It was a day of remembrance and hope for the future of Selma as a sign marking the National Historic Trail from Selma to Montgomery was unveiled here Wednesday.

The trail commemorates the route taken by marchers in March 1965 from Selma to Montgomery to demand voting rights in Alabama. The march resulted in the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

Mayor James Perkins Jr., Dr. F.D. Reese, Friends of Selma-Dallas County Historic Trail, Selma City Council members, and National Park Service officials held a press conference at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge to unveil the Selma to Montgomery Historic Route sign.

City workers temporarily posted the sign at the foot of the bridge as Friends of Selma-Dallas County Historic Trail looked on and talked about future plans for the national historic trail.

“We’re delighted to be engaged in the unveiling of the Selma to Montgomery Historic Route sign. We chose to do the unveiling at the Edmund Pettus Bridge because of its historical significance. The sign will not be permanently placed at the foot of the bridge because of federal highway guidelines. It will be placed near the Pinebelt Wireless building on the corner of Broad Street and Water Avenue, where the National Voting Rights Interpretive Center will be built in the future,” Perkins said.

He added that the interpretive center is some years away, but that the Alabama Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Commission and the Alabama Historic Commission are all working together in moving the project forward.

Additional historic route signs will be posted along the trail from Selma to U.S. Highway 80 East in Montgomery, according to Brenda Caldwell of the National Park Service.

“The placement of the signs will be based on federal highway standards. We plan to ride along the trail today and see just where we can place them,” Caldwell said.

Catherine Light, site manager for the historic trail, said the ADOT is committed to helping to make the project a success.

“There are 13 signs that will go up along the route from Selma to Montgomery. Signs are already up in Lowndes County at Tent City,” she said. “We want to ensure that what happened here in March 1965 will not be forgotten. We are glad to unveil this sign in Selma.”