Old State Capitol
The Baton Rouge Bus Boycott launched on June 13, 1953. It was a historic move by black residents who were seeking fair treatment from the local bus company. They comprised 80% of the city bus ridership but were forced to stand in the back of the bus even when there were available seats in the white-only section. The Old State Capitol was a major site in the boycott as riders gathered here under oak trees to find free transportation to work. About 125 private cars were used to transport people while the boycott was in force, with gasoline being provided at cost by a black-owned Esso station. The boycott ended June 23 and it nearly devastated the city's bus system. It also had greater impact on the broader Civil Rights Movement. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was inspired by the free car ride system pioneered in Baton Rouge and used it as a model for the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott.