Beale Street Landing is situated at the foot of Beale Street along the Mississippi River in Memphis, TN. The project took nearly a decade to complete at a cost of forty-three million dollars and officially opened in June 2014. The landing boasts a floating dock, complete with a helical ramp, so that riverboats such as the "American Queen" may dock at the facility. The landing features a grass rooftop, which connects to Tom Lee Park, and a unique elevator shaft that was painted to mirror the colors of the river sunset.
The Orpheum Theatre is located in Memphis, TN at the intersection of Beale and Maine Streets. The original theater opened at this location in 1890 and featured musicians, magicians, and singers in its regular lineup of vaudeville performances. This theater was destroyed by fire, but in 1928, the current building opened with a grand celebration. In the middle of the century, the theater was used primarily for movies. In recent years, the restored theater serves as a venue for major events and touring productions. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its Renaissance Revival architecture and the social and political role it played in the city's history.
Owned and operated by Ruben Cherry, the Home of the Blues was deemed the South's largest record store. Being located on Beale Street, as well as selling a variety of genres, gave the store a multi-racial customer base. Cherry loved music so much he decided to make a record company called Home of the Blues Record Co. While the record company was short lived, it had some success during its time. Co-owned by Ruben Cherry and Roy Brown, the company recorded artists such as the Royal Five.
The historically famous street, home of the blues and barbeque, is located right in downtown Memphis, Tennessee off of Main Street. Beale Street stretches 1.8 miles through the heart of downtown. The thoroughfare was constructed in 1841 by property developer Robertson Topp (1807-1876) and extended from the Mississippi River to Memphis' East Side. From the traveling African American musicians in the 1860s to tourists today, Beale Street remains a focal point in Memphis.
Hotel Clark was founded by Hartman Clark in the 1930s. It provided accommodations for African Americans in Memphis between the Great Depression and the 1960s. The hotel had about a dozen rooms and provided accommodations for traveling musicians such as Count Basie. Today, the building is home to Blues Clubs and the hotel rooms, now used for storage, are still evident above the club.
A. Schwab is a dry goods shop located along Beale Street in Memphis, TN. The store was opened by Jewish immigrant Abraham Schwab in 1876 and is the only remaining original business on the street. For these reasons, it is a contributing property to the Beale Street Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum chronicles the origins of rock and soul music and that unique "Memphis Sound" that was created by W.C. Handy and so many other great musicians. The museum was initially started as a project in celebration of the Smithsonian Institution's 150th anniversary. The project's goal was to tell the story of musical pioneers who came to Memphis and often overcame racial and socioeconomic barriers to create the music that changed how the entire world dressed, walked, and talked.
This is the location of Ida Wells' newspaper The Memphis Free Speech. On March 9, Wells wrote an article that challenged the interpretation of a recent lynching. Although white residents accused Black men of a heinous attack on three white women, Wells believed that the charges were not only false, but fabricated in order to intimidate Black men. Her article documented how many Black men were accused of crimes with little more than circumstantial evidence. She also had the courage to document how white mobs often took the law into their own hands rather than allowing the accused to have their day in court. Wels' article so upset many in Memphis that her was destroyed and she was forced to flee Memphis for her life. However, the experience also inspired Wells to devote much of her life to publicizing the crime of lynching. Wells also fought for voting rights and equality in public accommodations and was one of the founding members of the NAACP.
The historic Daisy Theatre, now known as “Old Daisy,” is a located in the heart of Memphis on historic Beale Street.
The historic New Daisy Theatre, offspring of the Old Daisy Theatre, is a prominent venue for concerts and other entertainment.
Composer W.C. Handy was one of the most influential musicians in world history. His music is deeply embedded into the very fabric of Memphis and is the person most responsible for making Beale Street famous. Handy is widely regarded as the "Father of the Blues" and guests to this modest house museum can tour the place where he wrote many of his most beloved songs.
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
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This short walking tour travels up the most famous street in Memphis with stops at a variety of historic buildings, markers, monuments, and museums. From historic businesses to music and civil rights, each location on this tour shares something unique that demonstrates the history of Memphis.
