old south - View this location on map  'dexter avenue is only six blocks long, but it's the spine of a route from the site of jefferson davis's inauguration to the bus stop where rosa parks boarded for her fateful journey. start an old south morning atop goat hill, at the alabama state capitol (334-242-3935), which is ringed by statuary and monuments that honor, among others, dr. j. marion sims, who is called the father of modern gynecology. from the portico, where davis took his oath as president of the confederacy in 1861, george wallace proclaimed in 1963, 'segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever.' on the northern lawn rises a white marble memorial to the confederacy. detour one street south of dexter avenue and you stand in front of the first white house of the confederacy (644 washington avenue, 334-242-1861), the modest - and now musty - italianate two-story building that davis and his family called home in the aftermath of secession. year-round, the gift shop sells christmas wreaths of cotton bolls. admission is free.'' New York Times 600 dexter avenue, Montgomery, AL Historical |