National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel

Memphis, Tennesee

Site of Dr. Martin Luther King's assassination.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated by James Earl Ray at the Lorraine Motel on April 4, 1968.  Just one day after delivering his “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech, Dr. King booked room 306, a room he and Ralph Abernathy stayed in so often that it was known as the “King-Abernathy suite.” 

Built in 1925, the Lorraine Hotel was a typical Southern hotel accessible only to whites in its early history.  However, by the end of World War II, the Lorraine had become a Black establishment which had among its guests Cab Colloway, Count Basie, Nat King Cole, and Aretha Franklin.  Today, rooms 306 and 307 are left unoccupied and the wreath you see is where King stood on the balcony.  The museum boasts 260 artifacts, films, and other interactive media.