Many thousands of years ago, Memphis and its area was settled by indigenous peoples. By the 17th Century, the Chickasaw Indians migrated to the Memphis area. The European-American city was founded in 1819 and incorporated in 1826. Cotton was king and large plantations developed on the work of enslaved Africans.
The Federal government purchased the land from the Chickasaw Nation in the 1818 Jackson Purchase. The city was named after the ancient capital of Egypt on the Nile River. Founders planned a regular grid of streets interrupted by four town squares to be named Exchange, Market, Court and Auction. Of those squares, Market, Court, and Auction, remain as public parks in downtown Memphis. Memphis was a departure point on the Mississippi River for Native Americans removed in the 1830s from their historic lands to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) on the Trail of Tears.
Memphis grew into the world’s largest spot cotton market and the world’s largest hardwood lumber market. The City became home to noted blues musicians, including Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Isaac Hayes, and, of course, Elvis Presley. A staff member at the main library told me the department stores opened for Elvis at midnight so he would not be bothered by other customers. Can’t you just visualize Elvis on his motorcycle heading to the store at midnight to purchase shirts and pajamas?
I had been in Memphis five years ago on the southern book tour and liked it so much that I thought it was time to return. Easy route by car on Interstate 55 and nine hours later the City appears. The City is rich in culture with music, museums, the Memphis Zoo, the Memphis Botanic Gardens and the well-known Beale Street.
There are 20 branch libraries in Memphis of 646,889 souls. Bookstores number 98 and Memphis offers every type of genre, including Christian, new, used, musical, and, of course, Barnes & Noble. Some of the best bookstores include Burke’s Books, Two Rivers Bookstore, The Book Place and South Main Book Juggler.
My hotel was in the heart of downtown. Just three blocks from Beale Street. The Victorian Village of stately homes built in the 1800s was one mile away. The hotel had a very small indoor pool. One surely needs to enjoy breakfast of powered French toast in such an atmosphere, don’t you agree? Because the temperature was in the 70s, it was wonderful to walk everywhere.
The main library was named the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library. It is a large building and offers a bookstore. The friends of the Library Fall Book Sale would be held the day after I returned home! The Friends support technological improvement as well as Books on Buses, Little Libraries, and community literacy. An educator membership is $5 a year.
The Cossitt Library and U.S. Customs House is undergoing renovations so it is closed until further notice. Downtown still has parking meters and quite a bit of construction.
The Democratic Party mayor is 55 year old Jim Strickland who won the election over 10 other candidates, and he is paid $150,000 plus generous benefits. City Hall was within walking distance from hotel and there is a City trolley that takes riders around central Memphis for $1.
There is a charm about Memphis that I have tried to define. Is it the Memphis Botanic Garden in Audubon Park? A member of its staff told me that the land used to be all cotton fields. A giant 70-year-old oak stood majestically in front of the main entrance. Is it the Victorian Village of stately homes still maintained today and open for tours? Is it Beale Street with its intoxicating aroma of BBQ and the delicious sounds of blues and jazz? The B.B. King Restaurant faces Second Street and the entire area is blocked to cars. Is it the Southern sense of slower pace and manners of quiet design? Maybe the answer is that it is all of those things and more.