George Mahan, Jr., distinguished and revered architect, was born in Memphis and spent his entire life in the city. He began his career at the age of fifteen, when he joined the architectural firm of Shaw and Pfeil as a student draftsman. ...
correspondence; libraries; civil rights; desegregation; Wallis, C. Lamar; Loeb, Henry;
Letter from Library Director Lamar Wallis to Mayor Loeb and City Commissioners: "Gentlemen: At its regular meeting today the Memphis Public Library Board of Directors instructed me to ask the City Commission to meet with the Library Board on...
correspondence; libraries; civil rights; desegregation; Cunningham, Jesse; Hall, E. M.;
E.M. Hall, a broker of fruits, vegetables and produce wrote this letter to head librarian Jesse Cunningham: "Dear Mr. Cunningham: I have not taken the time to call or write you commending you on your stand on the mixing of the races for...
Notes on front: Printed: Cossett [sic] Library. Memphis, Tenn. Handwritten: [...]Of what would this remind you. A fine place to talk especially in the museum. No one will disturb you should you feel inclined for a private chat. Have a good time...
A handwritten letter from an unknown author to librarian Jesse Cunningham. A total of twenty-seven and a half pages, the letter discusses the author's belief that the races should be kept separate. The author is African-American.
A handwritten letter from an unknown author to Mr. and Mrs. C. Lamar Wallis. A total of twenty-eight and a half pages, the letter discusses the author's belief that the races should be kept separate. The author is African-American.
law; libraries; civil rights; desegregation; Russell, Edward P.; Randolph, Wassell;
A letter from attorney Edward P. Russell to library board president Wassell Randolph: "The plaintiff's attorneys have not yet filed their statement of costs as required by the Federal Rules and may not do so for an indefinite time, if ever. ...
law; libraries; civil rights; desegregation; Cossitt Library; Cossitt, Frederick H.; Cossitt family; City Commission; Randolph, Wassell;
A letter from Board President Wassell Randolph to Mayor Edmund Orgill and City Commissioners Claude A. Armour, Stanley Dillard, John T. Dwyer and Henry Loeb. The letter outlines the history of the Memphis Public Library, stating that it is not a...
correspondence; Wallis, C. Lamar; Randolph, Wassell; libraries; desegregation; Russell, Edward P.;
Memo from Lamar Wallis to Wassell Randolph: "Dear Mr. Randolph: First I thought I would let this whole matter drop where it was, but after thinking it over I thought I should write the attached letter to show Ed Russell that I have no sympathy...
Geo. C. Furber, Yuka [?], CA, to Duke. Envelope. Note "to the Post Master at Memphis:" Should Mr. Duke, who lives 13 miles west of Memphis on the State Line Road, not be advised of arrival of this item, please mention it to W.H. Miller...
Cleveland Street; North Parkway; streets; restaurants; businesses; ads; signs; 1950s;
The Cleveland Grill, at Cleveland and North Parkway. Signs are visible for Coca-Cola and Goldcrest 51. [Includes handwritten notes about where a sign should be placed.]
Campaign material supporting Roosevelt's Democrats. Outlines improvements the Democrats have brought to the black community, via the Works Progress Administration, the National Youth Administration, housing changes, the Civilian Conservation...
"When stocky Bill (Count) Basie sits down behind his piano, he seems to grow a foot. If his reception at the Club Paradise is any indication, he has a Memphis following to match his musical stature. -- An estimated 1,500 fans gathered last...
architecture; Evergreen Historic District Association; midtown; neighborhoods; transportation; zoning;
The Evergreen Historic District Association is the current name of a civic organization started in 1969, but the first Evergreen association began in 1909 as the Woman’s Evergreen Improvement Club. The boundaries of the community have changed...
Congress established the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands, or Freedmen’s Bureau as it was commonly known, in March 1865 as the end of the Civil War drew near. An agency of the War Department, the Freedmen’s Bureau had two main...
business; corrections; criminals; employment; entertainment; immigrants; Jews; labor; law enforcement; parole; prisons; public service; television; volunteers;
Leo M. Seligman, who committed himself to helping men and women lead responsible and productive lives after prison, grew up in Germany in the early decades of the 20th Century. He was born in 1900 in Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany and served in the...
