Memphis : Going through changes, 1890 – 1929

Presented by Joe V. Lowry

Mr. Lowry explores the progression of change in Memphis, from society to services.

October 1909

Mr. Lowry is a 5th generation Shelby Countian, who has spent a life time of service with the Memphis and Germantown Fire Departments and Emergency Management. His enthusiasm for history has resulted in a 38 plus year research of the Memphis city government, police and fire departments. He is the author of Memory Lanes and contributor in three of the WKNO Memphis Memoirs series: Beyond the Parkways, At the Movies, and Downtown. We look forward to his presentation at the WTHS June Meeting.

Monday, June 3, , 2013  7:00 pm Memphis University School – Wunderlich Auditorium 6191 Park Ave, Memphis

http://www.musowls.org/NetCommunity/Campus

Long standing member and current president of the WTHS, Dr. John E. Harkins is honored for his dedicated work of the Memphis University School Archives.

The Memphis University School archives are now the Harkins Archives, named in honor of school Archivist and Historian Dr. John E. Harkins. At a dedication ceremony in the Joseph R. Hyde, Jr. Library Learning Center May 7, family and friends gathered to celebrate Harkins’ contributions during 30 years at MUS, including his role as a history instructor, chairman of the History Department, Ross M. Lynn Chair of History, and author of the MUS Century Book.

During the dedication Harkins expressed his appreciation for the honor and for the school’s “truly marvelous institutional archives. … I had the privilege of going through everything in the archives when I was working on the Century Book,” he said. “I am really appreciative of what a splendid job this school has done in holding on to its documentary past.”  MUS is a college preparatory school for boys founded in the fall of 1893.

“The very same characteristics that made John an excellent teacher and faculty member – his intellectual honesty, his insatiable desire to learn, his willingness to put the school above his personal interests, his great knowledge of history, and his collegiality – make him an excellent archivist, as well,” Headmaster Ellis Haguewood said.

Headmaster Ellis Haguewood , Dr. John E. Harkins, and Mrs. Georgia Harkins

A generous donation by David O. Sacks, MUS class of 1990, former COO of Paypal and CEO of Yammer, made this dedication a reality. Mr. Sacks sent a letter expressing his sentiments, which Haguewood read to the gathering:“Dr. Harkins once told me that MUS, history, and his devoted wife, Georgia, are the three great passions of his life, and so the Harkins Archives represents two of those. I expect Georgia is present today to make it a hat trick.I was very fortunate during my time at MUS to have Dr. Harkins as a teacher and adviser. We got to know each other well during my senior year when I was editor of the yearbook and he was the faculty adviser. … His unwavering support, encouragement, and guidance helped give me the confidence to lead not just that endeavor but large creative enterprises in the future. Looking back, these experiences were remarkably similar. I guess there’s a reason they call it a “preparatory school” – it actually prepares you for life, often in ways that are not apparent at the time. That’s why teachers like Dr. Harkins are so important.

Whether through his diligent pursuit of Memphis history or his long hours spent in the archives organizing MUS history, Dr. Harkins has always gone above and beyond. I can count on one hand the number of people who have made as significant a contribution to my own life as he has. I want to thank Dr. Harkins for all that he has done for me, and I’m grateful to MUS for providing this opportunity to honor him today.”

We of the West Tennessee Historical Society are proud to count Dr. Harkins as a true and valued member and offer our sincere congratulations.

Saturday, June 1^st, 7am – 11am, Veterans of Foreign Wars Hall, 347 South Center Street in Collierville. Enjoy a breakfast of Southern pancakes, grits, sausage, drinks, and more. $5 per person  Open to the public. Sponsored by The Wigfall Grays, Camp 1560 of the Sons of Confederate Veterans

Tickets can be purchased at John Green Realtors’ and Morton Museum and at the door. Patrons will be served and entertained by volunteers in 1860’s period attire. Jack Werne will give a short talk about the Wigfall Grays at 8, 9, and 10 am during the breakfast time (8-11 am).
Following the breakfast, at 11:00 a.m., enjoy a free guided historical tour of Magnolia Cemetery. Bill Kelsey shares information about the Magnolia Cemetery.
Afterwards, there will be opportunities to tour the Morton Museum, spotlighting the Civil War Book Collection that is on loan from John Green’s personal library and displayed by the museum.
Bring the whole family

THE BOLTON – DICKINS FEUD

Presented by Vincent Astor and Donald Harrison May Monthly Meeting, May 6, 2013

Please click on the link to enjoy this presentation.   http://vimeo.com/66234928

In July of 1869, Thomas Dickins shot Wade Bolton at the west gate of Court Square, before witnesses. Bolton died several days later. Dickins was shot and killed by an unknown assailant in July of the following year.

Enjoy previous presentations by clicking on VIDEO at the top of this page.

The State of Tennessee will be in Fayette County, Thursday June 6, 2013, at the Somerville-Fayette County Library 216 West Market Street, 3 pm – 7 pm, to archive items Fayette Countians have from the War Between the States (Civil War) era. State employees will take your information on your item(s), scan or photograph them to include in the 150-year anniversary program of LOOKING BACK: The Civil War in Tennessee. All items are returned that day to those that brought them. Please attend with your items and help preserve and share our history.

The Delta – Everything Southern!
A Day of Distinguished Speakers, Images and Music
The University of Memphis

Friday, June 7, 2013, 8:15 am- 4:30 pm

 Rose Theater, University of Memphis Campus

Hundreds have come year after year for the day-long celebration of the history, culture and life of the Delta region. Parking for conferees is complimentary and adjacent to the Rose Theatre in the Zach Curlin garage. Admission includes a continental breakfast and a delicious buffet luncheon with entertainment by singer Jonathan Blanchard. The atmosphere will be relaxed and interactive, with plenty of time for discussion. Those who attend the conference will depart with a new appreciation for the sights, sounds, history and influence of this fascinating region. Please register early to assure a seat!

Last year’s participants loved the new format, so we decided to offer even more intimate sessions this year. Experience the 2013 The Delta – Everything Southern! conference with an outstanding line-up of speakers and panelists by choosing not two, but three of five breakout sessions with our experts and additional guest panelists.

Fee and registration information: http://www.memphis.edu/deltaconference/register.php

Visit The Delta – Everything Southern on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Delta-Everything-Southern/213463738740020.

For complete information: http://www.memphis.edu/deltaconference/index.php or

Jennifer Schnabel at 901-678-8210 or jschnbel@memphis.edu.

The July Meeting of the WTHS features a presentation by Map Man Murray Hudson of Halls, TN.

Mr. Hudson will present a small portion of his collection of maps of West Tennessee plus other gems. Mr. Hudson is the owner of Antique Maps, Historical Books & Prints and Antique Globes.

In 1964, Hudson was taking graduate courses in English at Oxford University in England. Wanting to bring home gifts for relatives and friends, he stopped in a map shop. He walked out with 50 maps — enough to be offered a dealer discount. Although he kept some for himself, Hudson didn’t give more thought to the maps for years as he completed his graduate work and began his career as a college English professor at Auburn University.

By 1978, with deep roots in Dyer and Gibson Counties, he had returned home to Dyersburg, to help run the family farm. The four months of the year he wasn’t farming, he was traveling across the country and abroad. And wherever he traveled, he found himself at map dealers, buying and trading. Then came an idea: Why not, he thought, turn his hobby into a business.

Hudson moved his growing cartography collection into the old post office in Halls, TN. Today, by his estimation, it includes over 23,000 maps, 800 globes, several thousand historical prints and several hundred wall maps.

While Hudson maintains strong collections of the southeastern and southwestern United States, nearly any type of map can be found in the shop: topographic maps, country and world maps, Pony Express routes, Prohibition maps, Methodist church expansion, even maps showing places that no longer exist. Among the globes are one that depicts the route of Sputnik and some that were used as training for bomber pilots.

It is well worth the effort to visit this extraordinary collection. Visit Hudson’s website: http://www.murrayhudson.com

Please Join Us – Monday, July 1, 2013, 7:00 pm, Memphis University School – Wunderlich Auditorium, 6191 Park Ave, Memphis http://www.musowls.org/NetCommunity/Campus

Meet Patrick O’Daniel, author of When the Levee Breaks: Memphis and the Mississippi Valley Flood of 1927 and other books about Memphis, at Cordova Branch Library on May 29th at noon. Bring a lunch to eat during Patrick’s discussion with his audience in Meeting Room A at 8457 Trinity Road, Cordova, TN 38018. Enjoy dessert and coffee on the house! Call 901.415.2764 for more information about this first-in-a-series Literary Luncheon at Cordova Branch Library. No admission, of course, just come and enjoy.

Click the following link to view Ed Frank and Jennifer Schnabel’s presentation and learn more regarding the evolution of preservation, digital archiving. This presentation will help you to explore and examine sources of countless images of our history.

http://vimeo.com/63601206

         Featuring a look at historic iconographic resources scanned from the holdings of the UM Libraries Special Collections/Mississippi Valley Collection Department.