Across from the square in the heart of Marion, historical markers near the entrance to Zion United Methodist Church describe events from the night of February 18, 1965, when voting rights marchers were attacked by sheriff's deputies and Alabama State Troopers. In the ensuing melee, one of the marchers, an army veteran named Jimmie Lee Jackson, was shot and killed. Jackson's death prompted the call for the Selma to Montgomery voting rights march the following month. Four miles east of Marion on Highway 14, Jackson is buried in a small, oak-shaded cemetery. His grave site is visible on the south side of the highway.