By Chris Epting
I love museums that feature “on-site” history. That is to say, something happened there, and that’s why it’s a museum. I think that’s why the La Brea Tar Pits museum was such a special place to take my son in his early years. He loved paleontology, but the fact that everything in the museum had been excavated from the very property where the museum sat made it extra special.
Martin Luther King Jr.
During this month when we pay particular attention to Martin Luther King Jr., I wanted to recommend the tragic site where he was killed in 1968, which has become a profoundly interesting and well-developed museum. We all know what happened at the Lorraine Motel on that fateful day when King was assassinated. We can see the images of his entourage pointing across the parking lot toward the window where James Earl Ray fired the fatal shot.
Back in 2008, when I was a national spokesman for the Save-A-Landmark program, we did a refurbishment project at the museum, repainting the railings at the exact site where King was struck. As my son and I sat there painting, it was impossible not to be deeply affected by the fact that we were at the very site where that unfortunate history was made.
About the museum
The museum today is dedicated to telling numerous important civil rights stories from Rosa Parks to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to many other important American civil rights icons. But it is King that I’ve thought about most whenever I have visited the museum in Memphis. His words and actions have always resonated very deeply with me. I think I was in second grade when I heard the news about his shooting and it’s one of my earliest memories—seeing my parents deeply affected and very upset.
Such a random place for a museum. A roadside motel. But it allows you to fully immerse yourself not just in that tragic moment but in many moments related to King’s life. So many artifacts and so much rich storytelling. It’s one of my favorite museums in the world.
Directly across from the motel, just a short walk that’s included as part of the museum tour, is the boarding house where the shooter positioned himself. It’s one of the most haunting places to visit in this country. To stand right at the window and look across the way and realize that you are standing right where the killer was. Again, there is just something about museums and historic sites that allow you to step into the space where history was made.
Visit the museum
If you’re ever on the road near Memphis, I strongly recommend a visit to the National Civil Rights Museum. It’s more than simply where Martin Luther King Jr. was taken from this world. It’s a thoughtful, world-class collection of displays, exhibits, and artifacts that help tell some of this country’s most important stories.
Chris Epting is an author, award-winning journalist/photographer and dedicated road-tripper. His best-selling books including James Dean Died Here (the locations of America’s pop culture landmarks), Roadside Baseball, and The Birthplace Book, along with many others that remain popular with many travelers and RVers throughout the country and world. He is excited to be contributing to RVTravel.com and looks forward to helping to lead you places you may not have discovered otherwise. You may learn more about Chris at his author’s site, www.chrisepting.com.
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Chris,
Thanks for this. I was unaware of the Museum! I think it’s also important to remember the National Civil Rights act:
This act, signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on July 2, 1964, prohibited discrimination in public places, provided for the integration of schools and other public facilities, and made employment discrimination illegal. It was the most sweeping civil rights legislation since Reconstruction.
I have been to the museum (Lorraine Motel) in Memphis Tennessee. It does a really good job of describing the tragic end to Doctor King and the events leading up to it. If on the east coast I suggest visiting Birmingham, Selma, Montgomery, the Tuskegee airmen training airfield and the Tuskegee Institute. I believe the Montgomery area tells the best story of the civil right fight. A good read is the Autobiography of Martin Luther King,JR. It’s titled as an autobiography however it was written after his death using his papers supplied by his wife Coretta Scott King to the actual author Claiborne Carson.
Thank you for sharing this information. I have never heard of this museum and should we be traveling through or near TN we’ll make sure to schedule this stop