Educational Resource
The Campsite 4 Experience at the City of St. Jude (2015)
The Campsite 4 Experience at the City of St. Jude
The City of St. Jude continues to celebrate its ongoing mission of being a champion for human rights as well as the key role it played in the historic Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March. After more than 75 years in operation, this living site is still carrying out its mission of helping those in need through its various programs and ministries.
When the National Parks Service, in 2008, chose another venue over The City of St. Jude for its Montgomery Interpretive Center, it created an opportunity for St. Jude’s story to be told through The CAMPSITE 4 Experience project. The mission of the CAMPSITE 4 Experience is to provide insight into The City of St. Jude’s history as well as the role it played during the march. The goal is to provide an opportunity for reflection that will inspire visitors to become catalysts for social change.
History: Father Harold Purcell, founder of The City of St. Jude, came to Montgomery, Alabama in 1934. His dream was to create a “center for the religious, charitable, educational and industrial advancement of the Negro people.” He built a church and school structure in 1938, as well as a social center in 1939 (which will house the new CAMPSITE 4 Experience museum). The money to build The City of St. Jude was raised entirely through small donations from people throughout the country. This support was crucial to building a new school in 1947 and hospital in 1951.