Memphis History

In February 1952, Sam Phillips launched a record label in Memphis — one whose moniker pays homage to his oodles of optimism (which ultimately panned out).

Megan Ammons, a senior at Harding Academy of Memphis, is on her way to the Nation’s capital after winning the Tennessee 2023 Poetry Out Loud contest.

What better time than Women’s History Month to hit the Memphis Women’s Legacy Trail — a project aimed at documenting, remembering and celebrating the lasting impact of myriad women and their life’s work on the city.

When the Sterick Buiding opened in 1930, at 365 feet it was the tallest building in the South – earning its nickname, the “Queen of Memphis.

Ida B.Wells (1862-1931) was born into slavery during the Civil War.

Each year, the Peabody Hotel’s holiday spirit – rivaled only by the five resident Mallard ducks who emerge twice daily to the delight of gawking guests – is on display in the Reconstruction Era bar and lobby, festooned with all manner of trappings and trimmings come December.

Deep in the heart of downtown Memphis, November 6th Street stands as a monument to our American democracy.

A chorus of Memphis-based voices is in conversation at the Benjamin L.Hooks Central Library.

Miss Jennie M. Higbee arrived in Bluff City in the late 1800s to teach – first at St. Mary’s School followed by a decade at Female High School – before being named head, in 1875, of the newly established Presbyterian Grammar and High School.

Lide Smith Meriwether led the first generation of southern feminists in Memphis.

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.

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

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…

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.