Civil War, Civil Rights and Country Music (11th September)

Montgomery has been a participant in a number of pivotal moments in the history of the USA. On the steps of the Capitol, Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as the first president of the Confederate States, which was one of the factors in the start of the Civil War. The house he and his family lived in at the time, is called "The White House of the Confederate States" and has been restored and furnished with much of the original furniture. Martin Luther King Jr's first church of which he was the pastor, is just a couple of blocks away. Here is where the bus boycott was organised and the Civil Rights marches finished. As so much of the Civil Rights work was started in Montgomery, the Civil Rights Museum is also located here with a fountain memorial to the many who died in the pivotal years. Lunch is at Chris's Hot Dogs, an establishment just 3 years short of 100 years old, being run by the 3rd generation. Great dogs. We visit the Rosa Parks Museum which delves deeply into the reasons why she is named as the person who started the civil rights action, just because she wouldn't give up her seat to a white person. The Hank Williams museum has quite a few outfits, records and show bill boards, plus the car in which he died at the tender age of 29. Hank was a busy boy given the number of hits and shows he crammed into his short life. Our last stop is the cemetery to see his grave site.