Rev. Dr. C. T. Vivian Homesite

Civil Rights activist Rev. Dr. C.T. Vivian (1924-2020) was raised in a home on this property from 1930 to 1945. He graduated from Macomb High School and Western Illinois State Teachers College (now WIU). His civil rights activism, helping Black Americans, began in Peoria after World War II. He is most noted for his work with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, when he strove for Black people to have full rights in several southern cities. Dr. King stated that Vivian was the greatest preacher he had ever seen. He founded several civil rights organizations and the college prep program “Upward Bound.” He also crusaded for fundamental human values across America. Vivian was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013.