The National Civil Rights Museum is a complex of museums and historic buildings in Memphis, Tennessee; its exhibits trace the history of the civil rights movement in the United States from the 17th century to the present. The museum is built around the former Lorraine Motel, which was the site of the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Two other buildings and their adjacent property, also connected with the King assassination, have been acquired as part of the museum complex.
A groundbreaking ceremony for the museum was held on January 27, 1989. The museum was dedicated on July 4, 1991, and officially opened to the public on September 28, 1991.
In 1999, the Museum acquired the Young and Morrow Building, and its associated vacant lot on the West side of Mulberry, as part of the museum complex. A tunnel was built under the lot to connect the building with the motel. The National Civil Rights Museum became the custodian of the police and evidence files associated with the assassination, including the rifle and fatal bullet. The latter are on display in a 12,800-square-foot exhibit in the former Y & M building, which opened September 28, 2002.
After renovations, the museum reopened in 2014 with an increase in the amount of multimedia and interactive displays, as well as various short films to show highlights. The museum is owned and operated by the Lorraine Civil Rights Museum Foundation, based in Memphis. In 2016, the museum was honored by becoming a Smithsonian Affiliate museum. It is also a contributing property to the Nation Register of Historic Places.
On April 4, 1968, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated here at the Lorraine Motel, just a day after delivering his prophetic "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech. Built in 1925, the Lorraine Hotel was a typical Southern hotel accessible only to whites in its early history; it was renamed the Lorraine Motel after the second floor was added. However, by the end of World War II, the Lorraine had become one of the few black establishments, and one of the only hotels providing accomodations to African Americans. Early guests to the Lorraine included Cab Colloway, Count Basie, and other prominent jazz musicians, in addition to later celebrities such as Roy Campanella, Nat King Cole, and Aretha Franklin. Also, Negro League baseball greats like Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson and Jackie Robinson stayed at the Lorraine when they were in Memphis. Partly because of its historical importance to the black community of Memphis, Martin Luther King chose to stay at the Lorraine during the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers strike.
Following a bloody confrontation between marching strikers and police, a court injunction had been issued banning further protests. King hoped their planned march would overturn the court injunction, but such plans were cut short on April 4, 1968 when an assassin shot and killed King on the balcony of King's room.
To log this virtual, please send answers to the following questions:
1) On the Historical Plaque next to the Museum entrance, What was the original name of The Lorraine Motel(c. 1925)?
2) What is the room number of the motel room under the wreath?
3) (Due to construction, this answer may be temporarily unavailable)Across from the museum entrance is a large black metal gate. On this gate is a quote from a Martin Luther King Jr speech. What is the name of the speech and date that this quote came from? (Hint: its on the gate in white)
4) Post a picture of yourself(no faces required) at the large famous Lorraine Motel sign.
Please obey all laws of the city of Memphis. This is available 24/7 and entry into the Museum is not needed to gather all needed information. For most of the year, expect to find a lot of Muggles in the area. Remember to be careful, be safe, and have fun! Happy Hunting!
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between January 17, 2024 and January 17, 2025. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 4.0 on the Geocaching Blog.