Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights movement in St. Augustine

On our tour of St. Augustine, our great guides pointed out several buildings with direct links to Martin Luther King Jr.- and the Civil Rights movement in the 60s.

The Woolworth's lunch counter where four African-American teens were denied service (and arrested) in 1963 is displayed at the current Wells Fargo.  This Wells Fargo is where the Woolworth's was located (the doors still have the Woolworth name on the door handles).  Here is a nice article about the display.


Our tour guides told us that when King was in town, he actually stayed in different houses each night for security reasons!  It was exciting seeing those homes!

Unfortunately, a very significant place in relating to the Civil Rights movement in St. Augustine is no longer there.  The Monson Lodge was destroyed and replaced in 2003 by a Hilton.

The tour guides and the town itself have done a great job of acknowledging this part of St. Augustine's past.