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Balcony where King was shot open to public

MEMPHIS, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- The balcony where civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was shot was opened to the public at Memphis' National Civil Rights Museum for the first time.

The balcony from Lorraine Motel in Memphis had been off-limits to patrons, but will be a part of the museum tour while the institution's main building is closed for renovations, The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal reported Monday.

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The balcony will remain open until renovations to make the exhibits more interactive are finished in early 2014 and then will be closed to the public once more, museum officials said.

"This is Memphis history. It's world history. It's sad, but I'm glad I'm here so that my kids can see it," said Enid McLeod of Fairbanks, Alaska.

Her family was the first to visit the balcony where King stood when he was killed by a sniper's shot April 4, 1968.

The balcony visit is included in general admission price to the museum annex that focuses on civil rights history since 1968, including the investigation into King's assassination and the prosecution of his assailant, James Earl Ray.

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