"I'm a native Memphian, and when I was growing up I heard a lot from my parents and grandparents about what life was like here in earlier decades. Memphis celebrated its 100th anniversary when I was 5 years old, and the festivities, parades, and exhibits associated with the celebration had a big impact on me. From that time on, I was aware of and fascinated by the history of our city. When I finished graduate school and came to work in the library, the city's past became my passion.
"In the Memphis and Shelby County Room at the Central Library, we have the papers of Maxine Smith (NAACP), Boss E. H. Crump, and the photos and papers of individuals who are less well-known but also contributed to the building of our city. We in the History Department try to capture the whole story of Memphis, not just the lives of the rich and famous. Everyone is an historical figure, everyone has an impact, everyone makes a contribution, everyone has a story.
"Memphis has made great contributions to the world---not just in the realm of music, but in art, literature, entrepreneurship, and politics as well. One important but little-known fact is that beginning in 1868 and going through Reconstruction and the segregation era, African-Americans voted in large numbers here in Memphis. Their involvement had a great impact on local and thus national politics. Blacks and whites worked together in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and that's a story we need to tell the world. As a city, we are far more unique and have made far more contributions than most of us know."
"In the Memphis and Shelby County Room at the Central Library, we have the papers of Maxine Smith (NAACP), Boss E. H. Crump, and the photos and papers of individuals who are less well-known but also contributed to the building of our city. We in the History Department try to capture the whole story of Memphis, not just the lives of the rich and famous. Everyone is an historical figure, everyone has an impact, everyone makes a contribution, everyone has a story.
"Memphis has made great contributions to the world---not just in the realm of music, but in art, literature, entrepreneurship, and politics as well. One important but little-known fact is that beginning in 1868 and going through Reconstruction and the segregation era, African-Americans voted in large numbers here in Memphis. Their involvement had a great impact on local and thus national politics. Blacks and whites worked together in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and that's a story we need to tell the world. As a city, we are far more unique and have made far more contributions than most of us know."
G. Wayne Dowdy is the author of several books on Memphis history , all available on AMAZON. Titles include:
G. Wayne Dowdy - Agency Manager, History Department
Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library (Memphis Public Library)
Email: WayneDowdy@memphistn.gov
Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library (Memphis Public Library)
Email: WayneDowdy@memphistn.gov
SPECIAL EVENT:
There will be a Memphis & Shelby County Room OPEN HOUSE on Thursday, August 27, 2015 at 6 p.m. Come celebrate the opening of the Nadia Price Photograph Collection, the J. Porter McClean Collection, the Claypool Family Collection, the Walter R. Streuli Collection, and the Nowag Music Collection with the Rhodes College Archival Studies Fellows.
--- Hosted by the History Department, Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library, 3030 Poplar Avenue.
There will be a Memphis & Shelby County Room OPEN HOUSE on Thursday, August 27, 2015 at 6 p.m. Come celebrate the opening of the Nadia Price Photograph Collection, the J. Porter McClean Collection, the Claypool Family Collection, the Walter R. Streuli Collection, and the Nowag Music Collection with the Rhodes College Archival Studies Fellows.
--- Hosted by the History Department, Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library, 3030 Poplar Avenue.
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