By Robert A. Lanier Once upon a time, every year, two free paperback books approximately two inches thick plopped onto the doorstep of almost every…
Read More The Sears Catalog Christmas BookCategory: History
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Vox Clamantis in Deserto. Behind the 1925 Scopes “Monkey” Trial
Robert S. Keebler, The Quiet Crusader Who Defended Academic Freedom & 24-Year-Old Public School Teacher John Scopes By Robert A. Lanier What sayest thou of…
Read More Vox Clamantis in Deserto. Behind the 1925 Scopes “Monkey” TrialBefore Libertyland: Memories of the Old Fairgrounds Amusement Park
Nothing says ‘Memphis’ like the old Fairgrounds Amusement Park of Memphis memories, beautifully captured here by fan-favorite Charlie Lambert. Originally published June 2019 for both…
Read More Before Libertyland: Memories of the Old Fairgrounds Amusement Park‘Riot’ or ‘Massacre’ – Revisiting the reporting of the Memphis Riot and Massacre of 1866
By Robert A. Lanier Riot: Public violence, tumult, or disorder; a violent public disorder. (Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, 1977 edition); A disturbance of the peace…
Read More ‘Riot’ or ‘Massacre’ – Revisiting the reporting of the Memphis Riot and Massacre of 1866Tracing My Black Roots in Old Whitehaven
Following in the footsteps of her family and a well-known chronicler of old Whitehaven, the writer traces her roots in Memphis’s city to the south.…
Read More Tracing My Black Roots in Old WhitehavenHidden History of the Orpheum, Part I: Origins
“Don’t Tear Down the Malco!” Urban renewal threats spark looks back at a rich history Urban renewal had crept its way to Beale Street. At…
Read More Hidden History of the Orpheum, Part I: Origins‘ANARCHY IN MEMPHIS’ Looking Back At The Infamous 1978 Fire (and Police) Department Strikes
A half-mile away, a two-alarm blaze was consuming the library on Vance. Once known as the “colored branch,” the Vance Library was the prime repository…
Read More ‘ANARCHY IN MEMPHIS’ Looking Back At The Infamous 1978 Fire (and Police) Department StrikesRevisited: Introduction to An (almost) Lost History of The Orpheum
In a summer-long series in honor of its 95th birthday, StoryBoard revisits an era when Memphis almost lost its last great theatre palace: its struggles…
Read More Revisited: Introduction to An (almost) Lost History of The OrpheumThe Fascists Are Coming!
By Robert A. Lanier Fascist! Since at least World War II, to call someone a fascist has been almost as insulting as to call someone…
Read More The Fascists Are Coming!THIS SUMMER: Revisited, the Hidden History of the Orpheum
In a summer-long series in honor of its 95th birthday, StoryBoard revisits an era when Memphis almost lost its last great theatre palace: its survival…
Read More THIS SUMMER: Revisited, the Hidden History of the Orpheum