This episode came from an idea in a book I saw at Novel, our wonderful locally owned and operated bookstore. While browsing in the Local Memphis section, I saw this book, “Memphis Castles - Former Homes and Stories of Prominent Memphians.” And as I was flipping through the pages, I saw my sister’s house. I immediately … Continue reading Season 2: Episode Seven: Lorenzo Pacini & Pee Wee’s Saloon
Season 2: Episode Six: 1969 Miss Memphis Review
We have to thank a supporter/friend that we’ve yet to meet, Jerry, who sent us kind of a suggestion for this topic. On one of his daily walks, he took a picture of a plaque on the side of the Evergreen Theatre. It was commemorating the 1969 Miss Memphis Review pageant. Having not ever heard … Continue reading Season 2: Episode Six: 1969 Miss Memphis Review
Season 2: Episode Five: Amro Music turns 100 years old!
So today we’re going to cover a topic that hits really close to home for us… and by that, we mean that it helps to literally pay for us to live in our home. We are, of course, talking about a place of employment. We are both gainfully employed by fantastic, privately-owned, local companies that … Continue reading Season 2: Episode Five: Amro Music turns 100 years old!
Season 2: Episode Four: History of Memphis Breweries
Most Memphians will agree on one fact about their home city. Memphis has great tasting water. The water supply in Memphis comes from natural reservoirs hundreds of feet below the ground, and most of that water lies in sand aquifers that sit between layers of clay. The sand acts as a natural filter, slowly removing … Continue reading Season 2: Episode Four: History of Memphis Breweries
Season Two: Episode Three: Memphis’s Oldest Eateries
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
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 Ten: The Orpheum Theater
The Orpheum we see today is not actually the original building. The original theater was not even called “The Orpheum” - that name wouldn’t appear on the front of the building until 1907. The original theater, built in 1890 on the southwest corner of Main and Beale, was known as the Grand Opera House. It … Continue reading Episode Ten: The Orpheum Theater
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