History

For over 65 years, the Enchanted Forest has served Memphis as a much-awaited holiday harbinger.

The original Orpheum Theatre opened in 1890 as the Grand Opera House, burned down in 1923, and reopened in 1928 as the Orpheum we know today – complete with the ghosts of the original building.

Coletta’s on South Parkway opened in 1923 as “Suburban Ice Cream Company,” where Emil Coletta served up pasta, sandwiches and his own homemade ice cream.

Downtown Memphis is a living history lesson, complete with a beloved riverfront and the last functioning cobblestone port in the country.

We know Memphis is home to the blues, Beale Street and Graceland. Few realize, however, that it’s also the birthplace of the modern-day supermarket.

Originally coined “Satellite” in 1957, Stax Records is largely to thank for the gift of Memphis soul, or the Memphis sound.

Memphis barbecue has always been delicious, differentiated by its pit-based slow cooking process. But what brought it to the world stage (and table)?

Since Memphis is named after an ancient Egyptian city, why not throw in a few pyramids?

The first blues song I heard growing up on Atlanta college radio was “Cross Road Blues,” 1936, by genre progenitor Robert…

Before 1895, Dockery Plantation was, like much of the Delta at the time, a swampy tangle of gum and cypress…

The U.S. Civil Rights Trail stops in 15 states, few as chilling as Mississippi.  Just driving along the miles of Delta…

As The King became a megastar in the 1950s, he found himself too big for his $40K ranch at 1034 Audubon Drive.

Compared to Nashville and Knoxville, why does Memphis sound oddly … Egyptian? Well, because it is.

In 1947, WDIA launched in Memphis offering listeners a mix of country western and light pop. The station remained unpopular until Nat D. Williams started “Tan Town Jubilee” in 1948, the first radio program to appeal to African-American listeners.

About 140 years ago, Memphis nearly ceased to exist. Fleeing a yellow fever epidemic, most of its 50,000 citizens abandoned the city. Depleted of population and tax revenue, Memphis gave up its charter.

This week, America celebrated the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The late civil rights leader would have been 90 years old.

Mason Temple, a flagship sanctuary for the Church of God in Christ (COGIC), was once the largest African-American church in the country. The temple, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, has also played a pivotal role in the civil rights movement.

Elmwood Cemetery is a final resting place for Civil War heroes and victims of the 1878 Yellow Fever epidemic.

The past few weeks have been quite historic for Memphis-area law enforcement. On Sept. 1, the first African-American sheriff in Shelby County started work.

Labor Day gives us a day off to relax and spend with friends or family. But most people probably aren’t aware of the holiday’s violent origins.

While diving into Memphis’ rich 200-year history, let’s not forget how the city first got its name – and what that name means.

Memphis has a thriving faith community, and Al Green has become one of its most popular icons. His Full Gospel Tabernacle Church draws large crowds, regardless of their particular religious faith.

A tragedy once brought Mississippi River boat pilot Mark Twain (aka Samuel Langhorne Clemens) to Memphis. In June of 1858, Twain learned that his younger brother Henry Clemens had been injured in a steamboat explosion.

In the early 1900s, Graceland was part of a 500-acre farm. In 1939, the Moore family built a mansion on the property that was frequently used as a recital space for Memphis Symphony members.

Yesterday, Memphis celebrated the anniversary of its founding. In 1819, when future President Andrew Jackson and two entrepreneurs decided to incorporate the new town, they were thinking about the potential wealth a city on the bluffs could bring.

Martin Luther King Jr. fought for more than just racial justice. In fact, during his final days, a sanitation workers’ strike for better pay and safer working conditions brought the famed civil rights leader to Memphis.

Memphis is home to LeMoyne-Owen College, one of Tennessee’s five historically black colleges and universities. The college’s history dates back to the Civil War.

When folks think of historic African-American communities, Harlem usually comes to mind. But Memphis is home to one of the nation’s oldest African American communities, Orange Mound.

While it’s true that many of the Bluff City’s most well-known athletes are Memphis Grizzlies superstars, our heavy hitters also include a number of high school athletes.

February is Black History Month and a good time to head into Boston to learn something new and see some of the great historical landmarks our city offers. The Black Heritage Trail is a great place to start.