Memphis Type History: The Podcast

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, Caitlin and Rebecca tell you why they have been missing in case you've been wondering. But don't fret, they'll be back! In the meantime, tune in to hear what's brewing for Memphis Type History and look ahead for a new batch of episodes to come. There is so much more history in this city to discover so of course they will continue. In the meantime, take a moment to catch up on listening or listen back to some of our personal favorites that we mention in this episode. For full show notes, visit memphistypehistory.com/hiatus

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, Rebecca has a conversation with Erica S. Qualy to learn all about the art of zines. What are they? What is the purpose? Can anyone make their own? We answer those questions and more for your enlightenment and for the annual Memphis Zine Fest that is open for all to attend!   If you're familiar with our book, you may recognize Erica's name from our chapter of the Lorraine Motel. She's actually the one who sparked Rebecca's interest in zines in the first place. So, what is a zine? A zine is a do-it-yourself publication produced in editions of less than 100. Usually it's just an 8.5x11 piece of paper folded up and stapled with whatever content you want to tell. At first, everything was cut and paste and hand-drawn, but now people have the ability to include photoshop elements. Erica states that she herself is a purist and sticks to the cut and paste method. She also gives insight on what her process is which you can hear on this episode. For example, Erica uses her own typewriter. Where did the zine start? That's a good question. Some people would consider tracing zines back to Martin Luther's Ninety-five Theses written in 1517. But the fandom of science fiction works in the 1930s is what really set it off. Fans published and traded their own stories and those became known as "fanzines" the abbreviation of fan magazine and later shortened to just zine (zeen). Erica touches on some great material she researched but makes a point to call out that the zines we most commonly reference came from 70s because that was the start of newer technologies that allowed these to be easier to produce. In the 70s and 80s is when the punk scene entered influencing the voice and art of zines. Even into the 90s a lot of band used zines to produce their own voice, awareness, feminism, and empowerment. Most importantly, visit the Memphis Zine Fest! Thanks to Erica and Crosstown Arts, artists are able to showcase and sell their own zines each year during the Memphis Zine Fest. This year's fest will be Friday, July 20 at the theater stairs in the central atrium of Crosstown Concourse. It's free to attend and open to all ages from 4P–7P but bring some cash so you can buy some fun zines and support the arts. And if you're interested in becoming a zine maker (which you probably are now), you can apply to be a vendor at the event! Just visit crosstownarts.org.   For full show notes, visit memphistypehistory.com/zine

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, Rebecca meets Sheena and Savannah, two spectacular ladies of Graceland, who currently run a Podcast series entitled "Starring Elvis." Whether you're an Elvis fan or not, learning about the movies the artist put his heart into and the songs that came from them is surprising. You'll hear about Sheena and Savannah's Elvis favorites, some Elvis movie history, and what inspired the the two to start this charming series in the first place.    It all started with Dawson's Creek. Well, not the show, but the podcast with fans of the show talking about each and every episode. While Sheena and Savannah were inspired by that show's podcast, their Elvis movies podcast takes a whole other bent on the idea, focusing on the movies that really solidified the status of the king in the years after he returned from war.  The hosts even run down the list of all the world-renowned actors that were in those early films with Elvis. That's just one reason they say, be careful if you assume all the films are silly or campy. One of the films in particular featured has a really interesting connection to Casablanca.  Elvis the Actor Elvis made 31 feature films and even did a couple of concert documentaries, as well. Of those, our guests had some favorites. Our guests are particularly impressed with King Creole because it gives Elvis a real opportunity to show acting skills that were often left out in his films in favor of assumed commercial success. He portrays a character with some real depth, co-stars with Anne Margaret, and the film was directed by Michael Curtiz.  Of course, Elvis really shines in the dancing and singing sequences in his films. The ones especially worth checking out—Jailhouse Rock and Love Me Tender. The ladies say those films demonstrate his star power was really connected to his performances within the films.  The Leading Ladies Elvis' leading ladies are well-known and many went on to have pretty impressive careers themselves. Ann Margaret, Nancy Sinatra, and Shelley Fabares are just some of the names that came up in our conversation. Of particular note was Ann Margaret performing her own song and having her name in the same size font as Elvis on the movie poster—a bit controversial at the time. Nancy Sinatra also played a big role. When the ladies talked about her connect to Elvis, the former star tweeted at them a note of thanks and that she missed Elvis.  The Soundtracks The movies were really groundbreaking because the films were often just opportunities to push out more Elvis music between records. The soundtracks were 45's with 4-5 songs on them. The movie names were often connected to the title song such as "Love Me Tender". If you want to listen to some of the music that true fans often love the most, check out "Pocket Full of Rainbows" or even the song "So Close Yet So Far Away from Paradise" in the movie Harem Scarem. In fact, many of the songs we all know as classic Elvis singles came from film soundtracks and weren't released in any other form.   The Invention of the Karate Chop or The Fights Some people believe another of Elvis' many innovations was the old-style movie karate chop move. Our guests tell us about how the fights were a key part of the Elvis films. And yes, he is known for a signature karate chop move. In one movie... he may have karate chopped a Jaguar. Elvis was actually known for being a passionate practicioner of karate. He loved integrating the moves he practiced on his own into any of the fight scenes. He almost never had a stunt double. One night, he was so into practicing for a fight scene, that he stayed up really late chopping wooden blocks until he felt he got the move down for the movie scene. You also may have seen Elvis' custom Gi he had made.  Pop Culture Connections We heard a lot more about the various pop culture connections Elvis brought to our country and the world. The craziest thing to think about, is at a time when there was barely tv, no internet or youtube, no social media, etc... he was doing as many as three movies a year and keeping himself connected to his audience. He showed different variations of his work in these films while retaining his place as a star singer and performer. It was a brilliant strategy for keeping relevant and some would say, ultimately, pushed him too far. Sheena and Savannah tell us about the next episode they are producing, but you'll have to listen to hear about that   For full show notes visit memphistypehistory.com/elvis

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, Rebecca tells Caitlin about how TGI Friday's is where people meeting at bars basically originated. You'll learn the story of how Memphis made it a franchise, and how without TGI Friday's, Caitlin may have never been born. In 2016, TGI Fridays announced that they would be adopting a new, modernized aesthetic atmosphere. It seems to be in a trend, older chain restaurants are becoming more industrial and minimalistic in design to compete with the current competition such as Panera and Chipotle. So all the restaurants that we grew up with like Chili's, Fuddruckers, and Joe's Crabshack may all start losing that hoarder style aesthetic if they haven't done so already. Oh by the way, that hoarder-style aesthetic happened because of TGIFridays. The initial concept was to make it feel like you were visiting someone's basement for a cocktail party. How it all began... Alan Stillman lived in an area of New York where there were a lot of airline stewardesses and models and basically a lot of single people. So he the best way to meet girls was to open a bar. At the time, cocktail parties were the thing. People would bounce from one place to another and of course the parties would get wild. But Alan noticed there wasn’t really a public place for these 23-37 year olds to meet. The current bars around were more like places for guys to meet up and drink beer. So he opened TGI Fridays in 1965 and just five years later, FDA approved the pill. The timing happened perfectly because the sexual revolution waves in and Alan essentially becomes the founder of the first single's bar. Alan purchased a former corner bar near where he lived, had the building painted blue, hung up fake Tiffany lamps and dressed the waiters in red and white striped soccer shirts. He didn’t know anything about restaurant business, interior design, or architecture… he just knew how to create an experience. TGI Fridays was one of the first to use promotions such as ladies’ night. And the goal of meeting women worked for him. In fact, he says Tom Cruise’s character in Cocktail was based after him. Eventually, someone from Memphis Tennessee approached Alan and said they had an area with room for one of these and asked him if he would sell them a franchise. At the time, Alan didn’t know what a franchise meant. But he agreed to being a partner, show how to work it, and split it 50/50. A year and a half later, T.G.I. Friday’s in Memphis was open in Overton Square. This was right after Overton Square Founders & Developers James D. Robinson, Jr. (23), Ben Woodson (25), Charles H. Hull, Jr. (24), and Frank Doggrell, III (25) led the efforts to pass a referendum to allow establishments to sell liquor by the drink. You couldn’t dine in a restaurant and have an alcoholic drink with your meal. You could apparently bring your own bottle of wine or liquor, which they called Brown-bagging, and places like Pete and Sam’s had lockers where you could keep your liquor, but you couldn’t buy a drink. Then on November 25, 1969, the issue of “liquor by the drink” came to vote in a special referendum, and the measure passed. Friday’s opened on May 21, 1970 and it was a ridiculous success. One of the owners said if they could make $800 a day, they would break even. The first day, it brought $4,800 and it did the same every day until they expanded it, in which they went up to $7,000 a day. One of the waiters said it would be so crowded, they had to fight through customers. People would stand three and four deep at the bar, and he knows somebody had sex at the bar one night but nobody noticed because it was so crowded. The waiters were all men because as mentioned before, the goal was to get women in the door, and most of the bartenders and waiters had nicknames such as Gringo, Harpo, The General, Shakey, Chick, Pace, and Rufus. Rebecca made sure to ask Caitlin's mom if she knew who any of these bartenders are. She didn't remember the names, but she does still own one of the original tablecloths. (not for purchase) For full show notes visit memphistypehistory.com/fridays

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, Rebecca gets educated on the art of wrestling and learns why Memphis is rich in this particular history. We hear from Adam Pritchard, a devoted wrestling fan who visits Memphis in hopes of encountering one of the many heroes he only ever experienced by watching tv from across the pond.    First, we asked what memories you had of Memphis wrestling and we shared a few of those stories to kick us off on what the highlights were. But what ended up happening was it gave Rebecca a lot of questions. What was with these wrestling names? Was "Handsome Jimmy Valiant" truly handsome? What was the Fargo strut?  Fortunately, her brother-in-law, Adam Pritchard, is very passionate about wrestling and was the one who informed her that Memphis was a big deal in this sport. When Adam came to visit Memphis, the highlight of his trip was touring the Channel 5 station because that's where DAVE BROWN was. Another visit highlight was King Jerry Lawler's Hall of Fame Bar & Grille. And so it came to be that out of curiosity of this topic, Rebecca interviewed Adam to learn exactly why he loves wrestling so much and what role Memphis had in this entertainment that she was unaware of. Adam starts by telling how he fell in love with wrestling and what he remembers most about what he first started watching. He says there is more to wrestling than what we may realize and you can tune in to the episode to hear what his current favorite type of wrestling is. He also gives a 101 on wrestling. Was it always staged? Was there always a story? The answer is yes. It was a way to engage the audience to follow along with the wrestler and his character or story. One character that many are familiar with is Hulk Hogan who was considered as one of the "good guys." However, Rebecca learns that one city's hero could enter another wrester's territory and become the bad guy for that city.  Jerry "The King" Lawler was an example of a wrestler who was seen as a good guy and hero in Memphis but seen as a bad guy in other territories that he crossed into, fighting the good guy wrestlers in those places. The best part was that him as a bad guy in, for example, Florida or Texas, wasn't televised in Memphis. So he remained as only a bad guy in the eyes of other territories because that's all they saw. Today you don't really see that anymore because everything is pretty much national. So how did Adam even knew about all of this at a time when it wasn't national and he watched wrestling in England? He said the way fans connected and learned all the stories was through wrestling magazine and VHS tape trading. Adam then talks about how the Mid-South Coliseum was where wrestling was at and even about a particular show that happened there between Terry Funk and Jerry Lawler when the arena was completely empty. You can imagine the tape trading was huge with that one because no one was there to see it. While Memphis was known for not being the most well-paid territory for wrestlers, it was a territory that many wrestlers came through because it was well-respected and gave them great exposure and experience. In addition to learning about the greatness of the Coliseum, I learn about the role of the announcers, other well-known Memphis wrestlers like Sputnik Monroe, and the famous beef between Andy Kaufman and Jerry Lawler, who I discovered has a dangerous signature move. Learning that it was all staged also made me realize wrestling can actually be quite convincing. To sum it all up, if you're a true wrestling fan, you probably have a high respect for Memphis and it's a good territory to be in. For full show notes, go to memphistypehistory.com/wrestling

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, we look at the history behind a few Memphis mansions. Hear from Caitlin about Ashlar Hall's many lives and the history behind the Woodruff Fontaine House. Then hear Rebecca tell a little history and description of the Annesdale mansion which could be your next wedding location.     Ashlar Hall Robert Brinkley Snowden grew up in Annesdale with his parents, Robert Bogardus Snowden and Annie Overton Brinkley Snowden, who lived in the Annesdale mansion because Annie’s dad bought it for them (learn more about Annesdale from Rebecca later in the show!) He went to Princeton to study architecture and returned to Memphis in 1896 to build everyone’s favorite 11,000 square foot local castle at 1937 Central Avenue – Ashlar Hall! This quote that Creme de Memph dug up from Memphis: An Architectural Guide about the Gothic Revival Mansion was simply delightful: "one wonders what books about medieval castles Snowden brought back with him from Princeton, or perhaps the whole may have been influenced by a too-early reading of Ivanhoe." The three-story, 8-bedroom mansion only cost $24,900 to build, which is $683,767.48 in today’s money. Inside are six bars, five bathrooms, and a swimming pool. Rumor has it there are two secret passages under the mansion: One passing under Lamar to Snowden mansion in Annesdale and the other leading under Central to the University Club’s pool area. Snowden would go on to take over the Peabody Hotel when it relocated in 1925, as the original one was started by his great-grandfather, Colonel Robert C. Brinkley, back in 1869. After Robert died in 1942, the place went into disrepair and became a Grisanti’s restaurant called Conestoga Steak House at some point in the ‘60s. In 1970 it became Ashlar Hall Restaurant. In 1983 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The mansion’s next life began in the ‘90s when Prince Mongo turned it into a nightclub called the Castle for a few years before abandoning it. Sometime around 2013, ownership started switching around for Ashlar Hall and the property fell further into disrepair. There are links below for the latest on its current life. Woodruff-Fontaine House This mansion of Memphis is located at 680 Adams in the heart of Victorian Village. In 1845, Amos Woodruff and his brother arrived in Memphis from Rahway, New Jersey, with the intent of expanding their business of making carriages. Although his brother went back to New Jersey, Amos found great success with carriages in Memphis and his other ventures: the Overton Hotel, two banks, a cotton compress firm, a lumber company, running the Memphis & Ohio Railroad, and the Southern Life Insurance Company In 1870, Woodruff spent $12,000 on land in “Millionaire’s Row,” in what was then the outskirts of Memphis. It's now known as Victorian Village, and it was here that he started building his five-story French Victorian mansion at a cost of $40,000. He also built a carriage house on the property alongside beautiful gardens and fountains. He lived in this 18-room mansion, with its three great halls and a three-story tower, with his wife, Phoebe, and their four children: Sallie, Mollie, Frank, and Cora. Many believe that the Woodruff-Fontaine house is haunted by Mollie Woodruff’s ghost. Some haunted moments include staff seeing Mollie's form in smoke, seeing her sitting on the bed in her former childhood room, and her demonstrations of anger like slamming doors and breaking items when anything gets moved or redecorated. Supposedly, her bed is sometimes dented as if someone has been lying there.... even though it’s roped off from all visitors. One paranormal website said she once told museum docents how they should have the furniture arranged. So of course we have to tell you more about her in this episode! In the 1960s, the mansion was in danger of demolition. So the Memphis chapter of the Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities started raising funds to renovate the property. They outfitted it for modern times, restored antique elements, and even found a fresco on one of the ballroom’s ceilings! It opened back up in 1964, although it wasn’t quite finished up at that point yet. Many people donated the furniture and stuff that’s inside, and how it’s a proper museum showing 1800s life in Memphis! Annesdale Mansion The Annesdale mansion was built in 1850 on Lamar Avenue which, at the time, was called Pigeon Roost Road. The home was originally built by Dr. Samuel Mansfield, a wholesale druggist from Maryland, on 200 acres on the outskirts of Memphis. Nineteen years later, Colonel Robert Brinkley, the guy who built the Peabody Hotel bought the estate as a wedding gift to his daughter Annie and it was named Annesdale, for Annie's Dale. Since 1869, Annesdale has been home to the same family for at least 7 generations. Annie married Col. Robert Bogardus Snowden. And for 160 years, members of the socially prominent Snowden family lived here. It is Italian Villa in style, built with bricks made on the site. It has a four-story tower which overlooks the current seven and a half acre park-like setting. The Details The Annesdale is an 1850 antebellum mansion nestled amongst seven and a half acres of elegant lawns and gardens. It holds a grand parlor, spiral staircase, and a marble entryway. A great description can be found in a Memphis Magazine article which states,  We were told that the +17,000-square-foot home has 13 rooms, five bedrooms, and four and a half baths. The downstairs public spaces have 14-foot ceilings, and the period details include: 11 fireplaces, pocket doors, carved walnut paneling, intricate needlework panels over the windows, stained glass, painted ceilings with exquisite figural details, ornate plasterwork and lustrous oak floors. Ken Robison is the one who purchased the home and estate in 2010 and rennovated and reopened the mansion as an event space. He says the Snowdens have been extremely gracious in helping him buy back antique pieces from family members that were original to the home. He has found additional items that once belonged there through other sources. In particular, he is especially proud of the portrait of Annie Overton Brinkley which hangs in the music room. As history tells us, when Annie married Colonel Robert Bogardus Snowden, her father, Colonel Robert C. Brinkley, made Annesdale a wedding gift from her father. And as the new owner likes to say, 'Annie has come home at last.' A later discovery... In 2016 a bone fragment, possibly human, was found in the grate of a boarded-up fireplace inside the mansion when a photographer came across it during a photoshoot. It went under investigation but Rebecca couldn't find if a verdict was ever made aside from knowledge that it was very very old, likely from the Civil War era which would make sense since the mansion did serve as a hospital during that time. If anyone knows of any updates on the discovery, please tell!

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, Rebecca seeks out the history of barbecue instead of just eating it. In this first part of what will become a series of Memphis BBQ stories, we hear from Brian Crenshaw, a gentleman who has spent a good time diving into the history of where it originated and how Memphis's culture really generated the satisfying flavors we thoroughly enjoy today. Let's start with the first pigs that came to America. They were 13 black Iberian pigs and were brought to Tampa Bay, Florida in 1539 by Hernando de Soto. They joined the Spanish conquistadors during their journeys through the Southeast and were used to start pig farms for the new Spanish colony. As you can imagine, people loved the taste of them. It's even been reported that American Indians were so fond of the taste of pork that attacks to acquire it resulted in some of the worst assaults on the expedition. Brian talks about where the word barbecue or barbeque originated from (barbacoa) and the simplicity of beginning as an actual pit people would walk up to. It would eventually evolve into a drive-in and then into a sit-down restaurant. A good example of a place that likely developed through this process is Corky's BBQ because of its apparent expansions. A favorite of Brian's and another great example of this primitive style of barbecue resides in Brownsville, TN, called Helen's Bar BQ.   Wonder which barbecue restaurant in Memphis is the oldest? Brian believes that would be Leonard's which has served original Memphis style pit barbecue since 1922. Leonard's Pit Barbecue is honestly the only place I've ever heard of that offers a barbecue buffet. Even more interesting, is when Brian tells us that Leonard's is where the custom of putting coleslaw on the sandwich may have started. It was a way to stretch their meat when times tough economically, however it turns out the mix of flavors is quite a marriage and thus coleslaw stands as a traditional topping. Finally hear about how new bbq innovations started in Memphis, like barbecue nachos and pizza. Hear from Brian why Memphis barbecue is much more than just a good meal. It is so rich in Memphis history. There are so many different places to eat barbecue and each has their own rich history and relationships that make them unique from each other. It says something that this city can support so many of these local "mom and pop" shops. It's because they are true culinary artists. For full show notes, visit memphistypehistory.com/barbeque      

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, Caitlin connects with Neil Cameron of Strickly Elvis UK to talk about Elvis... no not actually...instead more of the shadier side of Memphis that has nothing to do with Elvis. Hear Caitlin and Neil from distant lands talk about a few crime stories that you may or may not know about. So how did Memphis Type History and Strickly Elvis UK collide? We try to remember ourselves. While it may have been Facebook that brought us together, it was Sun Studios that gave us a meeting place. And while it's good to catch up a little, we went straight to the gritty stories that Neil has learned over time of this city he loves and visits so much. First up... Jerry Mcgill. For full show notes, visit memphistypehistory.com/crime

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, Rebecca meets with Ben Fulfer, the man behind Bozwell + Lily, to talk about his journey and decision on starting this company. He tells us the thoughtful process behind what items he chooses to sell, who he works with, and the Memphis inspiration and history that some of his products tell. First, did you know...? We don’t mention this on the podcast, but did you know Ben was once a radio DJ? He also recently redesigned the setup at Ditty TV because he’s got the skills for design and aesthetics. Put these skill sets together + a traveling man with motivation and inspiration and you get Bozwell + Lily, a small shop with a lot of history and thoughtful design. So who are Bozwell and Lily? Well, they are Ben’s beloved dogs. And when you hear the personality each possess, you gather how it perfectly embodies the theme of the shop. When Ben tells the story of how the shop got started and its process of growth, he connects how the personalities of his pups each reflected that process. What is the story behind the ’46 tee we most often see? This is the tee with the Native American screen print shown above. Rebecca thought it was maybe a nod to a particular Memphis native American who perhaps made history by fighting a tribe of coyotes and saving a village. She was close… it is actually a nod to the Memphis baseball team called, “the chicks” preexisting the Red Birds we know and salute today. In particular, this imprint is something we would have seen on their jerseys in the year of ’46 which isn’t the most recognizable. If you Google Memphis Chick images, it will be a long time of scrolling before you come across this particular logo. It then occurred to Rebecca that a good number of Bozwell + Lily products have this same vintage feel and inspiration. The type of fabric…the imagery…the banners…the hand-stitching…the screen printing…these are all details made to give each product its own type of thumbprint with a process that pays tribute to days of long ago. Where did it start? The first product of Bozwell + Lily was the B.B. King imprint tee. Ben tells us the story of creating that shirt, how much it cost, and how it gave him the courage to keep moving forward. Also, if you happen to own one of these shirts with the misspelled name “Boswell + Lily” on the tag, you know you have a Memphis original. For full show notes, go to memphistypehistory.com/bozwell

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, Rebecca reveals to Caitlin her recent paranoia of the New Madrid fault line and the seriousness of "the big one" for Memphis should it ever occur. But there's good new! Well... at least for those over 36 years old.   So what is the New Madrid Fault Line? Wikipedia says it's the 150-mile (240 km) long seismic zone, which extends into five states. It stretches southward from Cairo, IL; through Hayti, Caruthersille and New Madrid, MO; through Blytheville into Marked Tree in AR. It also covers a part of West Tennesse, near Reelfoot Lake, extending southeast into Dyersburg. That's a pretty big stretch of land.  The History of New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ) Earthquakes The first known written record of an earthquake felt in the NMSZ was from a French missionary traveling up the Mississippi with a party of explorers. It happened at 1 p.m. on Christmas Day in 1699 at a site near the present-day location of Memphis. However, most famous was a series of 3 earthquakes between 1811-12. The first earthquake was recorded at 2:15 am in Northeast Arkansas. It caused only slight damage to man-made structures, mostly because it wasn’t greatly populated. Memphis (before it was Memphis) was shaken at a Mercalli Intensity scale of level nine. Little Prairie, MO was destroyed by soil liquefaction, trees were knocked down and riverbanks collapsed. Uplifts of the ground on the riverbed and large waves made the Mississippi river look like it was flowing upstream. Sand bars and points of islands gave way. A steamboat crew that was anchored overnight along a Mississippi River island said they awoke to find the island had disappeared below the water. Landslides covered an area of 78,000 - 129,000 square kilometers, extending from Cairo, Illinois, to Memphis, Tennessee, and from Crowley's Ridge in northeastern Arkansas to Chickasaw Bluffs, Tennessee. This event shook windows and furniture in Washington, D.C., rang bells in Richmond, Virginia, shook houses in Charleston, South Carolina, and knocked plaster off of houses in Columbia, South Carolina. Observers in Herculaneum, Missouri said it had a duration of 10-12 minutes. After all this, only one life was lost in falling buildings. The first and largest aftershock happened that same morning at around 7:15am. It came to be known as the “Dawn” Aftershock. The second earthquake, on January 23, is believed to be the smallest of the three main shocks and also believed by some that the epicenter was in southern Illinois. That raises concern because if that is true, then that would mean and extended section of the fault exists. The third earthquake, on February 7, happened in Missouri and it was the largest of the series. It destroyed the town of New Madrid, it damaged many houses in St. Louis. It caused general ground warping, ejections, fissuring, severe landslides, and caving of stream banks. Uplift along the fault created temporary waterfalls on the Mississippi River and caused the formation of Reelfoot Lake.  NMSZ Fun Facts: (because we try to make light of dark topics) • There’s a New Madrid Historical Museum in the Missouri boot heel. There you can watch a VHS tape they play on loop, called “The Night the Earth went Crazy.” • In 1990, there was an earthquake hype. A prophecy had just been made by a self-proclaimed climatologist named Iben Browning, who falsely claimed to have predicted the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in California the year before. He predicted that a magnitude 7 earthquake would strike New Madrid on December 3, 1990. The prediction had no scientific legitimacy but it was widely reported in the national media, which promoted fear, anxiety, and hysteria among residents of the Mississippi Valley. • In Memphis, the city recently spent $25 million to prevent the pyramid from being swallowed. • AutoZone’s corporate headquarters also stands ready for some massive shakes. It’s propped up on top of giant shock absorbers. • The nearby Memphis VA is another safe spot. The city spent $64 million dollars removing nine floors of the hospital to reduce the risk of collapse in a catastrophic earthquake. And if you would like more hope, we talk about Seth Stein, a seismologist and professor at Northwestern who doesn’t think we should be worried about the New Madrid. Rebecca talks about his theory on the episode which sounds pretty solid. But for all you Eeyores and Debbie Downers, Rebecca also talks about how scientist say Seth's scenario is a low probability scenario and that the NMSZ is still hazardous. They estimate that over the next 50 years, the probability of a magnitude 6 or larger quake is between 25 to 40 percent. In short, if you are 36 years old or younger, there is a good chance you will experience an earthquake in the Mid-South that measures higher than a 6.  

Support this show via Patreon and get bonus content like our weekly blooper reel, digital wallpaper featuring Rebecca's artwork, t-shirts, signed books, and more! In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, Caitlin chats with Julie McCullough of  This Place in History, an Instagram feed we are excited to introduce you to. She typically features Memphis homes that are on the National Historic Registry, but you can find a few other types of historical nuggets on there from time to time. Julie was motivated to start her American history inspired Instagram feed by a combination of things: seeing American Pickers, researching  her great-great-grandfather's story from Memphis history, and her architect brother's line of work. We talk about East Buntyn her stories about her favorite Memphis street (spoiler alert, it's Front), and learn about charming historical Memphis homes. Her police officer great-great-grandfather was shot in the line of duty on Front Street chasing a robber who stoles a dollar from a lady downtown. He was the first police death for the city. Citizens of Memphis and the Memphis Police Department raised $2,000 for Parkinson's family after his death. Mrs. Parkinson used the money to buy land in Rosemark, TN (near Millington) and some of which still belongs to Julie's uncle. Julie thinks that since the family moved from Memphis to Rosemark, she ended up growing up in Millington. Julie also shares her personal connections to Front Street, including a meaningful poem you can find there on the wall. We also talk about the haunted Mollie Fontaine home, a favorite of Julie's and one you can visit for a drink or a good hang, and we touch on the Castle, which was Julie's very first post! A year later she posted the back of the Castle to celebrate her one-year Instagrammiversary. Next we move onto her explorations of Victorian Village, where the "big guns" are, and her explorations of Holly Springs and beyond. Listen to this one to get inspired about exploring history in your own way... maybe you'll get an idea for a project too! For all the photos, visit memphistypehistory.com/place

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, Rebecca meets with Caroline Mitchell Carrico at the Pink Palace to learn the insane story of the man who started Piggly Wiggly and the concept of grocery stores as we know them today. Hear how he lost it all in a gamble and then started the brilliant process back over.   Caroline Mitchell Carrico is the Supervisor of Exhibits and Graphic Services at the Memphis Pink Palace Museum. That means she researches and writes for the exhibits at the museum and also has a hand at the designs and installations of the exhibits as well. The massive project they have been working on is a complete redesign of the Pink Palace mansion. She’s been working on it for about 3 years now. You'll hear a little bit about what we can expect to find in the new layout. Clarence Saunders, The Idea Man Caroline gives a bit of Clarence Saunders job history. One of his first jobs was at a country store. You could buy anything you want to there. That’s where his start was and then through a series of job transitions, he landed as a Wholesale Drummer in Memphis. That’s the person who would go to all the different country stores and drum up business. He would convince the store owners to buy things and talk to them about how to improve their sales and improve their products. He developed enough ideas to decide he wanted to start up his own store. Carolynn talks about how he got together with a group of other store owners and started the United Stores company in town, where they did bulk purchasing. And she also talks about how the old country stores ran during this time. The Birth of Piggly Wiggly Clarence decided his store would be a cash-only store, and it would be a self-service grocery store. He set up the store so that you had to walk through the entire store through a serpentine path so you had to walk through every item. At first, people had to rent a shopping basket but then he quickly changed that so you could just borrow the shopping basket at the front and then the only time you interacted with the staff was at the end of the store when you were paying. At the time, a lot of grocery stores let you order your items and they would deliver it to you. But Clarence did away with that. People bought their items and took it home with them. The store we’re talking about is Piggly Wiggly and Clarence Saunders made sure to patent the self service design. He actually got numerous patents, such as the store fixtures. There were arguments that there were already other self service style stores but Clarence was the first person to franchise it and turn it into a really big model that fundamentally changed the way that we shop. Carolyn says Clarence Saunders did his own advertising as well and it was quite the advertisement. Here's an ad she provided for our reading enjoyment.  His store also essentially changed advertising for products as well because if people were now passing through goods and deciding which products to buy, businesses would need to make sure their product stood out from the others. So Why the Name Piggly Wiggly? One story is he was on a train and saw a bunch of pigs wiggling to get under a fence. Another story is during time he opened the store there was syndicated stories that ran in the newspaper called Uncle Wiggly’s bedtime tales and people speculate that it may have come from that. It’s also possible that he just completely made up a funny name to be memorable but also possibly so to easily find people who were infringing on his copyright. He sued Hogglety Wogglety stores in Missouri and won because it was similar to his concept and name. But Then He Lost it All Saunders was the President of the corporation and he with the board of directors decided to list Piggly Wiggly stock at the New York Stock Exchange to raise capital. You'll have to listen to the episode to get the 101 on the stock market and how a sneaky plan backfired on Saunders, causing him to lose the company. Did We Mention The Pink Palace Was Intended To Be His Mansion? While the whole stock market incident happened, his mansion was still getting built (The Pink Palace). When he lost everything, the inside of the mansion wasn’t complete and he couldn’t live in it. He declared bankruptcy and lost the mansion and the estate which included Chickasaw Gardens and the Memphis lake. The plans for the Pink Palace was for it to be a millionaires playground. It was going to have a bowling alley, an indoor swimming pool, a Roman atrium, ballroom, a trout stream, a ridiculous amount of bedrooms. And as fascinating as this estate is, history also tells us that he cleared people off of this land so he could have it. Families were living on the property when he purchased it and they were forced to move and their houses were burnt to clear the land. What ended up happening is the Garden Development Corporation from Kentucky purchased the land and mansion at the bankruptcy auction, they subdivided the neighborhood and created Chickasaw Gardens. At the time this was just outside the city. However, they didn’t know what to do with the mansion. They gave the property to the city with the expectation that it would become either a museum or art gallery or art conservancy and they wrote into the contract that it would only be for caucasian race because you know.. this was 1920. At the time there was already the Brooks Art Museum, The James Lee Art Academy was up and strong as an art conservancy, what the city didn’t have was a natural History museum. So they decided to turn the Pink Palace into the city’s Cultural and Natural History Museum. And by the way, make sure to listen to the episode to hear additional fun facts about the mansion, such as how Clarence had a different name for it, its beginning days as a museum, and who the actual first people were to live inside it. Clarence Saunders Stores was the name of his second grocery store. And then he was sued by Piggly Wiggly because they said his name was synonymous with Piggly Wiggly. The corporation lost the lawsuit and Saunders kept the rights to his name. So he named it Clarence Saunders Sole Owner of My Name Stores. Clarence started building a second millionaire's playground further out East. It’s where the Lighterman Nature Center is today. Caroline thinks he called it Woodlawn. The guy was an avid golf player and built another golf course which was the longest golf course in the world at that time. He had built another lake and another house but this time he lost his business to the great depression and sold his estate to Bill Terry, the famous baseball player and manager for the Giants.  Things Are Better In Threes Clarence started a third grocery store and named it Keedoozle. It stood for "Key Does it All." The concept was to make it an automated grocery store where you would go in and take your key (the big metal box-like thing) and you would stick it in the drawers of the items you wanted for it to punch your key and then you’d take your key to the check out line where a machine would read your key and a conveyor belt system would bring your items out. The idea was to not have to carry anything until the end. Unfortunately it had lots of problems since it was a bit ahead of its time.   For full show notes, visit memphistypehistory.com/saunders

After Rebecca told the story of the USA's most famous fallout shelter, Caitlin wanted to dig up what these shelters looked like on her side of the world. This bonus episode tells you about what fallout shelters are like in Shanghai and a particular fascinating one in Beijing that's basically the size of a city. For the full list of bonus episodes, visit memphistypehistory.com/bonus

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, Caitlin and Rebecca each pick a new favorite lady who left an impact in Memphis history to talk about. Turns out, they both picked musicians!   Elizabeth Lizzie Douglas (aka Memphis Minnie) First up, Caitlin tells us about Elizabeth Lizzie Douglas (who we refer to as Minnie), a blues guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter, recording about 200 songs from the 20s to the 50s. People claim she was the most popular female country blues singer of all time, comparable to any man musician of the time. Elizabeth was born in 1897 in Algiers Lousiana, and moved to Walls, Mississippi with her family when she was seven years old. The next year she was gifted a guitar and by ten years old learned to play the banjo and began performing with her guitar, as "Kid Douglas" at parties. In 1910 when she was 13 she went off to live on Beale Street, playing on street corners, staying with the folks when she was short on cash. There, she partnered up with Willie Brown, who is most famous with working with Charlie Patton. They headed to Bedford, Mississippi, a place that we assume to be well known for tourism in the time. Next, Minnie joins the circus! The Ringling Bros. Circus 1916-1920 to be exact. But 1920 she returns to Beale Street, to perform on the streets again. It's believed she married her first husband Will Weldon in the early 20s as well. More well known was her second husband, Wilbur Kansas Joe McCoy, a blues singer from Mississippi. In 1929 a Columbia Records scout discovered them while they were out performing for dimes. They went of to New York City where the nicknames, Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe became established. They played duets together, playing well known songs such as "Bumble Bee." Minnie was super independent and elegant, chewing tobacco while singing and not missing a beat. By the 1930s, Minnie was very successful, went on tours and met her third husband, Little Son Joe, and began recording with him. When 1941 came, she picked up the electric guitar, and received her first hit "Me and My Chauffer Blues." Unfortunately, she didn't keep up with the trends of the late 40s and was dropped from the record labels. Caitlin then goes over the end days of her life, she was one of the first 20 artists to be inducted in the blues foundation hall of fame, and Bonnie Rait paid for her headstone. Listen to the episode to hear what she had written on it.   Julia Ann Amanda Moorehead Britton Next up, Rebecca talks about another famous musician Julia Britton, later known as Julia Britton Hooks. Julia was born in 1852 from freed African American parents in Kentucky. Her mother, Laura Marshall, was the daughter of Thomas F. Marshall, the Kentucky Statesman. She was also a well-educated and well-known singer and musician. This gift of musical talent was passed down to Julia. In fact, Julia was recognized a music prodigy, performing some of the most complex piano pieces. We discover that this family was overall well respected. Julia's younger sister became the first African-American physician in Kentucky, her brother was a famous jockey, and Julia, at 18, enrolled at Berea College, making her one of the fist women of any race to attend college in the state of Kentucky.  How Julia Came to Memphis In 1872 Julia moved to Greenville, Mississippi. She taught school and soon met and married Sam Wertles but lost him the following year to Yellow Fever. After his passing, she moved to Memphis in 1876. Memphis was the musicians paradise and this is where she came to be known as the "Angel of Beale St." Memphis is also where she met and married Charles Hooks, and it was a city they both greatly invested in. Julia was not hesitant to actively protest against racism and inequality, leading her to occasionally get arrested and fined. On occasion was in 1881 when she was arrested at a Memphis theater for sitting at the "white balcony" and refusing to move to the "colored balcony".  Some of Julia's Greatest Contributions In 1883, Julia and Anna Church opened the Liszt-Mullard Club to create opportunities in education for the black youth of the South. With the creation of this club, she was able to raise money to provide musically gifted black students to study music on a scholarship. In 1891 she founded and became a charter member of the Orphans and Old Folks Home Club on Hernando Street where she'd purchased 25 acres. Three years later she had raised enough money giving concerts to pay off that debt. The purpose of the organization was to provide accommodations for orphans and elderly African-American women. In 1892, Julia founded the Hooks School of Music and the Hooks Cottage School in response to the poor public education that black youth received in Memphis. The Hooks School of Music produced distinguished student musicians such as Sidney Woodward, Nell Hunter, and W.C. Handy.  For full show notes go to memphistypehistory.com/ladies2

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, Caitlin talks about WDIA, the first all-Black radio station in the U.S.A. We learn about how the transformation of this station into all-black programming and on-air talent exposed some of the best local talent to become major music icons we recognize today.   On June 7, 1947, WDIA transmitted onto the radio waves for the first time from its 2074 Union Avenue studio... one of just six Memphis radio stations at that time! Owned by John Pepper and Bert Ferguson, two white guys, the station played pop and country western music… and it headed towards bankruptcy very quickly. However, in October of 1948, they hired high school teacher and columnist Nat D. Williams, who started the first radio show for black listeners in the country on WDIA and saved the station. Williams' show, Tan Town Jubilee, catapulted WDIA to 2nd most popular radio station in Memphis. The station then became the TOP station in Memphis after switching to all-black programming and all-black on-air talent. In 1954, the station increased to 50,000 watts, which meant it reached into the MS Delta, a bit of Missouri, and down to the Gulf Coast… which reached the ears of 10% of the black population in the US at that time. The station would go on to be known as the Starmaker Station because of the amount of exposure it provided local talent. One thing that was really instrumental in the station’s success was that Williams was friends with Rufus Thomas, and got him onto the station… Thomas actually kept up his show until his death in 2001. Their ties to Beale Street got BB King’s career off to a start on the station as well as many other musicians. After Beale began declining, WDIA was really a big source of musical influence (even inspiring good ol’ Elvis Presley). Another famous show on the station was called Goodwill. It covered civic news, missing children announcements, and raised money for community projects like scholarships, a bus for disabled kids, little league teams, and an orphanage, to name a few. The show turned into big fundraisers hosted by the WDIA DJ’s called the Goodwill Revue and the Starlight Revue. Big time local and national musicians like BB King, Rufus Thomas, Bobby “Blue” Bland, the Spirit of Memphis, Elvis, Sam Cooke, Muddy Waters, and Ray Charles performed for free. The local black community received about $100,000 a year from all of the Goodwill efforts. Even though black talent and programming made WDIA so popular, and the staff was integrated in 1950 (rare for the South), it wasn’t until 1972 that Chuck Scruggs became the first black general manager and vice president. Under his 12-year service, the station helped raise money to preserve the Lorraine Motel and create the National Civil Rights Museum, and participated in the revitalization of Beale Street and the creation of the Stax Museum. For full show notes go to memphistypehistory.com/WDIA

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, Caitlin talks about the Memphis Red Sox and you'll get to hear our best sports announcer voices as we talk about the prominence of the team in the city and it's eventual decline.   The Negro League Comes to Memphis The negro leagues had been around for a long time before a team ever started playing in Memphis. Oftentimes, those teams became some of the strongest black owned businesses in the communities in which they operated. This business began to end when Jackie Robinson began playing in the white major leagues in 1945.  For more details about the league generally, look for some more details in the links section at the bottom.  There was a black team as early as the early 1900's. Lewis park was built, where the Red Sox played, in the 1920's. It was the first black ball park in America. The owner also owned R.S. Lewis & Sons funeral home with a long tradition of caring for well-known members of the black community at their passing, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. after he was assassinated. Four brothers bought the stadium and the Red Sox. They were all successful business owners. The team was particularly profitable and well run... listen to the full podcast to find out how the Memphis ownership group was able to do so much better than many other teams.   The Memphis Red Sox The team played in various leagues throughout the time it existed. They were only considered a "major league" team for just one of those years. In 1938 was the team's most successful season. They played for the championship but while being 2 up in the series, it was canceled because of business conflicts with the other team, the Atlanta Black Crackers. The Red Sox never played for the title again.  One of the brothers in the ownership group was run out of town for speaking up against Boss Crump and ended up going to Chicago where he owned another negro league team before eventually becoming the head of the negro league itself.  The End of the Negro Leagues The Negro leagues created spaces for the black community to use for many other gatherings, a social connection point, and they were often some of the most successful businesses in their communities and the country. However, that success began to falter after integration. With many of the best players going to "the majors" tickets began to slide and eventually, the negro leagues would come to an end.  For full show notes visit memphistypehistory.com/sox

This week, Caitlin and Rebecca start a new series for Black History Month. In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, Rebecca talks about a particular man who invested so much in Memphis, not only did he become recognized as the south's first African-American millionaire, but Memphis certainly wouldn't be the city it is today without him. Robert Reed Church was born in Holly Springs Mississippi in 1939. His father, Charles B. Church, was a white steamboat owner-captain and his mother was one of his father's slaves. She died when Robert was only 12 years old. Robert's father didn't treat him and his mother like slaves, yet he still didn't educate his son or ever formally recognize the relationship. His father did however train him in the steamboat business. Robert worked as a dishwasher, a cook, and a steward, which was the highest position for a black person. In 1855, one of their luxury steamers caught fire and sank, though Robert and his father managed to survive. Then eventually, at age 23 while working as a steward on a boat, Robert gets dropped off in Memphis because the boat was captured by the Union Army. Robert Church established himself as a successful Memphis businessman, owning a saloon, hotel, bank, restaurant and others that get discussed. What we gather is, Church was invested in Memphis. And getting shot by a white mob and later on by a sheriff was not enough to make him leave the city.. nor was the Yellow Fever. In fact, he found that time as an opportunity to buy up real-estate when the property values were low. And when the time came that Memphis was reduced to a Taxing District, Church was the first citizen to buy a bond for $1,000, to restore the City Charter. Rebecca then talks to Caitlin about some of her favorite Robert Church landmarks. The first is a hotel he owned in downtown Memphis on the southwest corner of South Second and Gayoso Streets. It was furnished with the best equipment of its day and advertised as the only first-class colored hotel in the city. Another is the home he built for him and his family in the 1800s pictured above. It had 14 rooms, including a double drawing room (something that Caitlin and Rebecca try to guess is). The home was one of the first of the Queen Anne style built in Memphis. Unfortunately it does not still exist today. Robert Church also founded the Solvent Savings Bank and Trust Company, the first black owned and operated bank in Memphis.  Rebecca's personal favorite establishment of his is the Church Park and Auditorium that also does not exist today other than the landmark that is pictured above. In 1899, Memphis lacked public parks for black citizens so Church bought a tract of land on Beale St., and built an auditorium which seated 2 thousand people. It was a cultural, recreational, and civic center for African-Americans and the only of its kind in the U.S. owned and operated by a person of color for members of his race. Fun fact: W.C. Handy was employed as the orchestra leader for the park and auditorium. For full show notes, visit memphistypehistory.com/millionaire

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, Caitlin chats wtih Devin Greaney, Memphis’ very own ghost sign hunter. Sit back and relax because after this episode you’ll want to look up a bit more when you’re out and about! A ghost sign is a sign or ad created many years ago that no longer serves a purpose. Sometimes they peek out from renovated buildings, or can be found on the peeling paint of an exterior wall. In Memphis, we pass by many of these… and these are their stories. Devin introduces himself as a freelance writer and photographer. He likes writing about a variety of topics including old Memphis in particular. And then jumps into exactly what is a ghost sign because really.. why is it called a ghost sign? Whether a sign that was covered by a newer building or one that is faded, these ghost signs are signs or ads that were created many years ago and don’t serve a purpose other than peek the interests of a passerby. In Memphis, we pass by many of these. For Devin, he likes to dig into the history of these signs for local history and the story behind them. In particular, he recalls an old Dr. Pepper sign that was uncovered when a building was knocked down in ’86 on Evergreen and Poplar.  What would making a sign from that time look like? In the past, there weren’t as many sign ordinances as there are now so there was less restriction on size and colors. What wasn’t uncommon was finding a few trends through the decades on these signs based on the types of fonts used and colors. However, the best way to date these signs is to look into the history of the building they belonged to and the businesses it housed. Devin has researched many ghost sign such as Hotel Pontotoc, the Lamar Theater (hear a bit of a rumor on this landmark in this episode), and a sign for a beauty school downtown which also has a rumor that Devin talks about. Caitlin asks which are the favorites uncovered and Devin says one in particular is Goodman and Son Jewelers which closed in 1989. Located between BB. King and Second Street it had opened in 1862. He also talks about several others, including a Bassoon shop (how often do you come across a bassoon shop?), a Firestone smokestack which Devin compares to what FedEx is to us now. Though Elvis doesn’t make an appearance on this episode, we learn about how Memphis didn’t become the tourist destination that we know of it today until 1982 when Graceland opened for tours. Devin also gives us an insight into how the Heartbreak Hotel came to life in March of 83′ and how it was originally called the King’s Heartbreak Hotel and replaced a different old motel. The old painted, faded sign can still be found on the building. One sign that was able to surprise Devin was the Hickman building on 248 Madison, across the street from the YMCA. It closed in 1971 was almost lost in in 1993 fire, and in 2017 began remodeling. It’s fascinating to think about the chapters of a buildings life and how far they survive. Devin also points out one of the unique characteristics of Memphis is that this city still holds a lot of natives that can remember significant events that occurred throughout the city, whereas in other big cities where many occupants are transplants, people can’t relate to things that have happened in years past. If there’s anything you should gather from this episode, it’s that we shouldn’t keep things from the past just for the sake that they’re old. If they don’t serve a purpose, or are an eye sore, what is the point? Some things are better left re-purposed, like Beale Street when it revamped in 1983. People made comments about how it wasn’t the same Beale Street from the 30s but it really can’t survive to live like the 30s. At some point, we need to think practically about what parts of historic properties remain. Crosstown Concourse is a good example of this. What other types of stories does Devin have to share about the uniqueness of this city? There’s a spot on the floor that is damaged and the Broom Closet, located in South Main. Story goes, in 1918, officer, Edward Broadfoot goes in to investigate something and was shot down in the store. The blood soaked the ground and that spot remains on that floor. Devin also talks about other historical markers with stories many are unaware of. It’s a good list, so make sure you take a listen. However, there is ONE historical marker that Devin does NOT approve for a reason that you probably wouldn’t guess.

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, we talk about something that has come up more lately than many of us would've expected: fallout shelters. Learn about Memphis' history of one particular famous safe place and how it drew criticism from the state controlled press in Russia at the time.  It was a time of terror and wonder. No, we're not talking about a few weeks ago when that accidental message made Hawaiians think a bomb was heading for them... we are talking about the Atomic Age when the Soviet Union was talking about building a bigger and better bomb to compete with the U.S. Meanwhile, the U.S. had picked a spot in a desert not too far from Las Vegas to test our own nukes. From 1951-1992 there were a total of 928 explosions at the site. 100 above ground tests of these nuclear bombs happened between 1951 to 1962. This was a pretty big deal for Las Vegas because of the tourist attraction it became. People could watch the mushroom clouds blossom in the distance. Casinos offered mushroom cloud souvenirs, atomic cocktails, and the Miss Atom Bomb beauty pageant.  So what would Caitlin do if there was a real bomb threat? You'll have to listen to find out.. but Rebecca does give her a brief history on the plans Memphis had during the Atomic Age, should a bomb threat arise.  In the 1950s, the goverment printed millions of bright yellow pamphlets called, "Be Safe from the H-Bomb." These were inserted in copies of The Commercial Appeal and Memphis Press-Scimitar. All it basically said was to get out of the city quickly. Even with a two-hour notice of a bomb arriving (which is about the time they were able to give) this seemed like an impractical plan to have everybody try to pack up and leave the city in that time span. So a new plan was developed to take shelter instead of run away. Memphis set up 279 shelters with 251 of them fully stocked with food. Special sanitation kits, water, toilet paper and other necessities were provided but not beds, chairs, or cots. And the instruction was to walk to one of these shelters, not drive. One particular shelter has a quite a story. It was a built by Hoyt B. Wooten who full-filled his boyhood dream by building one of these in his backyard.  Hoyt B. Wooten was the owner of the radio station WREC, member of the Kiwanis Club and director of the National Association of Regional Broadcasting Stations in the U.S. In 1958 he paid $12,000 for 27 acres to build a home in Whitehaven on Highway 51. The house was built in 1962 at a cost between $150,000-$200,000.  He then designed and engineered the equipment of a shelter that was 5,600 sq. ft., made to house 56 people for up to 31 days following a nuclear blast. The ceilings were 9.5 feet high with foot thick steel enforced concrete. Wooten believed it would take a 20-megaton bomb falling eight miles away to disturb them. The shelter had its own electrical supply, its own water supply (Water came from wells 93 feet below the ground. There was even a pumping system in case of flooding), its own air purification system (Wooten used this to pump Chanel No. 5 for his kids' events), a library with a collection of books, current periodicals such as LIFE and TIME Magazines, and Wooten's collection of National Geographic. One Commercial Appeal article goes into even greater detail... "There was a film library, a pool table, Ping Pong table and a dart board. There was a kitchen to prepare meals for all the guests and pantries to store food for the duration of the 31-day cooling off period. The guests would be housed in dormitories with bunk beds, separate restrooms for men and women, and sliding panels in the dormitories to provide some separation for different age groups." The heart of the shelter was a communications system including AM and FM radio receivers, a remote control TV set, a movie screen with 25 feature films, and telephones.   The shelter was lit by custom built fixtures with multiple switches. My personal favorite is the lighting in the kitchen window to give the ambience of daylight. If all the main lights were turned off, dim 7.5-watt bulbs automatically turned on so the rooms would never be completely dark. And then they also had candles in brackets along the walls in case of a black out. In conclusion, this was not your average fallout shelter. In fact, it was so well publicized that it drew criticism from the state controlled press in Russia at the time. Perhaps they were upset because they want to break us. (Don't know that quote? Find it in this U.S. Cold War propaganda film from the 80's) For full show notes go to memphistypehistory.com/fallout  

For full show notes go to memphistypehistory.com/mafia

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, Caitlin chats with Mark Fleischer, the man behind Storyboard Memphis. We talk most about Union and Madison Avenues, so that makes this show another good ol' piece of Memphis street history for ya!   When Mark first came to Memphis, he luckily landed in Midtown, an area which sparked a deep interest in everything about Memphis history. Being relatively new to the city, he has an outsider point-of-view that helps him put a fresh eye on everything he learns about the city. Mark pretty much immediately dives right into the longtime Memphis controversy over where the Midtown borders are... and Caitlin chose not to weigh in, not one bit. According to Mark, it comes down to iffy geographic borders and the "Midtown mindset," which he describes as activist, eclectic, and diverse... with a belief that they have a say in what happens in their neighborhood and how it develops. Here's the really shocking thing for all you Midtowners – you weren't always in Midtown. In fact, just a few decades ago, you would've been living in East Memphis. Elsewhere in this interview, Caitlin learned that Mark is extremely unimpressed by Union Avenue. But he still appreciates the rich history of the street anyway. Back in the 1880s/1890s, Crump held out on putting a trolley line on Union, even though they went up and down other main streets, in hopes of putting in city-owned tracks (rather than a line owned by private companies like the others were). Before this happened, the city created a new plan that called for the widening of Union so that it would be the main thoroughfare out east... and the Peabody-like feel of the street was changed. In recent times, city planning desires are sounding like a look back to the early days of Union when it was walkable and bikeable, which it was until as recently as the '60s when it was widened again. We then discuss the aspects of Union that lack a sense of place... something that he feels got lost along the way in Union's long lifespan. If you go down Union today, you can still find some older, 20s and 30s storefronts, but you've gotta look closely. There are few of them and they're off the road because this street was built for car traffic, which means parking areas (although, of course, these spots are not as plentiful for today's traffic). Listen in to find out which corners to go explore... both on and off of Union Ave! Mark also talks about Madison and how it compares to Union... the former is curved to match the old street car lines that were installed there, as opposed to Union which was built for vehicle traffic. You get the same curvature in Cooper-Young too! Finally, come along with us for a meandering little trip down Madison, full of fits and starts that tell the history of Memphis and demonstrates a strong sense of place. Last but not least is a charming story Mark uncovered about a late 1800s/early 1900s Memphis character, Christopher Hottum. Hottum owned a saloon at 119 Madison and was a major daredevil. He once jumped off a bridge because everyone said he'd die if he did it. He promoted the last legal bareknuckle fight in Mississippi, too. Why did Mark find out about him? His tax man asked for a history of his home, and lo' and behold, this guy built it! Hottum is just one example of what Mark calls the "mythic quality" of Memphis. We end with a few fun rapid-fire questions that Mark handled like a total pro. You'll learn which Memphis neighborhood he'd stay in for all eternity, what Memphis street name he'd make his own, and more! For full show notes, go to memphistypehistory.com/union  

This bonus episode provides you with the history behind the New Years Day Gibson guitar drop on Beale Street in Memphis, TN... and a listing of a few other drops in the USA. For other bonus episodes, visit memphistypehistory.com/bonus

This bonus episode features a listener who called and left a voicemail at Speakpipe about her time as a figure skater at the Mall of Memphis. For full show notes and to listen to other bonus episodes, visit memphistypehistory.com/bonus

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, we're talking all things Christmas in Memphis and sharing YOUR memories of this magical holiday. Hang your tinsel, grab your hot chocolate, and settle in for a jolly good time on this week's show!   The Enchanted Forest at Goldsmiths Ask a longtime Memphian about Christmas and you’re sure to hear about the Enchanted Forest at Goldsmiths department store. Goldsmiths was started in 1870 as a dry goods store on Beale Street by two German immigrant brothers, Jacob and Isaac, and their savings of $500. In 1895, it moved to Main Street. The store expanded into the Gayoso in 1952. The downtown store closed in 1993 and inside nowadays you will find the Center for Southern Folklore. Goldsmiths was very fancy for its time with its escalators, air conditioning, and merchandise arranged by departments. They even had a Christmas parade ten years before Macy’s did it. The Enchanted Forest was inspired by the Disney "Small World" ride. It first opened in the bargain basement in 1960. Apparently there was a long tunnel from the parking garage to the store that had many strange and wonderful wares along the walls. At the end of the tunnel, one could find a bakery with seasonal gingerbread men. Busloads of children would arrive, giddy to be on a field trip and at the prospect of spotting Santa with his live reindeer. An electric train (or perhaps several) ran throughout the Enchanted Forest. Memphis Santas We hear several charming Santa memories on this episode and it was so fun to hear how everyone was sure that THEIR Santa was real! For many years, Court Square was decorated as the North Pole and featured Santa's home. This magical Santa had a super secret way to discover the names, information, and what sort of gifts he could promise the children will receive that year. No matter what each child wished for, they all left with a tiny Coke bottle keychain! Another Memphis Santa of note was Robert J. Morton, whose wife dared him to dress up as Santa and wave to passersby in 1968. It took off and so he became known for delighting children at his fully decked out home for two weeks during the Christmas season. His house on Parnassas was strung with hundreds of lights and Jingle Bells was playing. In his second year as Santa, about 300 children came by to visit Morton. Overton Square Christmas at Overton Square was a sight to behold. In 1976 those wild dudes who created the Square decided there should be snow. So they orchestrated a “Charles Dickens” Christmas – with blue skies and a blizzard that began as soon as the temperature hit 28 degrees. The snow came out of a snow-making machines connected to fire hydrants. Carolers dressed like they were from the 1800s sang beneath lampposts wrapped in garland and tied with ribbons. The official city tree was located on in front of T.G.I. Fridays, of course. The big parade went right down Madison. Ice skaters crammed onto the rink that took over the entire street between Florence and Cooper. Lots of Overton Square memories on this episode! Mr. Bingle Mr. Bingle was a well-loved Memphis snowman who worked as Santa’s assistant during Christmas with his charming ice cream cone hat, candy cane, and red ribbon complete with bells and holly. Mr. Bingle was imagined by Emile Alline in 1947 down in New Orleans. Having the initials M.B., which was shorthand for the Maison Blanche department store, he became their mascot. He then gained larger fame when Mercantile Stores and Dillard's picked up the character. His most famous form in New Orleans was the 15-minute puppet show on Canal Street, where he also appeared in giant papier-maché form, voiced and puppeteered by Edwin "Oscar" Isentrout. This show, his TV and radio appearances, and charity events continued until Isentrout’s death in 1985. In Memphis, the Mr. Bingle shows were co-hosed by Miss Holly, played by Memphis advertising executive Joan White. A 2004 there was a novel called Saving Mr. Bingle sold in Nola and Memphis, with proceeds going towards a gravestone for Isentrout's previously unmarked grave at Hebrew Rest No. 3 Cemetery in New Orleans. The stores also marketed the character by selling Mr. Bingle merch. For full show notes, visit memphistypehistory.com/christmas.  

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, Rebecca speaks with Lynnie Mirvis, a member of the Jewish Historical Society of Memphis and the Mid-South, to tell us about the meaning of Hanukkah. And while the intent was to learn all about the festival of lights and its history, we end up diving more into the history of Judaism and what the Jewish community looked like in Memphis throughout.   Learning about Lynnie Lynnie, a Memphis native takes us back to her days going to a Jewish day school and let's us in on what a Bar Mitzvah is.. something Rebecca always wanted to be invited to. It's the age when a boy or girl enters true responsibility to the Jewish Culture. They are celebrated differently depending on what denomination. There is some difference in when that happens, though. Reformed? Conservative? Orthodox?  She also spent some time explaining some of the finer points of Judaism. Whether Orthodox, Reformed, Conservative etc... to be Jewish is to be part of the Jewish people. It is a faith community. Before the 18th century there were no different forms of being Jewish. It was during the enlightenment age that reformation took place. We don't dive into the differences in much detail but we do learn there were different movements and we can find these different denominations in Memphis. This is where it starts to get really interesting for all you Memphis history buffs. You'll even find out what famous architect designed one of the orthodox synagogues here. It all started in the Pinch The Jewish community in Memphis started in the Pinch District downtown in the 1850's. Then moved in several different locations. First, to Washington and Fourth, then, North Parkway, and now in East Memphis. At one time, the site where Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church sits now was once a temple. You can even still see the golden dome if you look closely while driving down Poplar. It should be noted there are different synagogues for the different denominations in different locations.  One of the historical highlights was the beginning of the Jewish community center which is now occupied by another well-known facility. The Jewish Community Center started to give Jewish young people of all different denominations one place where they could come together to do various activities. There were swimming pools, basketball courts, dance classes, theatre, and various other community classes and meetings. You may now recognize this as the newly purchased annex building on the north side of the Turner Dairy. Today, the Jewish community center is in East Memphis near the synagogues. Hanukkah is Here! We also got spend some time talking about the imagery and stories of the tradition of Hanukkah. Lynnie told that it's actually not one of the biggest holidays on the Jewish calendar, but has become a special time in the U.S. One of the reasons: the lighting of the menorah has become such a beautiful symbol of the holiday season. You'll have to listen to get the full story and Lynnie's explanation of how the story is a metaphor including an Alexander the Great connection. There's also a really interesting story about one moment in history in which the Jewish people were demanded of another leader to give up their lights. You can listen to it all in this podcast episode. To Be Jewish, Is to Be Thankful Lynnie explained how at it's semantic root, the word "Jewish" actually means "Thankful". She talks about the origins of the word and, of course, another beautiful story to tie it all together. She even tells me about the thankful prayer that many Jewish people around the world start their day by reciting. Her family came to Memphis from Poland to find a better life and likely to escape persecution. They started a store and an auto parts shop in 1941. On the other side of the family, they arrived from German in the late 1800's. That side of the family actually started the Jewish newspaper and print shop. It was located at a pretty well-known location right next to the Rendezvous. That building, unfortunately, is no longer standing.  Another location for her family's auto parts shop, Katz Brothers, used to occupy was the corner of Florence right by Overton Square. You can find the Magnolia Room, an event space, there now. They even lived above the shop there for many years. Some of her family members that escaped the holocaust came to this house as a place of refuge and then stayed in Memphis.  Being Jewish in Vollentine-Evergreen Much of her childhood happened near the Orthodox Synagogue location not far from her house near the intersection of Hawthorne and Vollentine. You'll find a church there now in a building and land the occupy an entire city block. It almost looks like an old utility building or something like that. But in the 50s and 60s it was the orthodox shoal (another word for synagogue). She recalls growing up in the turbulent time of the civil rights movement and her holocaust-surviving cousins being appalled at some of the things that existed in Memphis at the time—segregation in department stores and in public places. She also talks about the what she was doing the moment she found out Dr. King had been assassinated. But maybe the most intriguing part of it is her talking about how her Jewish experience gave her a different perspective on the events of that time. You guessed it... you'll have to listen to hear, though. The Jewish Historical Society of the Mid-South Lynnie talked about being a member of the Jewish Society of the Mid-South which exists to preserve the stories of the jewish people in the region. She has been a members since the organization's founding in the 1980s. The collection they preserve is physically located at Temple Israel in East Memphis. They are especially interested in noting and keeping record of landmarks and buildings that have connections to the Jewish stories of Memphis.  Her Elvis Story It turns out that Elvis' dentist was Jewish, his taylor was Jewish, and best of all, when Elvis was living in Lauderdale Courts, his neighbor was the head of a Jewish school. Apparently, the school leader would leave his record player on on sabbath to avoid breaking tradition. It is said, that the music Elvis heard had an impact on him. Details in the podcast including the strongest Jewish connection of all.  For full show notes go to memphistypehistory.com/hanukkah

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, grab some popcorn because we take you to the neighborhood theater of Crosstown, a place that lives no more. Then learn the story behind Lloyd T. Binford, the man who played watchdog over Memphis cinema for many years. The Crosstown Theater was built in the late 1940s and opened in May of 1951. It stood at N. Cleveland Street which is now occupied by a Jehovahs Witness Kingdom Hall. The theater had a 90 ft. vertical sign with the word crosstown. Sources say a mile of neon tubing was used in the marquee and vertical sign. At the time it was the largest neighborhood theater in Memphis, holding 1,400 seats. For perspective if you've ever eaten at The Magestic Grill on North Main Memphis, that was once a theater that held 1,000 seats. In the 1960s and 1970s, Elvis Presley used to rent the theater out for all-night movie sessions.. although we learn that this wasn't anything new for Elvis and we even tell a short story about an encounter with Elvis at another theater with a gifting of a gold cup. The Crosstown Theater closed on May 5, 1976, but was then sold to Jehovah's Witnesses who were able to get a $1.3 million makeover thanks to a 100 percent volunteer workforce that was funded by donations.  Rebecca's only regret is moving to Memphis only 3 years after the vertical sign was removed and destroyed in 2005. Now onto the man who kept Memphis AWAY from the movies... Born in Duck Hill, MS, in 1869, Lloyd T. Binford left school in 5th grade to pursue different moneymaking schemes. Eventually, he became president of the Columbian Mutual Life Insurance Company in 1916 and moved to Memphis in 1925. There, he built the Columbia Mutual Tower, a 22-story white terra cotta building on Court Square (now known as the Lincoln America Tower). Enter the Memphis Censor Board, created in 1921 with a mission to "censor, supervise, regulate, or prohibit any entertainment of immoral, lewd, or lascivious character, as well as performances inimical to the public safety, health, morals, or welfare." It was pretty much just a name with no action until Binford got ahold of it in 1928. Under Binford, the censor board would ban more Hollywood movies than any other city. It got so intense that folks started saying their films might get "Binfordized," and would even send their scripts in early to get Binford's approval early on. What times of movies got “Binfordized?” Try anything containing train robberies. Or even King of Kings because it differed a bit from the Bible and the crucifixion aspect was too violent. And then there was The Woman They Almost Lynched, which wasn't shown in Memphis because Binford was simply against films featuring Jesse James. Anything Ingrid Bergman made was banned because she was having an affair with director Roberto Rossellini. And no Charlie Chaplin either "because of Chaplin's character and reputation," as quoted in the Chicago Daily Tribune. Memphians missed out on Rebel Without a Cause because Binford felt it promoted juvenile delinquency. He also banned films containing relationships between blacks and whites that he personally disagreed with, and often censored black performers' scenes altogether. So what did Memphians do under the heavy weight all these movie bans? Well, many flocked to Mississippi and Arkansas to see those films advertised as “Banned in Memphis.” In fact, 15,000 Memphians went to Arkansas in 1928 to see Gloria Swanson's Miss Sadie Thompson. Binford resigned his position several times due to bad health, but kept getting called back to the position by supporters. He died the year after actually retiring and is buried at Elmwood. The censorship law that gave Binford so much power was only declared unconstitutional in 1965. For full show notes and pictures, visit memphistypehistory.com/binfordized Support the show at patreon.com/memphistypehistory and get bonus content like our weekly blooper reel, digital wallpaper featuring Rebecca's artwork, t-shirts, signed books, and more!

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, Caitlin tells Rebecca the history behind Memphis' oldest African-American graveyard: Zion Christian Cemetery. She was taken to the site by Tramica Morris (whose home we toured in our 16th episode – A Tour of Glenview Historic District). There are many notable Memphians buried there and ever so many ties to important moments of Memphis history... and we're happy to report that efforts to revitalize it are underway. The 15-acre Zion Christian Cemetery is located on the north side of the 1400 block of S. Parkway East. In 1990 is was added onto the National Register of Historic Places and there are likely 30,000 people buried there. Back in 1873, the United Sons of Zion, an African-American fraternal organization founded by freed slaves, purchased this land. It took three years for it to be turned into the final resting place for so many when Reverend Morris Henderson, the founding pastor of Beale Street Baptist Church got it officially established as a cemetery. This church was the first brick church in the Midsouth built by and for African Americans and the congregation was made up of freed slaves. In my various pieces of research for blog posts and podcast episodes, I've come across the quick mention that people used to believe the yellow fever was somehow started by African Americans through voodoo or somesuch. And although it was believed that the black community was immune to Yellow Fever, they were, in fact, not totally so. While most white citizens fled Memphis in the fever, many African Americans stayed and nursed the sick. But when they died, they couldn’t be buried at the other cemeteries in city so they would be laid to rest in Zion – so this is why there are so many people buried there. The victims of the Peoples Grocery Lynching in 1892 are buried at Zion Christian Cemetery. Thomas Moss, Calvin McDowell, and William Stewart,were brutally murdered by a mob of white men (with the press present to take down all the details) because their grocery store was more popular and prosperous than the white guy's store in the same neighborhood. I go into more detail on the show, but I still recommend you visit the links at the bottom of the show notes to learn more about it. Moss' murder would inspire Ida B. Wells' international anti-lynching crusade. Julia Hooks is also buried in Zion Christian Cemetery. She was deeply involved in young people in the city as an officer of the Juvenile Court, a teacher, and a school principal. Her sons, Henry and Robert Hooks, owned the famous Hooks Brothers Photographers. This business was the second oldest continuously operating black business in Memphis. They were extremely influential in recording African American life in the 20th century, and even took the only known studio portrait of blues musician Robert Johnson. Their studio was located at 162 Beale which is now King's Palace Café (and has been left largely intact apparently). Julia Hooks' grandson was Benjamin L. Hooks, a name you likely recognize because the main library is named for him. Dr. Hooks was a major civil rights movement leader and was executive director of the NAACP from 1977 to 1992. There are many other notable African American community members buried here in Zion Christian Cemetery, and you'll need to tune in and hear about them all! The cemetery thrived up until the 1920s, by which time many of the original shareholders had passed away... so it was supported by church collections. Then by the '60s it had pretty much been abandoned. It was so overgrown that many people didn't even know that such a historic site lay underneath all the trees and weeds. In 2005, the Zion Community Project was formed to clean out and preserve the history here. On the day I visited, a lot of clearing out what going on. Future plans include identifying those laid to rest there, creating roads and walkways for better navigation through the cemetery, and documenting the stories of people buried there. For full show notes, links, and pictures visit memphistypehistory.com/zion

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, Caitlin and Rebecca take each and every one of you out for Ladies Night! And guess what? It's a two-for-one special tonight because they each share the story of a Memphis lady they love.   First, Rebecca makes Caitlin play a game of "Name That Tune." Well, sort of. We're not really sure how the game show worked and we for sure don't play the right way. But you can play along with us if you dare! But beware that Rebecca gets REALLY bossy about it. All of these shenanigans lead us into learning all about Estelle Axton, who grew up on a farm and moved to Memphis to be a teacher. But then in 1958, fate came upon her when her brother, Jim Stewart, asked her to start Satellite Records with him. Estelle and her husband re-mortgaged their home and created their first big musical hit. This caught the attention of an LA label that already owned that name. So the siblings combined the first two letters of their last names to create... drum roll please... Stax! Every recording studio is known for its unique sound, which is greatly affected by the physical build of the studio. At Stax, the floor was slanted because they had to set up shop in a theater. And voilà, the Stax sound was created! The original label's name lived on in the Satellite Record Shop that Estelle created in the former concession stand to help pay rent and gain insight into which records would sell best. Along with much success with Stax, Estelle also went on to become huge in the music industry, both in Memphis and globally. Next up, Caitlin brings the Wild West to Memphis with a story that bundles up in one inspirational woman all the things we love: Memphis, an iconic sign, and, as stated, the Wild West. In 1927, 21-year-old Evelyn Estes (aka "Calamity Jane's Little Sister) set off alone with just a horse and her dog, Kip, to reach the Pacific Ocean in California. She took very little with her except a travel journal, intending to rely solely on the kindness of strangers. Caitlin details the high points of Evelyn's journey, which includes things like how she delivered a baby, ran slap into pioneer life (straight up Oregon Trail stuff, y'all), saw several famous people, and lots more. For those who particularly love the ladies of the Wild West, we also have a nice little sidebar in this episode about Calamity Jane herself, too! We also cover a bit of the history behind our surprise iconic sign encountered by Evelyn herself on her way to the ocean... no spoilers here, though! Evelyn didn't stop being awesome at 22. She also was a WWII nurses' aid, made B29s, worked with children in the John Gaston Hospital. Being the total boss she was, Evelyn lived on to the age of 103. For full show notes, go to memphistypehistory.com/ladies

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, Caitlin educates Rebecca on Midtown Memphis' favorite type of home – the quintessentially Southern shotgun house.   Shotgun houses can be found all over the south, including Memphis. First up, let's understand the format of a shotgun house. It's narrow – just one room wide – and would be at least three rooms deep to count. Typically, the first room was a living room, then bedrooms, and then the kitchen at the back. The original shotgun house would have been 12-feet wide with a single window beside the front door. Later in time, as we'll see, this design will change. The name comes from the fact that a gun could be fired at the front door and the bullet would travel straight out the back door without hitting anything, since there's no hallway. Where these original shotgun houses came from remains a mystery. Some say they're African floor plans that were brought to Haiti by slaves in the colonial era. The first ones documented in the U.S. were built in New Orleans in the 1840s. They then began spreading throughout urban areas. The "second wave" of shotgun home building made it to Memphis, so the ones built here in the 1860s and 70s have fancier architectural elements than the first wave houses. Finally, the "third wave" came about in the late 1880s during industrialization. This time period featured simplified shotgun homes constructed as working class rental units. Because of constant changes throughout time, it's uncertain that all of these Memphis shotgun house neighborhoods still exist, so explore at your own risk :) 659 Jennette Place was the site of a famous Memphis shotgun house, as it's where blues musician W.C. Handy wrote songs like "Yellow Dog Blues" and "Beale Street Blues." It's now at 352 Beale Street as a museum. 406 Lucy Avenue is where you can find the shotgun house Aretha Franklin was born in... and rumor has it that her bathtub is still in there. Since the time of this episode's recording, it seems that renewed efforts are underway to restore the home for history. In a book on Memphis architecture, Wells Avenue was listed as a wealth of shotgun houses, the best in the city. But its National Register of Historic Places designation was removed in 2014 so I'm wondering if they are still there. Lost Memphis found two shotgun homes there in 2014. These are/were built around the turn of the century and are closer to 25 feet across... the same street feature/d 1920s bungalows as well. Belz Court was constructed in 1936 to house African American families working in Philip Belz's North Memphis Industrial District. There were a dozen shotgun duplexes there on either side of a "pedestrian court" – no driveways or anything for parking because the planners expected everyone would just walk to work. Because of it's old-fashioned design, only about three of them were left in 2014 because they just aren't very practical for modern families. Lost Memphis also went there to check out what's left. For full show notes, visit memphistypehistory.com/shotgun  

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, Caitlin chats with John R. Stevenson all about everyone's favorite bundle of fun—Libertyland! John just published a book about the park and we dive right into all the weird and wonderful things about this historic Memphis spot. For full show notes, go to memphistypehistory.com/libertyland

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, we learn that there are a lot of ghosts in Memphis. Earnestine & Hazels, Annesdale Snowden historical neighborhood, and The Orpheum Theater are just a few places where you can find a ghost. To get you further into the Halloween spirit, listen to first-hand accounts of encounters with these ghosts and discover if perhaps you've met one yourself!   Introducing the Pigman First Caitlin sets the mood for this episode by sharing a story she uncovered of a past Memphis ghost who haunts a smoke stack in North Memphis... the PIGMAN! Squuueeeeeeeel.  The Haunting of Earnestine & Hazel's But then things get real when we share a true story of a guy who witnessed a ghost first-hand at Earnestine & Hazels. We also hear two tales of things that go bump in the night from listeners – but one of them might have quite a logical explanation... Ghosts Get Real in One Memphis Neighborhood This house may look like an idealic southern home, but there is more hiding behind the bricks. Ashleigh Carroll shares how she discovered the home she purchased may actually be haunted. "Henrietta" has been paying visits to her family for years. Ashleigh tells several stories about her experiences with the ghost including how other people have at various times confessed experiencing paranormal activity without realizing Ashleigh already knew about it. And spookiest of all, perhaps, the mysterious messenger who delivered a bundle of very old photos of the previous residents only saying, "The pictures stay with the house." You can see a couple of those photos below but you'll want to listen to hear why its especially creepy.  Mary, The Orpheum's Longest Tenured Star The Orpheum theatre is a historic place of entertainment. From broadway shows, to concerts, and various other performances, there aren't many dull nights at this theater. Well, we found out that is especially true because Mary (we're not sure why everyone names their ghosts, but seriously, they ALL have a name!) has been haunting this place since the 1920's. Her story is one of tragedy but her presence is warm and joyful. Whether it be a practical joke, hanging out with kids, or watching shows on the balcony, Mary is in good spirits. She even made her presence known to the star of The King and I while on stage. Interestingly, that same show just recently finished a run at the Orpheum. Curious about all the stories? We hear from the director of marketing for special productions, Renee Brame, about the various times and places people have experienced Mary's presence.   For full show notes, go to memphistypehistory.com/halloween17

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, we're talking type – typography that is! Rebecca gets in the hot seat to teach us all about appreciating the visual form of words and letters... and how we can get more into typography in our everyday lives.   We dive right in to typography as it relates to signage and lettering in this episode. So we recommend that you first listen to our intro episode if you haven't already for a background on how Memphis Type History began and the double meaning in its name. Typography is text, fonts... type is a letter form. Letter form is an art form that can be made digitally on the computer or by hand, and even through typesetting like on a letterpress where letters made out of wood or metal are used to create different prints. These days, endless type can be created, and even sold, using modern technology! In the olden days, signs were typically hand-painted. What was painted on the side of the building to advertise what was inside often became the logo for the business... and this method continues today through Rebecca's own hand for businesses like Propcellar and 409 South Main.   What's needed to create good type? A sense of space, composition, and a steady hand for the most part. Hand-lettering involves researching an appropriate era for inspiration and figuring out how to merge these styles with what is appropriate for the project. Rebecca will often create several different options, which often creates an entirely different feel to the entire piece even if each ones is coming from the same inspiration. To create her Florida piece, Rebecca first planned out the piece on paper. She decided how the letters should be spaced out, what style they should have, and whether they need flourishes or not... she even thinks about how thick or thin each part of the letter should be. Unlike pieces like the one below which Rebecca creates by painting layers upon layers, her typographic pieces are sketched out first. Rebecca begins by sketching "roughs" onto paper. She keeps working and working until it's exactly how she wants. Then she transfers the sketch (usually smaller scale) onto the wood using carbon paper. Letters don't need the soft edges that a painting of a sign or a landscape needs to look realistic, so all she has to do is paint the background and then work on top of the carbon copy sketch. In order to hide the lines, Rebecca paints slightly over the edge of the carbon marks – as she pointed out, steady surgeon hands are surely needed! If you want to get into typography, Rebecca recommends resources like Thinking with Type , Sign Painters , and take time to visit your local library. For full show notes go to memphistypehistory.com/type

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, Caitlin gives Rebecca an overview of the history behind Glenview Historic District. Then we sit down with Glenview resident Tramica Bridges who tells us all about the history of her home and so kindly gives us a tour!   In 1904, architect George E. Kessler began work on the Memphis Parkway system, part of the City Beautiful Movement which aimed to create a city that integrated well with nature. The plan included features like neighborhood parks as well as lampposts, benches, and other "street furniture." You can see aspects of this trend throughout Glenview, which was mostly built from the 1910s through the 1940s (although there are some homes that date up to 1997). In addition, there are also curves in the grid layout of the neighborhood, a new development that came alongside the introduction of cars into everyday usage. Within the subdivision, you can find wonderful examples of architecture of this period, such as the bungalow, craftsman, Tudor revival, Spanish Colonial Revival, and your good ol' ranch homes, among others. This historic neighborhood is bordered by South Parkway East on the south, Burlington Northern Railroad on the west, Southern Avenue on the north, and Lamar Avenue on the east. Glenview's first residents were white, middle class professionals – small business owners, salespeople, craftsmen, and the like. A notable event that once took place in the neighborhood was the staging of Tennessee Williams' first play, Cairo, Shanghai, Bombay! in 1935, when he was a student at Southwestern College, by the amateur theater group out of Alice G. Rosebrough’s home, aka "Rose Arbor." In 1956, Reverend Charles H. (Bob) Mason, Jr., the pastor at the Church of God in Christ (one of the largest Pentecostal churches in the nation and the largest Pentecostal congregation in Memphis) purchased the house at 1755 Glenview Avenue. The Glenview Civic Club and the Glenview Plan, Inc. (a business scheme designed to purchase properties put on the market in the neighborhood and sell them only to other white people) began working to keep Mason, Jr. and other African-American families, out of the area. We discuss these disturbing dealings and the attempts to intimidate with various acts of violence further on the show. Other black leaders made their home in Glenview, with 1968 being a turning point in the transition of the neighborhood. The National Guard occupied the neighborhood and imposed a curfew on black residents, which apparently signaled to the remaining white ones that outsiders considered the neighborhood to be a black one. So out they moved, making room for many extremely notable black leaders like the first African American writer for the Commercial Appeal, Rubye Coffman, the first black Memphis policeman, Memphis Red Socks players, and more. Next on the show, Rebecca and Caitlin visit Tramica Bridges for a tour of her Glenview home. Her house has been featured in the Glenview home tour in previous years, and she takes great care to keep its historical elements while adding her own flair. We loved how her son, the entrepreneur behind Mo's Bows, also adds his own unique take to the space! Tramica shares the history of her home's past owners, followed by a tour of the house.  For full show notes go to memphistypehistory.com/glenview

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, Caitlin and Rebecca get on a boat. No, that's wishful thinking. Instead, Caitlin tells Rebecca about the history of steamboats and how these ships played a role in the growth of Memphis.   This episode begins with an introduction to Caitlin's favorite steamboat captain, singer and songwriter John Hartford. Sure, he won three Grammy's for "Gentle on My Mind" but her preferred track is "Don't Leave Your Records in the Sun." Who doesn't love a good tip set to music? Steamboats played a huge role in the economic growth of cities along the river, as well as the entire United States, in the early 19th century. These massive ships were able to take large amounts of freight and passengers both up and down the country's major rivers and tributaries due to the newfangled steam power technology. The very first steamboat on the Mississippi River was The Orleans way back in 1811. It was launched from Pittsburgh and worked alright, but many design and technological improvements were quickly on their way. The boats that followed were named the Comet, the Vesuvius, the Enterprise, and the Washington. But only The Enterprise boldy went where no man had gone before. By 1810, there were twenty steamboats on the river. At first they were made of wood and fueled by wood, but later that fuel became coal. At first, it took three weeks to make the trip up the Mississippi River to Ohio. But as time progressed and more powerful engines were constructed, better boiler systems came into play, pilots got more experienced, and dangers were removed from the river, this trip was cut down to just four days. Because of construction methods, fires, and frequent damage by obstacles along the river, a steamboat lasted, on average, about five years. By the 1830s, over 1,200 boats were chugging up and down the waterways. Memphis became a prominent port out of its slave trade. This was one catalyst for the First Battle of Memphis on June 6, 1862, a naval battle that many citizens went out to watch. The Union won the battle, and Confederate naval control of the river was pretty much nonexistent after that. Tom Lee Park is located on the riverfront, and is named for an African American riverworker, who himself couldn't swim, rescued, on his own, 32 drowning people from sinking of the M.E. Norman in 1925. So what was life like on a steamboat back in the day? Well, supposedly, beer was the #1 drink in the 1800s, also known as the glory days of the riverboat. There was a lot of gambling on the boats, and pilots often raced each other. There are several very famous races with well-known captains documented from history. These pilots were highly skilled, as they didn't have instruments and navigational readouts to go on. Instead, they learned from experience where the sandbars, rocks, snags, and landmarks were along the river. They also had to know about stuff that changed all the time, like river depth and current, and much of that was understood through understanding swirls, ripples, and what the color of water meant... and then pairing that knowledge with a gut instinct for the feel of the boat. In the early 20th century, steamboat usage began to decline. Passengers began using a faster form of transportation – the train. Then came the Great Depression, which saw a decline in almost every industry. Shipbuilding technology had improved to where diesel engines were being used a lot more. Diesel tugs required smaller crews, which meant less wages. Plus, the technology was just better. So by the 1940s, steamboats were considered outdated. These days, only a few riverboats still run on steam. According to research, the Belle of Louisville, the Natchez, the Minne-Ha-Ha, the Chautauqua Belle, the Julia Belle Swain, and the American Queen are still operating. In 2008, the U.S. government put an end to overnight passage on steamboats except with the permission of Congress. In Memphis, you can still get out on the water on a riverboat. The journey begins on the cobblestone landing, built by immigrants from 1850 to 1890. It's presence made a big difference in Memphis becoming such a huge port city because it could withstand the mules loading and unloading all the heavy goods. As of 1996, it's estimated that more than 800,000 of the original cobblestones are still there, although it's all in great disrepair. It's the last complete stone landing on any waterfront in the country. In the 1950s, most riverboat-related activities moved to President's Island. In 1955, the Memphis Queen Line was founded by Captain Ed Langford. In 1960, his part-time captain, Tom Meanley, purchased the company. He later endeavored to build the Memphis Queen III from 1977-1979, and then the Island Queen from 1982 to 1984, from the ground up. They made the hulls at Meanley Shipyard behind Captain Tom's house in Whitehaven, and then a house-moving company took them to McKellar Lake about 12 miles away. From there, they were towed to the cobblestone landing where the smokestacks, pilot house, and decks were added. You can ride the Island Queen, the Memphis Queen III, or the Memphis Showboat on sightseeing trips, dinner cruises, and private charters. For full show notes, go to memphistypehistory.com/steamboats

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, Rebecca sits down with R. Scott Williams to learn all about Richard Halliburton, a famous but forgotten Memphian. Halliburton cuts a fascinating figure in history as an explorer and adventure writer.   Scott, COO of the Newseum in Washington, D.C., published The Forgotten Adventures of Richard Halliburton. If the name sounds slightly familiar to you, it's because Halliburton Tower lies on the Rhodes campus, donated by Halliburton's father (along with documents from his life and travels). Fun fact: Halliburton's mother was one of the first psychologists in Memphis! And now, onto the main event – Richard Halliburton. “Let those who wish have their respectability. I wanted freedom, freedom to indulge in whatever caprice struck my fancy, freedom to search in the farthermost corners of the earth for the beautiful, the joyous and the romantic.” –Richard Halliburton At the age of nineteen, Halliburton ran away from his hometown of Memphis to go on adventures. He became an internationally known celebrity and the most famous travel writer in the grand ages for adventure – the Golden Age, the Roaring Twenties, and into the Great Depression. He did everything from climb Mount Olympus to flying all the way to Timbuktu, always looking for the next bigger and more astounding adventure to share with the world. But wait... how did he fund all this crazy travel? Well, back in the day, people gave lectures about the adventures they went on... and these events funded their subsequent adventures. He would do as many as 50 lectures a month sometimes! Basically he was the Anthony Bourdain before there was such a thing as the Travel Channel. If he lived today, he would be the ultimate travel brand... and Scott even tells us what his TV show would probably be called, but you'll have to listen to this episode to find out more! Scott shares how Halliburton was a great marketer and could always find the best "hook" for designing adventures. In one instance, he decided to fly to his next adventure. He flew all over the world for 18 months, including into volcanoes! His pilot and he ran into another pilot, Elly Beinhorn, who was also quite adventurous in her own right. Oh, and Scott really thinks this period of Halliburton's life would make a great movie – and there's even a love story that makes that even more intriguing.... One of our favorite things was how tied to Memphis Halliburton was. For example, when Halliburton was but a toddler around 1902, Mary Hutchison, the founder of Hutchison School, started the school in his home, as she was great friends with his parents. "Hutchy," as she was known, was called "Grandmother" by Halliburton, and she's even buried in the family plot. She's credited with really giving him his spirit of adventure. Unfortunately, Halliburton's last adventure was a bit too ill-conceived and he perished in a typhoon while sailing the seas in a Chinese junk. The original plan was for him to sail the junk from Hong Kong to San Francisco and appear just in time for the opening day of the World's Fair. However, he disappeared at sea at the age of 39... just two years after another famous adventurer, Amelia Earhart. We hope finding out more about this amazing Memphian will revive an interest in writings and life's work of adventuring around the world.  For full show notes go to memphistypehistory.com/halliburton  

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, Caitlin and Rebecca tell each other about a restaurant from Memphis history. Caitlin starts us off with some old timey vocabulary before diving into Anderton's (get it??) Rebecca follows up with charming stories of The Four Way, which is so near and dear to our hearts. Herbert Anderton learned how to cook on a Texas Army base before bringing his skills to downtown Memphis. In 1945, Anderton's Restaurant and Oyster Bar opened at 51 Madison to immediate success. In 1956, Anderton's East opened up in the former Gilmore Seafood Restaurant at 1901 Madison as a second location. There was also a third location around 1965 in Whitehaven, across from Graceland. Then it and the original downtown location closed, and Anderton's East became the only one – and this is the one that most people have such fond memories of... due in part to its amazing piratey, nautical-themed interior. In the restaurant’s first ten years, it served over six million oysters to more than two million diners. On their 10-year anniversary, they baked a cake to serve 2,500 customers so that anyone who came in on that day could enjoy a slice. If you have a photo or memory of this event, please get in touch with us. We need to hear more about this event! Anderton's closed in 2005 and was demolished in 2009 BUT the décor lives on at The Cove on Broad Avenue. The Four Way makes a strong appearance in our book, and we were thrilled to revisit it for this week's podcast episode. It's located in Soulsville, one of the most historic neighborhoods in Memphis. It began as a small pool hall where you could also get basics like a hotdog, a sandwich, or a beer. In 1946, Clint and Irene Cleaves took out a loan on their house to purchase the building. Their restaurant had an upscale feel with white tablecloths and snazzy servers. They added a private dining room in the back complete with a doorbell and required staff approval before entry. The Four Way was one of the few places in Memphis that white and black people ate at together. Martin Luther King, Jr., was a regular, as were many famous Stax recording artists. And, of course, Elvis also dined there. The restaurant closed in 1996 due to Mrs. Cleaves' declining health. Willie Earl Bates purchased it when it went up for auction in 2001. He remodeled it and expanded dining space by removing the pool tables and adding an upstairs dining room for groups. But he did keep the menu as close to the original Cleaves' version as possible, even having cooks help with taste-testing to make sure the food remained "rightly seasoned." Today you can still find amazing soul food at The Four Way, as it carries on even after Mr. Bates' passing in 2016. For full show notes, go to memphistypehistory.com/dining1

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, Rebecca and Caitlin visit Memphis' favorite historical dive bar, Earnestine and Hazel's. They pull up a stool and hear what soul burger cooker and bartender Clarence has to tell about E&H. They also take a tour of the bar and then wrap up by dancing the morning away with sounds of a haunted jukebox. Earnestine & Hazel's began it's life as a church in the late 1800s. However, the building at 351 South Main Street in downtown Memphis then became a dry goods store. And then it was a pharmacy owned by Abe Plough of Coppertone fame. He became a multi-millionaire so he sold the business to the two sisters who ran a hair salon upstairs (while also living there): Earnestine Mitchell and Hazel Jones. Upstairs the hair salon remained, with additional rooms being rented out to ladies of the night. The downstairs flipped over to a jazz night club run by Earnestine's husband, Sunbeam. He was a local music producer and promoted, and had opened Club Paradise over near Stax Records – so he knew a lot of famous musicians – and they would often come down to his wife's café for general frolicking late into the night. Ray Charles was apparently a regular. But by the end of the '70s, Stax was gone and with it, Club Paradise. The whole brothel aspect limited the café's customer base. By the '90s, Earnestine and Hazel were looking for a way out. As a ten-year-old, Russell George competed in the James Brown Dance Contest at the Mid-South Coliseum. Brown himself awarded this only white boy in the competition first prize. Five years later, George was running an illegal bar out of his apartment called Jefferson in the Rear. As a young man, he played a part in making Murphy’s Oyster Bar happen and became The Memphis Icebreaks' band manage (and also was one of their dancers).  In 1992, he bought the brothel, invented the Soul Burger, and the rest, shall we say, is Memphis dive bar history. Russell George tragically died in 2013 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after battling cancer and depression. At 62, he was the thirteenth person to move into the next world at E&H. His Soul Burger has fed the souls of so many throughout the years, and Clarence continues to serve them up from the same griddle Earnestine and Hazel used back in the combo café/brothel days. On a hot day in June, Rebecca and Caitlin sat down to chat with Clarence about the history of E&H.  You can follow along with the full show notes at memphistypehistory.com/eh

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, Rebecca sits on her front porch with graffiti artist Brandon Marshall sipping on mojitos while he takes us all the way back to the beginning of his art form and its manifestations in our beloved Memphis. Do you know the difference between graffiti and a mural? Sit up straight, class is in session.  Forgive the ambient noise, we actually did record on my front porch and so you hear the crickets outside and the occasional car or plane passing by. This whole conversation was framed by Rebecca's questions and lack of knowledge on the subject, so they started at the beginning. How did graffiti start? While the exact city is somewhat unclear, the big northeastern cities are definitely all a part of the roots of graffiti. New York, DC, Philadelphia, all had very active scenes in the seventies. At its core, graffiti started as kids just wanting to leave something behind. So they would tag their name on subways, alleys, wherever they could. Then, it escalated. With everyone tagging their name, it became really important to set yourself apart. How do you do that? Two ways—location and artistry. You wanted to make it stood out by putting your tag someplace really visually accessible to lots of people. You also wanted to make sure you added some flare to that tag so people realized it was you as they saw it in more and more high-profile places. A couple of other things worth noting: named derived first the the city street number and your crew name. Crews are basically people teaming up and they share a piece of your tag name. So Nosey42 is Brandon's nickname and his crew, 42. What is a crew and how do you get into one? How many does Memphis have? Hear more about that in our conversation on the podcast. Even though, we are talking about something that is done mostly illegally, it turns out there is a bit of a code or an etiquette. If you cover someone else's tag it has to follow one basic guidelines: it has to make the work objectively better. There's more to it than that, but basically that's what it comes down to. There have been fights over this and maybe even worse. Brandon also told us about some of his experiences dealing with instances of people breaking the graffiti code. Brandon tells us that when being considered, a crew will take note of the quality of an artist's work and the quantity. Just like he mentioned in the history, they want to have artists whose work can be seen in the most high profile places, and is at a high level. This lead us into a discussion about the place of murals and where he saw them in the landscape of the art community in the world broadly but also specifically in Memphis. He was quoted in a previous article speaking the appeal of popular art like murals. In other words, he loves art that anyone can see and enjoy, and see meaning in. He even went so far as to say the truest form of graffiti, tagging your name on a wall, is really the most boiled down, pure, honest, form of art. All you need is a name and spray can to do it and even less to appreciate it of what it is. That's why we love talking about graffiti, because at our core, we're about type being used in Memphis. So what does Brandon think about the prevalence of murals on walls across Memphis, even in some of the newest, hippest, developments in the city? As you might expect, he has mixed feelings. For full show notes go to memphistypehistory.com/graffiti

Tune in to Memphis Type History's very first Speakpipe message sent by Lisa Bryant from Little Rock, Arkansas. Hear a particular memory she has of the no longer existing Raleigh Springs Mall.

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, Caitlin tells Rebecca all about the engineering and architectural marvel that was the Lustron home. Three of these rare postwar gems can be found in Memphis.   Carl Strandlund invented the Lustron home to answer the need for affordable housing for soldiers returning from World War II. The plan was that the government would provide the steel and Strandlund would combat the housing shortage with these highly unique, prefabricated, enamel-coated, modular steel homes. In 1946, he demonstrated the prototype which he claimed was fireproof (because steel), and also could do not rust or be damaged termites or rats and such. It could also stand up to water and sun damage of all kinds. Finally, homeowners would never have to paint it, replace the roof, or do anything more than grab a hose when it was time to clean it. In 1947, his manufacturing company was ready to do business, armed with the first ever venture capital loan from the U.S. government. These homes that could "defy weather, wear, and time" were designed for the modern family, with ads claiming a "new and richer experience for the entire family." At $8,500–$9,500, the pricing came in at 25% less than the market average (although prices went up by 1949 to $10,500). There were three models to choose from and each came with two- and three-bedroom options. The most popular selection was the 1,021 square foot, two bedroom Westchester Deluxe. Unlike the current models of prefabricated homes one purchased from Alladin, Gordon-Van Tine, Montgomery Ward, or Sears at this time, Lustron homes were delivered as engineering marvels complete with a new kind of steel framing system of vertical steel studs and roof-ceiling trusses that the interior and exterior panels were then attached to... and the interior came ready to assemble as well, with all counter tops, pocket doors, and many pieces of furniture built into the design for space-saving. Customers had the option add-on of a combination clothes- and dish-washer made by Thor. The manufacturing system was also a marvel – of the assembly line kind. The Ohio-based factory featured eight miles of conveyor belts, eleven 180-foot enameling furnaces, and up to 1,000 bathtubs could be made in one day, each in a single draw from the press. The finished pieces were all modular, so once the custom-designed trucks arrived on site, the 33,000 individual parts could be built into a house within three days. You might be wondering why, with all of these benefits to their name, Lustron homes are such rare historical and architectural gems. Due to lots of governement bureucracy adn soem sneaky stuff (check out the links roundup at the end of this post if you want all the gory details), the Lustron factory just never produced at capacity. Rather than the 15,000 homes they were projected to make in 1947 and the 30,000 that were planned in 1948, only 2,498 were ever made at all – and Memphis got four of them! Only about 2,000 still exist in the U.S., and most have been modified (somewhat extensively, in many cases). The original owners of the Memphis Lustron homes would have ordered them at the Mid-South Fair. As far as we know, three are still in the city and we discuss them on the show. For full show notes go to memphistypehistory.com/lustron

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, you’ll find out how the drive-in movie theater started, hear Rebecca’s sister tell her childhood memories of the drive in, and answer the question that has been the source of many contentious debates in Memphis for years: which side of the highway was the Summer Avenue Drive in originally located? Richard Hollingshead starts the Drive-In, of course, for his mom. As a sales manager for his father’s company, Whiz Auto Products, Hollingshead understood the automobile and society’s love for cars. He also understood some people, like his mom, had a hard time finding a comfortable seat in the town’s lavish theater. Thus, he worked on an idea to create a movie watching experience in the comfort of your own car. Mounting a 1928 Kodak projector on the hood of his car, tying sheets to trees, and with his radio, he practiced his clever project in his own driveway. In May of 1933 he received a patent for his concept and opened the first Drive-In Theater on Tuesday, June 6 of the same year in Pennsauken, New Jersey.  At some point between the late 1950s to early 60s around 4,000 Drive-In theaters existed across the country. One of the largest was in Copiague, New York which provided space for 2,500 parked cars, a kid’s playground and a full service restaurant. Apparently, there were several factors in the decline of the drive-in. First, the widespread adoption of daylight savings made it difficult for the movies to start at a reasonable hour. Secondly, the oil crisis in the seventies made people more unlike to do anything in the car if they could avoid it. Still, drive-ins have managed to survive into the current era but there are fewer than 500 in existence today. GROWING UP AT THE DRIVE-IN Rebecca's sister actually has some vivid memories of going to the movie theater, especially the drive in where we grew up in South Texas. The whole experience of bringing food, packing into the car, seeing some new and exciting film, was an escape from what could sometimes feel like an otherwise dull and restricting working class lifestyle. It should be noted in the podcast Rebecca's sister says she was born in 1979 which is true even though she tries to sound more like 79 years old to make the memory more genuine. Plus they sound almost exactly alike so hopefully this helps distinguish them. THE SUMMER AVENUE DRIVE IN GREAT DEBATE That brings us to the Summer Avenue Drive-In. If you talk to many Memphians, especially those that have lived here for a long time, you’ll run into questions about what side of the highway it was on originally: west or east? It turns out that’s a trick question because it was neither on the east or west side of the highway because at the time there was no highway! The current drive-in did move into its current location, across the highway to the west after the construction of the highway in 1966. The original drive-in was said to have the largest marquee sign in the South and the second largest car capacity at more than 600.  We also learned the founder of Holiday Inn, Kemmons Wilson, was one of the original owners of the movie theater and he intended for there to be a skating rink directly in front of the screen. In addition, the original theater offered services many of us would love to have access to, especially moms, like warming a bottle of milk for a baby! Although the skating rink may or may not have actually ever been used and several of the other big ideas for the theater were never realized, it was still very popular and entertained crowds for many years. It did close and was eventually demolished before the new Summer Drive-In opened in 1966. Caitlin and Rebecca went to see a movie at the current Summer Drive-In several years ago. You’ll have to listen to the podcast to get the whole story, though. You’ll also hear about someone who may be living in an apartment above the concession stand. The Summer Drive-In now remains a popular spot for families, teenagers, and just about anyone who loves movies in Memphis. You can listen to the movie audio through a radio station that tunes in once you drive onto the lot and the sign is characterized by vintage sculptures and a classic Beetle car above the marquee. For full show notes, visit memphistypehistory.com/drivein  

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, Rebecca and Caitlin have a treat for all the Elvis fans out there celebrating this week. They talk about Graceland Too, the offbeat museum of Elvis memorabilia you can't visit anymore because of its closing in tragic circumstances. But you can hear all about it from from people who did see it firsthand on Memphis Type History: The Podcast. Graceland Too is no longer open to the public. However, memories of the eccentric owner of the Elvis memorabilia museum are still spoken of with fondness. Paul MacLeod drove into Holly Springs, Mississippi, in the 1980s dressed like Elvis and in a pink Cadillac. He took up residence in the small town and soon his reputation as an Elvis fan garnered him visitors of his own. He loved Elvis so much his entire home was filled with rare and strange memorabilia. He said to have even named is son Elvis Aaron Presley McLeod. So where did the name come from? The house itself was just as eccentric as the man who ran it. There was memorabilia covering every wall of the house. It changed colors regularly according to various themes: Blue for Blue Hawaii, Pink for the Cadillac, and Gray for Jailhouse Rock, among others. Unfortunately Paul McLeod was found dead suddenly on his porch in the front of his house from a health issues. Two days earlier he had shot and killed a man at his front door. Although MacLeod was not convicted with anything, people claim the stress of the situation caused his death. The death was sudden and just as suddenly his home and belongings were auctioned off. Rebecca only even experienced any of it at an exhibit at Crosstown Arts which is why she looked for people who could help fill in memories with their firsthand accounts. The first person interviewed is Darrin Devault. He went to the museum the first time with a friend who was always looking for the opportunity to take good photos. Only box fans cooled the house in the sweltering July heat. Darrin described the house as being at one time a "stately home." At the time of their visit it was painted in the blue. After that, it was painted "Pepto Bismo Pink. Darrin went to McLeod's funeral. They let everyone at the funeral back to the house for the final tour. Darrin talks about Paul's "photographic memory" and his "wall of fans" for people visited consistently over the years including the Elvis garment you had to wear for your "wall of fans" photo to be displayed in the home. You'll have to listen to the podcast to get the details, though. Second, we hear from Aimee who was a lifetime member. She took one of those middle-of-the-night visits that were apparently very popular among college students. It was the mid-nineties. Upon arriving she was taken aback by the number of items and its location just off a main city street. She also talks about how it was a much different experience in the middle of the night than during the day. Aimee took the trip when she was relatively new to Memphis and was very curious about the Elvis culture that exists. She describes it as a place you had to see to believe and describes McLeod as every bit of what you hear about when people describe him. Rebecca also talked to Emily Van Gilder and her boyfriend Evan Daws. Evan was actually a lifetime member and has his picture on that "wall of fans" you read about earlier and is the owner of several Lifetime Member cards. Evan talks about his many adventures at Graceland Too, and shares what he'd have kept if he could have anything from the collection. Emily had her own unique experience there. Listen to the podcast to get all those details. For full show notes go to memphistypehistory.com/gracelandtoo

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, Caitlin tells Rebecca all about a magical place of summer fun in Memphis: Maywood Beach, aka the "beach within reach."   Maurice and Mae Woodson opened Maywood Beach (named after Mae, of course) on July, 4, 1931 at Lake Shahkoka in Olive Branch, MS. A team of mules dug out the lake bed, which was filled with water from an underground artesian water basin. They trucked in tons and tons of white sand from Destin, FL. Finally, slides and other fun additions over time like picnic tables, barbecue pits, pavilions, a bowling alley, playgrounds, a snack bar, and a tearoom created a full-on beach and a waterpark on the Woodsons' 400 acres. Commercials for Coppertone, hat contests, and concerts by Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Cash (to name a few) quickly ensued. Oh, and yes, there's yet another Elvis connection in this episode! But then Caitlin has to break the bad news to Rebecca... In 2003, the grounds closed in order to create a planned subdivision and gated retirement community. Then they call Caitlin's mom on Skype to ask her why she never took Caitlin to Maywood when she had the chance. For full show notes go to memphistypehistory.com/maywood

Buckle up for a bonus episode! First, listen to Episode 8: Beer-Drinking Goats at Silky O'Sullivan's. Then come back and enjoy this fun little bonus show!

Buckle up for a bonus episode! First, listen to Episode 8: Beer-Drinking Goats at Silky O'Sullivan's. Then come back and enjoy this fun little bonus show!

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, Caitlin and Rebecca talk about the history of a few malls in Memphis, how they started and what they've become. They also include some hopeful future news.  They talk about the history of malls generally, but also specifically how Memphis malls illustrate the rise and apparent current fall of the mall as an architectural construct in cities across the country. They talk about where the oldest mall in the history of the world resides. Of course, it would be the motherland of architecture, none other than Italy. It's also an example of a galleria being in contrast to a mall because it makes use of a glass enclosed promenade. It's called Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. First up, the Hickory Ridge Mall, which came about in the heyday of indoor mall popularity: the eighties. Rebecca took her family to visit the what was once one of Memphis' most popular attractions. It's the same place Caitlin's grandmother used to take her to shop at the oh so bougie Goldsmith's department store (Caitlin really just wanted to go to Wet Seal, though). In any case, Rebecca was particularly impressed by the still operating, double-decker carousel. Unfortunately, the food court promised a lot but didn't seem to have much going on. The mall is now mostly space used by service providers to the now recessed community of Hickory Hill—a nonprofit pharmacy for low-income customers, tax prep services, the school district had a registration office, after school programs, etc. It's really amazing that it is still running at all given the fates of the next two malls and Hickory Ridge got hit by a tornado in 2008. You can see another perspective from someone who grew up at the Hickory Ridge Mall and recently went back to visit from Michael Butler at his blog one901.com. Next stop on my tour was the Raleigh Springs Mall—the second mall of Memphis. Rebecca couldn't go inside because the Raleigh Springs Mall had been scheduled for demolition. It opened in the seventies and was on the forefront of a new phenomenon at the time: movie theaters inside malls. It's something we all associate completely with malls now but in the seventies it was a brand new idea and the Raleigh Springs mall was one of the first. The Raleigh Springs Mall closed in 2011 and despite efforts to try and use it a new town centre concept to provide community services with a police precinct, library, job training center, etc. the build was demolish in 2017. Despite all of this, when Rebecca drove around the neighborhood, she was really impressed with the homes and surrounding neighborhood. It reminded her of the small Texas town where she grew up. Then maybe the most tragic tale of them all: The Mall of Memphis (aka The Mall of Murder) The Mall of Memphis stormed the Mid-South as the premier marketplace and arrived with much fanfare. It boasted 1.2 million square feet of retail space including an ice skating rink, food court, a fancy ribbon-cutting, indoor concerts, and basically all the things you saw in the movies in the eighties that wished were happening at your childhood mall. Caitlin knows firsthand. She grew up visiting and remembers it being the place with all the cutting-edge stores especially one favorite (admit it, you loved it as a teenager, too) Spencer Gifts. The mall developed a reputation for being unsafe. After hearing so many people refer to the mall by that reputation even now, many years after its closing, Rebecca looked into some research about exactly where the reputation came from. Rhodes College did a study about the subject comparing the Mall of Memphis to several others: Oak Court, Southland, and Hickory Ridge in regard to several specific areas of comparative data: location, demographics and, competition. The big takeaways for me were the following: Media coverage played a really significant role in the name "Mall of Murder" sticking and by extension the reputation Other malls actually had a higher number of crimes per capita (Oak Court) and property crime rates (Hickory Ridge). Note: Rebecca states that Oak Court had higher violent crimes but it was actually property crimes as well as crimes per capita. There was a dramatic demographic shift from 1990 to 2000 in which the percentage of white residents nearby dropped precipitously. It's also worth noting that this shift didn't just occur in a racial binary (black/white). There was also a significant increase in new hispanic residents to area surrounding the mall of Memphis. The businesses in the Mall of Memphis were almost entirely geared toward "blue collar" shoppers as opposed to shoppers looking for "luxury" brands For full show notes, go to memphistypehistory.com/malls  

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, we tell each other the history behind a favorite historical Memphis hotel. Rebecca dives right into how the Peabody Hotel came to be, while Caitlin shares about the lesser known Hotel Pontotoc. The very first Peabody Hotel opened in 1869 at the corner of Main and Monroe at a cost of $60,000. Rates were $4 a night and included a meal in the first class dining room. Rebecca talks about the origin of the famous Peabody ducks and how they got tamed by the Ringling Brothers' circus animal trainer... who then became the first Duckmaster! The current Peabody is a beautiful relic of historic architecture in Memphis... and many celebrities have stayed there (like Michael Jackson, for starters). The ducks stay in their duck palace up on the roof. The Pontotoc Hotel is a European-style hotel constructed of rusticated concrete block, located at 69 Pontotoc in downtown Memphis. Unlike the swankier Peabody, the Pontotoc catered to railway and riverboat travelers... but there were Turkish baths available just to keep things classy. And just in case you're not sure how a Turkish bath works, Caitlin happily gives you her first-hand account! By the 1920's, though, the Pontotoc was one of Memphis' most well-known (and most elegant) brothels. Later on a Greek family owned the establishment and Caitlin talks about the wine they made and the famous vaudeville performers and artists who stayed at the Pontotoc. We try to dispel yet another ghost story and tell you how the Pontotoc survived some wild years as a nightclub known as The Cellar. Caitlin wraps up by announcing who owns the Pontotoc now, the ways they support downtown Memphis, and their famous Halloween parties. For full show notes go to memphistypehistory.com/hotels1

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, Rebecca tells Caitlin why there are goats on Beale Street and how they've been known to drink beer. Silky O'Sullivan's features dueling pianos and an outdoor patio with two wonderful female goats. Joellyn Sullivan joins on this episode to tell us the story of this famous Beale Street Irish pub. Her late husband Thomas Daniel Sullivan, got the nickname "Silky's" from a racehorse. He used the name when he first opened a bar on Overton Square... and then added an "O" to the Beale Street location in Irish naming tradition because it was the "son of" his first bar! It was one of the first places opened when Beale Street was getting revitalized. Joellyn tells us where the goats actually came from... which involves a famous Irish festival with a goat king and everything. But the journey to have these fun drinking partners on Beale was full of the best kind of Memphis drama like goat switcheroos and a Peabody ducks appearance... We learn about Maynard the one-horned goat that brought the Grizzlies good luck. Joellyn shares the secret of how Memphis barbecue got to Ireland, Estonia, Sweden, Bangkok, Jamaica, the Bahamas, and Cuba (we're sure they're all extremely thankful). Our very heartfelt thanks goes out to Joellyn Sullivan for making this episode possible. Lastly, if you think you know what's inside a Diver, let us know! You can contribute to our Diver fund at patreon.com/memphistypehistory For full show notes, visit memphistypehistory.com/goats

In this episode, Caitlin and Rebecca ask each other questions about all sorts of random stuff. We learn how we got to Memphis and how one of us ended up in Shanghai. You'll find out what our alternate careers might be and who Rebecca would want as her first guest if she had a talk show.  For full show notes go to memphistypehistory.com/questions

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, Caitlin tells Rebecca the truth (or as much as she can uncover) about one of Memphis' most famous "haunted" locations: Voodoo Village. Voodoo Village has truly become its own urban legend. So in this episode, they hope to dispel some of the rumor and lore and tell you what exactly is behind those locked gates. There are many stories of people having spooky encounters at Voodoo Village. But the reality behind this family compound filled with strange buildings and unusual art is actually more fascinating to us than the legend of it all. First, let’s set the record straight on what Voodoo Village is. The actual name for the place is St. Paul's Holiness Temple. Washington "Doc" Harris, a self-ordained Baptist minister from central Mississippi, built the temple there and lived on the land with his family. The colorfully painted shotgun houses are surrounded by roughly 1,500 pieces of mysterious sculptures and surreal machines made out of painted wood. We discuss the misunderstood relationship between the temple and voodoo, how a lot of what goes on in the compound is typical of African American vernacular worship in the Deep South, and how masonic symbols play their own interesting role in the story. We wrap up with how you might have interacted with a resident of Voodoo Village without even realizing it! For full show notes go to memphistypehistory.com/temple

In this episode of Memphis Type History: The Podcast, Caitlin talks to Aften Locken, the face behind one of her favorite Memphis Instagram feeds – @midcenturymemphis. Aften takes us back to the ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s – very important in understanding mid-century modern architecture. Then, she schools us on how to recognize key aspects of these structures… Here’s a hint: Does it look like it’s from The Jetsons? It’s probably mid-mod! Some of her favorites in Memphis from each decade include many of our favorite barbecue joints, the Lorraine Motel, the Memphis College of Art, the Memphis airport, the Cossitt Library, Regions Bank on Lamar Ave, and Visible Music College in downtown Memphis. Aften also regales us with a story of jukebox distributors Sammons-Pennington located at 440 Madison Avenue (now home to Holiday Flowers’ events location). Finally, we wrap up with tips for becoming architectural explorers in Memphis. The full “Day of Mid-Mod in Memphis” itinerary can be found on Patreon at patreon.com/memphistypehistory (become a patron for access!) For full show notes go to memphistypehistory.com/midcentury