One of the many pieces of artworks that can be found in the Safe House. This tablecloth represents the 42,000 feet of marchers who demonstrated for civil rights.
[Photo | Camryn Haag]
[Photo | Camryn Haag]
When you enter the Safe House Black History Museum for the first time, history seems very near, to still be breathing, due to the intimacy of the space, the historical artifacts, and the personal remembrances and testimonies of the tour guides. The shotgun-style house was turned into a museum in 2002 and ever since it has been educating visitors from across the United States and abroad.
On March 21, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King sought refuge within the home, as he was a close friend of the Turner family, the parents of the museum's founder Teresa Burroughs. Until her passing in 2019, the museum was her brainchild and passion project. Her mission was to educate the public about the Civil Rights movement and the legacy of Dr. King, whom she referred to as "Doc."
On the night that Dr. King sought refuge in Greensboro, he had spoken at the city's St. Matthew A.M.E. church where Rev. Ralph Abernathy also spoke that night. That evening it became apparent that the Ku Klux Klan was on the hunt for Dr. King and that a road out of town might be blocked. Fearing for his safety, Dr. King was taken to the Turner home until the danger passed. As Burroughs said of that evening: “The night was black and we were black.”
On the night that Dr. King sought refuge in Greensboro, he had spoken at the city's St. Matthew A.M.E. church where Rev. Ralph Abernathy also spoke that night. That evening it became apparent that the Ku Klux Klan was on the hunt for Dr. King and that a road out of town might be blocked. Fearing for his safety, Dr. King was taken to the Turner home until the danger passed. As Burroughs said of that evening: “The night was black and we were black.”
Theresa Davis, left, and Pat McCaa are two of the tour guides at the Safe House. [Photo | Camryn Haag]
Teresa Burroughs was the youngest out the eleven Turner children and was an admired hairdresser in the Greensboro community and worked at the Burroughs Beauty Bar in town. She was also an ardent activist and marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, where she was trampled. In the museum her words are on display: “I tell you, we were not professional marchers…Wherever there was something happening, we were there. We went, because we just wanted to be free.” Because of her dedication to civil rights and her own role in that history, Burroughs was inspired to begin the museum, and wanted its mission to be “to preserve the unique culture and history of the rural, black belt south.”
The repurposed and wonderfully restored shotgun house is airy, compact, and welcoming. It has a modern glass addition which connects the past to the present and illustrates the ongoing struggle for civil rights. There is a gallery which is filled with a wide array of contemporary art by talented creators which illuminates the Civil Rights movement and honors leaders of that movement, including Rosa Parks and Billie Holiday. There are also unpublished photos of the civil rights movement in Alabama and the Black Belt, including photos of Bloody Sunday in Selma and the Greensboro marches.
Ever since its founding, the Safe House Museum has been illuminating the great and trailblazing work of its founder, Teresa Burroughs, Dr. King, and the many other courageous Civil Rights leaders whose legacy has impacted America to today. The museum will continue to inspire its visitors for many years to come, and try your best to see it for yourself.
The Safe House Museum is located at 518 Martin Luther King Drive in Greensboro; Teresa Burroughs was the driving force behind the street being renamed for Dr. King. Tours are available by appointment only and must be booked two weeks in advance. Tour guides Theresa Davis and Pat McCaa will answer all your questions as they accompany you through the past and educate young and old. The Safe House Museum has a part to play in bringing about a future of freedom and equality, as Burroughs envisioned: “Just act like you don’t know what color I am. Just equal, you know…that’s all I ask for. And then hey, I’m done.”
The repurposed and wonderfully restored shotgun house is airy, compact, and welcoming. It has a modern glass addition which connects the past to the present and illustrates the ongoing struggle for civil rights. There is a gallery which is filled with a wide array of contemporary art by talented creators which illuminates the Civil Rights movement and honors leaders of that movement, including Rosa Parks and Billie Holiday. There are also unpublished photos of the civil rights movement in Alabama and the Black Belt, including photos of Bloody Sunday in Selma and the Greensboro marches.
Ever since its founding, the Safe House Museum has been illuminating the great and trailblazing work of its founder, Teresa Burroughs, Dr. King, and the many other courageous Civil Rights leaders whose legacy has impacted America to today. The museum will continue to inspire its visitors for many years to come, and try your best to see it for yourself.
The Safe House Museum is located at 518 Martin Luther King Drive in Greensboro; Teresa Burroughs was the driving force behind the street being renamed for Dr. King. Tours are available by appointment only and must be booked two weeks in advance. Tour guides Theresa Davis and Pat McCaa will answer all your questions as they accompany you through the past and educate young and old. The Safe House Museum has a part to play in bringing about a future of freedom and equality, as Burroughs envisioned: “Just act like you don’t know what color I am. Just equal, you know…that’s all I ask for. And then hey, I’m done.”
About the Author
Katharine Armbrester graduated from UAB in 2019 with an MA in history and received an MFA in creative writing from the Mississippi University for Women in 2022. She loves the world of periodicals, Alabama history and writing. Katharine Armbrester graduated from UAB in 2019 with an MA in history and received an MFA in creative writing from the Mississippi University for Women in 2022. She loves the world of periodicals, Alabama history and writing.
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