History

Many North and South American families experienced grief and loss during the yellow fever epidemics of the 19th century, but the loss that Memphis had to bear was no contest.

Memphis’ Rhodes College was founded in 1848 as the Masonic University of Tennessee.

One of the most popular New Year’s traditions is making resolutions.

African-American river worker Tom Lee saved 32 people from drowning in the Mississippi River in 1925, and is memorialized today at Memphis’s Tom Lee Park.

Although recognized as a popular wedding venue, the Woodruff-Fontaine House is actually one of Memphis’ most haunted buildings.

Located in the historic Whitehaven Community, Elvis Presley Boulevard is home to many Black-owned businesses — the most historic of which is Tri-State Bank.

In 1865, a cash-strapped steamboat captain learned that he could earn $2.75 per head transporting former Union POWs back up north. 

Imagine strolling through Overton Park to find a bear chained to a tree.

In 1933, Frank Schutt, the general manager of the Peabody Hotel, placed live ducks in the hotel’s fountain as a joke — not knowing that he would inadvertently begin a unique tradition that continues to this day.

In 1837, the 4th of July wasn’t a day of celebration for the 3,000 Chickasaw people gathered in Memphis that day.

Julia Britton Hooks was a musical prodigy who moved to Memphis in 1876, and soon became a well-known performer on Beale Street.

W.C.Handy didn’t discover the blues, but he was the first to put it in writing.

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.