Renee's Routes

An American Pilgrimage,
the Mississippi Delta Blues Trail and the Footsteps of The Help

by Renee S. Gordon

"The history of a people is found in its songs." George Jellinek

Delta Blues Musician T Model Ford

There is no region in the country that is more distinctive and descriptive of a significant African American experience that impacted on the history of the entire nation than the Mississippi delta. In myth the area begins in the lobby of Memphis' Peabody Hotel and ends at the levee on Vicksburg's Catfish Row. In reality the Mississippi Delta, not to be confused with the Mississippi River Delta in Louisiana, is an alluvial plain situated between the Mississippi and Yazoo Rivers in the northwestern section of the state of Mississippi. The region encompasses portions or all of seventeen counties. www.visitthedelta.com

The first blacks were brought into MS, a French territory, when colonization began and in 1719 the first large shipment of slaves arrived. By 1724 the black population was so large that they enacted a stringent Code Noir, Black Code, to regulate every aspect of the slaves' lives. MS entered the US as a slave state on December 10, 1817 and on January 9, 1861 it became the second state to secede from the Union. At that time the state had 436,631 slaves, 55% of the population, and 773 freedmen.

In 1865 the reconstructed government of MS legislated the Black Code of November 1865 that established vagrancy laws, made it illegal for a freedman to rent or lease agricultural land and necessitated a license or contract for freedmen to work, all with the goal of maintaining the status quo. This government was replaced in 1867 by a US military government but the constitution adopted in 1869 did not guarantee black .

Development of the Mississippi Delta was delayed until the 1840s because of a poor system of levees and it was not until the post-bellum period that the "plantations" were lucrative for the owners and were worked by sharecroppers and tenant farmers. In this system owners leased land to workers in return for a percentage of the crop. Traditionally the owner supplied all the needs of the worker and his family, often paying them with scrip. The problems are evident, the owner kept the books, the worker was at his mercy, and many were tied to the land because they would end up in debt to the owner and faced arrest if they tried to move without payment. By 1910 90% of the overall population and 95% of the Delta's tenants were African American.

Ironically it is these conditions, from slavery to this new form of "freedom," that fostered the development of an entire musical genre, the blues. No one knows exactly where the first blues song was sung but we do know that, though there is no exact equivalent in Africa, the blues employ African song characteristics such as a strong rhythm base and emphasis on individual improvisation.

Musicians have always been central to black culture. They entertained, helped us grieve, registered our displeasure, set the work pace, called out to God and the ancestors and preserved and transmitted our culture. The Mississippi Blues Trail follows the path of the most renowned of the legendary bluesmen along with several important Civil

Tunica, MS is most recognized as a casino city and, because of the huge number of accommodations it is an ideal starting point for this tour. It is 35-miles south of Memphis, TN and an equal distance on the Blues Highway 61 from one of the Delta's most important Blues' cities, Clarksdale. www.tunicamiss.com

The Infamous Crossroads

The first marker you pass is at the location of the boyhood home of Robert Johnson, "King of the Delta Blues, " the Abbay & Leatherman Plantation. He lived here with his mother and stepfather in a shack starting in 1916 at the age of five.

Highways 61 and 49, the two main routes through the Delta, and the Illinois Central Railroad, all met in Clarksdale. The point at which 61 and 49 intersect has come to be known as "The Crossroads" and legend has it that this is where Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil for the ability to play the guitar. The site is marked with a 20-foot sculpture of crossed blue guitars and the numbers 61 and 49. www. visitclarksdale.com

A tour of the Delta Blues Museum in the 1918 Old Freight Depot is mandatory. The self-guided tour begins with a mandinka kora, an African stringed instrument, and continues through a series of displays of photographs and memorabilia that honors bluesmen and woman. A number of display cases are devoted to individuals but the focal point of the individual displays is Muddy Waters' original cabin complete with a life-sized figure of the artist playing the guitar. Other significant artifacts include John Lee Hooker's guitar, Little Walter's Hohner harmonica and a "Muddywood" guitar. www.deltabluesmuseum.org

Downtown Clarksdale's Walk of Fame pays homage to its citizens who gained international fame such as Sam Cooke, Ike Turner and Tennessee Williams.

Marker at the Riverside Hotel

The Riverside Hotel is of particular interest to fans of the "Empress of the Blues," Bessie Smith. On my most recent visit I took an eye-opening tour of the Riverside Hotel with the owner Frank Ratliff. On September 26, 1937, in the wee hours of the morning, Bessie Smith and her chauffeur, Richard Morgan, were driving from Memphis to Clarksdale on Highway 61.Their Packard hit a stalled truck and Bessie was seriously injured. She was taken to the G. Thomas African American Hospital where she died at 11:30 AM. The hospital closed in 1940 and was shortly thereafter was purchased by Ratliff's mother and converted into the Riverside Hotel.

The hotel is an international destination and is often booked years in advance. No other lodgings have the Blues history or ambience of the Riverside. Ike Turner's seminal "Rocket 88" was written in the basement. Guests often request certain rooms that are linked to the cast of artists who have slept there. Here is a cheat sheet so you know which room to ask for, Muddy Waters #5, John Lee Hooker #6, the Five Blind Boys #s 6,7,8, Sam Cooke #7, Ike Turner (pre-Tina) #9, Mavis Staples and Aretha Franklin #10 and Martin Luther King #11. John F. Kennedy Jr's accommodations are not numbered because the suite has been renamed in his honor. The hotel retains the original woodwork and doors and rooms 5 and 11 have the original furniture. The hotel has 21 rooms for rent starting at $65 per night. www.ratpackstlouis.com/riverside_hotel.htm

True blues aficionados make the pilgrimage to the Stovall Plantation and the original site of Muddy Water's cabin. The Stovall's have owned the property since the 1840s and in 1918 3-year-old McKinley Morganfield went there to live with his grandmother. Muddy began as a harmonica player but took up the guitar after seeing Son House at a local jook joint and being impressed by his skill. In 1941 folklorist Alan Lomax was directed to Muddy's cabin and he recorded his first song, "Country Blues."

On a visit in 1983 ZZ Top took pieces of cypress from the then derelict cabin and crafted "Muddywood" guitars. One was donated to the Delta Blues Museum in 1988. Though the cabin is today exhibited in the museum, fans visit the site to scoop up a vial of "sacred soil".

You can't leave town without a stop for a meal and to sign the wall in Morgan Freeman's Ground Zero Blues Club. It is open for lunch and dinner and presents live music on a regular schedule. www.groundzerobluesclub.com

Leaving Clarksdale via Hwy 49 your next stop is Tutwiler. In 1930 while waiting at the station for a train W.C. Handy was introduced to the Blues. In his biography he recounts hearing a black man accompanying himself on the slide guitar and singing a blues song about the railroad junction in Moorehead, MS where the "Southern Crosses the Dog," a railroad intersection. A little over a year later he committed the Blues to paper and would become known as the "Father of the Blues." A marker designates the spot of the train station and nearby is a series of murals that depict the meeting at the station and several other scenes,

A marker indicates the location of the funeral home that prepared the body of Emmett Till for transport to Chicago.

The 15,000-acre Parchman Farm, the Mississippi State Penitentiary, is symbolic of African American history in the state. Though it did not open until 1905 it played a pivotal role in 20 th -century musical and cultural events. The prison was designed to be a self-sustaining work farm, not unlike a pre-war plantation, with its own livestock, sawmill, food crops and thousands of acres of cotton. Prisoners were leased to individuals, railroads, corporations and municipalities and in its first year of operation it turned a profit of $185,000. By 1917 90% of Parchman's internees were black, 38% serving life.

Folklorists entered the Delta with portable recording equipment in the 30s in search of authentic folk music with roots that could be traced back to Africa. They recorded in the fields and at the cabins, the most famous of which is the recordings by Muddy Waters made at Stovall Plantation and those documented inside Parchman. Alan and John Lomax's recordings for the Library of Congress in 1933 are the most well known. Such bluesmen as Son House, Bukka White, Alabama Stewart and several female inmates recorded by David Cohn are archived in the Smithsonian.

On June 15, 1961 Parchman Farms became the jail to the first Freedom Riders to enter the state. They were incarcerated on Death Row.

Travelers are not allowed to stop on the roads that run pass the 46-square mile prison but you can catch glimpses of the iconic jail.

Glendora, MS is on 49 and it is well worth a visit. It was the home of Sonny Boy Williamson, one of the most influential early bluesmen, and is the location of the Emmett Till Historic Intrepid Center (ETHIC), an incomparable gem situated inside the Old Glendora Cotton Gin.

The museum interprets the town's history from its beginnings in 1883 as a railroad town and the "Las Vegas of the Delta" through the Emmett Till story. Tours are guided and begin in the lobby with an outstanding exhibit, "The Awakening: A Tree Remembers," the story of a lynching. In the early galleries visitors are introduced to the realities of sharecropping in an exhibit of a 9-foot cotton sack that required 500-lbs of cotton to fill. Additional cases highlight Williamson's career and the fact that he was the first black musician to advertise a black product.

The Emmett Till exhibit area begins with the send-off, a life-sized picture of Mamie Till bidding goodbye to her son at the Chicago train station and giving him his father's ring to wear. An exacting replica of Bryant's store is next, complete with video interviews of the adults who as children, were with him on that fateful day. Visitors can look inside and see the layout of the store.

The replicated room from which Till was kidnapped personalizes the experience and then you are not quite prepared for the 1955 Chevy pick-up truck that represents the one he was carried in. The men drove him, for some inexplicable reason, 70-miles to Rosedale before dumping the body.

Emmett Till was accused of whistling at a white female shopkeeper, Carolyn Bryant in Bryant's Grocery and Meat Market in Money, Mississippi On August 24, 1955. Her husband, Roy Bryant, and J. W. Milam kidnapped the 14-year-old from the home of his great-uncle, Moses Wright, to "teach him a lesson," about 3 AM in the morning. He was found on August 31 st , dead, beaten beyond recognition with a 70-lb. cotton gin fan tied around his neck. He was floating in the Tallahatchie River and could only be identified by the ring he was wearing. Emmett Till's viewing and services were held in Chicago's Roberts Temple Church of God and thousands filed pass he open casket. On September 6 th he was laid to rest in Burr Oak Cemetery.

The museum tour continues with a view of the barn on the Sheridan Plantation where he was beaten, a small-scale copy of the bridge from which he was thrown and a fan of the type used to hold him down. Dioramas of the viewing and a replica of his grave conclude the pretrial portion of the displays.

Milam and Bryant were initially arrested for kidnapping on August 29 th and on September 3 rd the men were indicted for murder and held for trial. They pled not guilty. Jury selection resulted in an all white, all male, jury. On September 23 rd , after 67 minutes of deliberation, both men were acquitted of murder. The grand jury dropped kidnapping charges On November 3 rd . The museum interprets the trial with models of courtroom scenes and numbered exhibits from the trial.

The January 22, 1957 issue of "Look" magazine contained an interview in which the killers admitted the crime and exhibited no remorse other than the fact that it ruined their business and caused a boycott by the area's black population.

ETHIC originally opened in 2005 but the new facility dates from September 2011 with the goal of healing the community. My guide was an outstanding young man, Scotty Simmons, who is a native Glendoran, heheard the stories first hand from friends and relatives, worked on the project from its inception and is both knowledgeable and articulate. With any luck he will be your guide.

A number of the people involved in the Emmett Till incident lived in or around Glendora and it was to Glendora that officials came to interrogate residents. In order to keep them from talking some people were incarcerated in predominately white towns and then moved from place to place. The locations of two very significant structures are only a few steps from the museum, J. W. Milam's House and King's Cafe.

Milam's house has been torn down but the site is designated with a marker. Milam, half-brother of Carolyn Bryant, was one of the accused. The King's Cafe was the place where NAACP and law enforcement investigators met with potential witnesses. www.glendorams.com

From Glendora it is only a few miles on a rural road to Money, MS, the location of the Bryant's store. The building is in a state of serious disrepair but there is a marker on the exterior.

A Typical Jook Joint

Greenwood is smack in the center of the Delta and has claimed most of its fame as the place in 1938 where Robert Johnson met an end as shrouded in mystery as his talent. Johnson was living in Baptist Town, a poor black community, when either a lover or a lover's husband at the Three Forks Store allegedly gave him poisoned whiskey. He died after several agonizing days at 109 Young Street.

Johnson's estate was not settled until June 15, 2000 when C. L. Johnson was declared his son and sole heir though he only saw him once as a baby. The estate records, E-380, are available for viewing at the Leflore County Courthouse. Personal documents are included in the file.

Ninety-five percent of "The Help" was filmed in Greenwood and this is where the cast and crew lived during the 56-day shoot. Many of them stayed at the Alluvian Hotel, constructed in 1917, as the Hotel Irving and completely renovated in 2003. This luxurious hotel is consistently listed on the Conde Nast Traveler's Gold List.

There are 14 film locations on the driving tour including the homes of Hilly Holbrook, Celia Foote, Skeeter Phelan, Minnie Jackson and Aibileen Clark. Baptist Town, a historic black neighborhood, was the setting for the black neighborhood in the film. Minny and Aibilene's Church was located in Little Zion M.B. Church, also the site of one of the three graves of Robert Johnson. Visitor's can also replicate the stars dining experiences and one of their favorites was the Delta Bistro. The female chef, Taylor Bowen Ricketts, has been nominated for the James Beard Award. www.greenwoodms.org

Blues Singers Masks

Cleveland, MS' Delta Center for Culture and Learning at Delta State University is a perfect place to fill in any gaps in your knowledge of the Delta's music and culture. A jewel here is the collection of Blues singer's masks on display in Ewing Hall. Artist Sharon McConnell moved to the Delta to craft these life masks of the legendary musicians. This amazing showcase is made even more powerful by the fact that Ms. McConnell is blind. www.blueshighway.org

The railroad was located in Cleveland in 1884 because it is located midway between Memphis and Vicksburg and the Martin & Sue King Railroad Heritage Museum is another of Cleveland's unique sites. The museum preserves and presents the story of the impact that the railroad had on the area. The heart of the exhibition is a 70' by 17' model train layout representing "Anytown, MS."

To round out the experience you must visit the Back in the Day Museum, 204 Young Street. It meticulously recreates the type of rooms a bluesman would have occupied. Because of vagrancy laws they faced possible arrest if they moved around during the workday. (662) 392-5370.

There are three possible locations for Robert Johnson's gravesite, Little Zion Church in Greenwood's outskirts, Payne Chapel M. B. Church in Quito and Mount Zion M. B. Church in Morgan City. Mount Zion has emerged as the site of choice and a large tombstone indicates his place in the cemetery. The monument includes photographs and a huge amount of text. There are always offerings from international fans adorning the grave.

Former slaves Isaiah Montgomery and Benjamin Green founded Mound Bayou in 1887. An earlier settlement on Jefferson Plantation near Vicksburg was dismantled after 18 years when the family of Jefferson Davis reclaimed the land. Today Mound Bayou is believed to be the nation's largest completely African American municipality.

Peter's Pottery, owned by four brothers, is located in Mound Bayou. Their internationally famous pottery is crafted from Mississippi clay and glazed in the brothers' iconic Bayou Blue. George W. Bush has purchased their work. www.peters-pottery.net

Merigold has two legendary Delta institutions that make this an important stop. Lee and Pup McCarty started their pottery business in 1954 in an old mule barn along Highway 61. They have expanded their complex to include a fine dining establishment, an informal eatery and stunning gardens. Their pottery is internationally renowned and they have been awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award. There is an on-site shop. wwwmccartyspottery.com

Plaque at Po' Monkey's

Po' Monkey's on RR49 is widely considered the last authentic rural jook joint. Situated amidst fields of cotton it doesn't get more authentic than this. Please note that it is only open on Thursdays. www.visitclevelandms.com

Ruleville's best claim to blues history is Greasy Street. It was once a Front Street row of live music venues. "Howlin" Wolf played these corners for tips as a teen.

Fannie Lou Hamer Memorial Park is dedicated to one of MS' greatest civil

Dockery Farms

The 10,000-acre Dockery Plantation was listed on the National Register in 2006 and is recognized by many as the birthplace of the blues. Approximately 2,000 laborers lived in this insular environment with its own store, school, churches, jooks and rail stop. The plantation became known for the skill of its musicians starting with Henry Sloan who mentored Charley Patton. Patton taught and nurtured younger musicians including Son House, Robert Johnson, "Howlin" Wolf, Honeyboy Edwards and Roebuck "Pops" Staples.

Dockery Farms remains the most perfect example of the physical layout and aura of a farm of the era. One can stand near the still visible tracks and visualize the train coming in at week's end bearing the sartorially splendid bluesmen, guitars in hand. They would play in the makeshift clubs where tired workers had never seen anyone looking so pretty or sounding so good.

The Dockery family established and supports a research foundation to preserve the blues legacy. Information on events and tours can be found online. www.dockeryfarms.com

Whitney's Cotton Gin

Railroads began to change Delta culture in the late 19 th -century and many bluesmen would take the train to points north. Riley King was one who left in 1947 and went on to fame. His story is told in Indianola in the B. B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center. The museum is the largest in the world dedicated to one musician with 20,000-sq. ft. of space. The $14-million facility is built around the only brick cotton gin in the state and one in which King worked. The museum captures the essence of the Delta blues and the soul of B. B. King. You should allow several hours for the self-guided tour.

Your experience begins with a 12-minute orientation film and continues through King's life and career with the creative use of memorabilia, video, artifacts, dioramas, models and audio. His iconic guitar Lucille's story is not neglected. In the 50s King was playing a club in Twist, Arkansas when two men began to fight over a woman and accidentally set the club on fire. King escaped before realizing he had abandoned his guitar. He risked his life retrieving it, found out the lady in question was named Lucille and ever after called his Gibson guitars "Lucille" to remind him to never fight over a woman. www.bbkingmuseum.org

King has claimed Indianola as his home since he moved there in 1938 to live with relatives. In 1986 he placed his signature and hand and footprints in cement on 2 nd and Church Streets where he once played for coins. He returns yearly to perform a free concert for the city. www.indianolamstourism.org

Yazoo County was named after the river that in the local Native American language meant "river of death." Yazoo City, the county seat, was originally called Manchester. A 1904 fire destroyed 75% the city and the reconstructed Yazoo City Town Center Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its architectural significance in 1979. Yazoo City was recognized as having the "Best Old House Neighborhoods 2012: The South." www.thisoldhouse.com

For 125-years the Oakes family resided in the home that is now the Oakes African American Cultural Center. The museum features the history of the family as well as that of other African Americans from the county.

Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church was established in 1868 and in 1890 the congregation erected the first African American brick church in the state. Guided tours are available for a closer view of the original pulpit furniture and bell tower.

The Witch's Grave

Arguably the most famous resident of the city is the "Witch of Yazoo," made famous by author Willie Morris. The legend states that the woman was a recluse who, while chasing two boys from her property, slipped into quicksand and died. Before she died she cursed the town with a prediction of a fire. To be safe the citizens buried her in Glenwood Cemetery and chained her down. After the May 25, 1904 fire people checked her gravesite. The chains were broken! Thirteen paces away from her Willie Morris is buried. You can visit them both. www.yazoo.org

Yazoo City is home to the September 2012 Fire & Feast Barbecue Competition & Festival. Award winning pit masters from across the country compete in this professional competition. The good news is that you can enjoy internationally famous barbecue in the city anytime at Ubon's Barbecue of Yazoo. For five generations they have been making delicious ribs with their family sauce. www.ubons.net

We have been following in the footsteps of the Delta bluesmen and we have only scratched the surface. The Blues Trail is constantly evolving and on February 23 rd the 150 th historic marker was installed. This trail is well established and marked but it is by no means the only path of interest. The state has so much to offer that they have developed a series of thematic routes that are easily followed and interpret various aspects of life in Mississippi. Information and brochures are available at visitor centers and on the web.

Jackson is where many of the trails intersect but I believe the city presents a microcosm of southern civil

The Magnificent Capital Building

The Mississippi Old State Capitol (1839-1903) is the tour's most important public build-ing. The Ordinance of Secession, the infamous 1865 Black Codes effectively restricting blacks post-war prog-ress and the 1890 state Constitution legally disenfranchising blacks, were passed here. Hiram Revels, the first African American to serve in Congress, was elected senator here in 1870. The building formerly housed the MS State Historical Museum and the first permanent Civil

The Farish Street Historic District was once the 175-acre center of black socio-economic life. The majority of the buildings were designed and erected by black craftsmen between 1890 and 1930.

After integration the neighborhood fell into disrepair and is now undergoing restoration. Two of the most significant structures that remain are the Alamo Theater and Collins Funeral Home. The Alamo was a stop on the "Chitlin Circuit" and all the major black stars of the era performed there.

Farish Street was the scene of the march of 4,000 mourners following the hearse of Medgar Evers on June 15, 1963 in 101-degree heat. His body was taken to the Collins Funeral Home for preparation for burial in Arlington National Cemetery.

Medgar and Myrlie Evers lived in a one-story home on Guynes Street. It was in the driveway of this home that he was shot and killed with a 1918 Enfield rifle at 12:20 AM on June 12, 1963 by Byron de la Beckwith. Tours are by appointment only. 601-977-7710.

The MS Agriculture & Forestry Museum/ National Agricultural Aviation Museum is a site on the Jackson City Tour. This 41-site complex consists of 40-acres with indoor and outdoor exhibits. The outdoor exhibits have been relocated from area farms to replicate a 1920s farm. A highlight of the exterior tour is the oldest operating 1860 Bisland Cotton Gin in the world.

The 35,000-sq. ft. museum tour begins with a short orientation film and continues chronologically with dioramas, videos and information panels. The museum displays the 2 nd oldest bale of cotton in the US and a replica of Whitney's cotton gin. www.msagmuseum.org

One of the state's most recent tours was created around sites connected with "The Help." The route takes you through several cities including Jackson.

The historic Fondren District was once part of a 5,000-acre plantation and later the site of a lunatic asylum. Today it is an upscale, hip neighborhood filled with galleries and shops. Kathryn Stockett, the author of "The Help," grew up in the vicinity and some of the filming took place in the area. Filming took place inside and outside of Brent's Drugs and the restaurant now exhibits movie props around the room. Even if you are not starstruck the food here is wonderful. The driving tour is available online.

Jackson State University is one of the largest of the country's historically black colleges. It was founded in Natchez in 1877 and in 1882 it was relocated to Jackson. Situated on the campus is the Penguin Restaurant & Bar, an absolute "must dine." This new restaurant pays homage to a previous campus eatery. Owner and operator, John Hardy, has kept the signature dish, the Penguin Hotdog, on the menu and I dare you to eat the whole thing.
www.thepenguinms.com

For additional information go to www.visitthedelta.com and www.visitmississippi.org

"There's no way in the world I can feel the same blues the way I used to. When I play in Chicago, I'm playing up-to-date, not the blues I was born with. People should hear the pure blues - the blues we used to have when we had no money." ? Muddy Waters

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