Secretary Desk Used by Martin Luther King, Jr. in the Jackson Home, Selma, Alabama

THF373102 / Secretary Desk Used by Martin Luther King, Jr. in the Jackson Home, Selma, Alabama / view
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Artifact Overview

This desk sat in the Selma, Alabama, home of Dr. Sullivan and Richie Jean Sherrod Jackson, friends of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. During the struggle to win voting rights in the 1960s, King often stayed with the Jacksons. At this desk, King outlined speeches that he would give -- first, composing his thoughts on paper, then committing them to memory.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Pedestal desk

Date Made

1920-1929

Location

at Greenfield Village in Jackson Home

Object ID

2023.50.661

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Metal
Mahogany (Wood)

Color

Multicolored

Dimensions

Height: 32 in
Width: 20.25 in
Length: 36 in

Inscriptions

inside right drawer sticker: Wilhelm Furniture Company / Guarenteed / Quality / Sturgis, Michigan / Trad...marx underneath right drawer: 3029 / 486 underneath left drawer: 3029 / 491 underneath table: 3029 / 337 3
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    Jackson Home: The House by the Side of the Road

    • 18 Artifacts
    The Jackson Home, originally located in Selma, Alabama, provided refuge and solace for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and others who worked, collaborated, strategized, and planned the Selma-to-Montgomery marches of 1965. The marches led to the signing of the Voting Rights Act on August 6, 1965, enshrining voting equality for all Americans as law.