Last updated: November 14, 2023
Place
Greyhound Bus Depot
NPS Photo
Quick Facts
Location:
1031 Gurnee Avenue
Significance:
Site of Attack on Freedom Riders
Designation:
National Register of Historic Places
Amenities
4 listed
Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Information, Restroom, Wheelchair Accessible
The Anniston Greyhound Bus Depot witnessed the early stages of an attack on a small group of nonviolent civil rights activists in Anniston in May of 1961. Calling themselves the Freedom Riders, this diverse group traveled through the South to protest segregation in interstate travel.
During a routine Sunday afternoon stop between Atlanta and Birmingham, a white mob ambushed the bus carrying Freedom Riders in the alleyway adjacent to this building. The mob slashed tires and followed the group out of town, firebombing the bus and attacking the activists when the tires gave out. Media coverage of the violence captured the attention of the nation, spurring hundreds to join the Freedom Rider movement during the summer of 1961.
Now open to the public on Wednesdays from 10am - 3pm, visitors can stop by the Anniston Greyhound Bus Depot to encounter the story of the Freedom Riders in a building that still bears evidence of segregation's realities. Visitors can also view traveling exhibits, pick up brochures, and stamp NPS passports. Limited street parking is available.
During a routine Sunday afternoon stop between Atlanta and Birmingham, a white mob ambushed the bus carrying Freedom Riders in the alleyway adjacent to this building. The mob slashed tires and followed the group out of town, firebombing the bus and attacking the activists when the tires gave out. Media coverage of the violence captured the attention of the nation, spurring hundreds to join the Freedom Rider movement during the summer of 1961.
Now open to the public on Wednesdays from 10am - 3pm, visitors can stop by the Anniston Greyhound Bus Depot to encounter the story of the Freedom Riders in a building that still bears evidence of segregation's realities. Visitors can also view traveling exhibits, pick up brochures, and stamp NPS passports. Limited street parking is available.