Establishing the Park

President Carter signing the park legislation with Mrs. Coretta Scott King looking on.
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Designed by Donald Bermudez

President Jimmy Carter established 48 National Parks during the four years that he was the President of the United States, from 1977 to 1981. As a part of Mrs. Coretta Scott King's vision for where Dr. King was born; the community he grew up in; the church that spiritually nurtured him and eventually called to Co-Pastor with his father, Mrs. Coretta Scott King requrested federal protection for this area.

With Mrs. Coretta Scott King and her supporters at his side, President Carter signed Public Law 96-428, on October 10, 1980 establishing the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site, under the management of the Department of Interior, National Park Service. In 2017, U. S. Congressman John Lewis sponsored bill H.R. 267 to re-designate the National Historic Site as a National Historical Park. In January 2018, the National Historic Site was officially renamed Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park.

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