Former Second Presbyterian Church - Memphis, Tennessee, USA. - This Old Church on Waymarking.com

A Historical Marker stands in front of the church quoting details of the architects & the dates built, & converted.

The Marker Inscription reads:
"The building, designed by architects Long & Kees with E. C. Jones supervising, was dedicated to the worship of God on Jan. 1, 1893. It was the second home Second Presbyterian Church (Organised Dec. 28, 1844) until sold to the AME Church in 1949 & then renamed Clayborn Temple.
Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr. often spoke here. Many civil rights activities were held here in the 1960s."


Clayborn Temple, Memphis, Tennessee, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 for local architectural significance.

It was upgraded to national significance under Clayborn Temple in 2017 due to its role in the events of the Sanitation Workers' Strike of 1968. The historic structure was sold to the A.M.E. Church in 1949, which named the building after their bishop.

"Clayborn Temple’s decades-long ties to the Civil Rights Movement reached a pinnacle in 1968 when this stately building became headquarters for the Memphis sanitation workers’ strike. The strike began when two African-American sanitation workers were killed in an accident on a city truck. Support quickly came from local and national clergy, labor leaders, high school and college students, and civil rights activists from across the country. The African Methodist Episcopal congregation’s tradition of civil rights advocacy made the church a natural assembly point.

Starting in February 1968, nearly 1,000 sanitation workers marched twice daily from the church to City Hall carrying signs declaring “I AM A MAN.” In the evenings, hundreds of strikers, their families and supporters filled the sanctuary for inspirational speeches.

The announcement of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s support gave the strike national prominence. Arriving in Memphis to lead a march planned for April 5, Dr. King was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel on April 4, 1968. On April 16, the sanitation workers gathered at Clayborn Temple and accepted terms, which ended the strike."

Text Sources: (visit link) & (visit link) & (visit link)

Date the Church was built, dedicated or cornerstone laid: 01/01/1893 Age of Church building determined by?: Cornerstone or plaque If denomination of Church is not part of the name, please provide it here: Presbyterian Street address of Church: I am a Man Plaza, Memphis, Tennessee, USA. Primary website for Church or Historic Church Building: [Web Link] Secondary Website for Church or Historic Church Building: [Web Link] If Church is open to the public, please indicate hours: Not listed If Church holds a weekly worship service and "all are welcome", please give the day of the week: Not listed Indicate the time that the primary worship service is held. List only one: Not Listed

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