual “I Have a Dream” International World Peach Rose Garden 

Ceremony.

(Credit: NPS)

•	 Day of Remembrance

The park annually commemorates 

April 4, the date of the 

assassination of Martin Luther 

King, Jr., with a “Day of 

Remembrance.” This event 

has taken many forms over the 

years; activities have included 

Silent Walk-through tours of 

the Birth Home, a Saturday 

Concert Series in the Heritage 

Sanctuary, panelist discussions, 

and screenings of At the River I 

Stand, a film that reconstructs 

the two eventful months in the 

spring of 1968 which led to the 

tragic death of Dr. Martin Luther 

King, Jr. Audio recordings of 

Dr. King’s “I’ve Been to the 

Mountaintop” and “Drum 

Major Instinct” sermons, as well 

as video footage of the funeral 

procession have also frequently 

been presented at various 

locations during the annual Day 

of Remembrance. Most recently, 

the Day of Remembrance was 

commemorated with the laying 

of a wreath on the exterior of 

Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church 

Heritage Sanctuary similar to the 

one that was placed there during 

Dr. King’s funeral in 1968.

•	 “I Have a Dream” International 

World Peace Rose Garden 

Program 

Each year in May, the Martin 

Luther King, Jr. National Historic 

Site partners with International 

World Peace Rose Gardens to 

present the “I Have a Dream” 

International World Peace Rose 

Garden Program. The event 

recognizes winners of the annual 

Inspirational Messages of Peace 

Contest, which invites youths 

from around the world to present 

written messages that reflect 

their own unique thoughts on 

Dr. and Mrs. Martin Luther 

King, Jr.’s universal messages of 

peace, love, nonviolence, and 

service. The winning messages, 

along with each student’s name, 

school, and grade, are engraved 

on individual plaques in the Rose 

Garden and unveiled during the 

annual program. The number of 

participants and participating 

countries has steadily increased 

over the years; in 2011, more than 

3,300 students participated in the 

contest from the United States, 

China, and Gaza Strip.
Existing Conditions

46 I National Park Service

•	 National Public Lands Day 

National Public Lands Day 

(September 29) is a nation-wide 

service event that celebrates 

volunteerism and the importance 

of recreation and public lands 

to community health. It is the 

largest single-day effort for public 

lands in the United States. In 

celebration of National Public 

Lands Day each year, more than 

100,000 volunteers (including 

several hundred at the Martin 

Luther King, Jr. National Historic 

Site) visit their favorite parks, 

beaches, wildlife preserves or 

forests to chip in to help improve 

these treasured places. National 

Public Lands Day volunteer 

activities at the Martin Luther 

King, Jr. National Historic Site 

vary annually, and have included 

projects such as painting historic 

houses, weeding, and mulching 

within the park.

•	 March on Washington for Jobs 

and Freedom Anniversary 

(August 28)

The National Park Service 

frequently serves as a co-host 

with The King Center and 

Southern Christian Leadership 

Conference to commemorate the 

anniversary of the 1963 March on 

Washington for Jobs and Freedom 

with programs and events that 

vary annually. Video and audio 

recordings of Dr. King delivering 

his “I Have a Dream” speech are 

typically presented in various 

locations throughout the park 

each year on August 28.

•	 Park Anniversary

Approximately every five years, 

the Martin Luther King, Jr. 

National Historic Site celebrates 

its Founder’s Day, October 10, 

the date that the park’s enabling 

legislation was signed. For 

its 30th Anniversary in 2010, 

the park held a community 

celebration on the Birth Home 

Block with a 1930s theme to 

honor the time period when 

Dr. King was a child growing 

up in this neighborhood. The 

streetscape included participants 

dressed in 1930s period attire 

including paperboys delivering 

event-themed newspapers, a 

long-time community resident 

telling stories from the porch of 

one of the historic homes on the 

block, dancers demonstrating 

the moves of the era, and a 

uniformed Fireman explaining 

the significance of Historic 

Fire Station No. 6. Vintage 

automobiles lined the streets 

and 1930s music filled the air. 

A children’s pavilion gave older 

members of the community an 

opportunity to teach children 

the games they played growing 

up, such as marbles, jacks, and 

Double Dutch. Featured speakers 

included two of Dr. King’s 

children: Martin Luther King, 

III and Elder Bernice King, and 

one of the key highlights of the 

event was a book signing with Dr. 

King’s sister, Dr. Christine Farris, 

and her daughter, Angela FarrisWatkins, on the porch of the 

home in which Dr. King and his 

siblings were born.
Existing Conditions

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 47

Off-Site Programs

•	 Personal Services: 

Park staff provides off-site 

programs for schools and 

community organizations within 

twenty miles of the park. The 

programs are tailored to the 

groups’ requests and include 

standard talks on the life of Dr. 

King and the modern American 

Civil Rights Movement. The 

park establishes and operates 

informational booths at family 

reunion trade fairs, historic fairs, 

and conventions.

•	 Non-Personal Services: 

Current Martin Luther King, Jr. 

National Historic Site outreach 

media includes a traveling trunk. 

This includes copies of the park’s 

two films, books, posters, etc.

Interpretive Publications

•	 Park brochure

•	 Rack cards:

o	 KING

o	 Capture The Dream

o	 Ebenezer Baptist Church, 

2008

o	 International Rack Cards: 

Spanish, Japanese, German, 

French, Swahili, 1996

•	 Booklets:

o	 Queens of Sweet Auburn, 

1995

o	 Courage to Lead, source of 

quotations, 2009

o	 Junior Ranger, revised 2007

•	 Site bulletin: Jim Crow Laws

•	 NPS publications from other 

NPS units in the State of Georgia, 

other National Historic Sites, 

additional sites connected 

with civil and human rights 

themes and African American 

themes, Southeast Region Parks 

publications, National Parks 

and Federal Recreational Lands 

Passes, and non-NPS publications 

such as the State of Georgia 

Historic and Natural Parks, and 

local points of interests.
Existing Conditions

48 I National Park Service

Issues and Influences

During the Foundation and 

Recommendation Workshops, the 

park staff and stakeholders discussed 

challenges affecting the park and its 

interpretive program. The following 

topic summaries are written in a 

question format to focus attention 

on the specific topics park staff felt 

was the most important areas to 

address. These topic summaries were 

used to guide the development of 

the short and long term parkwide 

recommendations defined under the 

Recommendations section of this 

document.

Birth Home

Define/describe a future universally 

accessible Birth Home experience, 

from arrival to conclusion. Consider 

how to create a memorable 

experience while moving people 

from the ticket pickup point through 

the house tour and the conclusion 

in the back yard of the site. Identify 

what’s working well now and what 

changes are needed to create the 

desired Birth Home experience.

Ninety-five percent of park visitors 

can’t visit the inside the Birth Home; 

in addition to viewing the Birth 

Home film at the Visitor Center, 

are there other visitor experience 

opportunities the park might 

consider through other interpretive 

media?

Sweet Auburn Avenue

“The Birth Home Block”: A portion 

of Sweet Auburn’s residential section, 

commonly known as “the Birth 

Home Block,” is preserved. Here, 

as a child, Dr. King experienced 

the beloved community—where 

families of different incomes and 

races lived side by side and supported 

each other—in spite of the sting of 

racism often confronted beyond the 

community. Describe the desired 

future visitor experience. Assess 

what’s working well now and identify 

what changes are needed to create 

the desired visitor experience.

Historic Fire Station No. 6 is very 

important to the historic Sweet 

Auburn community and the park 

interpretively. The park has a unique 

opportunity to re-explore the future 

visitor experience at the Fire Station, 

once the bookstore moves to the 

historic house next to the Birth 

Home. Consider how best to use 

this space interpretively. Describe 

the desired visitor experience to be 

provided. What theme and critical 

stories should be addressed? The 

second floor of this facility is used 

for education programs and as an 

“after-hours,” by permit, community 

meeting space. Will these uses 

continue or be accommodated 

elsewhere in the park?

Sweet Auburn’s commercial district: 

The park would like to expand the 

visitor experience to include Sweet 

Auburn’s commercial district, 

including the original site of the 

SCLC. Describe the components of 

the ideal visitor experience, from 

pre-arrival to post-visit. Discuss the 

role of interpretive media, personal 

services, and partnerships. Assess 

what the park is doing well now 

and identify what improvements 

should be undertaken to fulfill the 

desired visitor experience. Identify 

specific recommendations, where 

appropriate.
Existing Conditions

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 49

Birth Home Block.

(Credit: NPS)

Ebenezer Baptist Church

Discuss the future desired visitor 

experience for the historic Ebenezer 

Baptist Church. Address how 

personal services, interpretive 

media, and partnerships will work 

together to provide a memorable 

and meaningful visitor experience, 

from arrival through post-visit. 

Provide a description of what 

visitors should experience in each 

area and why, including the entry 

vestibule, Heritage Sanctuary, choir 

loft, Fellowship Hall, and gift shop. 

Address what is working well now, 

what is not, and what changes need 

to occur to support the desired visitor 

experience.

In addition to wanting to learn more 

about Dr. King and his ministry 

at Ebenezer Baptist Church, 

many visitors are curious about 

the modern/twenty-first century 

Ebenezer Baptist Church community. 

How should the NPS partner with 

Ebenezer Baptist Church’s twentyfirst century faith community in 

order to provide some level of visitor 

access to the Horizon Sanctuary?
Existing Conditions

50 I National Park Service

The “Uncomfortable” Topics

How does “separation of church and 

state” affect the Martin Luther King, 

Jr. National Historic Site interpretive 

program? What guidance would the 

group provide future interpreters to 

gain a comfort level in talking with 

visitors about Dr. King’s religion and 

his strong faith in God?

In light of the fact that a significant 

park feature is Dr. King’s church, 

what background information and 

reading does the group recommend 

all Martin Luther King, Jr. National 

Historic Site interpreters receive 

to accurately reflect the Baptist 

faith—including beliefs and common 

church practices, Sunday services, 

et cetera, when speaking about Dr. 

King’s faith and role as co-pastor of 

Ebenezer Baptist Church?

Dr. King and his family experienced 

many tragedies: his funeral was held 

at Ebenezer Baptist Church; his 

brother A.D.’s funeral also occurred 

here after his tragic drowning at 

home; later, his mother, “Mama 

King,” was gunned down while 

serving as the music director during 

Sunday services. These tragedies 

can be hard to talk about, yet most 

visitors want to learn more about 

the circumstances that affected this 

family and occurred here at the 

church. Please provide the future 

interpretive staff guidance regarding 

how to sensitively address these 

topics. What interpretive techniques 

are recommended to meet the visitor 

expectations described above, and 

at the same time lead visitors to the 

larger story—Dr. King’s experiences 

at Ebenezer Baptist Church in 

connection with his youth, his 

ministerial duties while co-pastor at 

Ebenezer Baptist Church, and his 

civil rights leadership?

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a 

Christian, a Baptist minister, and 

a civil rights leader. He used the 

pulpit at Ebenezer Baptist Church 

to encourage all church community 

members to live their lives by 

following God’s commandments. 

Dr. King also used the pulpit to 

preach how to achieve social change 

grounded in Christian values. 

Dr. King’s faith in God kept him 

centered and strong during times 

of great adversity. How should the 

future desired visitor experience 

support the following topics: Dr. 

King as a religious leader, Dr. King 

leading the modern American Civil 

Rights Movement through Ebenezer 

Baptist Church, and the role the 

church played in nurturing Dr. King 

as a child, as well as other members 

of the community?

National Park Service – The 

King Center Partnership and 

The King Center Facilities

During the next fifteen years, what 

improvements to the Freedom Hall 

visitor experience is The King Center 

considering? What elements of this 

experience work well, and which 

areas need improvement. Can the 

NPS be of any assistance in helping 

The King Center meet its long-range 

visitor experience goals?

Dr. and Mrs. King’s Tomb and 

along the Reflecting Pool and 

Plaza: Describe the desired 

universally accessible visitor 
Existing Conditions

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 51

experience. What is working well, 

and what needs improvement? 

Please address recommendations 

where appropriate. What kinds of 

interpretive opportunities should be 

facilitated here in the future?

Dr. and Mrs. King’s Sunset Avenue 

property is identified for future 

inclusion in the park boundary. 

Please outline the King Family’s longrange plans for this property. If timely 

and appropriate, describe planning 

needs and identify areas where the 

NPS can assist with preservation, 

research, or preparing the site as a 

future visitor experience.

How involved should the NPS and 

The King Center partnership be 

in the development of curriculum/

curriculum-based programs and 

outreach to school groups?

•	 What innovative ways should we 

consider using?

•	 Is there an appropriate target 

audience, and if so, how should 

we reach them?

How should the National Park 

Service and The King Center 

partnership interact to provide a 

high-quality visitor experience? 

Topics to address include resources, 

facilities, program, and funding.

The Visitor Center 

Describe the desired visitor 

experience; identify what’s working 

well and what is not. How can the 

NPS keep the exhibits fresh and 

engaging? Make recommendations 

to improve the overall visitor 

experience. Include in your 

assessment the arrival experience 

from the Interstate, the parking lot, 

and Plaza to Auburn Avenue.
52 I National Park Service

Guiding Principles for Recommendations

The following principles will guide 

the delivery of the present and future 

interpretive, educational, and visitor 

services programs at the Martin 

Luther King, Jr. National Historic 

Site:

•	 Interpretive messaging must 

go beyond race and the 

improvements made in the 

lives of African Americans to 

include other key points that 

evolved out of Dr. King’s work 

and philosophies, such as social, 

political, economic, gender, and 

other civil and human rights 

issues that affect all people. 

Interpretive focus: Dr. King was a 

visionary who led the country to 

a new South and a new Nation—

he improved the country for 

all Americans. His visionary 

leadership changed the course of 

American history, garnering him 

international distinction; Dr. King 

was awarded the Nobel Peace 

Prize in December 1964.

In light of the interpretive focus: 

Promote the National Historic 

Site as an important American 

destination and a national 

park. The NPS, in its language 

and outreach, needs to make 

sure that the Martin Luther 

King, Jr. National Historic 

Site is interpreted as a park for 

all people. Members of the 

planning team all agreed that it is 

important that all groups know 

and understand that the Martin 

Luther King, Jr. National Historic 

Site is a unit of the National 

Park Service because Dr. King is 

nationally significant.

•	 The park will work collaboratively 

with its primary partners—The 

King Center, Ebenezer Baptist 

Church, and City of Atlanta—to 

provide visitors a meaningful, 

memorable, and safe experience. 

The park environment has 

layers of complexity that can 

be confusing to park visitors. 

The park is comprised of two 

districts: the National Historic 

Site and the Preservation District, 

each with differing management 

authorities that affect the planning 

and delivery of park programs 

and media. In addition to park 

facilities, The King Center, 

Ebenezer Baptist Church, and 

City of Atlanta own structures 

and operate features that impact 

the visitor experience and affect 

visitor access and understanding 

of Dr. King’s life and 

contributions. Further, the park’s 

location in urban Atlanta presents 

another challenge: panhandling, 

car clouting, and the potential for 

other crimes common in United 

States cities can impact the park 

visitor experience.

•	 The parkwide visitor experience 

will be emphasized in all 

communications with park 

visitors. The park will be treated 

as a campus, where all features 

are valued as equally important 

to understand the life and 

contributions of Dr. King. While 

visitors will always be encouraged 

to start at the Visitor Center, 

many do not. Park signage, 

basic information, orientation, 

and visitor experience planning 

recommendations will be 

RECOMMENDATIONS
Recommendations

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 53

provided at all major site 

destinations. Currently, the 

interpretive emphasis focuses 

primarily on how to visit the Birth 

Home because of the very limited 

number of visitors that can 

tour the house due to structural 

preservation requirements, rather 

than providing an overview of 

the full range of park experiences 

that reflect where Dr. King 

“was born, where he lived, 

worked, and worshipped, and 

where he is buried.” Future onsite orientation locations, the 

park website “Planning Your 

Visit” page, press releases, and 

promotional tourism marketing 

will reflect this new programmatic 

emphasis.

•	 The park will explore a variety 

of methods to provide a more 

universally accessible visitor 

experience for visitors with 

sensory or mobility impairments. 

For example, the current park 

visitor experience requires a lot 

of walking between site features. 

The staff has observed that many 

visitors are elderly and have 

difficulty with the two-block 

walk from the Visitor Center 

parking lot to the Visitor Center. 

Dr. and Mrs. King’s Tomb is 

the park feature closest to the 

Visitor Center. While the park 

has available loaner wheelchairs, 

when large senior citizen tours 

groups arrive, all cannot be 

accommodated. After the long 

walk to the Visitor Center, for 

some the walk to the Tomb is a 

hardship endured; for others, it is, 

regrettably, a missed opportunity.

•	 The ability to provide basic 

information and interpretation 

in multiple languages is key to 

expanding the site’s ability to 

communicate with all visitors. 

Martin Luther King, Jr. was not 

only a leader of the modern 

American Civil Rights Movement, 

but also a world leader in the 

advocacy of peace. Today, the 

park is visited by people of all 

nations. The park will determine 

which language groups are 

the most common and work 

to provide updated languagespecific interpretive materials in 

print and electronic media.

•	 The park will continue to 

reach out to youth, particularly 

underserved audiences, because 

most people from “Generation 

X,” “Generation Y,” and younger 

generations do not perceive that 

they have a personal connection 

to Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 

story. The entire planning team 

agreed that the interpretive 

program should include a strong 

educational component.

•	 As twenty-first century American 

and international visitors continue 

to become more technologically 

competent, the park interpretive 

program will explore and utilize 

new technology in a setting that 

interprets the historic period 

1929 – 1968, in order to increase 

visitor access and understanding 

of Dr. King’s universal message of 

hope and equal rights for all, and 

to foster support for this park and 

the NPS.
Recommendations

54 I National Park Service

•	 All park programs will highlight 

longstanding efforts to preserve 

the Birth Home Block and 

portions of Dr. King’s Sweet 

Auburn neighborhood by Mrs. 

Coretta Scott King and fellow 

Atlantans; the NPS will invite 

visitors to join the staff and 

partners of the Martin Luther 

King, Jr. National Historic Site in 

the ongoing stewardship of the 

park.

This next section of the document is 

divided into three major sections:

1. Parkwide Recommendations

2. Site-Specific Recommendations

3. Expanding the Park Visitor 

Experience
Recommendations

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 55

Parkwide Recommendations

Organizational Effectiveness

Short-term Recommendations:

•	 Modify the park’s current mission 

statement in all park documents 

to reflect that Dr. King was one of 

the most influential Americans in 

the twentieth century:

To preserve, protect, 

and interpret for the 

benefit, inspiration, and 

education of present 

and future generations 

the places where Martin 

Luther King, Jr. was 

born, where he lived, 

worked, and worshiped, 

and where he is buried, 

while also interpreting 

the life experiences and 

significance of one of the 

most influential African 

Americans in the twentieth 

century.

•	 Incorporate in all new staff 

training, across divisions, 

instruction regarding how to 

handle crucial conversations 

with park visitors regarding race 

or viewpoints expressed about 

Dr. King’s beliefs and actions. 

Meanings are in people, not in 

words alone. Visitors bring to 

the park diverse points of view 

shaped by their life experiences. 

All staff must be trained in how 

to tactfully handle questions or 

statements about “hot-button” 

topics by responding courteously 

and factually, in a manner that 

respects an individual’s personal 

and civil rights. Proposed 

training can be accomplished 

in a variety of ways—through 

a printed “Frequently Asked 

Questions,” utilizing the National 

Park Service’s Interpretive 

Development Program module 

“Informal Contacts,” or through 

the development of park topicspecific training sessions that 

include role playing. Veteran 

staff members will be especially 

helpful in developing this 

training module. The park might 

consider creating training videos 

that capture the veteran staff in 

action, to help model the desired 

interpretive behavior of new staff 

members. 

Long-term Recommendations:

•	 Work with Southeast Regional 

Office staff to pursue writing a 

nomination to have the Martin 

Luther King, Jr. National Historic 

Site recognized by the United 

Nations’ Educational, Scientific, 

and Cultural Organization as a 

“World Heritage Site.”

•	 Initiate a planning discussion 

with the Southeast Regional 

Office regarding working with the 

National Park Service’s legislative 

office to expand the boundary—

at minimum, to include the 

Prince Hall Masonic Lodge at 

332 Auburn Avenue, the second 

location of the Southern Christian 

Leadership Conference (SCLC) 

office on the building’s first floor. 

The planning team feels that this 

location meets the legislative 

criteria of national significance 

in relation to the reason the park 

was established to honor Dr. 

King. It is here where Dr. King 

and his associates “worked” 

(referencing the park’s legislative 

mission statement) to organize 

African American churches 

throughout the South to defeat all 

forms of segregation through the 
Recommendations

56 I National Park Service

use of nonviolent direct action 

techniques, such as marches, 

strikes, and sit-ins. (For more 

details, see section “Expanding 

the Park Visitor Experience.”)

•	 Request funding for a parkspecific visitor survey; the last 

survey done was in 1997, by 

the National Park Service’s 

cooperative park studies unit at 

the University of Idaho. A visitor 

survey focus group is scheduled 

for fiscal year 2012.

Pre-Visit

•	 Encourage all visitors to the 

Martin Luther King, Jr. National 

Historic Site to experience 

the Visitor Center first before 

exploring other parts of the 

park. Doing so helps provide 

both physical orientation and 

an interpretive overview that 

allows the rest of the park to 

be experienced in context. For 

visitors travelling by car, the 

location of the Visitor Center 

parking lot helps to achieve this 

goal.

•	 Continue to provide park 

information by telephone, mail, 

and the internet. 

•	 Keep the park website accurate 

and up-to-date; provide 

consistent, up-to-date visitor 

trip planning information; and, 

where possible, include themerelated programs offered by 

primary park partners—The King 

Center and Ebenezer Baptist 

Church. The website is the first 

place most visitors go before 

coming to a park. A professional 

look, clear and concise trip 

planning information, up-to-date 

content, and exciting features 

all help engage the audience in 

their first park experience. See 

website recommendations in the 

“Interpretive Media” section. 

•	 Research the possibility of 

implementing a reservation 

system to meet the twenty-first 

century visitor expectation of 

advanced reservations, and 

improve the handling of large 

groups. 

Explore the possibility of having 

a percentage of the daily tours 

of the Birth Home available by 

advance reservation. Consult with 

other national parks with highvolume visitation to see how they 

are handling reservations and 

large groups; how do the National 

Mall and Memorial Parks 

handle visits to the Washington 

Monument? Currently, they offer 

advanced reservations through 

a vendor, and on-site same-day 

reservations.

Part of this research would 

include checking with the 

Solicitor’s office to determine 

if the reservation service fee 

charged by a vendor is in keeping 

with the provision in the park’s 

enabling legislation that “...no 

fees shall be charged for entrance 

or admission to the National 

Historic Site or preservation 

district set up by this Act.” 

The park could conduct value 

analysis to determine whether 

it would be cost effective to 

cover the cost of the ticketing 

service with operating funds. If 

so, it might prove worthwhile to 

move in this direction toward 

meeting the frequently expressed 

visitor goal to make advanced 

reservations to see the Birth 

Home.
Recommendations

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 57

Arrival Experience

Short-term Recommendations:

•	 Update/replace current outdoor 

park orientation and wayfinding 

panels; many are vandalized, 

many are not strategically placed, 

and some are not locationspecific. “You are here” orienting 

maps are needed.

•	 Institute visitor experience 

planning. Identify by half-hour, 

one, two, and three-hour intervals 

what visitors can experience 

in the park based on the time 

they have available. Convey this 

information in multiple formats: 

the park website and at future 

information kiosks or orientation 

panels at key destinations and site 

entry points. 

•	 Replace, repair, or remove broken 

elements in the promenade from 

the parking lot to the Visitor 

Center. The promenade from 

parking lot to Visitor Center 

and the Visitor Center Plaza are 

impressive landscape elements. 

However, some parts of these 

features have degraded over 

time, and others never worked as 

intended. 

o	 Waysides are deteriorating and 

have graffiti. The orientation 

wayside at the parking lot exit 

includes a map that is oriented 

the wrong way and needs to be 

replaced. 

o	 Etched granite waysides are 

unreadable; lettering should 

be filled with a contrasting 

color. Some lighting along 

the promenade needs to be 

repaired. 

o	 The Gandhi statue should 

have an interpretive wayside 

and also requires minor 

repairs. 

o	 At the Visitor Center Plaza, 

temporary signs that detract 

from the experience should be 

improved or removed.

Long-term Recommendations:

•	 Seek Servicewide funding to 

undertake a sign plan. Work 

collaboratively with Ebenezer 

Baptist Church and The King 

Center to address wayfinding and 

site identification for park visitors 

and exterior signage that support 

each organization’s operating 

needs. See “Wayfinding” in 

the “Interpretive Media” 

recommendations section that 

follows.

•	 Create an electronic kiosk 

or touch screen for all arrival 

destinations that provides 

information, orientation, and 

timing of current activities in 

multiple languages and integrates 

theme-related visitor program 

offerings by the NPS, King Center, 

and Ebenezer Baptist Church. 

Another alternative to consider 

is to staff an arrival kiosk in the 

Visitor Center parking lot closer 

to Irwin Street rather than John 

Wesley Dobbs Avenue.

•	 Seek funding to support the cost 

of conducting a Transportation 

Advisory Group (TAG) 

assessment project with the 

Denver Service Center. The 

TAG project should explore the 

feasibility of providing a shuttle 

service from the Visitor Center 
Recommendations

58 I National Park Service

parking to points of interest 

within the historic site for the 

mobility impaired; determine 

whether a future transportation 

service would improve visitor 

access, safety, and congestion 

within the National Historic Site 

and Preservation District; and 

consider early planning needs 

for a future satellite service to 

Dr. and Mrs. King’s Sunset 

Avenue residence, if the King 

Family’s long-range plans include 

providing future access to this 

site within the park’s legislative 

boundary.

o	 Consult with the Southeast 

Regional Transportation 

Planner to develop the Project 

Management Information 

System (PMIS) funding 

request. Transportation is the 

gateway experience into many 

NPS units, creating a lasting 

impression on park visitors. 

Within the unique framework 

of National Park Service’s 

mission, a Transportation 

Advisory Group (TAG) 

provides short-term assistance 

to park and regional staff who 

are considering transportation 

planning, design, and 

construction activities. TAG 

members assess background 

information (plans, previous 

funding requests, etc.) 

and then visit the park to 

explore current conditions 

and examine the scope and 

extent of transportationrelated problems. Site visits 

typically involve field work 

with park staff as well as 

park/partner workshops to 

gain a better understanding 

of potential transportation 

needs. Following the site visit, 

TAGs document existing park 

transportation conditions 

and develop findings and 

recommendations that are 

reviewed by park and regional 

staff for concurrence.

•	 Explore moving the current bus 

drop-off on Auburn Avenue to 

Irwin Street. The frequent loading 

and unloading of buses in front 

of Dr. King’s Tomb detracts from 

the park experience. Relocation 

of this function to Irwin Street 

will give all visitors the same entry 

experience and provide for a 

more contemplative atmosphere 

around the Reflecting Pool, Tomb, 

and Eternal Flame. Moving the 

bus drop off will also restore 

the vista from inside the Visitor 

Center exhibit to the Tomb. 

•	 Work with the City of Atlanta, 

local tourism industry, or a 

concessionaire to provide safe 

transportation from downtown 

Atlanta to the park. 

•	 Work with City of Atlanta officials 

to remove panhandlers from the 

site. Discuss their presence on 

the website in the visitor safety 

section. While there are signs in 

the park, the website is silent on 

panhandlers and other visitor 

safety concerns.

•	 Explore developing a concession 

operation/opportunity, since 

storage of luggage while visiting 

the historic site is a frequently 

voiced need for international 

travelers. The future service 

would require security elements. 

In addition to serving visitors, 

this concession would create an 

economic opportunity in the 

community.
Recommendations

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 59

Interpretive Media

Please note: Additional audiovisual 

recommendations are discussed 

in the “Visitor Center” and “Birth 

Home of Dr. King” sections of the 

document.

Cell Phone Tour

•	 Expand 24/7 interpretive coverage 

through the development of cell 

phone tours based on different 

themes. Example topics include 

a tour of the Birth Home Block, a 

tour of the greater Sweet Auburn 

community, a tour of the churches 

in the neighborhood, or an overall 

site tour.

Cell phone tours have a similar 

function to standard audio tour 

“wands”: The listener enters 

a number that corresponds to 

a location/artifact/exhibit and 

hears information relating to 

the location/artifact/exhibit. 

However, in order to use an 

audio tour, the listener has to be 

physically present at the site, rent 

or check out a device, and learn 

how to use the device. Equipment 

rental also limits the access to the 

information to people who can 

visit the site or specific part of a 

site.

A cell phone tour frees a visitor to 

use a device they are comfortable 

with; they can access the tour 

at any time, 24/7, not just when 

the devices are available, and 

it enables the visitor to use any 

accessible listening technology 

they have in a comfortable, 

reliable way. A simple brochure or 

sheet is usually provided to guide 

visitors through the tour. A text 

version of the tour could also be 

available to those who are hard of 

hearing or those who prefer text. 

Note: The cost to visitors for cell 

phone tours is dependent on the 

individual’s phone service plan.

During the product development 

phase, if the park retains the 

use rights, the content created 

for a cell phone tour could also 

be released on the web as a 

downloadable audio tour for use 

on iPods and other MP3 player 

devices, used in future smart 

phone applications, and available 

as a first step in creating audio 

description for other media. 

Translated cell phone tours 

could also be developed in the 

languages of the park’s primary 

international visitor groups to 

expand desired interpretive 

opportunities for international 

visitors.

Publications

Short-term Recommendations:

•	 Update the Unigrid brochure 

when necessary.

•	 Replace the existing foreign 

language brochures to reflect the 

current visitor experience and 

new scholarship. 

Long-term Recommendations:

•	 Seek funding to translate 

and produce the park’s 

Unigrid brochure in the most 

predominant languages of the 

park’s visitor groups and in largeprint and Braille formats for 

visitors with visual impairments.
Recommendations

60 I National Park Service

•	 Work with Eastern National to 

develop a historic site handbook 

(interpretive sales item) that 

includes information about all 

points of interest—The King 

Center, National Park Service 

Visitor Center, Ebenezer Baptist 

Church, Historic Fire Station 

No. 6, and the Sweet Auburn 

community—for on-site use to 

expand self-guiding interpretive 

and educational opportunities. 

This item can be a neat take-away 

souvenir, too. The park should 

also discuss with the Association 

the possibility of making this 

publication available in the most 

predominant languages of visitor 

groups.

•	 Develop the ability to print free 

multiple language brochures, 

publications, and interpretive 

information on demand. With 

the advent of digital publishing, 

parks now have the ability to print 

publications one at a time, when 

requested (print on demand). 

Once key publications are 

translated into multiple languages; 

they can be stored digitally at 

the Visitor Center desk and then 

printed when needed. 

Wayfinding

•	 Seek funding to develop a 

wayfinding/sign master plan 

for the park. Contact HFC 

for assistance to develop a 

cost estimate that includes the 

development of (1) a wayfinding 

assessment and (2) a wayfinding 

master plan. Note: A future scope 

of work should include a request 

for a wayfinding assessment with 

options for the development of a 

future signage/wayfinding master 

plan.

o	 The wayfinding assessment 

will document all the 

signs in use and make 

recommendations for 

updating the signs to conform 

to the new National Park 

Service UniGuide Sign 

Standards. 

o	 The master plan will 

recommend the specific 

signs needed that reflect 

new sign standards for Park 

and Facility Identity, Road 

Guide and Trailblazer Signs, 

Visitor Information Signs, 

Regulatory Signs, and will 

include directional signs. 

The master plan defines 

specifically what signs are 

needed and where they should 

go, and includes construction 

drawings and specifications 

and a replacement/demolition 

plan. The master plan also 

addresses plausible methods 

for sign replacement based 

on funding criteria or parkspecific project needs. For 

example, while the park may 

seek PMIS funding to replace 
Recommendations

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 61

parkwide signs in one project 

year, the master plan could 

also address replacement 

of signs based upon the 

availability of cyclic sign 

replacement funds.

o	 Following the development 

of the master plan with 

prioritized sign replacement 

schedules and estimated costs, 

develop Project Management 

Information System (PMIS) 

funding requests to fabricate 

and install signs.

Note: HFC manages the 

Servicewide Sign Program. 

Servicewide planning needs 

have exceeded the capacity 

of HFC. The HFC Sign 

Program Manager/Office 

of Strategic Initiatives and 

the HFC Contracting Office 

work with selected vendors 

that will develop wayfinding 

assessments and master plans 

according to Servicewide 

sign standards. Future HFC 

wayfinding projects will be 

handled by HFC contractors, 

with an HFC Sign Program 

staff member assigned to 

serve as a Contracting Officer 

Technical Representative 

(COTR) to provide guidance, 

support, and project oversight 

for the park. Or, if the park 

has the resources, they can 

contract directly with the 

HFC-recommended vendors 

for these services and 

products. 

Website

Short-term Recommendations:

•	 Keep the management of 

the park website under the 

Superintendent’s Office until a 

position has been designated and/

or funded under the interpretive 

program. The park website is one 

of the primary communications 

tools available to the park and 

the interpretive staff. Often in 

parks, the administration of the 

website fell to the division that 

was the most “computer savvy”; it 

is now time to seek the necessary 

funding support to transition this 

important communications tool 

to the interpretive program.

•	 Institute an annual review of 

the website to weed out dated 

materials and develop a priority 

list of changes to be made to the 

website. Create a cross-divisional 

park team to review the content 

of the website; a team review 

would facilitate seeing the historic 

site from multiple perspectives. 

Consider using experienced 

volunteers on this team.

•	 Add all partner-provided, themerelated visitor programs to the 

park events calendar.

•	 Adjust photos in headers, footers, 

and placed on pages to correct 

aspect ratio. Many photos are 

compressed vertically.

•	 Develop new directions for using 

public transportation and add the 

parking lot address for visitors 

who use online mapping services.
Recommendations

62 I National Park Service

Long-term Recommendations:

•	 Identify the interpretive 

position and/or seek funding 

for the position that will have 

the responsibility for keeping 

the park website accurate, upto-date, and exciting. Provide 

requisite training for this staff 

member and then transfer the 

management of the website 

to the Chief of Interpretation, 

who will coordinate parkwide 

communications needs with all 

other Division Chiefs and the 

Superintendent’s Office.

•	 Implement the use of more 

photos of Dr. King on the 

homepage and other parts of the 

website by obtaining permission 

and rights. Work with partners on 

the use rights.

•	 Provide web access to all 

previously produced published 

interpretive material, such 

as bulletins, brochures, and 

historical research.

•	 Improve website to incorporate 

new media elements, including 

web features, videos, and audio.

•	 Develop a new Birth Home 

virtual tour on the web and kiosk 

in Visitor Center to incorporate 

new multimedia techniques and 

accessibility standards. The virtual 

tour could also better illustrate 

the Birth Home, using full screen 

panoramas and walk-throughstyle navigation, instead of the 

current map style. The inclusion 

of videos and historical photos 

would also enhance the virtual 

tour experience.

•	 Improve education curriculum 

tie-ins and web features for 

teachers and students. Web 

features for before and after park 

visits by teachers and students 

could be developed to enhance 

and reinforce a park experience 

tied to curriculum.

•	 Expand the park website to 

include multiple languages of 

predominant visitor groups; 

currently, the website is available 

in English and Spanish. 

Other future website interpretive 

opportunities:

Blogging

•	 Develop a blog strategy to 

engage the community. Using 

the blogging feature in the nps.

gov content management system, 

parks can have fully a capable 

blog to talk about park news, 

interpretive themes, restoration 

efforts, and historical writings. 

•	 Develop additional online content 

for youth using blogging, videos, 

and social media links.

Podcasts

•	 Develop multiple podcasts to 

build on the story of the park and 

adjacent Preservation District. 

A podcast is a series of shows 

in either audio or video format 

that are released episodically and 

that users can subscribe to that 

are then downloaded to a media 

player or viewed directly on a 

computer or television. Podcast 

shows generally have a specific 

theme that a series would follow 

over the season. Some topics 

were discussed during the LRIP 

workshops, such as the SCLC, Dr. 

and Mrs. King’s Sunset Avenue 

home, the greater Sweet Auburn 

community outside the park, 
Recommendations

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 63

and rebroadcasting excerpts 

from the WERD Radio shows 

that were produced in the SCLC 

building and featured Dr. King 

as a speaker. A podcast series 

can focus on specific parts of a 

park’s story that are not told with 

exhibits, tours, or through other 

park media.

Many units of the National Park 

Service are currently producing 

podcasts with great success. The 

podcasts are being used by visitors 

before a visit or during a visit 

(walking tour), or they subscribe 

after a visit to stay connected with 

the park. Some podcast episodes 

are also being used individually as 

web videos for use by educators 

and as special pieces on a park’s 

website. Developing the ability to 

produce podcasts in a park also 

enables the park to create special 

videos for the web and for use by 

the media.

Social Media

•	 Develop a social media strategy 

to engage the greater community 

surrounding the Martin Luther 

King, Jr. and Civil Rights 

story. The online social media 

landscape continues to evolve, 

and nowhere is this more evident 

than among a growing number of 

parks that are embracing social 

media and engaging with users 

online. As they expand their 

online presences, these parks are 

recognizing how social media 

furthers the development of 

online and offline engagement 

with the public. With the 

proliferation of social media 

sites, the Internet continues to 

advance as a truly participatory 

communication medium, creating 

opportunities for new dialogues 

between parks and citizens.

•	 Develop a microblogging (e.g., 

Twitter) strategy for announcing 

news, events, programs, web 

features, restoration efforts, 

and openings/closings. Just like 

it sounds, microblogging is a 

shorter form of a blog—but 

instead of details, parks give 

brief updates that allow them to 

quickly and succinctly connect to 

followers. Microblogging is more 

than just random short bursts 

of text; it’s better characterized 

as short conversations in which 

users listen to and share ideas. 

Twitter is one of the most utilized 

microblogging tools and currently 

is not blocked by the Department 

of the Interior. Many sites start 

Twitter feeds to keep park 

followers updated with events, 

news, programs, web features, 

and openings/closings. Parks 

also “live tweet” events as they 

happen, sending a large burst of 

tweets over the day of the event.
Recommendations

64 I National Park Service

Personal Services

The LRIP planning team did not 

have sufficient time to address 

recommended staffing levels or types 

of positions needed to support the 

park’s desired future interpretive 

program. In order to be successful 

over the next fifteen years, it will 

be critical to address this program 

need through a different planning 

endeavor. Recommendations in this 

section will address:

•	 General staffing 

recommendations

•	 Strategies for expanding the 

park’s current education program

•	 New program ideas brainstormed 

during the LRIP workshop

•	 Research needs documented 

during workshop

•	 How to deal with “the difficult 

topics”?

General Staffing 

Recommendations

•	 Prepare to conduct an in-house 

organizational review of the 

Interpretation and Cultural 

Resources Division regarding 

how well parkwide and division 

specific annual organizational 

goals are achieved with current 

staff levels. This program 

review could be conducted 

independently or in tandem 

with the following additional 

assessments.

o	 Consult with other urban 

National Park Service areas 

with a similar organizational 

format; the Martin Luther 

King, Jr. National Historic 

Site’s Interpretive Program is 

responsible for interpretation, 

education, visitor services, 

special use permits, and 

collections care. Jefferson 

National Expansion Memorial 

has a similar structure. 

There are probably others; 

the Washington Office of 

Interpretation can help 

determine what other parks 

to consult. Find out how 

these parks structure their 

positions, including types of 

positions, grade level, and 

number of staff in comparison 

to the Martin Luther King, Jr. 

National Historic Site. This 

comparative research may give 

the park management team 

new insight regarding how 

to make the most of limited 

staff funding and broad 

organizational responsibilities.

o	 Seek funding to support an 

operations evaluation, now 

currently referred to in NPS 

language as a “T-MAP,” to 

document and validate park 

assessments. Data gained 

from the T-MAP exercise 

can be used to support future 

requests for positions.

These assessments will 

help the management team 

determine specifically what 

types of future position 

descriptions should be 

written, classified, and funded 

to support mission critical 

activities. Rationale:

−	 The same staff that serves 

the visitors during the 

day is also tasked to work 

during the evenings to 

provide security and 
Recommendations

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 65

information/orientation 

services to groups that 

are permitted use of the 

facilities after hours.

−	 This Division takes care 

of the historic objects on 

display and their related 

curatorial records.

−	 Interpretive staff members 

conduct research projects 

to respond to visitor 

requests, support other 

division-specific research 

needs, and help with 

parkwide project needs.

The LRIP planning team 

observed that the staff does 

a wonderful job serving 

park visitors on a day-today basis. However, they are 

frequently stretched beyond 

capacity to make headway 

with new programs and 

projects requiring research 

or attention to detail. It 

should be noted that many 

LRIP recommendations 

call for new media and 

interpretive programs; these 

future projects will be timeconsuming and costly. It is 

critical that the proper staff is 

in place to ensure successful 

results.

Education Program

•	 Start with existing materials 

the park has already invested 

time in developing. Make the 

commitment to collaboratively 

update and pilot-test these 

educational materials with 

teachers to help to ensure 

effectiveness and that the 

materials meet Georgia 

Performance Standards. 

o	 Reach out to District level 

teachers and principals 

to assist the staff with this 

project.

o	 Determine whether there are 

associated teacher-training 

needs that the park needs to 

accommodate through the 

development of a teacher 

resource packet. If necessary, 

create instructional guides for 

educators.

−	 One suggestion was to 

use teacher workshops 

to train teachers to use 

instructional materials. 

When planning future 

teacher workshops, 

utilize a ranger/teacher 

team program approach. 

Provide concrete examples 

of classroom and onsite, teacher-led student 

experiences; modeling is a 

very helpful and supportive 

method of instruction.

−	 Another suggestion was 

to create a downloadable 

demonstration podcast 

showing how student and 

teacher materials can be 

used in the classroom and 

on site.

−	 Continue to use the park 

website to advertise 

educational materials 

available and to inform 

group expectations prior 

to their arrival.

−	 Consider hiring a GS 9 

Education Specialist to 

enhance the park’s overall 

Education Program.
Recommendations

66 I National Park Service

New Program Ideas

•	 Have school contests, for 

example, reenacting Dr. King’s 

speeches.

•	 Create a slower-paced, more 

hands-on experience somewhere 

else in the park besides the Birth 

Home, so visitors get a better 

sense of what M.L.’s childhood 

was like in the 1930s. While there 

are many collection items that 

demonstrate M.L.’s childhood 

and family life (games, etc.) 

on exhibit in the Birth Home, 

it is very hard for visitors to 

have anything but the briefest 

impressions of daily life or to 

observe the period pieces that 

demonstrate Dr. King’s character 

development, childhood 

personality, and interaction with 

other family members due to the 

tour’s length.

•	 Develop curriculum to enhance 

the visitor experience for students 

in Ebenezer Baptist Church.

•	 Create a speaker’s series for 

Ebenezer Baptist Church.

•	 Develop a program called “A 

day in the life of Dr. King.” 

There could be one program 

that focuses on his life as a 

child and another focusing on 

when he served as co-pastor 

of Ebenezer Baptist Church 

and President of the Southern 

Christian Leadership Conference 

(SCLC). The second proposed 

program topic could provide an 

opportunity to give insight to 

visitors regarding Dr. King as a 

father of four and his life with 

Mrs. Coretta Scott King; Dr. King 

was a young husband and father 

when he returned to Atlanta and 

served at the church and SCLC.

•	 The park has also identified the 

importance of increasing the 

emphasis on the interpretation of 

the life and legacy of Mrs. Coretta 

Scott King.

•	 Work with Eastern National to 

create an interactive video and 

board game for people of all ages 

about strategies used by Dr. King 

during the Movement.

•	 If the park decides it wishes 

to expand its commitment to 

delivering education programs, 

determine the amount of staff 

time that can realistically be 

devoted to this endeavor. See 

Appendix B for guidance in 

new educational programming 

development.

Research Needs Documented 

During the Workshop

•	 Review NPS oral history 

collection, as well as other 

repositories, in order to determine 

where best to capture future oral 

history efforts. The core historic 

site partners—the National Park 

Service, Ebenezer Baptist Church, 

The King Center, and the City 

of Atlanta—need to sit down 

and review what has been done, 

define what needs to be done, and 

develop a coordinated approach. 

What is known at this writing: 

o	 Fifteen years ago, the NPS 

sponsored an oral history 

project; this collection is now 

housed at Morehouse College. 

o	 Ebenezer Baptist Church 

has an oral history project 

underway.
Recommendations

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 67

o	 The King Center conducted 

some oral histories in the 

1970s.

•	 The team also noted that, while 

the Carter Center did an oral 

history with Andrew Young, it is 

important to review that history, 

develop targeted questions, 

and interview Young again, in 

reference to his memories of Dr. 

King while working with him 

during the modern American 

Civil Rights Movement.

•	 Develop a list of relevant 

individuals who should be asked 

to participate in an oral history 

interview.

How to Deal With the Difficult 

Topics?

How will the park prepare its staff 

to interpret difficult concepts such 

as religion?

•	 Provide training on the mission 

of the National Park Service, the 

park’s 1980 enabling legislation; 

and the First Amendment. 

Incorporate this training as a 

standard and refresher element in 

the park’s orientation program for 

all employees, in every division. 

Recommend that the park 

collaborate with the Southeast 

Regional Office of Interpretation 

and Office of Human Resources 

to develop this training module.

o	 Every employee should 

receive a personal copy of 

the legislation and be able 

to quote the most important 

element from the park’s 

enabling legislation that 

describes the purpose of the 

park

“...to preserve, protect, 

and interpret for the 

benefit, inspiration and 

education of present 

and future generations 

the places where 

Martin Luther King, 

Jr. was born, where 

he lived, worked, and 

worshiped, and where 

he is buried...”

in order to help each employee 

develop a comfort level in 

discussing why the National 

Park Service preserves and 

interprets Ebenezer Baptist 

Church.

o	 Employees should also be 

aware of the Memorandum of 

Agreement in place between 

the park and the church, and 

how this agreement facilitates 

the National Park Service 

to preserve the church, and 

provide interpretation and 

visitor services.

o	 Develop a standard form 

letter to address this topic 

and have it reviewed by an 

NPS solicitor prior to use. If 

visitor questions or concerns 

are not alleviated, offer to 

take their name and address, 

and let them know the park 

Superintendent will be 

happy to send them a letter 

explaining National Park 

Service policy and guidelines 

regarding use of government 

funds for the restoration of 

Ebenezer Baptist Church’s 

Heritage Sanctuary and the 

interpretive program operated 

by the park at the church.

o	 Martin Luther King, Jr. 

National Historic Site 

employees must have a clear 
Recommendations

68 I National Park Service

understanding of how the 

First Amendment relates 

to their role as a Federal 

employee who works at the 

national park that preserves 

one of the places where 

Dr. King “worked” and 

“worshipped”: the historic 

Ebenezer Baptist Church. 

They need to have a clear 

understanding of what the 

Unites States Constitution 

prohibits and allows. In 

addition, all employees 

must also have a clear 

understanding of appropriate 

remarks and conversations 

with visitors while on the 

clock as an National Park 

Service employee (especially 

in uniform), versus what 

is allowable as a citizen 

practicing free speech during 

off-duty hours.

o	 It is important to remember 

that a portion of the 

interpretive program is 

presented in Ebenezer Baptist 

Church; by legislation, the 

park commemorates the 

life and accomplishments 

of Dr. Martin Luther King, 

Jr., the great civil rights 

leader—who was a Baptist 

minister. It’s crucially 

important that all NPS staff 

members are clear on their 

roles and responsibilities 

as Federal employees and 

very comfortable answering 

questions about the National 

Park Service’s work here, 

because many individuals 

in the public are confused 

or express concerns about 

First Amendment issues and 

ask questions regarding the 

separation of church and state. 

Specifically, employees may be 

asked why the NPS is involved 

in preserving and interpreting 

Ebenezer Baptist Church.

It should be clear to all 

employees, especially when 

providing interpretive services 

to visitors, that it is not the 

employee’s job to promote 

the Baptist faith. Instead, their 

job is to describe, explain, or 

provide basic information to 

accurately reflect Dr. King’s 

faith life.

Guidance—interpreting Dr. King’s 

religion and his strong faith in God

•	 Use direct quotes from Dr. King’s 

sermons and speeches to illustrate 

interpretive messages and/or 

answer visitor questions. Know 

the source cited; specifically, be 

able to state when and where 

Dr. King said or wrote what the 

interpreter has quoted.

o	 The planning team outlined 

some key elements that can be 

shared / explained regarding 

the Baptist Church:

−	 The Baptist religion is 

a Christian Protestant 

tradition.

−	 Each Baptist church is a 

“free church.” There is no 

hierarchy above the pastor. 

The pastor is answerable 

to the congregation/faith 

community.

−	 Interpretive discussions 

also can address why, 

in times of discord, 

pastors of churches in 

the segregated African 

American community 

were sought out by leaders 

“Congress shall 

make no law 

respecting an 

establishment 

of religion, or 

prohibiting the free 

exercise thereof; 

or abridging the 

freedom of speech, 

or of the press, or 

the right of the 

people peaceably 

to assemble, 

and to petition 

the Government 

for a redress of 

grievances.”

- Excerpt, United 

States Constitution
Recommendations

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 69

of the white community. 

Many well-documented 

examples provide insight 

in both Reverend King, Sr. 

and Dr. King’s interactions 

with Atlanta community 

leaders.

−	 To become a Baptist, 

one must be baptized by 

immersion in water.

−	 Dr. King was raised in 

a family with a strong 

theological tradition 

and became a fourthgeneration minister.

−	 The Baptist Church plays a 

strong and traditional role 

in the life of many African 

Americans, and Ebenezer 

Baptist Church is part of 

this theological family. The 

Baptist Church theological 

tradition has a heavy 

emphasis on social justice. 

Recommended reading

•	 The planning team recommends 

the following background reading 

to accurately reflect the Baptist 

faith, Ebenezer Baptist Church, 

and the restoration of the church:

o	 Baldwin, Lewis V. The Voice of 

Conscience. New York: Oxford 

University Press, 2010.

o	 Frazier, E. Franklin, and 

Lincoln, C. Eric. The Negro 

Church in America/The 

Black Church Since Frazier 

(Sourcebooks in Negro 

History). New York: Schocken 

Books, 1974.

o	 National Park Service. 

Ebenezer Baptist Church 

Historic Structure Report, 

2001.

o	 Ridgeway, Benjamin C. 

Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist 

Church (Images of America).

Mt. Pleasant, SC: Arcadia 

Publishing, 2009.

Interpretive topics to address 

regarding Dr. King, his faith, and 

Ebenezer Baptist Church

•	 Describe the influence of “the 

church” on Dr. King. Dr. King 

was actively involved in church 

activities as a child. He attended 

Morehouse, Crozier Theological 

Seminary, and Boston University. 

He became a fourth-generation 

minister.

•	 Dr. King’s career as a minister:

o	 As a student minister coming 

home to preach at Ebenezer 

Baptist Church

o	 His time as senior pastor at 

Dexter Avenue Baptist Church 

in Montgomery, Alabama, 

1954-1960

o	 His life as a co-pastor at 

Ebenezer Baptist Church 

and his Southern Christian 

Leadership Conference 

ministry, 1960-1968

•	 Dr. King’s funeral at the church; 

in addition to a description of 

the event, include a discussion 

of the number of national and 

international dignitaries that 

attended. 
Recommendations

70 I National Park Service

•	 Be prepared to answer the 

question “Why didn’t Dr. King 

have a state funeral?” Today, 

many visitors do not realize that 

Dr. King never held a public 

office. The world did not see 

him then, as most Americans see 

him now. Answer: Dr. King was 

a minister; he worked to help 

people. He was a private citizen 

who led the country toward 

change. Because of his civilian 

status, his funeral was held at 

Ebenezer Baptist Church. If 

during that period there were 

some who sought to honor Dr. 

King with a state funeral, the 

personal experiences Dr. King 

had with Georgia Governor 

Lester Maddox regarding the 

desegregation of restaurants and 

other public facilities, and the 

political climate in 1968, made 

utilization of the Georgia State 

Capitol for Dr. King’s wake and 

funeral a political impossibility. 

•	 The role of Ebenezer Baptist 

Church and church members 

in the Civil Rights Movement. 

Reverend King, Sr. played a 

strong leadership role in using 

this church to seek social justice. 

(See: King, Martin Luther, and 

Riley, Clayton. Daddy King: An 

Autobiography. Morrow, 1980.)

•	 The role of the church as the 

social center of the Sweet Auburn 

community. It is also important 

to mention that there were 

four major African American 

churches in this community: 

First Congregational; Big Bethel 

African Methodist Episcopal 

Church, which is the oldest 

African American church in 

Atlanta; Wheat Street Baptist 

Church; and Ebenezer Baptist 

Church. These churches were 

connected to many other African 

American fraternal organizations 

and businesses that supported 

and were interconnected within 

the segregated African American 

community.

Addressing the “sensitive” and 

tragic occurrences associated with 

Dr. King’s Family and Ebenezer 

Baptist Church

Specifically, Dr. King’s funeral; the 

1974 murder of Dr. King’s mother 

Mrs. Alberta Williams King and 

Deacon Edward Boykin, and the 

wounding of three others in the 

Sanctuary; and the tragic death of 

Dr. King’s brother A.D. in 1969.

•	 Know the facts and train the staff 

to share them in a straightforward 

manner when questioned. 

Answer these questions when 

they come up, but don’t focus 

on the murders and funerals. 

Emphasize that in difficult times, 

the church is a source of stability 

for the community.

•	 Remember that tragedy, death, 

and funerals are all universally 

understood concepts. For the 

members of Ebenezer Baptist 

Church, the church is at the 

center and a vital part of the 

community. People look to the 

church to gather and support 

them in times of sadness and 

joy (weddings and baptisms) 

and other church-related social 

occasions.
Recommendations

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 71

Partnerships

•	 Have quarterly meetings at 

the chief executive office level 

between the National Park 

Service, Ebenezer Baptist Church, 

The King Center, and the City 

of Atlanta to discuss longrange planning needs and joint 

opportunities.

•	 Each organization may have 

access to unique funding 

sources that can be applied to 

projects that improve the visitor 

experience, programming, park 

preservation, and outreach. 

Define shared priorities and look 

strategically at funding sources.

•	 Work to improve internal 

communications regarding 

projects, programs, and new 

information / research discovered 

that all partner staff should be 

aware of in order to better serve 

the public, in whatever capacity 

they work.

•	 Develop a single calendar of 

visitor activities for the general 

public that features programs 

offered by each partner and 

available to all interested visitors.

•	 Seek funding for an economic 

impact study to demonstrate to 

the community what the NPS 

and The King Center bring to the 

community.

•	 Develop a single sign system 

for all three entities; see arrival 

experience and interpretive media 

recommendations.

•	 From the visitor experience 

perspective, the historic site 

is one campus with many 

different features. There is an 

interpretive opportunity to help 

visitors understand the unique 

partnership at Martin Luther 

King, Jr. National Historic Site by 

interpreting Mrs. Coretta Scott 

King’s role in establishing the 

Center and her desire to have the 

National Park Service assist with 

providing support for programs 

and services for the general 

public. While most visitors come 

with a focus to learn about the 

life and contributions of Dr. King 

and his message of hope for equal 

rights for all, many also have an 

interest in Mrs. King and would 

be interested in discovering her 

role in the park’s establishment.

•	 Undertake new joint 

programming and projects.
Recommendations

72 I National Park Service

Site-Specific Recommendations

Visitor Center

Summary Visitor Center Exhibit 

Recommendations:

The Visitor Center’s main exhibit, 

Courage to Lead, was installed in 

1996. Ideally, a major exhibit should 

be replaced after approximately 

20 to 25 years (2016 – 2021). In 

that timeframe, physical structures 

deteriorate, and equipment (lighting 

and AV) becomes obsolete. Equally 

as important, with the passage of 

time, the interpretive focus may 

need to shift due to changes in 

twenty-first century America and 

as visitor understanding of 1960s 

history changes. New exhibits will 

be informed by subsequent events, 

including the 2008 election of Barack 

Obama, the first African American 

President of the United States, and 

by the analysis of a new generation of 

historians studying the impact of Dr. 

King’s work.

•	 Short-term recommendations: 

The current exhibit still has some 

useful life and will be in place for 

several more years. This is long 

enough to justify rehabilitation 

of elements that need repair or 

updates. A detailed summary of 

short-term repair/rehabilitation 

elements for the Visitor Center 

lobby; the main exhibit, Courage 

to Lead; and the children’s 

exhibit, Children of Courage, is 

listed below. Contact Harpers 

Ferry Center (HFC) to assist 

with the development of a cost 

estimate for submittal in the PMIS 

funding request system.

•	 Long-term recommendations: 

Seek HFC assistance to prepare 

a cost estimate for development 

of a high-quality exhibit with 

AV and three-dimensional 

elements. The cost estimate 

would include planning, design, 

construction, installation, and 

contingencies. The replacement 

exhibit should be designed to 

appeal to the widest possible 

audience, including children, and 

will need to meet all accessibility 

requirements in effect at the time 

of development.

Request these cost estimates at 

the same time, so the data can be 

integrated into the Servicewide 

Facility Management Software 

System (FMSS). This data 

management system will help the 

park determine whether or not it 

would be more cost-effective to 

update the current exhibit; then, 

submit later the funding request for a 

design/build contract to replace the 

exhibit sometime between 2016 and 

2021. Or, if more cost effective, move 

forward with the funding request for 

a new exhibit. 

Note: if it is determined that making 

the short-term repairs first is the best 

next step, HFC can help develop a 

repair/rehabilitation strategy based 

on anticipated funding. The shortterm repairs could be addressed 

as part of one funding package 

or divided into smaller funding 

packages with similar elements.
Recommendations

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 73

Detailed Short-term Exhibit 

Recommendations:

Visitor Center Lobby

•	 Relocate the Children of Courage

exhibit from the Visitor Center 

lobby. The Visitor Center lobby 

works best as a large, open space. 

The Children of Courage exhibit 

located here dominates the space 

and blocks sight lines. One option 

is to dismantle the exhibit from 

its current circular configuration 

and install the various exhibit 

components on the walls of the 

Visitor Center lobby. Another 

option would be to relocate the 

exhibit to the space vacated by 

Eastern National in Historic 

Fire Station No. 6. This venue 

has audiovisual capabilities, and 

the showing of the companion 

Children of Courage movie could 

move to this location as well.

•	 The Children of Courage exhibit 

was designed to be temporary; 

to remain useful, it will need 

frequent rehabilitation and 

eventual replacement. When 

new permanent exhibits are 

developed to replace the main 

Courage to Lead exhibit, elements 

engaging for young people should 

be integrated so that a separate 

children’s exhibit is not necessary.

•	 Add seating for visitors within the 

main exhibit and in the lobby.

•	 Consider the addition of a bronze 

statue of Martin Luther King, 

Jr. to the center of the lobby. 

At one time, a life-sized photo 

cutout of Dr. King was located 

in the exhibit area. It was very 

popular with visitors; many had 

their picture taken in this spot. 

A new, artistic sculpture in the 

lobby would be a permanent, 

high-quality version of this 

concept, providing an appropriate 

welcome to visitors. New custom 

benches formed in a semi-circle 

around the statue would give 

visitors a place to rest, wait for 

other members of their party, and 

view the statue.

•	 Improve acoustics in the Visitor 

Center lobby. The lobby is 

filled with hard surfaces; lobby 

acoustics are not conducive to 

conversation, thought, or study. 

Control of sound spill coming 

from the exhibit hall would 

help somewhat. For best results, 

sound-absorbing banners and 

panels should be added on lobby 

walls and ceiling; these could also 

be used for graphic purposes—

for example, quotes from Dr. 

King’s speeches. In addition the 

lobby could be partially carpeted, 

similar to the way the Children 

of Courage exhibit area is now 

treated.
Recommendations

74 I National Park Service

Courage to Lead Exhibit

•	 Improve the lighting, sound, 

video placement, and exhibit 

accessibility elements. 

Recommended changes would 

make the exhibit pods more 

inviting and take on some 

characteristics of a mini-theater. 

A seat or small bench in each pod 

should be provided for visitors 

who want to spend more time. 

Other recommended changes 

include:

o	 Improve exhibit accessibility 

by

−	 Increasing the font sizes of 

some exhibit text

−	 Adding an audio 

description system for the 

visually impaired

−	 Providing assistive listening 

for those with hearing 

impairments

o	 Request HFC to evaluate 

the audio delivery system in 

the Courage to Lead exhibit. 

The goal: to improve the 

experience for all visitors—

not just those with hearing 

impairments. Multiple audio 

sources interfere with one 

another, and the existing 

directional speakers are not 

effective. The competing 

sound from exhibit pods 

makes it difficult to listen and 

concentrate on the compelling 

audio content presented. An 

HFC audiovisual technician 

can assess problems and 

potential solutions with 

exhibit sound. The goal 

should be to isolate the sound 

in individual exhibit pods 

and reduce overall noise to a 

fraction of its current level in 

the exhibit.

o	 Request HFC to evaluate the 

current status of copyright 

permissions on the Courage to 

Lead exhibit, which may need 

to be updated.

o	 Improve exhibit lighting 

treatment. The exhibit pod 

lighting system is ineffective. 

Focused straight down, the 

lights do not illuminate the 

graphic panels well. These 

lights were meant to edge 

light the glass panels so that 

etched text on the glass 

would glow and be readable. 

Unfortunately, the black metal 

frame on the top edge of the 

glass panels defeats this goal. 

A system using LED strip 

lights should be considered 

for the exhibit pods. This 

change would improve the 

illumination of the graphics 

and energy efficiency.

o	 Improve the interpretation 

and evaluate the placement 

of the original funeral wagon 

in the main exhibit. Shortterm solutions need to be 

developed for preservation 

and security of this important 

artifact. If the wagon is 

going to remain on display 

permanently, its place in 

any new permanent exhibit 

will need to be carefully 

considered.
Recommendations

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 75

o	 Retain the flexibility of the 

D.R.E.A.M. Gallery space 

for temporary exhibits 

or as meeting space. The 

D.R.E.A.M. Gallery is 

currently used for temporary 

exhibits. It was originally 

designed as a classroom/

multipurpose space. This 

space gives the park flexibility 

in responding to unanticipated 

future needs, whether for a 

meeting space, temporary 

displays, or other kinds of 

complementary programming.

Permanently adding this area 

to the main exhibit hall is not 

recommended. The current 

exhibit area is appropriately 

sized and already contains 

media that takes two to 

three hours to view in its 

entirety. A larger, permanent 

exhibit would contribute to 

visitor fatigue and take time 

away from other activities 

throughout the park that 

may provide a more varied 

experience.

Long-term Exhibit 

Recommendations:

•	 Toward the end of the fifteen 

years this LRIP is designed to 

address; request a new exhibit 

to replace the Courage to Lead

exhibit. Seek an HFC cost 

estimate for replacement. The 

replacement exhibit should be 

designed to appeal to the widest 

possible audience, including 

children, and will need to meet 

all accessibility requirements in 

effect at the time of development.
Recommendations

76 I National Park Service

Visitor Center Theater and Audiovisual Programs

Theater

Short-term Recommendations:

•	 Continue cyclic maintenance and 

repair of audiovisual equipment. 

The Visitor Center Theater is 

overall in good condition. The 

lighting, sound, and video systems 

are in working order but need to 

be upgraded. Additional track 

lighting is needed to illuminate 

the space. The speaker system 

in the Theater has never been 

upgraded since its installation in 

1996.

•	 Improve the Theater signage. It 

needs to be more prominent in 

the Visitor Center lobby. This sign 

could take on the look of Auburn 

Avenue’s historic Royal Peacock 

Club.

Long-term Recommendations:

•	 Upgrade current Theater in 

the Visitor Center to include a 

new 16:9 HD projection screen, 

high-definition video projection 

equipment, new pathway lighting, 

surround sound, and entry 

signage into Theater.

o	 The current screen is a small 

4:3 retractable screen with a 

caption board below. In the 

future, the screen should be 

enlarged to a new permanent 

16:9 screen with no caption 

board, since all new films are 

now open captioned. 

o	 Lighting in Theater during 

films is adequate but relies on 

small residential home night 

lights plugged into wall for 

pathway lighting; this should 

be upgraded to a permanent 

lighting solution.

o	 The drop ceiling is white and 

reflects light from projection; 

in the future, the ceiling could 

be painted a flat black or 

raised. 

o	 The speakers seem to be 

adequate for current stereo 

sound productions, but as new 

films are created in the future, 

an upgrade to a surround 

sound system will be needed. 

Audiovisual Programs

Short-term Recommendations:

•	 Create multiple language subtitles 

for the three films used in visitor 

orientation: New Time, New 

Voice; Children of Courage; and 

the Birth Home Tour video. These 

films should be available with 

subtitles for any language that has 

a significant visitor population.

•	 Change current audiovisual 

programming in the Visitor 

Center Theater.

o	 Use New Time, New Voice

exclusively as the primary 

orientation film in the 

Visitor Center; this film 

provides excellent contextual 

information on Dr. King’s 

contributions and the need for 

the Civil Rights Movement. 

o	 Seek other venues to show the 

Birth Home Tour video and 

Children of Courage. 

o	 Start showing the Birth 

Home Tour film only at the 

time when tickets to the 

actual Birth Home Tour are 

not available and until the 
Recommendations

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 77

recommended new venue for 

this film is established. 

−	 With only 5% of visitors 

having access to the Birth 

Home, it is imperative that 

visitors have an alternative 

experience that includes 

a film. In the future, the 

current Birth Home Tour

film should be shown 

regularly near the Birth 

Home in an adjacent house 

or other facility to help 

offset the need for the film 

to be shown in the Visitor 

Center once tours are filled 

for the day. 

•	 Currently, several films on 

different aspects of Dr. King 

and the modern American Civil 

Rights story are shown daily at the 

park Visitor Center auditorium. 

This plan recommends using 

New Time, New Voice exclusively 

as the primary orientation film 

in the Visitor Center, rather 

than cycling all of the available 

films through the Visitor Center 

Theater. Other park venues 

should be established. In the 

future, the Birth Home Tour film, 

for example, would be available 

in the Birth Home orientation 

and interpretation center 

described later in the Birth Home 

recommendations section.

Long-term Recommendations:

•	 Develop a new Birth Home film, 

as part of the new Birth Home 

orientation and interpretive 

center. The new film should 

include living history actors, an 

historical street scene of Auburn 

Avenue, and “a day in the life of 

M.L.” The daily life of the King 

Family was dynamic, exciting, 

and full of mischievous tricks 

the boys played on the family. 

(See site-specific Birth Home 

recommendations.)

•	 Evaluate the orientation film New 

Time, New Voice at the time the 

park is preparing the final cost 

estimates to replace the Courage 

to Lead exhibit. Evaluators should 

consider whether the film is 

dated due to new scholarship and 

technology. If a decision is made 

to move forward and develop 

a companion exhibit/parkwide 

orientation film, the future film 

should:

o	 Be inspirational in its 

approach, highlighting Dr. 

King’s leadership of the civil 

rights movement and his 

contributions to the nation. 

Inclusion of historical context 

is critical.

o	 Focus on the community he 

loved—“where he was born, 

where he lived, worked, and 

worshipped and where he is 

buried.” 

o	 Be at most 20 minutes in 

length, so that during the 

park’s busy season, it is 

possible to show the film 

every half hour and move 

visitors easily in and out of the 

Theater. 
Recommendations

78 I National Park Service

Birth Home of Dr. King Recommendations

Background

As the park moves to establish a 

broader Birth Home experience 

through the use of additional 

supporting interpretive facilities 

in historic structures next to the 

Birth Home and along the Birth 

Home Block, where possible, 

these aforementioned goals will be 

integrated. 

It is the long-term goal of the park 

to expand the Birth Home Tour 

beyond a stand-alone tour. There 

are several unoccupied historic 

homes nearby, where a Birth Home 

orientation film could be shown; they 

include space for expanded exhibits 

on Dr. King’s childhood, family, 

and neighborhood. These future 

exhibits could potentially provide an 

opportunity to exhibit other original 

artifacts connected to his childhood. 

For example, during the workshop 

it was learned that the archives of 

the local Boy Scout Council include 

records showing that M.L. was a 

scout and his father, “Daddy King,” a 

scout master.

The Birth Home Tour is one of the 

most popular visitor experiences 

at Martin Luther King, Jr. National 

Historic Site. The park currently 

allows a maximum of 15 visitors 

per Birth Home Tour. Group size is 

limited for Birth Home Tours due 

to confined spaces, to enable tour 

guides to maintain contact with 

all individuals on a tour, to reduce 

the likelihood of separated parties, 

accidents, or resource damage, and 

to provide for a high quality visitor 

experience. In the future, the park 

will need to establish appropriate 

carrying capacities for the Birth 

The planning team defined the vision 

of the future Birth Home experience. 

Every visitor will be able to:

•	 Identify where the Birth Home is 

located.

•	 Get clear information through 

signage and pre-arrival 

information on its location and 

how to get tours.

•	 Understand the significance of 

family in Dr. King’s life and the 

experiences that occurred at this 

residence.

•	 Understand preservation issues. 

•	 Tour the home no matter their 

physical capabilities.

•	 Tour the Birth Home virtually 

and use the most up-to-date 

electronic media to enhance the 

virtual tour experience.

•	 Get information in the most 

common international languages, 

including Braille.

•	 Get information if hearing 

impaired.

•	 Participate in a universally 

accessible group tour.

•	 Always have the opportunity for 

personal interaction with a live 

ranger in the Birth Home.

•	 Have a safe experience (i.e., 

without fears of traffic and 

panhandling).

•	 Negotiate the ticket process with 

ease. (It is very confusing to the 

visitor now.)

•	 Have the ability to make advance 

reservations.

•	 Receive paperless or electronic 

tickets.
Recommendations

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 79

Home according to applicable 

preservation and protection 

standards for both the historic home 

and the museum collections on 

display.

Currently, during peak visitor 

season, due to the visitor use limit, 

only about 5% of those coming to 

the park actually tour its interior. 

The percentage of visitors who 

want to tour the house but cannot 

be accommodated is unknown, 

but is certainly much higher than 

5%. Alternatives for satisfying 

this demand include increasing 

the capacity of the house and/or 

providing alternative but related 

visitor experiences. 

Increasing the house capacity for 

tours is a complex issue involving 

park operations and preservation. 

Future studies could, in fact, 

conclude that the use of the house 

for tours should be reduced rather 

than increased. However, several 

points that arose during the LRIP 

recommendations workshop 

are included in this report for 

consideration in subsequent studies.

•	 There is likely a trade-off between 

the quality of experience and 

the number of people who can 

be accommodated in the Birth 

Home.

•	 As with most historic structures, 

physical accessibility is an issue. 

In 2011, a wheelchair-accessible 

lift was added to the rear of the 

Birth Home to allow access to the 

second floor for individuals with 

limited mobility. 

•	 More people could experience 

the house if the tour were 

shortened and limited to the first 

floor. Tours would still need to 

be time-ticketed and organized 

into discrete groups, since climate 

control of the house must be 

maintained. 

•	 Eliminating visitor access to the 

second floor would alleviate 

some of the preservation and 

accessibility issues. The major 

disadvantage is losing the birth 

room as part of the tour. 

In any conceivable scenario, not 

all visitors who want to tour the 

home can be accommodated. 

However, all visitors should have the 

opportunity for a meaningful Birth 

Home experience. A combination of 

interpretive media and improvements 

to the Birth Home Block can 

accomplish this goal.

Short-term Recommendations:

•	 Review engineering reports to 

determine appropriate carrying 

capacity level for year-round use.

•	 Experiment with tour 

variations—for instance, provide 

short first-floor tours most of the 

day, occasionally interspersed 

with longer, more in-depth, 

tours at various intervals. To 

supplement a shorter experience 

within the house, tours should be 

accompanied by exhibits and/or 

AV, as described below. 

•	 Develop a print-out of a Birth 

Home Tour in Braille and the 

other most common languages 

reflecting predominant 

international visitor use.
Recommendations

80 I National Park Service

•	 Experiment with expanding the 

seasonal interpretive Trolley Tours 

along Sweet Auburn’s commercial 

district to the Birth Home Block.

•	 Continue to show Birth Home 

Tour video when tickets run out. 

Seek to screen the Birth Home 

Tour film in a new venue located 

in an adjacent house to the Birth 

Home or other facility. With only 

5% of visitors having access to 

the Birth Home, it is imperative 

that visitors have an alternative 

experience that includes a film. 

In the future, the current Birth 

Home Tour film should be shown 

regularly near the Birth Home, 

in an adjacent house or other 

facility, to help offset the need for 

the film to be shown in the Visitor 

Center. As of 2011, the Birth 

Home Tour film is now offered in 

Historic Fire Station No. 6. 

Long-term Recommendations:

•	 Establish a visitor orientation 

and interpretation center very 

close to the Birth Home. Tickets 

for the Birth Home Tour would 

be distributed here (advance 

tickets could also be available 

online, especially for more indepth tours). Visitors would 

be encouraged to stop here 

first for an introduction to gain 

an understanding of Martin 

Luther King, Jr.’s boyhood and 

family, and how the surrounding 

neighborhood influenced him. 

The existing house at 491 Auburn 

Avenue could be used for this. 

Alternatively, a new structure 

could be built across the street, 

similar in appearance to the store 

that once stood at that location; 

or the nearby double shotgun 

houses could be considered for 

this use as well. Other suggestions 

include:

o	 Construct new exhibits in 

the proposed Birth Home 

orientation and interpretation 

center to provide background 

information and relate some 

of the stories now presented 

on the tour. This would help 

prepare tour participants for 

what they see in the house, 

and would also be valuable for 

non-tour-goers. 

o	 Build a dollhouse-sized cutaway model of the home. This 

would help orient tour and 

non-tour-goers alike to the 

physical layout of the house.

o	 Create other exhibits 

describing the family and 

family life in more detail. 

These exhibits could include 

oral histories from the King 

Family or those who knew 

them at the time. The existing 

Birth Home Tour video and 

the interactive computer 

program could also be 

available at this location for 

those who do not tour the 

house.
Recommendations

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 81

Audiovisual Needs

•	 Develop a short orientation film 

focused on the King Family in the 

1930s to complement the desired 

Birth Home experience the site 

is currently planning. Use living 

history actors and an historical 

street scene of Auburn Avenue, 

and explore “a day in the life of 

M.L.” The current film for the 

Birth Home replicates a walkthrough tour of the home, lacking 

the use of actors or ranger guides. 

The daily life of the King Family 

was dynamic, exciting, and full 

of mischievous tricks the boys 

played on the family. This film 

should introduce M.L. during 

his childhood and the family that 

shaped his early life, and prepare 

visitors to experience the house.

•	 During the Birth Home 

Experience exhibit design 

process, determine what location 

near the Birth Home is the best 

venue to show the Birth Home 

Tour video when tour tickets run 

out. Options would include one 

of the nearby historic structures 

or a mini-theater within the 

historic structure that will house 

the Birth Home exhibits.

•	 By augmenting the guided tour 

with additional interpretive media 

focused on Martin Luther King, 

Jr.’s early years at 501 Auburn 

Avenue and the Sweet Auburn 

neighborhood, some pressure is 

removed from the house, while 

providing greater context to the 

story. Interpretation associated 

with these years should also be 

expanded within the Birth Home 

Block.
Recommendations

82 I National Park Service

Birth Home Block Recommendations

Short-term Recommendations:

•	 Use the Birth Home Block as 

an interpretive extension of the 

Birth Home story. Recreate the 

vibrancy of the Birth Home Block 

by

o	 Utilizing streetscape elements 

(brick street, cars, clothes 

lines, bicycle on a porch, etc.)

o	 Providing costumed 

interpretive tours and roving 

interpretation during the 

busiest seasons and special 

events. Build upon the 

costumed interpretive tours 

experimented with on the 

30th Anniversary community 

celebration.

These elements would combine 

to impart the flavor of 1930s 

Sweet Auburn. In addition, 

improving the street scene would 

provide a backdrop for rangerled neighborhood tours, adding 

another alternative to the Birth 

Home tour for visitors.

•	 Evaluate current waysides to 

determine whether any additional 

interpretive waysides are needed 

to address important concepts 

discussed in themes: “Segregation 

and Struggle;” “Childhood and 

Character;” and “Church and 

Community.”

•	 Institute Birth Home Block 

tours as a means of providing 

a guided tour experience for 

large groups—particularly family 

reunions that come to the site 

during the summer months and 

desire a ranger-led Birth Home 

Tour. It is important to remember 

that, owing to preservation 

needs and the NPS mission, 

the NPS will never be able to 

accommodate all who desire to 

enter the historic house. Although 

the tour would only pass by Dr. 

King’s childhood home, and 

perhaps spend some time in the 

site’s backyard, this tour would 

help to alleviate a public relations 

challenge. An important part of 

this walk would be to discuss 

Dr. King’s childhood and the 

influence the Sweet Auburn 

community had on Dr. King 

throughout his life.

Long-term Recommendations:

•	 Work with Atlanta city officials 

to greatly reduce or eliminate 

through-traffic from the Birth 

Home Block, both for safety and 

experiential reasons.

•	 Review the existing Cultural 

Landscape Report, Birth Home 

Historic Structure Report, related 

oral histories, and other archives; 

there may be some elements that 

could be restored that would add 

additional visitor interest in the 

backyard of the Birth Home.

•	 Restore, furnish, and staff the 

interior of one or more shotgun 

homes, so visitors have the 

opportunity to visit another 

restored residence in Dr. King’s 

childhood neighborhood. 

o	 During the limited time 

visitors spent in the Birth 

Home, it is difficult to absorb 

what everyday life was like 

for M.L. growing up in the 

1930s. A restored historic 

house museum/shotgun 

house, open to all visitors 

without tickets, would provide 
Recommendations

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 83

expanded opportunities 

for interpretation in a more 

relaxed setting.

o	 Another exhibit idea 

discussed: During Dr. King’s 

childhood, the shotgun houses 

were occupied by poorer 

families. Dr. King’s childhood 

exposure to the impact of 

poverty led him to dedicate his 

life both to civil and human 

rights. One interesting topic 

to explore in a future shotgun 

house exhibit would be Dr. 

King’s SCLC work to help 

the poor through the Poor 

People’s Campaign—the 1968 

effort to improve economic 

conditions. Earlier, in 1966 he 

moved his family temporarily 

to Chicago. They lived in the 

community on the West Side 

of Chicago and rented an 

apartment in a neighborhood 

commonly referred to as a 

“ghetto slum.” During this 

year in Chicago, Dr. King and 

many others worked together 

to improve housing, wages, 

and job opportunities for 

Chicago’s African American 

residents. This was the first 

time Dr. King took the focus 

of the Movement into a 

city in the northern section 

of the United States. Dr. 

King’s later experiences in 

Mississippi further increased 

his commitment to working to 

eliminate poverty. 

A critical interpretive link for 

this type of exhibit would 

be to help visitors make the 

connection that an important 

part of Dr. King’s childhood 

was his early exposure to 

poverty and the impact made 

on young M.L. regarding 

how members of the Sweet 

Auburn community; his father, 

Reverend Martin Luther King, 

Sr.; and the Ebenezer Baptist 

Church community reached 

out to alleviate the sufferings 

of neighbors.
Recommendations

84 I National Park Service

Historic Fire Station No. 6 Recommendations

Historic Fire Station No. 6, at 

the corner of Auburn Avenue 

and Boulevard, is located in the 

Birth Home Block. The park has a 

Memorandum of Understanding 

with the City of Atlanta, which 

outlines how the NPS will interpret 

the integrated Fire Station and 

the relationship between the 

African American community and 

white firefighters in a segregated 

community. This structure currently 

houses exhibits on the first floor and 

serves as the starting point for tours 

of the Birth Home. The second floor 

is currently used as a multipurpose 

space for special uses, meetings, and 

park educational activities. 

The planning team outlined the 

future desired visitor experience:

•	 Utilize the first floor as 

interpretive space to tell the story 

of the Fire Station’s significance 

in the neighborhood and how 

its role has changed through a 

mix of exhibits and scheduled 

interpretive programming.

•	 Continue to use the second floor 

as a large meeting space for NPS 

and community use.

•	 Improve visitor understanding of 

the historical importance of this 

Fire Station to the Sweet Auburn 

community. It was critical to the 

infrastructure of the community. 

The Fire Station was an attractive 

place for M.L. and his friends to 

visit and “hang out” as children.

•	 Explain what firefighters did 

during the period of Dr. King’s 

childhood and then move 

to interpret how the racial 

composition of Fire Station 

employees changed due to the 

modern American Civil Rights 

Movement and Dr. King’s 

influence.

•	 Discuss how fire stations have 

evolved over the years and the 

role they continue to play in 

communities.

Short-term Recommendations:

•	 Raise the profile of the Fire 

Station at the sidewalk and front 

building façade by developing an 

exterior wayside, placed nearby to 

interpret and help draw visitors to 

the historic structure. The future 

wayside would also provide basic 

interpretation after hours. 

•	 Experiment with scheduled 

programs in the downstairs 

exhibit space. Programs could 

range from informal station 

interpretation in period costume, 

during which a staff member 

or volunteer would discuss the 

role of the Fire Station in the 

community, or as the starting 

point for tours of the Birth Home 

Block. 

•	 Continue using the second-floor 

area for scheduled children’s 

programs, as a large meeting 

space for park and community 

use, and as storage space for 

props and other interpretive 

materials. During the workshop, 

some future programming ideas 

discussed included:

o	 Use as a lunchtime program 

area where families can join 

a ranger for an interpretive 

program.
Recommendations

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 85

o	 Use as a location to stage 

lecture series related to the 

community and talks by key 

figures (e.g., descendants), 

and for theme-related book 

signings.

o	 Offer NPS-sponsored career 

events, such as how to prepare 

a résumé to apply for federal 

jobs and interviewing skills. 

Collaborate with local colleges 

and universities.

Long-term Recommendations:

•	 Seek funding for new exhibits for 

the Fire Station. 

o	 Provide glassed-in exhibit 

access to view the 1927 

American LaFrance fire 

engine currently on exhibit. 

During operating hours, the 

historic arched wooden Fire 

Station doors should remain 

open. The entryway would be 

glassed in (and include glass 

doors), to allow a view from 

the street and sidewalk inside. 

Visual access would encourage 

visitation.

o	 Exhibit features should 

include the stories of firemen 

who worked at the station over 

time. This approach could 

form the basis of a storyline 

for exhibits, highlighting the 

1930s, when a young M.L. 

interacted with the white 

firemen who worked in the 

segregated Fire Station, and 

the modern American Civil 

Rights era of the 1960s, when 

the station became one of the 

first in Atlanta to be integrated. 

−	 Consult with the 

Metropolitan Firefighters 

Association as a partner 

to create an accurate 

depiction of a 1960s 

period fire station with 

appropriate memorabilia.

−	 Contact firefighters and 

descendants of firefighters. 

They may have personal 

histories or historic items 

of interest.

−	 Note: There is a children’s 

book in the bookstore 

that explains the Fire 

Station experience for 

neighborhood kids in the 

1950s. Use this book as a 

resource or interpretive 

tool. 

o	 Children are especially 

attracted to the activities 

around a fire station, so 

this would be another good 

opportunity to target exhibits 

to young people. Objects like 

the fire bell, fire pole, and 

hose-drying area could be 

incorporated into the design 

of the exhibits. The 1927 

American LaFrance fire engine 

is an impressive object that 

would draw visitors into the 

space, especially if visible from 

outside, through the glassed-in 

doorway. It also fits well with 

the 1930s era story of young 

M.L. in the neighborhood.
Recommendations

86 I National Park Service

Ebenezer Baptist Church Recommendations

During the recommendations 

workshop, ideas were explored about 

possible theatrical or exhibit media 

elements, such as using a hologram 

of Dr. King within the Sanctuary. 

However, following a discussion 

with Harpers Ferry Center media 

specialists regarding the space and 

amount of equipment required 

for these types of presentations, 

all workshop participants agreed 

that the aforementioned type of 

use would preclude other uses and 

activities that are more in keeping 

with the historic use of the Sanctuary. 

The LRIP team unanimously 

agreed that the most appropriate 

and effective uses of the Heritage 

Sanctuary include:

•	 Staff-provided programs that 

address interpretive theme 

three, Church and Community, 

and three supporting concepts 

under interpretive theme four, 

Leadership and Legacy.

•	 As an auditorium space for live 

programs, such as concerts and 

lectures.

•	 To hear audio recordings of 

church music and Dr. King’s 

sermons and speeches, especially 

those that were recorded in the 

Sanctuary. 

•	 As a place where visitors can 

reflect and draw personal 

meaning from the life and 

accomplishments of Dr. King and 

contemplate the historic events 

that took place there.

Interpretive Themes to Address 

at Ebenezer Baptist Church

Theme Three: Church and 

Community

Ebenezer Baptist Church and the 

Sweet Auburn community embodied 

the persona, spirituality, passion, and 

career of Dr. King.

Supporting Interpretive Concepts:

•	 Ebenezer Baptist Church was the 

Christian foundation of Dr. King’s 

spirituality, values, philosophy, and 

social activism.

•	 The Heritage Sanctuary of 

Ebenezer Baptist Church is where 

Dr. King preached and delivered 

several of his most important 

sermons and speeches.

•	 Dr. King was a Baptist minister 

from a multigenerational heritage 

of ministry leaders; his father 

and grandfather collectively led 

Ebenezer Baptist Church for more 

than 80 years.

•	 Ebenezer Baptist Church serves 

as an example of many churches 

during America’s long Civil Rights 

Movement that were actively 

involved in social and political 

activism. Through the pastor’s 

leadership, the pulpit was used to 

convince members of the church 

community to work to change 

laws that denied voting rights or 

imposed segregation based on 

the color of one’s skin through 

peaceful, nonviolent direct action.

•	 Ebenezer Baptist Church served 

as a sanctuary for the King Family 

during times of happiness, tragedy, 

and loss.
Recommendations

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 87

Theme Four: Leadership and 

Legacy

Supporting Interpretive Concepts:

•	 Under Dr. King’s leadership, the 

Southern Christian Leadership 

Conference (SCLC) used 

churches to teach nonviolent 

direct action methods and to plan 

and strategize for mass meetings, 

marches, sit-ins, and other 

protests. Sometimes, the churches 

were safe havens for taking 

refuge. As a result, many churches 

were burned and bombed, and 

innocent lives destroyed.

•	 Dr. King was inspired and 

influenced by Christian 

principles and the writings 

of many philosophers and 

theologians: Mahatma Gandhi, 

Henry David Thoreau, Howard 

Thurman, Benjamin E. Mays, 

and others. Dr. King embraced 

many concepts from these great 

thinkers, integrating their ideas in 

his stirring sermons.

•	 Dr. King played a prominent role 

in American and world activism 

by “speaking truth to power” that 

is emulated today.

Summary: Future Visitor 

Experience at Ebenezer 

Baptist Church

Continue to provide open public 

access to the church, without the 

need for a timed, ticketed entry. 

Many visitors find it very appealing 

to have at least one venue (original 

building connected to Dr. King) in 

the park that is available immediately. 

The church offers an opportunity 

for broader connections to visitors, 

because it accommodates larger 

groups.

Personal Services

The length of ranger-provided 

interpretive talks in the church will 

vary depending on the time of year 

and number of visitors.

There may be times when the park 

will advertise the opportunity to hear 

Dr. King’s speech or sermon in its 

entirety—particularly on important 

historical anniversaries. In this 

instance, the ranger may provide the 

appropriate historical context prior 

to turning on the audio program, 

inform the audience regarding the 

length of Dr. King’s speech, and 

then be available for questions and 

informal interpretation following the 

broadcasted speech.

There may also be periods of use 

where station interpretation is the 

more effective interpretive technique, 

particularly when visitors are 

pressed for time and site visitation 

is high. When this happens, visitors 

can choose to move through the 

Sanctuary, just to see and enjoy it, 

or to chat informally with the staff 

member present about Dr. King’s 

life and contributions, the historic 

church, or any other questions they 

may have.

Provisions should be made for 

visitors who are deaf by captioning 

the audio programming. Relatively 

simple graphic panels could be 

located in the vestibule outside of the 

Sanctuary to interpret its history and 

importance.
Recommendations

88 I National Park Service

Short-term Recommendations:

Personal Services

•	 Develop an operations plan for 

the entire facility.

o	 Develop thematic, scheduled 

ranger programs—determine 

topics, program length.

o	 Plan and implement a viable 

and effective orientation setup for the vestibule.

o	 Prepare a visitor access plan 

that addresses traffic flow, 

accessibility, capacity, and 

safety. 

−	 Address how to handle 

falls and visitor injuries.

−	 Include how to handle 

large groups and visitor use 

seasonally.

•	 Work to establish a strong 

volunteer program at the church 

with members of the church and 

the local community. Consider 

using high school students as 

volunteers, as part of their high 

school service project credits. 

Use of student volunteers at the 

church is especially appropriate, 

as young M.L. gave his first trial 

sermon here at the age of 17.

•	 Continue to provide permitted 

evening special use for events at 

Fellowship Hall to organizations 

through proper NPS protocol.

•	 Collaborate with the staff of 

Ebenezer Baptist Church to 

obtain copies of its ongoing oral 

history project with other older 

church members who were 

involved in the church during Dr. 

King’s period as co-pastor.

•	 Since many visitors express an 

interest in the twenty-first century 

Ebenezer Baptist Church, the 

planning team was asked to 

address how the NPS might help 

visitors make this connection, 

considering the park’s ongoing 

partnership with the active 

congregation. Recommendations 

regarding this topic will be 

addressed in the separate section, 

“Expanding the Park Visitor 

Experience”.

Media

•	 Possibly provide a video monitor 

with daily programs and other 

important visitor information in 

the church. The vestibule will be 

used primarily for orientation. 

A ranger will greet visitors here, 

setting the tone for their visit, 

while the monitor will provide 

informational back-up during 

periods of heavy visitation or 

if the ranger becomes involved 

with providing lengthier visitor 

assistance.

•	 Caption the audio programming 

of Dr. King’s speeches and 

sermons presented in the 

Sanctuary.

•	 Create graphic panels to be 

located in the vestibule outside 

of the Sanctuary to interpret its 

history and importance.

•	 Work collaboratively with 

Ebenezer Baptist Church to 

develop and place a wayside 

exhibit near the Horizon 

Sanctuary and explain its 

relationship with the park and the 

historic church across the street. 

The new Horizon Sanctuary 

of Ebenezer Baptist Church is 

located within the boundary of 
Recommendations

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 89

Martin Luther King, Jr. National 

Historic Site. This is adjacent to 

the Visitor Center and across the 

street from the historic church. 

While the new church is not 

a visitor-use facility, its size, 

architecture, and location make 

it a prominent feature of the 

campus, prompting much visitor 

interest and questions.

•	 Keep a visitor comment log in 

Fellowship Hall and document 

visitor interactions with 

temporary panel exhibits. This 

information will be useful when 

undertaking the planning for 

permanent three-dimensional 

exhibits for Fellowship Hall.

Long-term Recommendations:

Personal Services

•	 Undertake an education outreach 

program focused on Dr. King’s 

work connected with Ebenezer 

Baptist Church. Work with 

educators to develop curriculum 

to enhance the visitor experience 

at Ebenezer Baptist Church for 

students.

Media

•	 Identify a location within the 

church for a small exhibit of 

artifacts directly related to Dr. 

King’s role as co-pastor. Here, 

conservation-grade cases with 

controlled lighting and humidity 

would display personal items, 

such as Dr. King’s robes, Bible, 

and ordination certificate. 

•	 Convert the Fellowship Hall area 

into a permanent exhibit space 

and a mini-theater. Request HFC 

to assist with the development of 

a cost estimate for the planning, 

design, and installation of a 

universally accessible exhibit for 

Ebenezer Baptist Church.

•	 Future exhibits will present 

the church’s role as witness 

to many of the central events 

of the modern American Civil 

Rights Movement. There is an 

opportunity here to engage 

visitors with both meaningful and 

dramatic stories of Dr. King’s life. 

Oral histories of church members 

will help bring these stories to life. 

Fellowship Hall exhibits will also 

address the role of Daddy King 

and other King Family members 

in church life and as supporters 

of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s work, 

and the founding of the Southern 

Christian Leadership Conference 

here. Temporary exhibits planned 

for this space may provide an 

opportunity to refine the story 

and techniques that will be used 

in the permanent exhibits. 

•	 Request HFC to provide 

cost estimates for both the 

conservation-grade exhibit case 

with lighting for the Sanctuary 

and the new three-dimensional 

exhibits for Fellowship Hall. 

These projects can be pursued 

independently of each other or 

jointly, depending on the funding 

available.
Recommendations

90 I National Park Service

Expanding the Park Visitor Experience

During the LRIP Recommendations 

Workshop, the planning team was 

asked to consider the possible 

expansion of the interpretive 

program in four locations:

•	 Dr. and Mrs. King’s residence on 

Sunset Avenue;

•	 Along Auburn Avenue’s 

commercial district, within the 

park’s Preservation District;

•	 332 Auburn Avenue, the location 

of the SCLC office in the Prince 

Hall Masonic Lodge;

•	 Connecting with Ebenezer Baptist 

Church’s Horizon Sanctuary.

Each location has different 

management authorities and 

requirements; site recommendations 

proceed in the order listed above.

Sunset Avenue Residence 

Recommendations

In 1965, Dr. King and his family 

moved to a residence at 234 Sunset 

Avenue in Atlanta. This property is 

currently owned by the King Family. 

The planning team was tasked to do 

the following:

Dr. and Mrs. King’s Sunset 

Avenue Property is identified 

for future inclusion in the park 

boundary. Please outline the 

King Family’s long-range plans 

for this property. If timely and 

appropriate, describe planning 

needs and identify areas 

where the NPS can assist with 

preservation, research, and/or 

preparing the site as a future 

visitor destination.

The first step in determining whether 

to expand the visitor experience to 

the Sunset property is to have this 

discussion with the King Family. 

When this conversation with the 

King Family occurs, the information 

below identifies important items to 

address. From the NPS perspective, it 

is critical that research and planning 

documents are completed before the 

site is opened to the public.

Interpretive Focus

The following statements highlight 

the significance of this site and 

can serve as a future source for the 

development of interpretive themes, 

during a site-specific interpretive 

planning effort:

•	 This was the final residence of Dr. 

King and where Dr. King sought 

refuge and enjoyed time with his 

family.

•	 Dr. King also conducted Southern 

Christian Leadership Conference 

business from this home.

•	 Mrs. Coretta Scott King received 

visitors here the day after her 

husband was killed, and she 

continued to live here until 

shortly before her death.
Recommendations

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 91

Short-term Recommendations:

•	 Initiate discussions with the King 

Family regarding long-range plans 

for the property. Discuss and 

identify areas where the NPS can 

assist with preservation of the 

historic structure and landscape, 

conservation of historic objects, 

research, or preparation of the 

site as a future visitor destination.

•	 If NPS assistance is requested, 

determine the level of assistance 

and then prepare appropriate 

funding requests. 

•	 Determine if the King Family 

is open to the National Park 

Service’s sharing historical 

information about this site 

through its interpretive media.

Long-term Recommendations:

•	 If, within the life of this LRIP, the 

King Family decides to initiate 

planning for public access at the 

Sunset Avenue residence, the 

planning team noted there is a 

significant amount of research 

that should be conducted to guide 

future preservation, restoration, 

and interpretive efforts, including:

o	 A Historic Structure Report

o	 A Historic Furnishings Report

o	 A Cultural Landscape Report

o	 Oral history interviews

o	 Paint and wall treatment 

analysis

o	 An Integrated Pest 

Management Plan

o	 A Fire and Security Protection 

Plan

o	 Installation of a climate 

control (heating and air 

conditioning) system

o	 Rectification of existing 

artifacts with the inventory 

conducted by the NPS with 

Mrs. King

o	 Documentation of the extent 

of conservation, stabilization, 

and, in some instances, 

restoration required for the 

2,500 objects listed in the 

original inventory

o	 Determination of whether 

additional museum storage 

space is needed for collection 

items not exhibited in the 

residence

•	 If the King Family hopes to 

open this area for public access 

in the future and seeks NPS 

assistance, there are many longrange planning needs to discuss, 

including:

o	 Visitor safety: The residence is 

in an area of the City that has a 

very high crime rate.

o	 Evaluation of whether 

all visitor services can be 

conducted and supported 

within the house and property, 

or whether purchase of nearby 

additional property will be 

needed.

o	 Determination of whether 

or how visitor parking 

will be provided, and/or 

whether transportation will 

be provided to and from 

the National Historic Site. 

Evaluation of the feasibility 

of a trolley and guided tour 

reservation system. The 

residence is approximately 4 

miles from the historic site.
Recommendations

92 I National Park Service

o	 The planning team noted 

that if a future trolley tour is 

developed to provide public 

access, a future planning team 

should consider a trolley tour 

that includes a drive past the 

residences of other important 

African Americans who lived 

in this area—for example, 

Julian Bond and the African 

Methodist Episcopal Bishop 

Morris Brown. In addition, an 

extended cultural tour could 

also be offered that includes a 

visit to Washington Heights, 

Morehouse University, 

and Reverend Ralph David 

Abernathy’s home and church.

o	 Develop a separate, sitespecific LRIP document 

to determine the mix of 

interpretive techniques to 

employ, including personal 

services, exhibits, and selfguided experiences. The home 

is small; if it is historically 

furnished, a nearby visitor 

staging area with interpretive 

exhibit may be required. The 

park’s Strategic Plan notes that 

the adjacent property might 

be very useful in staging visitor 

use and for administrative 

purposes.
Recommendations

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 93

Recommendations for the Park Preservation District: 

Auburn Avenue’s Commercial District

The Sweet Auburn neighborhood 

is a key thread running through 

the park’s “Childhood and 

Character” and “Church and 

Community” interpretive themes. 

The neighborhood’s social structure 

and physical configuration shaped 

and supported Dr. King and his 

work throughout his lifetime. Sweet 

Auburn already plays a prominent 

role in the interpretation of the 

Birth Home and Birth Home Block, 

Historic Fire Station No. 6, and 

Ebenezer Baptist Church, all of 

which are within the boundary of 

the National Historic Site. However, 

there are also important stories to 

tell about the western, commercial, 

part of the neighborhood. This 

area is within the boundary of the 

Preservation District but privately 

held. NPS interpretation is most 

effective when it is site-specific—

events being interpreted at the 

place where they happened. In the 

commercial district, this will require 

the cooperation and approval of 

property owners and the city. 

The location of the Southern 

Christian Leadership Conference 

(SCLC) office is within the park’s 

Preservation District, at 332 

Auburn Avenue in the Prince 

Hall Masonic Lodge. Site-specific 

recommendations for Prince 

Hall Masonic Lodge will follow 

the recommendations for the 

Preservation District.

Interpretive Focus

The interpretive focus along Auburn 

Avenue’s commercial district 

should illustrate the three lives of 

this area: (1) daytime (business 

people), (2) family activities and 

use, and (3) nightlife—what kinds 

of fun attractions were there—and 

some of the interesting characters. 

Interpretation should convey the 

following aspects of Dr. King’s 

extended neighborhood: 

•	 the 1930s, when M.L. was 

growing up;

•	 the 1960s, when Dr. King 

returns to Atlanta as co-pastor of 

Ebenezer Baptist Church and cofounding President of SCLC;

•	 the dynamic of how the 

neighborhood changed from 

the 1930s to the 1960s, where 

possible.

Use interpretive themes two, three, 

and four and their related sitespecific supporting interpretive 

concepts to guide future 

programming (personal services, 

media, and partnerships that support 

the delivery of interpretation) in the 

Preservation District.

Theme 2: Childhood and 

Character

The development of Martin Luther 

King, Jr.’s character was the result of 

a solid family structure and spiritual 

commitment that began in the home 

and was influenced by the Sweet 

Auburn community.

Supporting Interpretive Concepts

•	 Martin Luther King, Jr. grew up 

in an Atlanta neighborhood that 

was racially segregated; childhood 

incidents helped to develop his 
Recommendations

94 I National Park Service

awareness of the effects/impact of 

Jim Crow laws and practices on 

people of color.

•	 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was 

raised in a family and community 

that valued and nurtured 

education.

•	 Dr. Martin Luther King, 

Jr. was raised in the Sweet 

Auburn community, where he 

experienced both the support of 

the “beloved community” and the 

sting of racism. 

•	 The Sweet Auburn community 

was where Dr. King experienced 

a unique environment of 

independence, pride, progress, 

and opportunities, generally not 

available in mainstream American 

society for African Americans.

Theme Three: Church and 

Community

Ebenezer Baptist Church and the 

Sweet Auburn community embodied 

the persona, spirituality, passion, and 

career of Dr. King.

Supporting Interpretive Concepts

Sweet Auburn Community:

•	 The Sweet Auburn community 

fostered many organizations and 

businesses that actively supported 

the Civil Rights Movement.

•	 The Sweet Auburn community 

was a self-sufficient community 

nurturing all classes of people, 

thriving businesses, educational 

institutions, and diverse religious 

affiliations.

•	 The Sweet Auburn community 

was the “beloved community” 

where Dr. King grew up; this 

community embodied both 

the American Dream and the 

obstacles to the fulfillment of that 

dream.

•	 The role the churches played in 

the Sweet Auburn community 

helped the community to thrive.

•	 Dr. King returned home to the 

Sweet Auburn community in 

1960 and continued to pursue his 

religious ministry as co-pastor of 

Ebenezer Baptist Church and his 

civil rights ministry as President 

of the SCLC. 

Short-term Recommendations:

•	 Continue the trolley tours piloted 

in fiscal year 2009; add the SCLC 

story as one stop on the bus.

•	 Expand interpretation of the area 

on the website and through the 

development of webcasts, and 

include the area in the future cell 

phone tour.

•	 Replace damaged and missing 

waysides installed in the 

commercial district.

•	 Work with the City of Atlanta to 

rehabilitate the metal sculpture 

on Boulevard and Freedom that 

interprets seeing Sweet Auburn 

through Dr. King’s eyes; it is in 

terrible condition. The park staff 

receives many complaints about 

the sculpture, because visitors 

believe it belongs to the NPS 

and the NPS is not maintaining 

it. Unfortunately, the sculpture 

is now a symbol of decay, rather 

than an uplifting artwork, as it 

was originally meant to be.

•	 Research and develop resource 

packets on the commercial zone 

of Auburn Avenue (within the 

preservation zone) and SCLC. 
Recommendations

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 95

Gather materials in advance 

to be ready for future media 

development.

•	 Research and interpret the 

groups and organizations within 

the Sweet Auburn community 

that were very active in the Civil 

Rights Movement—i.e., the 

National Negro Business League, 

the National Negro Chamber 

of Commerce, and the Atlanta 

Daily World Newspaper. The 

park needs to footnote their 

importance and interpret and 

remember them.

•	 Interpret the role the churches 

played in the Sweet Auburn 

community. These churches 

helped the community to thrive.

Long-term Recommendations:

During the April 2010 

Recommendations Workshop, the 

planning team observed that urban 

renewal from the downtown area 

is beginning to touch this area. 

Currently, the park’s role in Auburn 

Avenue’s commercial district (Park 

Preservation District) is limited to 

providing technical assistance to 

interested property owners desiring 

technical assistance in maintaining 

the historic ambiance of the 

community during Dr. King’s day. 

A boundary change would broaden 

future interpretive opportunities. 

It would provide the NPS with the 

legal authority to initiate discussions 

with the Prince Hall Masons 

regarding a future Memorandum of 

Agreement to provide public access 

to a restored exhibit featuring what 

SCLC Headquarters looked like 

when Dr. King was President. While 

this recommendation would present 

budget issues, this recommendation 

is timely to consider as urban renewal 

continues and buildings exchange 

hands.

•	 Seek funding for a wayside 

proposal to identify the 

appropriate locations and 

interpretive messages for future 

panels in this area. 

•	 Reach out to other organizations 

that share an interest in 

interpreting Auburn Avenue’s 

history and its continued 

commercial success. Conduct 

listening sessions regarding how 

to improve interpreting this area 

through an expansion of current 

NPS activities. Potential groups 

to target include the SCLC, 

Historic District Development 

Corporation (HDDC), Auburn 

Avenue Research Library, Butler 

Street YMCA, City of Atlanta, 

APEX Museum, Management 

of Odd Fellows building, other 

local churches, Neighborhood 

Planning Unit, and the Sweet 

Auburn Business Association.

•	 Consider constructing a bronze 

map/model of the Avenue, 

and/or historic images for use 

as an outdoor exhibit under 

the expressway overpass. 

However, arrangements for 

security and maintenance of 

outdoor interpretive media 

would need to be addressed 

before a commitment is made 

to move forward with any of 

these projects. Considering the 

use of this area for expanded 

interpretation of Auburn 

Avenue’s commercial district is 

especially important if Prince Hall 

Masonic Lodge does not become 

available for NPS use as a site for 

expanded interpretation.
Recommendations

96 I National Park Service

•	 Initiate a planning discussion 

with the Southeast Regional 

Office regarding working with the 

National Park Service’s legislative 

office to expand the boundary—

at a minimum, to include the 

Prince Hall Masonic Lodge at 332 

Auburn Avenue, where Dr. King 

established the SCLC office on the 

building’s first floor. The planning 

team feels that this location meets 

the legislative criteria of national 

significance in relation to the 

reason the park was established 

to honor Dr. King. It is here 

where Dr. King and his associates 

“worked” (again, referencing 

the park’s enabling legislation) 

to organize African American 

churches throughout the South 

to defeat all forms of segregation 

through the use of nonviolent 

direct action techniques, such as 

marches, strikes, and sit-ins.

An important discussion with 

Southeast Regional planners should 

also include a discussion regarding 

whether the historic site should be 

extended along Auburn Avenue to 

Piedmont Street. It is important 

to note that, during the era of 

segregation, the block from Piedmont 

to Courtland was the historical 

fence line/transition zone, where the 

African American community ended 

and the white community began.
Recommendations

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 97

Prince Hall Masonic Lodge 

(Headquarters of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference)

Interpretive Focus

Theme four: Dr. King’s visionary 

leadership of the modern American 

Civil Rights Movement, as shown 

through his philosophic words 

and works, changed the course of 

American history and redefined 

the American promise to include 

all citizens, and continues to have 

national and international influence 

today.

Supporting Interpretive Concepts

•	 Under Dr. King’s leadership, the 

SCLC used churches to teach 

nonviolent direct action methods 

and to plan and strategize for 

mass meetings, marches, sit-ins 

and other protests. Sometimes, 

the churches were safe havens 

for taking refuge. As a result, 

many churches were burned 

and bombed, and innocent lives 

destroyed. 

•	 Dr. King, through the SCLC, 

strategized with other Christian 

leaders to promote equality, 

freedom, and justice using 

nonviolent principles of direct 

action.

Short-term Recommendations:

•	 Provide at minimum intellectual 

access to this site and discuss this 

important aspect of Dr. King’s 

work on the park website. Discuss 

the significance of this site in 

relationship to Dr. King’s work. 

Clarify the site’s location and 

provide directions to it, including 

parking and other important 

logistical information, so visitors 

can have a safe and enjoyable 

experience.

•	 The SCLC office is a great 

example of where the use of 

podcasts or a web video can 

be very effective. This future 

program could show an historic 

view and how the space looks 

now—illustrating the need for 

restoration. In addition, use of 

podcasts will enable visitors 

to have interpretation on site 

if they walked there or visited 

electronically.

•	 Develop a site bulletin or a rack 

card.

•	 Create a wayside located outside 

Prince Hall Masonic Lodge that 

interprets the facility’s former first 

floor use as SCLC headquarters 

during Dr. King’s leadership. 

•	 Create a special exhibit in the 

D.R.E.A.M. Gallery to interpret 

Dr. King’s role in the SCLC, 

thus raising awareness. Include 

a model or vignette of Dr. King’s 

office there.

o	 Research the location of 

original office items in the 

event a future exhibit of 

Dr. King’s SCLC office is 

undertaken. Original and 

period artifacts will better 

facilitate visitor connections 

to Dr. King work. The park 

owns several related items, 

such as one of the original 

SCLC signs; however, the park 

should work to locate other 

items of significance. The park 

is particularly interested in 

relocating the original SCLC 

and WERD call letter signs if 
Recommendations

98 I National Park Service

Prince Hall Masonic Lodge.

(Credit: NPS Photographer Gary Tarleton)

they still exist, or reproducing 

them for interpretive 

purposes. Review photos from 

the period.

o	 Review oral history 

repositories to determine what 

oral histories exist related to 

Dr. King and his years with 

the SCLC. Conduct additional 

oral history interviews of 

people who worked with Dr. 

King.

•	 Utilize interpretive theme 

four, Leadership and Legacy, 

and the related supporting 

interpretive concepts, in all 

future programming for this site. 

Note: The planning team felt 

that when future programming 

is developed—whether personal 

services or media—it is important 

to emphasize that Dr. King was a 

leader of all people who redefined 

the American promise to include 

all people. Do not narrowly define 

Dr. King as “a Black leader.”

Long-term Recommendations:

If the Prince Hall Masons receive 

funding to undertake planning for 

the development of an exhibit on 

the former SCLC office and desire 

to consult with the NPS, or, if the 

historic site is expanded to include 

Prince Hall Masonic Lodge, either 

circumstance would facilitate a 

future Memorandum of Agreement 

with the Masonic Lodge to expand 

NPS interpretation to this area. 

The planning team discussed and 

documented the following ideas to 

guide future interpretation at this site: 

•	 Seek funding to restore and 

interpret Dr. King’s SCLC office. 

Note: The NPS has conducted 

a structural assessment and has 

measured drawings of what was 

Dr. King’s office space. 

•	 Include in the funding request, 

additional money to develop an 

orientation film on Dr. King’s 
Recommendations

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 99

creation and leadership of the 

SCLC; this is a largely unknown 

and untold story. 

Exhibit Ideas

•	 Utilize the coming home to Sweet 

Auburn supporting interpretive 

concept to launch an exhibit on 

the Sweet Auburn community. 

Discuss Dr. King’s leadership 

role of the modern American 

Civil Rights Movement through 

the SCLC. Explain the national 

significance of SCLC in the 

modern American Civil Rights 

Movement. Make the connection 

between Dr. King’s “calling” and 

his life’s work as both a Baptist 

minister and as the leader of the 

modern American Civil Rights 

Movement.

•	 A videotape exists of Dr. King’s 

birthday party held at SCLC; play 

it on a loop within the exhibit.

•	 Develop a vignette/diorama of the 

SCLC workers. Include historic 

footage of SCLC Nonviolent 

Training Sessions (conducted 

before a march or protest) as 

part of the exhibit. If footage 

does not exist, include a filmed 

re-enactment illustrating these 

sessions.

•	 Provide TV clips and newspaper 

articles of Dr. King and the SCLC.

•	 Incorporate a list of SCLC 

members as part of the exhibit.

•	 While the primary focus of 

Prince Hall Masonic Lodge 

exhibits should be the SCLC 

story, an area could be set aside 

for orientation and interpretive 

elements for Sweet Auburn’s 

commercial district, including a 

model/diorama and a mini-theater 

presentation of the business 

district. 

The interpretive focus for future 

exhibits should illustrate the three 

lives of the commercial district: 

(1) daytime, focusing on business 

people; (2) early evening, with families 

strolling on the Avenue; and (3) 

nightlife, at local establishments like 

the Royal Peacock Club. Significant 

time periods to interpret include the 

1930s, when Martin Luther King 

Jr. was growing up, and the 1960s, 

when Dr. King returned as co-pastor 

of Ebenezer Baptist Church and 

President of the SCLC.

•	 Other future exhibit ideas for 

Sweet Auburn’s commercial 

district:

o	 Evaluate the existing Sweet 

Auburn film for use here.

o	 Share oral histories of other 

African American businesses 

and institutions.

o	 Include photographs that 

illustrate the Auburn Avenue 

business district street life.

o	 Interpret King’s work with 

radio station WERD and share 

that the radio station broadcast 

some of Dr. King’s sermons.

o	 Play WERD radio recordings 

as part of this exhibit. Note: 

WERD is nationally significant; 

it held the first radio license for 

an African American station in 

the United States. 

o	 Interpret the Royal Peacock 

Club. Use the WOW factor and 

describe all of the celebrities 

who used to come here.
Recommendations

100 I National Park Service

Connecting with Ebenezer Baptist Church’s Horizon Sanctuary

Ebenezer Baptist Church is an active 

faith community. The church owns 

two properties along Auburn Avenue:

1. The church building that Dr. King 

was associated with during his 

entire life;

2. The modern church facility.

Ebenezer Baptist Church 

distinguishes each Sanctuary by 

name. The historic church is referred 

to as the Heritage Sanctuary, and 

the modern church as the Horizon 

Sanctuary. The National Park 

Service, through a Memorandum of 

Agreement with Ebenezer Baptist 

Church, preserves the historic 

structure and operates the park 

interpretive program at the historic 

church under the authority of its 

enabling legislation to:

“...preserve, protect and 

interpret for the benefit, 

inspiration and education of 

present and future generations 

the places where Martin 

Luther King, Jr. was born, 

where he lived, worked, and 

worshiped, and where he is 

buried...”

Many visitors are curious about the 

church community following Dr. 

King’s assassination; specifically, 

whether it survived as a faith 

community. Others see the Horizon 

Sanctuary across the street from the 

historic church and ask park staff 

if out-of-town visitors are welcome 

to attend Sunday services. Some 

visitors, who came to the park during 

the 1996 Olympics, remember the 

tours of the Horizon Sanctuary led by 

church volunteers; these visitors ask 

if this program is still available. Tours 

are no longer offered by the church. 

Since there is a strong interest in 

the twenty-first century church, the 

park asked the LRIP planning team 

how best to answer these frequently 

asked visitor questions and visitor 

experience expectations.

Personal Services

•	 Provide a simple, informative 

response, so as not to give the 

impression the NPS endorses a 

specific faith. In this instance, an 

interpreter can respond thusly:

The church is still an active 

faith community where 

all are welcome to attend 

Sunday services at 8:00 

a.m. and 11:00 a.m. The 

church respectfully asks 

guests to remember, if they 

decide to attend, Sunday 

service is for worship, not 

a sightseeing destination. 

And, if you don’t have the 

time to attend this visit, 

the church has a website 

that features some of the 

sermons preached by its 

current pastor, Pastor 

Warnock.

This response will help the twentyfirst century church by providing 

basic information and may help to 

frame respectful visitor behavior for 

those expressing a desire to see the 

Horizon Sanctuary or experience a 

Baptist service.

•	 Reach out to twenty-first century 

Ebenezer Baptist Church 

members to join the park’s 

Volunteer-In-Parks program 

during periods of recruitment and 

training. Ask Ebenezer Baptist 

Church to inform members of the 
Recommendations

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 101

Ebenezer Baptist Church Horizon Sanctuary.

(Credit: NPS Photographer Gary Tarleton)

congregation through its bulletin 

and other church media. This 

NPS volunteer opportunity may 

be particularly attractive to new 

church members who are not well 

acquainted with the church’s long 

history.

•	 Inform the pastor of Ebenezer 

Baptist Church of the public’s 

frequently expressed interest in 

viewing the Horizon Sanctuary. 

Express that if the church decides 

to meet this visitor request 

through regularly scheduled 

tours, then the NPS will inform 

the public of this additional 

visitor opportunity. It is not 

recommended that the NPS offer 

this tour as part of the park’s 

interpretive program, as it is 

beyond the scope of the park. 

Interpretive Media

•	 Provide information in two ways:

1. On the website’s Most Asked 

Questions page, develop a 

similar written response to 

the one described above, 

in Personal Services. As a 

courtesy, since the statement 

is in writing, consult with the 

church to ensure that they are 

comfortable with the language 

and image the NPS projects 

through its response to this 

visitor query.

2. Provide a link to the 

church’s website, with a clear 

notification that if electronic 

visitors follow it, they are 

leaving nps.gov. This message 

will make a clear distinction 

between the park’s website 

and the church’s.
102 I National Park Service

Appendix A: Implementation Plan For The Long-Range Interpretive Plan 

National parks develop an annual parkwide operating plan based on known funding, staff, and 

special project money. This Implementation Plan highlights key Long-Range Interpretive Plan (LRIP) 

recommendations to be implemented over the next fifteen years, based on the park’s defined vision 

for interpretation, education, and visitor services. Implementation Plan headings are identified as first 

steps corresponding to years 1 – 3; second steps paralleling years 4 – 6; and third steps in years 7 – 15, 

the last years of this LRIP.

Each year, when the interpretive staff develops its Annual LRIP Implementation Plan, Appendix 

A (this section of the document) can be used as a tool to guide future staff discussions, whether 

establishing priorities within the park or within the Division of Interpretation, Education, and Cultural 

Resource Management. It is expected that yearly adjustments to the Implementation Plan will be made 

due to changes in staffing, budget, special project money, new research, and any other unplanned 

opportunities or emergencies.

It is also expected that priorities may change, based on a variety of factors or new opportunities; for 

example, what was first conceived as happening in the later years, might be undertaken during years 

1 – 3. It is recommended that this implementation plan be utilized as a consulting tool when the park 

formulates its operating plan each year.

First Steps: Years 1 – 3

Park – General

•	 Modify Mission Statement.

•	 Develop training module for all park staff regarding how to handle crucial conversations with 

visitors on race and Dr. King’s beliefs, actions, and legacy.

•	 Seek funding or a partner to conduct a visitor survey.

•	 Work with Southeast Regional Office to:

o	 Develop a training module on interpreting the site in light of First-Amendment concerns.

o	 Discuss with legislative affairs boundary expansion to include 332 Prince Hall Masonic Lodge.

o	 Obtain funding for a T-Map (operations evaluation); consult with parks with a similar 

organizational structure regarding position structure and grade levels; define results of 

comparative studies and analysis in new Operations Formulation System (OFS) requests to 

support desired future staffing to support delivery of interpretive program. 

o	 Regarding assistance with intra-site transportation services, develop a Project Management 

Information System (PMIS) request for a Transportation Advisory Group study, and coordinate 

with the Regional Transportation Coordinator.

o	 Discuss in-house desired streetscape elements the park is interested in adding to the Birth 

Home Block. Put in the appropriate funding request if necessary.

APPENDICES
Appendices

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 103

Harpers Ferry Center

•	 Request Harpers Ferry Center (HFC) assistance to develop cost estimates on the following 

LRIP recommended media projects. Coordinate with HFC Southeast Regional Project Manager 

regarding funding receipt of media projects, so HFC and the park can have the benefit of the full 

fiscal year funding cycle to plan and contract future media projects:

o	 Develop a PMIS request to create subtitles in the major languages of international visitors for 

the three movies shown to the general public: New Time, New Voice; Children of Courage; and 

the Birth Home Tour video; and a second request if additional equipment is needed to support 

the use of the subtitles.

o	 Develop a PMIS request for short-term and long-term exhibit repair needs at the Visitor Center 

and for a new exhibit to replace the Courage to Lead main exhibit. Ask the Center to prepare 

estimates at the same time, so the park can input this data in the Facility Management Software 

System (FMSS) to evaluate the most cost-effective way to update this very important exhibit 

with necessary repairs and meet accessibility requirements.

o	 Seek HFC estimate for a wayfinding assessment and master sign plan for the historic site campus 

(National Park Service [NPS], Ebenezer Baptist Church, and King Center).

o	 Seek HFC assistance for an estimate to develop a multi-language cell/smart phone tour.

o	 Develop a PMIS request for a new screen, projection equipment, lighting, and sound system for 

the Visitor Center Theater.

o	 Develop a PMIS request for new interactive exhibits for the extended Birth Home Visitor 

Experience in a nearby shotgun residence; venue will include a staging area for viewing a new 

introductory film as part of the Birth Home Experience, and the ability to see the Birth Home 

Tour video once all tickets are reserved for the day.

o	 Develop PMIS statement for a companion introductory film for the Birth Home extended 

visitor experience that highlights Dr. King’s childhood with family and neighbors in Sweet 

Auburn.

o	 Develop a PMIS request for an interpretive kiosk or touch screen for all major site arrival points/

destinations that includes basic information and orientation and a campus activities calendar, 

and is available in the predominant languages of visitors who come to the site.

o	 Develop a PMIS request for new Historic Fire Station No. 6 exhibits; the request should also 

include installation of exhibit glass behind the Fire Station doors, which are to be kept open 

during operating hours, so visitors will see the American LaFrance fire engine as they pass the 

facility and be aware this facility is now an exhibit.

o	 Check to see if there are any exhibit type of streetscape elements the park is interested in adding 

to the Birth Home Block; if so, develop a cost estimate so the park can write a PMIS request.

•	 Identify the appropriate park staff member to input requests in the Servicewide Facility 

Management Software System (FMSS). 
Appendices

104 I National Park Service

Personal Services

•	 Develop an OFS request to fund an interpretive position responsible for the development of the 

park website and future electronic and printed media, and social media applications.

•	 Consult with urban parks to see how interpretation, historian, and curatorial positions are 

structured and graded to inform future position management.

•	 Birth Home:

o	 Review engineering reports to confirm carrying capacity limitations.

o	 Experiment with tour patterns.

o	 Research the development of a ticket reservation system for a portion of the Birth Home Tours.

o	 Establish a by-reservation Birth Home Block Tour to take pressure off house during busy season 

for reunion groups seeking a ranger-led experience.

•	 Ebenezer Baptist Church:

o	 Establish a visitor comment log regarding the overall historic church visitor experience and the 

new temporary exhibits located in Fellowship Hall. Comments can be used to inform future 

permanent exhibits as well as the facility operating plan.

o	 Establish an NPS volunteer program for the church; recruit Ebenezer Baptist Church members.

o	 Provide a website link to the Ebenezer Baptist Church in the Most Asked Questions page; be 

sure to add notification that the electronic user is leaving the NPS website.

o	 Develop graphics panels for the church entrance summarizing Dr. King’s connection to the 

church and visitor experience options, in order to provide a back-up for the ranger greeting 

visitors—especially when they are involved in a conversation or providing visitor assistance.

o	 Coordinate with church and develop a wayside interpreting “What is Ebenezer Baptist Church’s 

Horizon Sanctuary?”—a frequently asked on-site visitor question.

o	 Identify core Dr. King speeches to be utilized as part of the Ebenezer Baptist Church 

interpretive program: 

−	 Develop printed handouts for visitors with hearing impairments.

−	 Seek HFC assistance for recommended equipment and cost estimate to use for closed 

captioning that is also sensitive in its presentation to the setting of the Sanctuary.

•	 Update current education program materials—trunks and posted curriculum—utilizing a staff/

teacher team:

o	 Develop a pilot Teach the Teacher training session regarding how to use materials.

o	 If necessary, create an instructional guide for educators.

o	 Conduct internal discussions regarding desire to expand theme-related educational 

programming for a variety of student/youth groups. Determine, based on funding, staff and 

capacity issues, what the ideal future program looks like. Is it (1) Developing new curriculum 

for different ages on different topics to be used independently in the classroom, or on-site 

by teachers and students; or (2) Will the park staff and volunteers conduct a portion of a 

program—perhaps it is a special welcome and introduction to Dr. King and the park, or a stafffacilitated hands-on experience; or (3) A mix of all three types of programming. Once direction 

is determined, put in appropriate funding requests.
Appendices

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 105

•	 Birth Home Block: Experiment with tours for the general public, roving interpretation (uniformed 

or period dress), and an expansion of the trolley tour system to the block during the summer 

season.\

•	 Offer a “lunch with a ranger program” on the second floor of the Fire Station; encourage families/

groups to bring a bag lunch and chat informally with a ranger about a variety of park-related topics.

Interpretive Media

Note: Park may decide there are enough wayside exhibit replacement needs and new individual site 

specific wayside exhibits that it may be more desirable to seek HFC assistance with completion, rather than 

to pursue development in-house. If HFC assistance is desired with waysides, add this topic area to HFC 

assistance list for cost estimating.

•	 Website: Keep up-to-date and prepare to move administration of website to the interpretive 

division.

o	 Implement short-term recommendations outlined in the parkwide media recommendations 

section. 

o	 Establish a cross-division annual review of website for content accuracy and to determine what 

should be posted in the upcoming year.

o	 On the Safety page, talk about the problem of panhandling and provide park guidance regarding 

how to handle.

o	 Update the Visitor Experience Planning page—what one can do in a half hour, 1 hour, 2 hours, 

or 4 or more hours. See HFC posted Vicksburg National Historic Site LRIP for ideas; there’s a 

section on visitor experience planning.

o	 Provide basic information (intellectual access) on Dr. King’s activities with the Southern 

Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).

o	 Develop capacity to create webcasts.

•	 Work with Eastern National to develop a cell phone tour in multiple languages.

•	 Replace vandalized waysides parkwide and fix broken outdoor exhibit elements from the Visitor 

Center parking lot along the promenade.

•	 Develop a wayside for the Gandhi statue.

•	 Develop a wayside that interprets the historical significance of Historic Fire Station No. 6 and its 

connection to Dr. King.

•	 Improve visual quality of necessary “temporary signs” that are used at the Visitor Center.

•	 Identify major languages used by international visitors. 

•	 Research local foreign language translation services available for future media projects; develop a 

corresponding PMIS request to translate the park website and HFC Unigrid brochure into the most 

common languages used by international visitors. Also include in this estimate a large-print Englishformat version. 

•	 Maintain audiovisual equipment in all venues and cyclic repairs to Theater.

•	 Improve Visitor Center Theater signage.
Appendices

106 I National Park Service

•	 Develop a rack card on Dr. King’s founding of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and 

its home in the Prince Hall Masonic Lodge during his presidency.

•	 Update existing foreign language brochures created in 1996 for the Olympics.

Primary Partners – General

•	 Establish quarterly meetings with Chief Executive Officers to discuss long-term planning needs.

•	 Develop a parkwide calendar of events and activities.

•	 Plan movement of bus stop from Auburn Avenue to Irwin Street; discuss with partners.

•	 Review oral history research needs and develop a consolidated approach to achieve with partners. 

Put in funding request, if appropriate.

The King Center

•	 Provide technical assistance for historic object preservation and exhibits when requested.

•	 Discuss with The King Center potential expanded use of auditorium and hosting of the Children 

of Courage exhibit and film. If not interested, consider relocating to Historic Fire Station No. 6 as a 

temporary location, until a new Fire Station exhibit is in place.

•	 If NPS continues to provide an interpretive presence in the building, improve Visitor Center desk 

appearance and collaboratively develop signage regarding why the NPS is present in the facility. 

Interpret the historical connection to Mrs. King’s working with President Carter to have the 

historic site become part of the National Park Service.

City of Atlanta

•	 Discuss with City the improvement of panhandling situation and other visitor-related safety issues, 

and explore ways to improve transportation to the site from downtown.

Second Steps: Years 4 – 6

Park – General

•	 Conduct key oral histories if project is funded.

•	 Conduct visitor survey if funded.

•	 Develop a PMIS request for an economic impact study so the historic site can demonstrate to future 

partners what the national park and its partners bring to the community, to attract other partners 

and collaborative projects.

•	 Relocate Visitor Center/Tomb bus stop from Auburn Avenue to Irwin.

•	 Work with Southeast Regional Office to:

o	 Nominate Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site as a recognized United Nations 

Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization “World Heritage Site.”

o	 Establish a concession-operated luggage storage service for destination visitors who are carrying 

luggage.

o	 Work with Regional Transportation Coordinator and the Denver Service Center to conduct the 

recommended and PMIS-funded Transportation Advisory Group regarding intra-historic site 

transportation needs.
Appendices

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 107

Harpers Ferry Center

•	 Work collaboratively with HFC on any funded media projects that involve HFC planning, design, 

and contracting.

•	 Complete ongoing review and update of the Unigrid brochure.

•	 Work with HFC to develop a funding request to put permanent exhibits and a mini-theater in 

Ebenezer Baptist Church’s Fellowship Hall. Utilize ranger observations and documentation from 

visitor log books to inform the funding request and future exhibit.

•	 Determine if it’s time to replace New Time, New Voice as the primary introductory film; if so, 

consult with HFC for a cost estimate to inform the PMIS funding request.

Personal Services

•	 Update OFS position funding requests.

•	 Continue to review and update current education program trunks, posted website curriculum, and 

any companion park provided information—with a staff/teacher team.

•	 If funded, develop new education program and materials. This would be a good time to begin 

developing the plan-recommended curriculum for Ebenezer Baptist Church. 

•	 Finalize how park will handle Birth Home Tour operations, scheduling, and reservations. Promote 

in electronic media and other appropriate venues. 

•	 Conduct research on other important African American groups, businesses, and organizations 

that helped to make Sweet Auburn thrive during Dr. King’s childhood and his return to this 

neighborhood in 1960 – 1968. 

o	 Create resource packets to inform the development of a future exhibit(s) on this vibrant 

community.

Media

•	 Update annually in PMIS any media project cost estimates provided by HFC by the recommended 

4% inflation rate.

•	 Continue to implement short-term Visitor Center exhibit improvements, if determined to be the 

most cost-effective approach, until the Children of Courage exhibit is replaced.

•	 Place exhibits and introductory film in nearby historic houses in order to provide the park desired 

expanded Birth Home experience.

•	 Install new exhibit in Historic Fire Station No. 6, if funded, including exhibit glass at Fire Station 

engine doors, so visitors can see the American LaFrance fire engine and building interior when the 

building is opened.

•	 Have in place captioning for Dr. King’s speeches that are played as part of an interpretive 

presentation, or a copy of the speech available for hearing impaired visitors.

•	 Develop a temporary exhibit for the D.R.E.A.M. Gallery on Dr. King’s establishment of the 

Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC); include a furnishings vignette of the office. 

Include a visitor comment log. This will be a good opportunity to test this type of exhibit, if ever 

the NPS has the opportunity in the future to work with the Masons to establish an on-site exhibit. 

It will also expand interpretation to this currently mostly un-interpreted topic. While the park talks 

about the marches and sit-ins, and the changes that resulted, there is really no mention of how the 
Appendices

108 I National Park Service

SCLC, through Dr. King’s leadership, worked behind the scenes to make these important activities 

happen.

o	 Develop (after this exhibit is completed) detailed resource packets (references to oral histories, 

photographs, known documents, etc.) to inform the development of a future permanent exhibit 

on Dr. King’s SCLC work and office, if Prince Hall Masons request technical assistance to create 

an exhibit; or if the park’s boundary is expanded to include this site.

•	 Maintain audiovisual equipment in all venues and cyclic repairs to Theater.

Website

•	 Maintain park website:

o	 Keep website up to date. 

o	 Conduct annual cross-division review of posted materials.

o	 Have an active social media presence and webcasts in place.

o	 Focus webcast topics on sites associated with Dr. King not currently interpreted, such as SCLC, 

to develop a website presence.

•	 Have in place multiple language kiosks for orientation, interpretation, and calendar of events.

•	 Have in place multi-language subtitling for three key films.

•	 Implement cell phone tour or conduct annual review of materials posted if in place.

•	 Work with Eastern National to develop a handbook to be used by visitors throughout the site and as 

a souvenir to enjoy as part of the post-visit experience.

•	 Have in place either updated site significance brochures created for the Olympics or the translated 

version of the HFC Unigrid brochure, in most popular languages common to international visitors.

Partners

•	 Continue quarterly Chief Executive Officer planning meetings.

•	 Work with Ebenezer Baptist Church historian to develop a training module on elements of the 

Baptist faith all interpreters should know, as they relate to Dr. King’s co-pastorship of the church. 

Explain the typical kinds of duties a co-pastor would share. Target audience: seasonal and new 

interpretive staff. Once completed, the training video should be evaluated regarding whether it 

could be repurposed as a webcast.

•	 Work with Ebenezer Baptist Church and King Center to create within the historic church an exhibit 

that includes personal items that reflected Dr. King’s life as a minister—perhaps his robes, a Bible, 

the certificate demonstrating he was an ordained minister, et cetera. These items could be located 

in a climate-controlled exhibit in an appropriate location in the Sanctuary or as part of the future 

exhibits in Fellowship Hall.

•	 Continue to discuss with the City of Atlanta and partners ways to improve visitor safety and 

resource protection.
Appendices

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 109

Third Steps: Years 7 – 15

Park – General

•	 Referencing the existing Cultural Landscape Report, Birth Home Historic Structure Report, related 

oral histories, and other archives, develop a comprehensive proposal for interpretive elements 

that could be reinstated in the backyard and would add value to the understanding of Dr. King’s 

life, particularly his childhood experiences with family members at this residence that shaped his 

character.

•	 Implement intra-site results from Transportation Advisory Group Report and related follow-up 

PMIS request.

•	 Keep all interpretive funding requests up to date in PMIS and OFS.

Work with Southeast Regional Office

•	 Ongoing; continue with projects not completed in years 4 – 6.

Harpers Ferry Center

•	 Work with HFC to develop a funding request for a film on Dr. King’s work at SCLC and explain the 

connection to the modern American Civil Rights Movement; interpret his use of the office in Prince 

Hall Masonic Lodge in Sweet Auburn. Utilize resource packet developed during years 4 – 6.

Personal Services

•	 Ongoing; continue with projects not completed in years 4 – 6.

•	 Continue to review and update current education program’s trunks, posted website curriculum, 

and any companion park provided information, with a staff teacher team.

Media

•	 Install new exhibits and film in Fellowship Hall; coordinate with HFC.

•	 Coordinate planning with HFC for new exhibit for the Visitor Center. The goal is that all Visitor 

Center exhibits are attractive, accessible, and operational by 2020—the fortieth anniversary of the 

site’s establishment. 

•	 Ongoing; continue with projects not completed in years 4 – 6.

•	 If new universal route through church and exhibit is determined during years 4 – 6, and funding 

received, implement.

•	 Have in place park website translated in primary language groups.

•	 Maintain audiovisual equipment in all venues and cyclic repairs to Theater.
Appendices

110 I National Park Service

Partners

•	 Conduct quarterly meetings with Chief Executive Officers to coordinate short and long-range 

planning needs.

•	 Discuss with the City of Atlanta use of underpass area for interpretive purposes, if crime and 

graffiti have diminished. This would be a good outdoor area to interpret Sweet Auburn and SCLC 

headquarters if the park boundary is not expanded to include Prince Hall Masonic Lodge. If the 

park and City come to an understanding regarding future use of area, develop a Memorandum of 

Agreement outlining agreed commitments before moving forward to implement an outdoor exhibit 

plan.

•	 Ongoing; continue with projects not completed in years 4 – 6.

...And during the course of the next fifteen years, have fun working together as a team—internally 

and externally—to provide a high-caliber, memorable, and meaningful visitor experience 

at Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site; in the words of Dr. King, a “Mountaintop” 

experience.
Appendices

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 111

Appendix B: Park Legislation 

PUBLIC LAW 96-428—OCT. 10, 1980 94 STAT. 1839

Public Law 96-428

96th Congress

An Act

To establish the Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site in the State of Georgia, and for other 

purposes. [H.R. 7218]

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

That (a) in order to protect and interpret for the benefit, inspiration, and education of present and future 

generations the places where Martin Luther King, Junior, was born, where he lived, worked, and worshipped, 

and where he is buried, there is hereby established the Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site in 

the State of Georgia. The national historic site shall consist of that real property in the city of Atlanta, Georgia, 

within the boundary generally depicted on the map entitled “Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site 

Boundary Map”, numbered NASM/SERO/20, 109-C, and dated May 1980, together with the property known 

as 234 Sunset Avenue, Northwest. The map referred to in this subsection shall be on file and available for public 

inspection in the local and Washington, District of Columbia office of the National Park Service, Department of 

the Interior.

(b) In furtherance of the purposes of this Act, there is hereby established the Martin Luther King, Junior, 

Preservation District, which shall consist of the area identified as “Preservation District” in the map referred to 

in subsection (a) of this section. 

SEC. 2. (a) The Secretary of the Interior (hereinafter referred to as the “Secretary”) shall administer the Martin 

Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site and Preservation District in accordance with the provisions of this 

Act, and the provisions of law generally applicable to national historic sites, including the Act of August 25 1916 

(39 Stat. 535; 16 U.S.C. 1, 2-4) and the Act of August 21, 1935 (49 Stat. 666; 16 U.S.C. 461–7). 

(b)(1) Within the national historic site the Secretary is authorized to acquire by donation, purchase with donated 

or appropriated funds transfer, or exchange, lands and interests therein, except that property owned by the State 

of Georgia or any political subdivision thereof may be acquired only by donation. 

(2) Notwithstanding the acquisition authority contained in paragraph (1), any lands or interests therein which 

are owned wholly or in part, by the widow of Martin Luther King, Junior, or by the Martin Luther King, Junior, 

Center for Social Change, shall be acquired only with the consent of the owner thereof, except that—(A) the 

Secretary may acquire such property in accordance with the provisions of this section if he determines that 

the property is undergoing or is about to undergo a change in use which is inconsistent with the purposes of 

this Act, and (B) with respect to properties owned by the Center for Social Change, the Secretary shall have the 

firm right of refusal to purchase such property for a purchase price not exceeding the fair market value of such 

property on the date its offered for sale. 

(3) Property may be acquired pursuant to this section subject to such conditions and reservations as in the 

judgment of the Secretary are not inconsistent with the purposes of this Act and the administration of the 

national historic site, including, in the event that the burial site of Martin Luther King, Junior, is acquired, the 

condition that his widow may be interred therein.

(4) Any and all legal or equitable title, interests, or encumbrances, if any, held by the Department of Housing 

and Urban Development in the property designated “Parcel A” on the man referenced in section one are hereby 

conveyed to the Secretary to be administered in accordance with the purposes of this Act.
Appendices

112 I National Park Service

(5) Structural space requirements of the National Park Service to meet its administrative, operational, and 

interpretive functions for the national historic site and preservation district shall, to the maximum extent feasible 

without displacing residents, be met within the district through the adaptive use of existing structures.

SEC. 3. (a) Within the national historic site, the Secretary may convey a freehold or leasehold interest in any 

property, for such sums as he deems appropriate, and subject to such terms and conditions and reservations as 

will assure the use of the property in a manner which is, in the judgment of the Secretary, consistent with the 

purposes of this Act and the administration of the national historic site. The Secretary shall offer the last owner 

or tenant of record a reasonable opportunity to purchase or lease, as appropriate, the property proposed to be 

conveyed prior to any conveyance under this subsection, and in the case of a lease to such tenant of record, the 

initial rental charge shall not be substantially more than the last rent paid by the tenant for that property, with 

any future increases not to exceed the general escalation of rental rates in the surrounding area.

(b) The Secretary may enter into cooperative agreements with the owners of properties of historical or cultural 

significance as determined by the Secretary, pursuant to which the Secretary may mark, interpret, improve, 

restore, and provide technical assistance with respect to the preservation and interpretation of such properties. 

Such agreements shall contain, but need not be limited to, provisions that the Secretary shall have the right 

of access at reasonable times to public portions of the property for interpretive and other purposes, and that 

no changes or alterations shall be made in the property except by mutual agreement. The authorities in this 

subsection shall also be available to the Secretary with respect to properties within the Martin Luther King, 

Junior, Preservation District.

(c) The Secretary may, in carrying out his authorities with respect to the interpretation of properties within 

the national historic site and the preservation district, accept the services and assistance, with or without 

reimbursement therefore, of qualified persons and entities to the extent he deems necessary and appropriate. 

Funds appropriated for the purposes of this Act may be expended for the improvement, restoration, and 

maintenance of properties in which the Secretary has acquired a leasehold interest.

(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary shall give first preference to the Martin Luther 

King, Junior, Center for Social Change with respect to any contract for a concession to sell books, postcards, 

tapes, or similar types of appropriate mementos related to the purposes of this Act, on facilities operated and 

maintained by the Secretary within the historic site: Provided, That agreement can be reached on terms and 

conditions acceptable to the Secretary.

(e) The Secretary is authorized to take only such actions within and upon the grounds of the Ebenezer Baptist 

Church as will directly support appropriate public visitation to and within the church in accordance with the 

purposes of this Act, or which will assist in the maintenance or preservation of those portions of said church 

which are directly related to the purposes of this Act.

SEC. 4. (a) There is hereby established the Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site Advisory 

Commission (hereinafter referred to in this section as the “Commission”). The Commission shall consist of 

thirteen members, eleven of whom shall be appointed by the Secretary as follows:

(1) three members appointed for terms of three years from recommendations submitted by the governing 

body of the Martin Luther King, Junior, Center for Social Change; 2) two members appointed for ten of four 

years from recommendations submitted by the Governor of the State of Georgia, one of whom shall have 

professional expertise in historic preservation matters; (3) two members appointed for terms of five years from 

recommendations submitted by the mayor of the city of Atlanta, Georgia, one of whom shall represent the 

economic and cultural interests of the Sweet Auburn Historic District; (4) one member appointed for a term 

of five years from recommendations submitted by the governing body of the Ebenezer Baptist Church; (5) the 

Chairman of the Atlanta Urban Design Commission and one additional member from the Commission to be 

chosen by the Commission; and (6) one member, appointed for a term of five years by the Secretary, who shall 
Appendices

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 113

chair the Commission. In addition to the foregoing members, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, or such other appropriate 

family member as may be designated by the immediate family of Martin Luther King, Junior, and the Director of 

the National Park Service shall be ex officio members of the Commission.

(b) Any vacancy in the membership of the Commission shall be filled in the same manner in which the 

original appointment was made. Members of the Commission shall serve without compensation as such, but 

the Secretary may pay expenses of Commission members reasonably incurred by them m carrying out their 

responsibilities under this section upon presentation of vouchers signed by the chair of the Commission. 

Necessary administrative services and expenses shall be provided to the Commission by the Department of the 

Interior.

(c) The function of the Commission shall be to:

(1) advise the Secretary with respect to the formulation and execution of plans for and the overall administration 

of the national historic site and the preservation district, including advice with respect to the consummation of 

cooperative agreements, and interpretation of properties, and the use and appreciation of the national historic 

site and the preservation district by the public;

(2) prepare a generalized impact area plan for a one mile radius outside the District which shall examine 

overall community development goals, plans, and efforts within that area, including historic preservation, 

transportation, parking, housing, urban revitalization, and parks and recreation functions, in order to maximize 

beneficial relationships between these goals, plans, and efforts and the district herein established, and

(3) prepare, on the basis of the findings and recommendations of the impact area plan required by the 

preceding paragraph, a detailed development plan for the neighborhoods and outlying commercial areas 

immediately outside the district for such development, conservation, preservation, rehabilitation activities and 

transportation, parking, and land use planning as would complement and enhance the District and the purposes 

for which the District is established.

(d) The Secretary is directed to provide the appropriate planning agency of the city of Atlanta an amount of 

the local planning funds authorized by section 6 sufficient for that agency to provide such staff and technical 

assistance to the Advisory Commission as are required for it to develop the plans required by subsection (c) of 

this section Such plans, prepared in full coordination with and opportunities for participation by, all relevant 

public agencies and private groups, shall be delivered to the Secretary in a timely fashion for use in preparing the 

general management plan for the district.

(e) The Commission shall terminate ten years from the effective date of this Act.

SEC. 5. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no fees shall be charged for entrance or admission to the 

national historic site or the preservation district established by this Act.

SEC. 6. Effective October 1, 1980, there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to 

carry out the provisions of this Act, but not to exceed $1,000,000 for development,

$100,000 for local planning, and $3,500,000 for the acquisition of lands and interests therein. Notwithstanding 

any other provision of this Act, authority to enter into contracts, to incur obligations, or to make payments under 

thus Act shall be effective only to the extent, and in such amounts, as are provided in advance in appropriation 

Acts.

SEC. 7. (a) In order to better integrate the east and west portions of the Martin Luther King, Junior, Preservation 

District, the Federal Highway Administration, in cooperation with the Georgia Department of Transportation, 

is hereby directed to insure that any design and reconstruction of the North Interstate 85 and Interstate 

75 Expressway over Auburn and Edgewood Avenues in the city of Atlanta, Georgia, and the interchange at 

Edgewood Avenue, shall minimize the adverse impacts on the preservation district.
Appendices

114 I National Park Service

(b) In carrying out the provisions of this subsection, the Federal Highway Administration shall require that, 

where feasible, and major change required for the Auburn Avenue overpass results in a design which permits a 

wider distance between overpass support structures and the disposition of understructure development rights 

for appropriate business or recreation uses.

(c) Plans for the construction, exterior renovation, or demolition of any structure or change In land use within 

the preservation district by the National Park Service or any Federal agency must be submitted to the Atlanta 

Urban Design Commission in a timely fashion for its review and comment.

SEC. 8. Within three complete fiscal years from the effective date of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the 

Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs of the United States House of Representatives and the Committee on 

Energy and Natural Resources of the United States Senate, a comprehensive general management plan for the 

park site and the preservation district consistent with the provisions of this Act and pursuant to the provisions of 

section 12(b) of the Act of August 18, 1970 (84 Stat 825), as amended (16 U.S.C. 1a-1 et seq.). Approved October 

10, 1980. 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD. Vol. 126 (1980):

Sept. 9, considered and passed House.

Sept. 26, considered and passed Senate.

WEEKLY COMPILATION OF PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS. Vol. 16. No. 42:

Oct. 11, Presidential statement.
Appendices

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 115

PUBLIC LAW 102-575, SECTION 4024

102nd CONGRESS

October 30, 1992

SEC. 4024. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JUNIOR, NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE AND 

PRESERVATION DISTRICT.

(a) BOUNDARY MODIFICATION. - Subsection (a) of the first section of the Act entitled “An Act to 

establish the Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site in the State of Georgia, and for other 

purposes” (Public Law 96-428; 94 Stat. 1839), establishing the Martin Luther King, Junior, National 

Historic Site and Preservation District, is amended by striking “numbered NASM/SERO/20, 109-C, 

and dated May 1980” and inserting in lieu thereof “number 489/80,013B, and dated September 1992”.

(b) LIMITATION ON APPROPRIATIONS. - Section 6 of Public Law 96-0428 (94 Stat. 1842) is 

amended by striking “, but not to exceed $1,000,000 for development, $100,000 for local planning, and 

$3,500,000 for the acquisition of lands and interests therein”.
Appendices

116 I National Park Service

118 STAT. 1198 PUBLIC LAW 108–314—OCT. 5, 2004

Public Law 108–314

108th Congress

An Act

To authorize the exchange of certain lands within the Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site for 

lands owned by the City of Atlanta, Georgia, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress 

assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site Land Exchange Act’’.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following:

(1) Public Law 96–438 established the Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site, and allows acquisition, 

by donation only, of lands owned by the State.

(2) The National Park Service owns a vacant lot that has no historic significance. The City of Atlanta has 

expressed interest in acquiring this property to encourage commercial development along Edgewood Avenue.

(3) The National Historic Site Visitor Center and Museum is land-locked and has no emergency ingress or 

egress, making it virtually impossible for firefighting equipment to reach.

(4) The acquisition of city-owned property would enable the National Park Service to establish easy street 

access to the National Historic Site Visitor Center and Museum, and would benefit the City by exchanging a 

piece of property that the City could develop.

(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to authorize the exchange of certain lands within the Martin Luther 

King, Junior, National Historic Site for lands owned by the City of Atlanta,

Georgia. 

SEC. 3. LAND EXCHANGE.

Section 2(b)(1) of the Act of October 10, 1980 (Public Law

96–428; 94 Stat. 1839; 16 U.S.C. 461 note) is amended by striking

the period and inserting ‘‘or exchange.’’.

Approved October 5, 2004.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 1616:

HOUSE REPORTS: No. 108–255 (Comm. on Resources).

SENATE REPORTS: No. 108–332 (Comm. on Energy and Natural Resources).

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD:

Vol. 149 (2003): Oct. 28, considered and passed House.

Vol. 150 (2004): Sept. 15, considered and passed Senate.
Appendices

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 117

Appendix C: Park Planning Team

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site

Linda Byers, Park Ranger-Interpretation

Andrew Callens, Facility Manager

Adria Focht, Museum Technician

Judy Forte, Superintendent

Mari Hayden, Park Ranger-Interpretation

Rich Klima, Park Ranger-Interpretation

Clark W. Moore, Park Ranger-Law Enforcement

Robert Parker, Chief of Interpretation

Tanya Perkins-Brown, Administrative Officer

Dean Rowley, Park Ranger-Interpretation

Cheryl A Shropshire, IT Specialist

Marty Smith, Park Ranger-Interpretation

Tony Stennis, Deputy Superintendent

Faye Walmsley, Former Chief of Interpretation

National Park Service Staff and Consultants

Don Branch, Harpers Ferry Center, Senior Exhibit Designer

Melissa English-Rias, Harpers Ferry Center, Southeast Region, Interpretive Specialist-Planner

John Tobiason, Harpers Ferry Center, New Media Specialist

Mary Mallen, Harpers Ferry Center, Interpretive Planner-Park Ranger

Park Partners

Jessica Brooks, Atlanta Public Schools

Becky Burke, Eastern National

Angelou Ezeilo, Greening Youth Foundation

James Ezeilo, Greening Youth Foundation

Isaac Farris, Jr., The King Center

Mickey Goodson, Volunteer

Carolyn Hartfield, Lifestyle Management

Fannie Hoskin, Volunteer

Del Kittendorf, Volunteer

Steve Klein, The King Center

Richard Laub, Georgia State University

David Lee, Volunteer

Cynthia Lewis, The King Center

Audrey Peterman, Earthwise Productions

Benjamin C. Ridgeway, Ebenezer Baptist Church, Historian

Clemmie Robinson, Volunteer

Don Rooney, Atlanta History Center and Atlanta Urban Design Commission

Hyman Shapiro, Volunteer

Dr. Larry H. Spruill, Morehouse College

Eric Tidwell, The King Center

Plan designed by Pond & Company for Harpers Ferry Center
Appendices

118 I National Park Service

Appendix D: Guidance for Future Education Program Development

•	 Work with local area schools—teachers and curriculum specialists—to develop a program advisory 

group specific to the grades the park hopes to target. Form a work team comprised of interested 

teachers and National Park Service (NPS) staff that will be consistent throughout the program 

development period. Collaboration with teachers during all phases of program development will 

create ownership.

o	 Use primary park themes to guide curriculum discussions to determine where the primary park 

stories and park features intersect with curriculum requirements. 

o	 After determining the program focus—where park themes and curriculum requirements merge—

utilize all team assets to develop the pilot program. 

−	 Have NPS staff scope out on-site program concept. Deliver pilot program to teachers and 

seek their feedback. Tweak program concept and on-site activities where necessary. 

−	 Once on-site component is defined, have teachers develop companion pre/post-visit 

materials. This is their area of expertise, and teachers will be delivering these lesson plans 

in the classroom. After teachers share the draft pre/post-visit lesson plans, the NPS staff 

provides feedback, and lesson plans may be edited before they are readied for the pilot 

program phase.

o	 Pilot the program for a full year. Ask each teacher who participates to provide written feedback 

on the on-site program and pre/post-visit student materials (lesson plans). Consider inviting 

participating teachers back to Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site at the end of the year 

for a focus group evaluation session. Use information gained to make program adjustments with 

the program development team (teachers and park staff).

o	 Following program evaluation and adjustments, request the original planning team to look at 

program and explore how the on-site program could be made available as an outreach program 

for classes unable to travel to site. Some alternatives include the use of internet broadcasting to 

extend program reach, the creation of travelling trunks, and posting of lesson plans and copies of 

original documents on the website. 

o	 Use NPS staff and teacher advisors to develop a program-specific teacher workshop to get new 

teachers involved. Seek input from the local school systems regarding the best avenue to achieve 

this next step. For example, Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site could host a Cityapproved teacher in-service day for however many teachers the site could accommodate during 

the program year, with the commitment that the teachers who attended the workshop would be 

assured an on-site Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site program reservation. 

Education Program Sustainability

•	 Seek funding to support teacher stipends to encourage participation in future program development. 

Explore opportunities through the NPS Parks as Classroom funding initiative, grants through the 

National Park Foundation, and other similar types of educational philanthropic opportunities. 

•	 Recognize teachers who participate in the program development through appropriate, site-specific, 

and meaningful recognition—may be an event, or perhaps a memento.

•	 Work with university partners and public school system(s) to explore the possibility of providing 

credits hours (towards teacher recertification) for teachers who attend the future teacher workshop 

to be developed as part of Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site curriculum-based 

education program.
Appendices

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Long-Range Interpretive Plan I 119

Appendix E: Bibliography

Park-Specific References

Carson, Clayborne, ed. The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. New York: Time-Warner Books, 

1998.

King, Coretta Scott. My Life with Martin. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1969.

King, Martin Luther, Jr. Quotations of Martin Luther King, Jr. Bedford, MA: Applewood Books 2004.

King, Martin Luther, Jr. The Measure of a Man. Philadelphia: The Christian Education Press, 1959. 

King, Martin Luther, Sr. Daddy King, An Autobiography. New York: William Morrow & Co., 1980. 

National Park Service. 1986 Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site General Management 

Plan/Development Concept Plan/Environmental Assessment. 

National Park Service. 2006 – 2011 Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Strategic Plan.

Ridgeway, Benjamin C. Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2009.

Schulke, Flip. He Had a Dream: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement. New York: W. 

W. Norton & Co., 1995.

Park Legislation 

Public Law 96-428 (1980; enabling legislation).

Public Law 102-575 (1992).

Public Law 108-314 (2004).

National Park Service References

2006 National Park Service Management Policies.

Director’s Orders No. 6: Interpretation and Education.

Director’s Order No. 28: Cultural Resource Management Guideline.

Planning for Interpretation and Visitor Experience, Interpretive Planning, Harpers Ferry Center, 

1988.

Sourcebook for Director’s Orders on Park Planning.

Visitor Use and Evaluation of Interpretive Media, September 2003, the National Park Service Visitor 

Services Project and Harpers Ferry Center.

Other Reference

Weaver, Stephanie. Creating Great Visitor Experiences: A Guide for Museums, Parks, Zoos, Gardens, 

and Libraries. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press, 2007.
Harpers Ferry Center

National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site

450 Auburn Avenue, NE

Atlanta, GA 30312-1525

(404) 331-5190

www.nps.gov/malu

EXPERIENCE YOUR AMERICATM