Want an insider’s look at Montgomery history? Join Richard Bailey on his upcoming tours
Since returning to Montgomery, Dr. Bailey has been a consultant for the Center for Public Television at The University of Alabama, where he was a consultant for their productions on the Lincoln School of Marion and Reconstruction black officeholders. For the Division of Telecommunication and Educational Television at Auburn University, Bailey was an advisor for the Gees Bend story and the Horace King documentary. He was a consultant for the award-winning radio documentary, “Remembering Slavery,” produced by the Institute for Language and Culture at the University of Montevallo.
Richard Bailey gave his first citywide Black history tour in February 1985. In the 35 years since, the Montgomery native and Alabama historian says he’s never given the same tour twice.
Bailey is partnering with Tours of Montgomery and the Landmarks Foundation to offer people a chance to learn about the rich history embedded throughout Montgomery
Spread out through February, the first tour on Friday will focus on Monroe Street, followed by another on Saturday, Dec. 12, focused on Commerce Street.
Raised in Centennial Hill, Bailey will give a tour of his neighborhood Dec. 13.
Lasting about three hours, the tour “will touch on every civil rights personality who lived” in the area, he said.
The historic sites include the Ben Moore Hotel, the church of civil rights leader Ralph Abernathy, Alabama State University campus and the former Booker T. Washington School, which was the oldest continuous school building in Montgomery.