March 2012
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03/30/12Lost Memphis: The Pig PenCall me crazy (many of my doctors do), but I really love the stark simplicity of this ad, found in the back pages of a 1954 Treadwell High School yearbook. It tells you to "Eat" and then it tells you where: Pig Pen. And not "Eat at" or even "The Pig Pen." Nope, just: "Eat ... Pig Pen." The tone is very "Me Tarzan, You Jane." You've got the address on Summer, and even the one-word summary of the type of eatery: "Barbecue." You really can't get more concise than that. But then, perhaps because they had all that space to fill, they dropped in the mouth-watering slogan: "Where you get a bargain in a good fat pig," which not only suggests the prices are low, but gosh isn't a "good fat... Posted at 03:24 PM | Permalink | Comments: 2 |
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03/28/12When Elvis Presley and Vance Lauderdale Appeared Together on the Same Memphis BusIt's not too often that the King of Rock-and-Roll and Vance Lauderdale share the same billing — it certainly doesn't happen enough, that's for sure — but just look at the interesting line-up on this old bus route sign that showed up recently on eBay. Not just one, but three lines that say "LAUDERDALE / ELVIS PRESLEY." My, I feel special. Plus, I got first billing. Modern-day MATA buses have a digital read0ut above the windshield, telling riders waiting at the stops which bus is going where (well, in theory, anyway). But in Ye Olden Days — and in this particular case, I'm talking all the way back to 1982 — the various route numbers and designations were printed in white letters on a long roll of rubberized fabric. The driver had to... |
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03/26/12100 Years Ago: When E.E. Loving Auto Company Sold Cole Motor CarsLast week, when I took my half-dozen readers on a virtual tour down our city's "Automobile Row," we stopped — just go along with this fantasy, will you? — at most of the main car dealerships on Madison and looked at the various makes and models on display. Later, when flipping through old city directories, I came across this interesting 1912 ad for the E.E. Loving Auto Company, which sold Cole Motor Cars — precisely 100 years ago. At $1,885 this gleaming new automobile probably seems cheap by today's standards — why, that's close to a day's wages for me — but that was an enormous sum in those days. Judging from the illustration, the car itself is a fine-looking thing, very low-slung and even racy-looking for 1912 —... |
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03/20/12Lost Memphis: The Ford Motor Company Dealership and "Automobile Row" in 1911It's depressing to think of the wonderful historical artifacts that lie hidden away in trunks, or pasted down in old scrapbooks, never to see the light of day until they are tossed in the trash or otherwise discarded. Just as frustrating, to me, are the amazing things that occasionally turn up on eBay that are treasures to local historians, but — for whatever reason — never find their way "home." Case in point: This terrific old photo of our city's first Ford Motor Company dealership. A seller in Ohio was offering it for sale, and even though I bid fast and furiously for it, it finally sold for $90 — far exceeding my maximum bid of $12.75 (a week's salary). But at least we have this somewhat grainy scan to see what an interesting place it... Posted at 03:06 PM | Permalink | Comments: 1 |
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03/13/12Lost Memphis Update: The Big ShoeIn this month's issue of Memphis magazine, I tell the story of the "Big Shoe" (as it was usually called) — the big white concrete shoe-shaped shoe store on Lamar that so many of you seem to remember. If you haven't read it, then what on earth have you been discussing at your fondue parties? Well, my pal Rob Jolly recently sent me an email adding a bit more information to the original story: "The story on the big shoe brought back early childhood memories. I was 12 years old when the shoe was built. My father (who died this last August) Robert E. Jolly Jr. was the individual that installed the metal roof on the shoe. Jolly Roofing and Sheet Metal (still in existence on Lamar — near the former location of the shoe) had the contract to roof... Posted at 09:22 PM | Permalink | Comments: 2 |
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03/06/12Lost Memphis: Boss Crump's Totem Pole in Confederate ParkOver the years, Confederate Park in downtown Memphis has acquired a lot of curious things that have nothing to do with the Civil War. The most bizarre example of this was the totem pole that political boss E.H. Crump brought back to Memphis after a trip to the Northwest, and plunked down right in the middle of the park. Most people find this hard to believe until I show them an actual photograph of the thing, such as the old color postcard shown here. The story goes that back in 1941, Crump had journeyed to Seattle on a vacation. Like most travelers, he brought back a souvenir. Unlike most travelers, his keepsake was a 26-foot wooden totem pole, handcarved by a tribe of Indians somewhere in the Northwest, and purchased from the Hudson Bay Company. For some reason, $200... Posted at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments: 1 |
