5 Places That Shaped Black History — and Our Nation

In Montgomery, Alabama, The Conservation Fund helped secure the Ben Moore Hotel, where leaders including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rev. Ralph Abernathy once gathered and organized. Listed in The Green Book, the hotel served as a vital safe haven and community hub during segregation. After years of decline threatened the site, The Conservation Fund’s intervention ensures this vital landmark of Black resilience, leadership, and creativity will have a lasting legacy. Explore the Ben Moore Hotel story > 

In Anniston, Alabama, The Conservation Fund helped preserve two sites central to the 1961 Freedom Rides, where a mob attacked and firebombed an integrated Greyhound bus. Partnering with local and national groups in 2017, The Conservation Fund laid the groundwork for a future interpretive center to ensure the bravery of the Freedom Riders is never forgotten. Explore the remarkable story of the Freedom Riders > 

The Conservation Fund stepped in to save the final home of legendary author and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston in Fort Pierce, Florida. At risk of being lost to development, the house — where Hurston lived from 1957 until her death in 1960 — was purchased to ensure its protection. In partnership with the Zora Neale Hurston Florida Education Foundation, it will be restored and opened to the public as part of the Dust Tracks Heritage Trail, celebrating her life and legacy where she once lived and wrote. Explore the Zora Neale Hurston story > 

Perched on the banks of the Alabama River in Selma, the Edistone Hotel was built in 1855 on land once used for slave auctions and later housed the Freedmen’s Bureau, serving newly emancipated African Americans after the Civil War. In the 1870s, it became one of the first places in the South to offer equal accommodations regardless of race. After years of neglect left the building near collapse, The Conservation Fund stepped in to protect the site and ensure its powerful history endures. Explore the Edistone Hotel’s rich story > 

To honor Harriet Tubman’s legacy, The Conservation Fund donated 480 acres — including the home of Jacob Jackson, who aided Tubman — to the National Park Service, forming the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument. It also protected a nearby 17-acre site, now a state park, preserving the landscapes where Tubman’s story began. Explore our work on Harriet Tubman National Monument > 

These efforts are just a glimpse of The Conservation Fund’s work to preserve the places where African American history was made. By protecting these sites, we ensure that the stories of struggle, triumph, and cultural legacy are not only remembered — but experienced, honored, and passed on.