St. Jude Hospital: Preserving a Place of Care and Courage

Before the Selma-to-Montgomery Voting Rights March reached the Alabama State Capitol, marchers spent their final night at the City of St. Jude. A new federal grant will help preserve the historic hospital building on the campus that welcomed them.

On March 24, 1965, after walking for days from Selma, marchers arrived at the City of St. Jude campus on the outskirts of Montgomery. The campus became their final campsite before the march's last leg to the Alabama State Capitol the next day.

That evening, the grounds filled with thousands of marchers and supporters. The campus hosted the "Stars for Freedom" rally, organized by Harry Belafonte, with performers including Nina Simone, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger and Odetta. The gathering offered a moment of music and solidarity before the marchers continued toward the Capitol, where the five-day march would conclude on March 25.

The march grew from a long struggle against barriers that kept Black Alabamians from voting. Its journey from Selma to Montgomery drew people from across the country and helped build momentum for the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. St. Jude's role as the final campsite placed the campus at a defining moment in that history.

A place of care during segregation

The City of St. Jude was established in the 1930s by Catholic priest Father Harold Purcell to provide health, education and social services to Black residents. St. Jude Hospital opened in 1951 as the Southeast's first integrated hospital, offering care at a time when segregation denied many Black residents equal access to medical services.

The hospital's history is part of the broader story of the campus: a community institution built around care and service, and a place that later offered shelter and support to marchers in the fight for voting rights.

Preserving the hospital building

The City of Montgomery has received a $750,000 grant from the National Park Service through the Historic Preservation Fund's African American Civil Rights program. The award will support preservation and rehabilitation work on the historic St. Jude Hospital building, including architectural services, historic structure reports, preservation planning and physical preservation.

The work is intended to protect the building and prepare it for a larger rehabilitation effort. Long-term plans envision adapting the hospital for affordable housing, while preserving its historic character and connection to the City of St. Jude campus.

The St. Jude Hospital Campus Rehabilitation program is being supported in part by an African American Civil Rights grant from the Historic Preservation Fund administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

Preserving the hospital will help keep the history of this campus visible and accessible to future generations. St. Jude was a place of care for Black residents during segregation and a place of refuge for marchers before they continued to the Capitol. Its story reflects both the everyday work of serving a community and the courage of those who marched for the right to vote.