---

Georgia’s Rome Office of Tourism
Phone: 706-295-5576
Email: media@romegeorgia.org
Download Image 

---

Rome Area History Center to Unveil Newly Found Civil Rights Artifact

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, MARCH 3, 2025, ROME, GA — The Rome Area History Center will unveil a newly discovered civil rights artifact on March 28, 2026. The piece was uncovered last year by plumbers working inside the former Kress Department Store on Broad Street, where they found a marble sign hidden behind a wall. The sign, etched with the words “white” and “colored” to mark segregated drinking fountains, is believed to date back to 1927.

Signs like this were once common in Kress stores across the southern United States. Only three are known to survive today — including the Rome sign and two others located in Alabama and Arizona. The permanence of the marble engraving underscores the era’s deeply entrenched commitment to racial segregation.

The public is invited to a presentation in the Broadview event venue located above the History Center on March 28 at 7:00 PM, followed by a viewing of the newly installed exhibit. Doors open at 6:45 PM.

The unveiling coincides with the anniversary of the 1963 Sit‑In Demonstrations led by students from Main High School, a pivotal moment that forced Rome to confront systemic racial inequities and helped usher in the local Civil Rights movement.

The Rome Area History Center is located at 305 Broad Street, Rome, GA 30161. An accessible entrance to the event space is available on Tribune Street. Admission is free, and visitors are encouraged to explore the full museum collection to learn more about Rome’s diverse and storied past. For more information about the center and upcoming events call, 706-235-8051.

 

---

Georgia's Rome Office of Tourism is the official destination and sports marketing organization of Rome and Floyd County, Ga. Georgia’s Rome mission is to strengthen the economic prosperity of the community through tourism development by attracting leisure travelers, conventions, meetings, film, sports and events. For more information, visit RomeGeorgia.org.

Rome Area History Center works to preserve and share the history of Rome and its surrounding areas through exhibits and an extensive archival collection. The center is a non-profit organization supported by donors, sponsors and fundraising efforts. The public is invited to visit the center's exhibits open daily Tuesday to Saturday; admission is always free. The center offers ticketed events and area tours throughout the year to support the center's mission. Learn how to experience area history at RomeAreaHistoryCenter.org