Sixteenth Street Baptist Church National Historic Landmark
The Sixteenth Street Baptist Church is Birmingham' s most famous Civil Rights landmark. On a September Sunday morning in 1963, four African-American schoolgirls were in the basement of the church just prior to the worship service. A bomb set by Ku Klux Klansmen ripped through that side of the church, killing 11-year-old Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley and Addie Mae Collins, all 14 years old. The bombing was a turning point in the status of race relations locally and nationally. Now a National Historic Landmark and UNESCO World Heritage Site, the church is a reminder of man's inhumanity and his capacity for love and forgiveness. The sanctuary of the church contains a massive stained glass window of Christ, given in memoriam from the people of Wales following the bombing. Tours: Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday (by appt. only) 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday: Visitors are welcome to join the 11:00 a.m. worship service but there are no tours. Donations welcome. The 16th Street Baptist Church parsonage has been restored and repurposed as a museum honoring the history of the Black community in Birmingham during the early 20th century. The parsonage museum highlights builders of the Black community such as Wallace A. Rayfield, William R. Pettiford and Thomas C. Windham, whose work can still be seen throughout the city. Tours are available Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and can be booked on the church website.