True Blues: Wild Bill’s Draws Blues Lovers from Around the Globe
January 29, 2012 by Devin Greaney · 1 Comment
Antoine Swift, Coleman Garrett II and Charles Ross show why Wild Bill's draws blues fans from around the world.
You can just imagine a young Elvis Presley walking through the door in the early 1950’s sitting in the corner of Wild Bill’s at 1530 Vollintine in Memphis. You could see him sitting at the long rows of tables in the dark smoky club as blues flowed out melodically or were pounded out with a frenzy by the musicians in front. The white high school student would have looked out of place in here in the segregated South, but he had been there enough that the regulars were used to seeing him.
Oh, Chatlanta: Can a train change the way Tennesseans think about regions?
January 16, 2012 by Devin Greaney · Leave a Comment
Tennessee could have something in common with Japan besides cameras and Elvis fans. These high speed trails may become part of our future. Photo courtesy Japan-guide.com
Last week’s post featured intracity and intrametro commuter rail in Tennessee. It can be read here.
On the eastern seaboard between Washington, DC and Boston, fifteen trains are scheduled headed north on weekdays, fourteen are headed south. In Tennessee passenger rail is much less utilized. Amtrak makes twice-daily stops in Memphis and Dyersburg on their way to Chicago and New Orleans. But generations ago rails tied cities together.
The Great Indoors: Tennessee caves adventures
January 1, 2012 by Devin Greaney · Leave a Comment
Cumberland Caverns, McMinville
“Without hesitation, Professor Littlebrook chose the eastern tunnel and the journey continued through a succession of arches appearing before them as if they were the aisles of a gothic cathedral.” – Jules Verne, Journey to the Center of the Earth.
In Tennessee, most of us are not big fans of the cold. Where to go? A movie theater is always the easy answer and a lot of fun, but more than likely you will be seeing what every other movie goer will be seeing this week. A mall? Most of us have seen enough of the mall last month. But what about adventure? What about the places that make Tennessee different from the rest of the country and world?
The Bell of Peace: A Peace memento at the birthplace of the A-Bomb
July 19, 2010 by Devin Greaney · Leave a Comment
Oak Ridge's Peace Bell
Story by Gayle Crabtree,
Photos by John Crabtree
No one questions the importance of the Liberty Bell or the ringing of church bells. Maybe that’s why supporters of the Oak Ridge Friendship Bell were caught off guard when a firestorm of controversy surrounded the project.
The purpose of the bell was to represent peace. Oak Ridge played a key role in the making of the atomic bombs. That such a monument would be placed in a city known for its part in creating atomic weaponry was, for some, a poignant reminder of the importance of international peace. Others saw it as a reminder of World War II. The ironic controversy went to the U.S. Supreme Court before the fate of the International Friendship bell was ultimately decided.
Race for and against time: Preservationists list their most endangered properties
July 12, 2010 by Devin Greaney · 2 Comments
1956 meets 2010 at the Chisca Hotel. Special Collections, University of Memphis libraries
First: In the credit where credit is due department let me thank the University Of Memphis Library Special Collections Department for the black and white photos from the archives of the now defunct Memphis Press-Scimitar. Photojournalist Preston Gannaway of the Virginian-Pilot also deserves and is now receiving thanks for the “two photos in one” concept. She gives pointers here, though this publisher can attest she makes her flawless execution of the photos look much easier than it is!
They were where fans cheered on sports teams, where firefighters awaited the calls for help, where shoppers looked for gifts and where tourists slept after getting off the train.
Hidden bits of Tennessee: those places off the tourist’s lists
June 21, 2010 by Devin Greaney · 1 Comment
Wolf River Boardwalk, Rossville
We are familiar with Dollywood, The Ryman Auditorium, Shiloh National Military Park and Graceland . But what about the hidden gems in Tennessee? Thanks to suggestions from readers (and a few of my own). Here are some places off many tourist maps.
Tom Lee Park: The Sunset Capital of Tennessee
June 7, 2010 by Devin Greaney · 1 Comment
Photographers know Tom Lee Park well
Once upon a time where Memphians go to enjoy countless sunsets was a local embarrassment.
Along the Mississippi at Memphis was a garbage dump. The Chickasaw Bluff was strewn with trash up until the 1930s.
Then the area was graded, covered with soil and turned into Riverside Drive and a park perfect for relaxation as the sun sets across the river. There was talk of loosing the park again in the early 1970′s with the Riverfront expressway. Memphians would have none of that.
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Stones River: A Memorial Day visit to a lesser-known battleground
May 31, 2010 by Devin Greaney · 4 Comments
By T J Fowler
The American Civil War represents a time in our history that was both tragic and horrifying in showing, for the first time through use of photography, the brutality of war. From the first battle at Bull’s Run to the final battle at Gettysburg, the Civil War consisted of many pivotal but bloody battles. Some of these more famous battles many of us have learned of in our history classes and courses through the years. Battles such as Gettysburg, Shiloh and Vicksburg are readily taught in the classroom as are events like General Sherman’s march to the sea in which Atlanta was burned in the process as the Union Army closed in on victory for the war.
One battle however that has escaped many people’s attention and that actually played a major role in turning the tide of the war in the Union’s favor was the Battle of Stones River which was fought in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
The Statehouse: A visit to the Tennessee State Capitol
May 25, 2010 by Devin Greaney · Leave a Comment
Second Graders from Stuart-Burns Elementary School in Dickson take their Spring trip to the State Capitol and check the board to see how voting went.
(Nashville ) – If you work as a tour guide for the Capitol, you better have a good reason for being off in the Spring, according to Kelly Tabeling, Museum Program Coordinator. As head of the tour guides in the Tennessee State Museum and the State Capitol she knows this is the busy season. “They all want to visit in the Spring time. We are slammed. We need all staff on board.” From Memphis to Mountain City, from Dyersberg to Chattanooga school buses make there way to Nashville.
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Townsend in Spring: Festivals celebrate the peaceful side of the Smokies
May 14, 2010 by Devin Greaney · Leave a Comment
Pinning the tail on the donkey
By Darin M. Devault
Local tourism professionals take pride in promoting the mountain town of Townsend, Tenn., as the “Peaceful Side of the Smokies.”
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