Memphis History

Memphis, the largest city in Tennessee and the seat of Shelby County, is situated on the eastern bank of a bend in the Mississippi River. The city's name, which means "place of good abode," came from the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis, and was inspired by the Mississippi's nickname, "Nile of the New World." Memphis was founded in 1819 by James Winchester, John Overton, and Andrew Jackson in the newly formed state of Tennessee. Because of its river location and its rich delta soil, Memphis grew rather quickly as an agricultural center, shipping cotton to the Northern states. Because of the city's commercial ties to the industrial North, the people of Memphis were hesitant to secede from the Union prior to the Civil War. Unfortunately, the bulk of Memphis' economy was built on the back of slave labor, so loyalties were split throughout the city. For the rest of the state, the matter was a bit clearer cut. Tennessee split from the Union in 1861, and Memphis became a state capital and Confederate stronghold. The city was captured by Northern forces in 1862 and remained under Union control for the rest of the Civil War.

Memphis has long played a role in the Civil Rights Movement. Immediately following the Civil War, former slaves flocked to Memphis to take advantage of the new freedoms and rights they had been granted. Men like Ed Shaw and Reverend Morris Henderson worked to establish Memphis' strong African-American communities. Robert R. Church, an ex-slave business tycoon and Republican leader, established the NAACP in Memphis in 1917. In 1968, a sanitation workers' strike escalated into a full-blown rally that ended, tragically, with the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The National Civil Rights Museum, erected in 1991 at the Lorraine Motel where Dr. King was shot, honors the American Civil Rights Movement, from colonial times to the present.

Memphis is known as a city of musical invention, from the Delta blues of Muddy Waters and B.B. King to the "sharecropper" country and rockabilly styles of Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley. Memphis' Beale Street is recognized the world over as the birthplace of the blues. A statue of W.C. Handy, "the Father of the Blues" stands at the corner of 3rd and Beale, near the historic Peabody Hotel. Beale Street is lined with clubs and restaurants from the upscale to the low-rent, and it's not uncommon to see passersby dancing on the sidewalks as the street musicians play. The city is also known for its Memphis-style barbecue, and every May plays host to the World Champion Barbecue Cooking Contest. Lots of restaurants offer barbecue, but most purists insist that The Rendezvous, a basement restaurant on Beale Street known for its lack of frills, long lines, and its mouthwatering ribs, is the best barbecue in Memphis. Such is the demand for these ribs that The Rendezvous actually receives orders from all over the nation and overnights them via Federal Express.

Perhaps the most iconic landmark in Memphis is Graceland, Elvis' opulent mansion. Every year, thousands of visitors flock to Graceland's Meditation Garden to pay their respects at the King of Rock 'n' Roll's gravesite. Mud Island River Park is also a popular tourist draw, with its scale model of the Mississippi River. The Park is also home to the River Museum, which showcases the music, lore, art, and history of the Mississippi. The Pyramid Arena, constructed in 1897 as a part of the Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition, pays homage to the city's Egyptian inspiration. Other landmarks of note include the Pink Palace Museum and the FedEx Forum, home of the Memphis Grizzlies (NBA).