Inside the Fascinating History of $3,500 Georgia Home Where Martin Luther King Jr. Was Born—and What’s Become of It

It has been almost 57 years since the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot dead outside of a Memphis, TN, hotel—yet, his legacy continues to make its mark on people across the United States.

A federal holiday honors the civil rights leader on the third Monday in January, in remembrance of his birthday on Jan. 15, 1929.

King was born to Alberta Williams and Martin Luther King Sr. in Atlanta, in a modest two-story Queen Anne Victorian home that had been purchased by his maternal grandfather for just $3,500 20 years earlier.

Today, that property is owned by the National Park Service. Part of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, the carefully preserved home is a destination for tourists and history buffs from around the world.

For the surviving members of the King family, the home represents a complex history that is both tragic and joyful, having been the site of many pivotal events.

It was in the home that King’s parents began their married life on a somewhat unusual foot, with his father opting to move in with his new wife and her parents, the Rev. Adam Daniel Williams and Jennie Celeste, in November 1926.

King’s parents lived on the second floor of the home for 15 years, during which time they welcomed three children: daughter Christine and sons Michael Jr. and Alfred Daniel, who is known as “A.D.” (Michael would later change his name to Martin.)

According to the book “Let the Trumpet Sound: The Life of Martin Luther King Jr.,” King’s childhood in the home was somewhat turbulent.

According to biographer Stephen B. Oates, while grandmother Celeste would regularly entertain the children with uplifting stories from the Bible, King would suffer beatings at the hands of his father.

Multiple reports say that the elder King was overheard telling his sons: “I’ll make something of you, even if I have to beat you to death.”

The younger King endured the beatings in silence, with his father once remarking: “He was the most peculiar child. Whenever you whipped him, he’d stand there and the tears would run down [but] he’d never cry.”

The elder King followed in his father-in-law’s footsteps by pursuing a career as a minister in the Ebenezer Baptist Church. In 1931, when his father-in-law died of a heart attack, he stepped up to take over his role. He helped to draw worshippers from the local area, reportedly increasing attendance at the church from six hundred to thousands.

All the while, the surviving King family remained at the home at 501 Auburn Avenue, alongside grieving grandmother Celeste. When she died in 1941, they decided the time had come to move on, relocating to a new house just a couple of blocks away.

They opted to keep the Auburn Avenue property in the family, renting it out for many years to come.

The family still owned the home when the younger King was assassinated at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis on April 4, 1968. Plans were soon put in place to turn the property into a museum and memorial to the prominent civil rights activist.

During his short life, King fought tirelessly to end the segregation of African Americans. In 1964 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his incredible work to end discrimination and racism.

A year earlier, in 1963, he delivered his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech during the March on Washington. It remains one of the most famous moments in the history of the civil rights movement.

He was also imprisoned multiple times, one of which inspired his famed “Letter From a Birmingham Jail” justifying civil disobedience to defy “unjust” laws.

He helped usher in major legislative victories, including the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the 1965 Voting Rights Act, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968.

The prominent activist died at the age of 39. He left behind his wife, Coretta Scott, and their four children: Yolanda, Dexter, Martin III, and Bernice.

Today, tours of King’s childhood home include a view of the family’s piano where the children practiced music lessons as well as the Monopoly board where the family played games.

There’s also the parlor and formal dining room, with stunning photos of the King family gracing the walls and the TV where the family gathered to watch movies.

The kitchen features original appliances, pots, and pans from the time the family lived there. Although the kids were tasked with washing dishes, the younger King apparently detested the chore and “hid in the bathroom” to get out of it when it was his turn.

He also was said to have had an “untidy” room, which he straightened up only if guests were coming over.

“When people walk through this house, they actually are walking back into time, walking back into the 1930s. Everything is preserved,” Marty Smith with the National Park Service told Atlanta News First.

According to Ash Phillips, also with the National Park Service, “The time has come to update some major systems of the home.”

These include “electrical, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, as well as the fire suppression system.” Architectural elements that make the place special will also undergo preservation maintenance, including “doors, windows, siding, trim, and exterior paint.”

The home is undergoing expansive repairs and is expected to remain closed to the public until November 2025.