Martin Luther King, Jr. Sycamore and a Peace Garden

The Historic Tree Grove at MOSI is currently undergoing a series of improvements to help guests understand and experience the history of our trees. The expected completion date for this project, which includes informative signs, benches, interpretive art, and ethnobotanical gardens for each of the 16 trees, is March 2014. We will post periodic updates on our blog, and guests can continue to visit the Tree Grove at any time to see the changes.

Martin Luther King Jr. Sycamore

The Tree: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gathered with 3,200 supporters at Brown Chapel, AME, shaded by the parent of this sycamore tree. They peacefully marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, toward Montgomery. Their ranks swelled to over 25,000 in the final stretch to the Alabama Capitol, which they reached four days later.

The History: Dr.  Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was one of the pivotal leaders of the American civil rights movement. King was a Baptist minister, one of the few leadership roles available to black men at the time. He became a civil rights activist early in his career. He led the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955–1956) and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (1957), serving as its first president. His efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. Here he raised public consciousness of the civil rights movement and established himself as one of the greatest orators in U.S. history.

In 1964, King became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end segregation and racial discrimination through civil disobedience and other non-violent means. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee.

Florida Connection: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. visited Florida in 1964 where he led marches in St. Augustine. Marches led by King were met with violent opposition by segregationists and hundreds of the marchers were arrested and jailed. These actions came to be known at the St. Augustine Movement. The St. Augustine Foot Soldiers Monument was installed in May of 2011 to commemorate some of the peaceful protesters who were important during this portion of the battle for Civil Rights.

Peace Garden

Dr. King urged his protesters to remain peaceful even as they met with violent opposition. In his words, “Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.” The plants in our garden represent peace - Dr. King’s method and his goal. The following plants have been added so far:

• Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum spp.)
• Wild Olive (Osmanthus americanus)*

More plants, as well as a fresh layer of mulch, will be added soon - this garden is very much still a work-in-progress. We are happy to welcome additional peace lilies to this garden. These are often used as house and office plants, and if you have any languishing in a corner somewhere that could use a good home, MOSI Outside would be glad to accept them and add them to our Peace Garden!

In addition to plants representing peace, artwork in this garden helps interpret Dr. King's vision. More information on this artwork will be added in the near future. 

*Florida Native