Museums, Memphis

If you have a chance and like history, check out the Woodruff-Fontaine House at 680 Adams Ave. They are open Wednesday thru Sunday and they have limited hours so check their website but it is worth it. The place is so beautiful and I thought I had stepped into another era. It was owned by one of Memphis' leading men back in the day and you can tell by the details put into the house. If you like walking into the past or just like beautifully, restored homes, you will love this.

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We drove along Adams Avenue on the city tour. There are homes in the area which were built between 1846 and the 1890s which have been rescued by interested citizens. The architectural styles range from Neo-classical through Late Gothic Revival.

The first picture is of the oldest home in the area, the Massey House (ca. 1846), which was built for Benjamin A. Massey, an early Memphis lawyer.

Also pictured is Fontaine House and the Gingerbread Playhouse which is behind it. It was built in the 1890s by J. W. Handwerker, a pharmacist, for his children. It has also been used as an office and a beauty parlor.

Whe Woodruff Fontaine house was bought by Noland Fontaine from Amos Woodruff in 1883.
He was president of Hill, Fontaine & Co., at one time the world's third largest cotton company. The Fontaines lived in the house for 46 years.

in the beale street area is a place called the museum of southern folklore or something very similar to that. it is free to enter and has lots of books and other materials, including recorded music, that deal with what i would call "people's history," that is, not textbook-type content but history about "regular" people in the south, usually poor, and both black and white. it is hard to find materials like this except in specialized places like this one. i believe that they might have live music at night, probably of the acoustic (not electric) variety, because i saw what i thought was a small stage in one corner of the room.

Check out the National Ornamental Metal Museum just off I55 on the east side of the River. It's located on the grounds of the former US Marine Hospital. The grounds are beautiful. There was a class going on in the smithshop when we were there and we were able to go in, watch the work and ask questions. It was pretty neat.

Visit the National Ornamental Metal Museum. Spend some time walking around HarborTown (beautiful homes) and eat lunch at the Pizza place in HarborTown square. Visit the Elmwood Cemetery which was established in 1852 - especially if you are a history buff. This is on the register of historic places. A Scwabs on Beale Street is a must.

Police Museum on Beale Street. Take 10 minutes for a walk thru it.

Also, just a few more blocks away is the Lorraine Motel, the site where Martin Luther King was slain.It is now a Civil Rights Museum and a wondeful lesson in humanities and history for every citizen.