Site of the Till Case Today
Illinois and Mississippi, 2005-2007
(click on thumbnail images to view enlarged photos)

All photos were taken by Devery S. Anderson. Any reproduction is prohibited without permission.

     Argo, Illinois, where Emmett Till's mother and grandparents settled in 1924. Emmett was raised here until he was nine years old. February 2007

 

               Photographs of Corn Products, International, in Argo, Illinois. Most men in Argo worked here, including Emmett Till's father, stepfather, and grandfather. February 2007
 

     Argo Temple Church of God—founded in 1926 in the home of Alma Spearman, Emmett Till's grandmother; later moved to this location. The original church building was raised and this one built on the same location in 1970. Emmett attended the Argo Temple with his family until his death. February 2007

 

    This vacant lot on 64th Street in Argo, is where two homes once stood—the home that Emmett Till was raised in, as well as the home that Wheeler and Hallie Parker lived in. Wheeler Parker, Jr., is the cousin of Emmett Till; the two were very close. Both homes burned some time ago. February 2007

 

     Emmett Till attended Argo School, located across the street from Emmett Till's Argo home. The name has since been changed to Wharton School. February 2007

 
     Emmett Till and his mother moved to the upstairs apartment of this house at 6427 S. St. Lawrence Street in 1951, and lived here until his death. The house was owned by Alma Spearman, Emmett's grandmother. February 2007
 
     Emmett Till Road and S. St. Lawrence Street, where Emmett Till's family lived across from each other in Chicago's south side. February 2007
 

         Emmett Till attended this school in Chicago from 1951–55. At the time, it was called James McCosh Elementary School, but in 2005, it was changed to the Emmett Till Math and Science Academy. February 2007

 

     When Emmett Till went to Mississippi on August 20, 1955, he stayed at Moses Wright's home in East Money, Mississippi. This home sits where Moses Wright's home sat. The barns in the back were standing in 1955 and remain on the property today. October 2007

 
tillt1.jpg     tillt2.jpg     tillt3.jpg     Bryant Grocery and Meat Market, February 2005
 

          Bryant Store, deteriorating further, February 2007

 

          When J. W. Milam and Roy Bryant were arrested on kidnapping charges, they were held in separate cells at the Leflore County Courthouse in Greenwood, Mississippi. While there, the National Guard was called out to patrol the area when rumors were reported that blacks from Chicago were coming to town to take the victims. February 2007

 

     This is the spot on the Tallahatchie River, called Pecan Point, where Emmett Till's body was found on August 31, 1955. October 2007

 

          When Emmett Till's body was retrieved from the Tallahatchie River, it was taken to the Century Burial Association in Greenwood, Mississippi. Here, the body was photographed by the police department and examined by a pathologist. Although the funeral home has been rebuilt, it is still in business in Greenwood. February 2007

 

     Moses Wright's church, the East Money Church of God in Christ, East Money, Mississippi. He was pastor of this church when Emmett Till came to visit. February 2007
 
     Side view of Moses Wright's Church, East Money, Mississippi. February 2007
 
     Current sign at Moses Wright's church, East Money, Mississippi. February 2007
 
     Cemetery, East Money Church of God in Christ, where Emmett Till was nearly buried on August 31, 1955, the day his body was retrieved from the Tallahatchie River. February 2007
 

     Before Emmett Till’s body was shipped to Chicago, it was embalmed in this building, located in Tutwiler, Mississippi. At the time it was the Avent Funeral Home, managed by Chick Nelson. October 2007

 

     When Emmett Till's body was sent back to Chicago, it was taken to the A. A. Rayner and Son's Mortuary. The funeral home is still in business, but is located on 71st Street (named Emmett Till Road in 1991). The location that Emmett Till was taken to was on Cottage Grove. February 2007

 

     After preparations and a Friday night viewing at Rayner's and Sons, Emmett Till's body was moved to Roberts Temple Church of God on State Street in Chicago. The funeral was held here on Saturday, September 3, 1955, and remained on display until Tuesday, September 6. Thousands passed by the casket. This is the original building, although it was been remodeled. February 2007

 

               Thousands of people filed past Emmett Till's casket while on display in Chicago. This is the casket, as it appears today. Emmett Till was buried for nearly fifty years before being exhumed for an autopsy in June 2005. His remains were placed in a new casket and reburied; the original remains in storage. Till's remains were covered with glass, and the glass remains intact, although discolored and rusty. February 2007

 

          On September 6, 1955, Emmett Till was buried at Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois. February 2007

 

tillt4.jpg

 


     Tallahatchie Courthouse in Sumner, Mississippi, scene of the Milam-Bryant Murder trial, February 2005

 
       This is the courtroom where the Milam-Bryant murder trial took place. Although it has been remodeled, the railing in front of the spectator section is the original, and was present at the time of the trial. October 2007
 
tillt6.jpg    tillt5.jpg     This is the office of two of Milam and Bryant's defense attorneys, J. J. Breland and Johnny Whitten. Although both attorneys are now dead, their office looks exactly as it did 50 years ago.
 
     Harvey Henderson law office, Sumner, Mississippi. Henderson, still practicing law, was one of the defense attorneys of J.W. Milam and Roy Bryant
 

     Emmett Till Memorial Highway sign, Highway 49, Greenwood Mississippi. Erected June 2005

 
 
 
 
 


Emmett Till