Montgomery, AL

Thursday , April 12, 2012 Day 305
Today we explored the city of Montgomery, the capital of Alabama. We took tons of pictures, but will only post 10 here.
We started at the visitor center, where free parking was available for Howie. Then we walked to the Rosa Parks museum for a great presentation of her history and others who led the bus boycott in 1955.

The old capitol building is located at the other end of the historical district. It is no longer used by the legislature, but is open for tourists.It was built in 1851, remodeled and added to many times. The guide says, "Twice international attention has focused on Alabama's State Capitol. In 1861, the Confederate States of America was born in the Senate Chamber, where delegates from Southern states voted to establish a new nation. A little over a century later, the 1965 Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March led by the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., ended on the street in front of the Capitol."

Inside the Capitol, we found this statue of Helen Keller, who was born in Alabama in 1880.

There were 8 huge murals inside the dome, painted in 1920's. This mural is titled "Wealth and Leisure Produce the Golden Period of Antebellum Life in Alabama, 1840-1860."

The beautiful ceiling in the dome.

The chandelier in the Senate chamber.

The First white House of the confederacy (1835), home to Jefferson David and his family for a few months before the capital was moved to Richmond, VA.

This was the guest room.

Just a shot of some of the architecture in the city. We love the old buildings with their elaborate details.

This fountain is in the center of the city.

We were struck by the fact that the streets in this city are wide, and somewhat empty. There was lots of street parking, and lots of empty storefronts. We asked about this at the visitor center, wondering if some other part of town had all the stores and businesses. We were told no, this is the center of the city. They are trying to renovate the city, and bring in more business, but it seemed pretty dead to us.
Total miles driven today=35