Opening in the 1890s, the Bon Ton Cafe has been operating in some form or fashion in downtown Memphis. Apparently the cafe was originally a saloon in the late 1800s, but was then turned into a restaurant in 1904. Tony Angleos and Charlie Skinner, two cousins who immigrated from Greece, opened the first manifestation of … Continue reading Season Two: Episode Three: Memphis’s Oldest Eateries
Women
Season 2: Episode Two: Earnestine & Hazel’s
The spot that is now occupied by Earnestine and Hazel’s at 531 South Main St was once the exact opposite of what it was to become in the future. In the late 1800s, it was built as a church, complete with fancy doors and a steeple. The area that the corner building occupies was considered … Continue reading Season 2: Episode Two: Earnestine & Hazel’s
Season 2: Episode One: Alice and Freda
“The day of our wedding was set, and then not all the powers in the world could have separated us. It was our intention to leave here and go to St. Louis, and I would have been Freda’s slave. I would have devoted my whole life to making her happy---But when Freda returned my engagement … Continue reading Season 2: Episode One: Alice and Freda
Episode Nine: Ratifying the 19th Amendment
It was August 18, 1920 and America had only secured 35 states that were FOR ratifying the 19th Amendment. Tennessee was the last state that was going to vote and it wasn’t looking good. They called it the “War of the Roses” with pro ratifiers, aka “suffs” donning yellow roses and the antis donning red … Continue reading Episode Nine: Ratifying the 19th Amendment
Episode Eight: Clara Conway & the Clara Conway Institute
Clara Conway was born in New Orleans, LA, August 14, 1844, to poor Irish immigrants, Margaret Riordan Conway and Thomas Conway, who came to America in the early 19th century. (I’ve read she came to Memphis in 1846, that she was brought to Memphis in 1855 when her parents died, but also that she simply … Continue reading Episode Eight: Clara Conway & the Clara Conway Institute
Episode Seven: The Tale of Pink Lizzie
Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society...I call this story The Tale of Pink Lizzy. A two story mansion at 683 Fifth Street, on the corner of Fifth & Georgia, became home to one of Memphis’s most iconic, yet not widely known today, ghost stories. Col. W.J. Davie, the President of Southern Bank of … Continue reading Episode Seven: The Tale of Pink Lizzie
Episode Five: Ida B. Wells
Ida Bell Wells was born July 16, 1862 in Holly Springs, MS. Her parents, James and Lizzie Wells, were enslaved in Holly Springs when she was born. Her father was the son of a white man and one of his slaves named Peggy. At age 18, James went to Holly Springs to learn carpentry and … Continue reading Episode Five: Ida B. Wells