History Lessons

With thanks to Billy Joel, Ye Li, Wikipedia, and Google images --
Turn up the volume and enjoy a review of 50 years of history in less than 3 minutes!

Click here: We Didn't Start The Fire

And in Memphis, don’t miss "Freedom’s Sisters". Myrlie Evers-Williams, Sonia Sanchez, and many local leaders in the Civil Rights Movement were on hand for the opening of the travelling exhibit at the National Civil Rights Museum. Click here for more information.

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Delta Queen – Good news/Sad news

The Delta Queen will soon become a hotel in Chattanooga. That's "good news" because the historic paddlewheeler has a new life and Chattanooga’s riverfront a wonderful new addition. But "sad news," too. The Delta Queen will be docked, not cruising, and the hotel/ship will be on the TN River, not the Mighty Mississippi.

Photo at right by Alan Spearman. Click "read more" below for The Commercial Appeal article.


Delta Queen getting new life -- as a hotel
It's no choo choo, but it's headed to Chattanooga
By Bartholomew Sullivan, Memphis Commercial Appeal
Tuesday, January 27, 2009

The historic Delta Queen paddle boat, decommissioned as a passenger carrier in October, is going to Chattanooga for use as a waterfront boutique hotel.

Maura Phillips, a spokeswoman for the Chattanooga Water Taxi and Fat Cat Ferry, the new lessee, said the Delta Queen will leave New Orleans in early February and be moored at Coolidge Park Landing across from the city's huge aquarium. The boat has 87 cabins.

The Delta Queen lost its longtime U.S. Coast Guard exemption to carry overnight guests on Nov. 1. It is tied up in New Orleans and will soon head to East Tennessee to become a hotel.

Company owner Harry Phillips, a licensed boat captain and former banker, said he is committed to historic preservation and the Delta Queen will be cared for accordingly until it can be returned to open water. He said the boat's safety equipment exceeds that of many hotels.

"We're going to take good care of her," he added.

The National Historic Landmark lost its longtime U.S. Coast Guard exemption to carry overnight guests on Nov. 1 because of its wooden superstructure. Ambassadors International Inc., its California-based owner, and a group of enthusiasts organized as "Save the Delta Queen" are continuing to pursue the exemption so that it can return to cruising the Mississippi and Ohio rivers.

The Delta Queen's last port of call as a passenger ship was at the north end of Mud Island in Memphis. It then went down river with only its crew and is currently tied up in New Orleans.

Vicki Webster, a spokeswoman for the Save the Delta Queen group, said "the only good thing" about turning the 82-year-old vessel into a hotel is that it gets out of what she called a "bad neighborhood" in New Orleans where it is subject to vandalism and ramming by industrial ships.

The Save the Delta Queen effort asked former President George W. Bush to extend the boat's exemption by executive order in the last weeks of his presidency to no avail. A Kentucky preservationist is seeking to have it placed on the National Trust for Historic Preservation's "11 Most Endangered" list that comes out in April.

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The next steps in “greening” Memphis

Two events to break the winter doldrums and go green:
Eco Expo- a free family event to have fun and learn about new green products and services;

Old Forest Jamboree a chance to hear some great music and support the Old Forest and Citizens to Preserve Overton Park.

Click here for details about locations, time, etc. for both “Upcoming Events.”

And a special riverfront connection: Jimmy Davis, one of the musicians who donated a song for the CD Save Our Riverfront, will be playing at the Jamboree!

As God planted trees for us, so shall we plant trees for our children.
-Talmud (adapted)

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"Placemaking Matters More than Ever in a Down Economy" - A Cost-Effective Solution

According to Fred Kent, president of the Project for Public Spaces (PPS), "a Placemaking approach to development is emerging as a cost-effective way to revive prosperity in communities across the U.S. and the world."

"Based on citizen’s goals, priorities, and their deep knowledge about the place they call home, it ushers in a sense of collective pride and ownership and marks a fresh alternative to the way economic growth and urban growth have been approached over recent decades."

"In our view, this is the way forward in an era of budgetary constraints. A bottom-up method of decision making offers an effective and cost-efficient solution to the economic, environmental, and social problems around us," says Philip Myrick, vice-president of PPS.

Click here to see the Placemaking report on the Memphis riverfront.

Click here to read about the Placemaking Workshop with Fred Kent in Memphis.

Click here for more information from PPS on how communities can thrive even in tough times.

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National Mall / Public Promenade

Photo: Facing West across the Washington Mall, with one's back towards the United States Capitol. (Source: Wikipedia)

As we watch the Inaugural proceedings on the National Mall, we should remember that Memphis' Public Promenade was intended to serve the same function locally. It was to be a great public space, where citizens could gather and celebrate our heritage, while experiencing the vista from the great bluffs.

Like the National Mall, our Public Promenade was designed into the City plan, and was placed at its very center, both physically, and in a profoundly civic sense.

Interestingly, both have their brick "castles" -- the Smithsonian on the Mall, the old Cossitt library on the Promenade.

Like our Promenade, the National Mall, was neglected, forgotten and even abused for many years. During World War I, the government built a line of ugly concrete structures along the Mall's northern edge (Constitution Ave), to house parts of Navy and War Department. After the war was over, the buildings remained, even through yet another war. They were not torn down until 1970. In their place, today the grass and trees have been restored. Part of that restored section is now where the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is located -- one of the most visited memorials in Washington.

The National Park Service now maintains the Mall -- just as the Promenade was once the responsibility of the Memphis Park Commission, disbanded by Mayor Herenton in 2000.

We have neglected and abused our Promenade. Nobody would argue that. But it is not too late for us to restore the Promenade to its originally envisioned greatness. It will be too late, however, if the Public Promenade is condemned and turned over to private development.

To read more about the National Mall, often called America's front door and an expression of our national identity, click here.
For information about it's neglect and misuse, click here.
For a map of monuments and museums on the Mall that document our country's history, click here.
For a map of the parade route, click here.

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Letter-to-editor exposes riverfront land grab

In a letter to the editor of the “Commercial Appeal,” Mike Cromer reports on the Mayor's comments, dispels some myths about the riverfront, and let's us in on the City’s intentions. Here's the letter that tells who wins/who loses, if the City takes the Public Promenade by eminent domain.

Riverfront land grab pending
Saturday, January 17, 2009

At the Rotary Club luncheon Jan. 13, Mayor Willie Herenton was asked about the status of the riverfront. In response, he fibbed:

"The matter of ... the Overton heirs ... I don't know when that will ever be resolved satisfactorily, in terms of some of the real estate that the Riverfront Development [Corporation] is looking forward to for public purposes. That still remains an issue which we're still no closer to."

The truth is that the city hasn't held any meaningful negotiations with the descendants of the Proprietors (Memphis founders) in at least six years -- if ever.

Why? First, the city's lawyers have long known that the descendants don't have the power to agree to a modification of the terms of the Public Promenade easement.

Second, the city doesn't even want a modified easement. It wants to own the land outright, so it can lease or sell it to developers.

The city paid thousands of dollars to a powerful Washington law firm to research how to accomplish this goal. By May 2003, city lawyers had concluded that the way to do it was by eminent domain. In other words: They want to condemn the Public Promenade and eliminate the easement.

Why does Herenton (helped by this newspaper -- see "Time to move on the Promenade," Aug. 17, 2008) continue to perpetuate the myth that "Overton heirs" are obstacles to progress? Because taking property by eminent domain could inspire a public backlash.

The myth is part of a deliberate public relations strategy to demonize the "Overton heirs" -- the Promenade's supposed owners -- so that when the city goes to court to condemn the Promenade, the public has little or no sympathy for the heirs' loss. The city will claim, of course, that when the heirs wouldn't cooperate, officials had no choice but to take it by eminent domain.

But the descendants' "ownership" is the biggest fib. It's a legal technicality. As long as the property is subject to the easement, the descendants own nothing of any real value. The value is in the right to use the Promenade, which already belongs to the general public.

What Herenton hopes citizens never realize is that the city would be taking their property by eminent domain so it can sell, lease or even give the land to private commercial interests.

Michael Cromer
Memphis

As Cromer points out, YOU, as a citizen of Memphis, own and benefit from an undivided interest in the Public Promenade as protected by the easement of 1819. And yes, it's your property that the City would be taking by eminent domain.

Click topics below for additional information:
Easement,
Eminent domain scheme,
Legal issues.

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Freedom’s Sisters | Honoring the Legacy

Dare to dream. Take a stand. Make a difference. Inspire Lives. Serve the Public. Look to the Future.

The National Civil Rights Museum will feature an exhibit (Jan. 30 - Apr. 5) on women who lived by these challenging words. Ella Baker, Mary McLeod Bethune, Shirley Chisholm, Septima Clark, Kathleen Cleaver, Fannie Lou Hamer, Barbara Jordan, Mary Church Terrell, Betty Shabazz and other extraordinary women will all be showcased in this interactive and inspiring exhibit.

Sponsored by the Ford Motor Company Fund, the exhibit will visit nine cities, and Memphis is fortunate to be one. The exhibit opens January 24 and runs through April 5. For more information, phone the Civil Rights Museum at 521-9699 or click here.

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Stewardship & Economic Growth - Film shows How

Envision a society where economic opportunity, social justice and sustainable culture all result from environmental stewardship. Ten years ago, 14 businesses in Portland, Oregon did just that. The result: sustainable growth, one of the most livable communities in America, and economic development.

An award winning film, “A Passion for Sustainability,” documents the process and the breakthrough ideas that can be applied anywhere in the world.

It is the Chickasaw Group Sierra Club Film for Wed. Jan. 21 and will be shown at 7:30p.m. at Power House Memphis (45 G.E. Patterson, between Main and Front). Admission is free (with donations accepted). For more information contact Tom Lawrence at bus@thecave.com

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Randolph - 2nd Chickasaw Bluff Protected & Dedicated as Park

Memphis sits on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff; Randolph is upriver on the 2nd.

The four bluffs were named and numbered by the French as they headed down the Mississippi River through Chickasaw territory. Whether the water is high or low, the river is always adjacent to the land at these four high spots. The bluffs were the perfect sites for forts and later for river towns.

Because of their geographical, historical, and cultural significance, the bluffs today play an important role in the trails and greenways movement.

Last year, the TN Parks and Greenways Foundation, whose mission is to save Tennessee’s natural treasures, purchased Randolph’s bluff and dedicated it as a historic park.

Click "read more" below for the Commercial Appeal article on the dedication and links to additional information.

Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation dedicates Randolph Bluff Historic Park in Tipton County
Nonprofit group looks to generate tourism dollars
By Sherri Drake Silence, Memphis Commercial Appeal
Friday, October 10, 2008


State conservationists purchased property on Randolph's bluff to promote the remote Tipton County community's rich Civil War history and share its great Mississippi River view.

"It's the prettiest view I've ever seen of the Mississippi River," said Kathleen Williams, president and executive director of Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation. "It's just incredible."

The nonprofit group -- with a mission to "save Tennessee's natural treasures" -- paid about $378,000 for 19 acres in the Randolph community, near Burlison.

Saturday, conservationists, community members, leaders and historians will dedicate Randolph Bluff Historic Park. The foundation needs to raise $356,000 to pay off a loan used to buy the land.

The park in Randolph is part of a larger plan to create a scenic byway that connects historic sites along the Mississippi River. State Sen. Mark Norris, R-Collierville, actively supports the effort.

Williams' foundation partners with the Mississippi River Corridor Tennessee, which promotes economic development, land and wildlife preservation in six counties that border the river.

Tipton County Executive Jeff Huffman said the park in Randolph would generate tourism dollars for the area.

"We have this great natural resource here, right on the boundary of Tipton County," Huffman said. "It gives us an opportunity to really take advantage of that resource."

In the 1830s, Randolph rivaled Memphis as one of the largest river towns in West Tennessee, said Tipton historian David A. Gwinn.

"It was a very important town in its day," Gwinn said.

Contributing to its demise: the river changed course, Memphis got the railroad and Union Gen. William Sherman destroyed the town with fire during the Civil War. Tennessee built Fort Wright in Randolph.

Now, Randolph -- with about 200 residents -- has a few homes with river views, a boat dock, bar and church.

Williams said she'd love to see the park lure hikers, bicyclists and kayakers.

A few locals -- including lifelong Randolph resident Norma Glass -- aren't so sure they like the change, saying it's not always a good thing to live next to a park.

"I guess if they don't allow all the riffraff in, I guess that'll be all right," she said.

"I think there's some concern that there's going to be this onslaught of tourists," Huffman said. "I don't think that's going to be the case at all. I see it as an asset."

The kickoff celebration will start at noon Saturday at 198 Ballard Slough Road.

"Parks make good neighbors," Williams said.

Click here for more information about TN Parks and Greenways Foundation.
Click here for more information about MS River Corridor Tennessee.

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