Memphis Part 2

I felt like my last blog post was getting entirely to long. It needed a part two. I hope I didn't loose to many people. Thank you for those of you who are continuing to read!

Back to Forest Hill where we left off....

This was the very last picture I took at Forest Hill. I wanted the history of this building. Someone used to love this place. It was GORGEOUS! Who allows a gem like this to rot and fall to shambles? Even the place where Elvis's shrine was, it was in desperate need of a good moping and restoring.

We didn't stay at Forest Hill very long. I was a little disappointed at the condition the entire cemetery was in. Considering the history I have in keeping up a very large, very old cemetery (which is none lets be honest) I decided to leave before I got to upset.

Back to Elmwood.



Did  you get that angelic music? Did you?? I did!

This time we got there about 11ish. Told Adam we could leave at 12:30. Men like to know how long they are going to be stuck in a place they don't want to be in. Since we got there on a Sunday they weren't doing tours. Yes. I said TOURS! They have a CD that guides you through the park and gives you the history! I really would love to go back.

This is just a small gathering of information for this place. Not sure you could ever have enough written about the people in this cemetery.

I think this was the first time I have ever seen a cemetery have "hallways" separating their plots. Do you see the thresholds? Very interesting.

This is the entrance into some from the road. They have their own staircase with their own numbers. Fascinating.

This one gave me chills. I think some of us forget what selfless service it really is being a member of the military. "All gave some and some gave all."  This brave young man was laid to rest along side his parents. His last words were "Help the others first". Still gives me chills.

I blew this up so hopefully you could read it. I had no idea the yellow fever killed so many people back in the 1870's. Did you? They were dying at a rate of 200 a day! That was astronomical in the 1870's...Heck that is a lot today! The city lost 8,500 residents. Grave diggers had no time to dig individual plots so they dug mass trenches to place the 1,400 of the 2,500 bodies laid to rest here just to keep them off the streets. The other 1,100 have their own graves. I would imagine it was families that had the means to pay someone to have their loved ones buried privately. Just makes me sad for the families that lost so many loved ones.

"Life, Death-Then Life and Love Eternal." Little did they know how true this statement really is.

This was probably one of the first mausoleums I photographed and read. I had no idea who he or his family was until we got back to our hotel the second night and I started researching the graves I pictured and was taken aback by who he was. In the late 1800's it was a different world for anyone of color, yet, he never gave up or gave in. Surviving a steamboat accident as a young boy and then being beaten and left for dead he never gave up and became one of the South's first black millionaires. What a legacy he left. His daughter left one also fighting for civil rights and the rights of women.

The history in this place is without a doubt fascinating. Dare I say Romantic? From the story of a husband who out lived his wife and loved her so much he built a monument to her so he could return daily and sit just and be with her. To parents that lost their only child and spent their life savings on a realistic statue of their son who died at 20 so he would never be forgotten. To all the soldiers who fought and lost their lives during a war to defend the freedoms we take for granted on a daily basis. It has all together sparked something inside of me to seek out my family heritage.

I really hope you have enjoyed our trip as much as I did. Thank you for visiting!! 

Memphis Part 1

I want to thank everyone who has asked when I was going to post another blog post. Thank you so much for the interest!! Its been a busy few weeks. So I will try and catch up...hope you enjoy!

Two weeks ago this weekend my TDH (Tall Dark and Handsome) and I took a long needed trip away. I think some times its not where you go, but who is with you that matters...don't you agree! He has moved stores and works from 7am-7pm Sat-Fri....with an occasional day off. Its a good "Career" move and it is only temporary, but it sure is painful at the moment. He got a weekend off and decided to go to Memphis...its close, and its not home. Loaded up the car, took Caden to his Nana and Pawpaw's and off we went.

We were so excited to be baby free!!! Just the two of us again, like old times...not a care in the world. After about an hour of talking, our thoughts went back to Caden. Isn't it crazy how bad you think you need to get away from your kids, but when you do get away you feel like your heart is missing? It was "Cadenisms" the rest of the trip.

We didn't really have a schedule, and we had no idea when we would be back. Just knew we needed to get away.

It was late when we got to our Hotel. So if you know us...we went to two Walmart's in the local area to scope them out. Don't judge us. We do it where ever we go. We can't help it. Had some Mexican food and like two very old people we were asleep by 9.

Up at the crack of the afternoon...10, just in time for checkout! Then off to Memphis we went. (We didn't stay IN Memphis, because I wanted to come home alive) Downtown Memphis is a sight to see. BEAUTIFUL! We had the best hamburger EVER at Huey's Burgers. Seriously. We both were in the mood for a hamburger, but didn't want the same old same old so I googled it. This place got a 5/5 stars...guess that means its good?? We were about 2 miles away from this place and I could smell it...I am not lying. Oh the streets smelled yummy. It's one of those places that has names on the walls of everyone who has ever been there, toothpicks in the ceiling tiles from hundreds of thousands of customers who have attempted the "toothpick launch" and the people who worked there treated you like family.

Madison Avenue Burger this is the burger I had...oh my goodness!!

Note to self...no need to order fries with Hamburger. You wont eat them. Not that they aren't delicious, but you don't want to waste the space in your stomach for fries when burger is EPIC. (That word is over used, but really its the only word I have for it.) When you have got "Glutton" written on your forehead, they will hand you your ticket and help roll you out the front doors...Phew. I am full just thinking about it.

There is a trolley ride that takes you around Memphis for $1! Its well worth it and so much more!! Shops, restaurants, apartments, the riverboats, art, random people in the streets playing instruments, it was like I was dropped in a scene of a movie. I think I could have stayed on that trolley and could have seen different things all day.

This picture was better than the one I took.

I think there is an internal instinct one gets when you are in a city that isn't safe when it time to leave...and well we got that feeling it was 3.

There is a cemetery on the Historical Registry that we wanted to see. It wasn't that far away so we headed there...The drive to the cemetery was like driving through parts of Detroit that are abandoned. Scary. I had second thoughts on our way there. Then we saw this.

It was like the heavens opened up and the light came down and the angels started singing! How on EARTH could this place exists in such a SCARY part of town. Considering this place has been around longer than most of Memphis...that is how. We got there at 4:15 and the gates close at 4:30! I was on overload and knew I had to come back.

How often does one come across a cemetery that had monuments like THIS!

I looked at Adam and he knew we were coming back. I was like a kid at Christmas time. He had to drag me back to the Car! So we started looking for hotels...and again we were out by 9...Old I tell you! We are OLD!

This time I was up and dressed for breakfast at 8...This girl had some where to BE! On our way to Elmwood there is a few more cemeteries that are not as "Historic" as Elmwood, but are as famous. Its called Forest Hill...Ring a bell??

How about now? You may know him as Elvis.

This is his mother's Original headstone. --This picture was taken in the 50's...I didn't take this picture just incase you were wondering.

This is all that remains. Basically a shrine. Love letters inside, glitter EVERYWHERE and kisses where someone had kissed the outside of the gate. Seriously people?? He isn't even there! He was reburied in a totally different part of town.! He is in Graceland for goodness sakes.

Forest Hill had this crypt up for auction and the starting bid was a cool 1 million. Then they had an influx of Crazy devoted fans demand they not sell it. So there it remains. Empty. (Just incase you are wondering I had NO IDEA Elvis and his mother were buried there...and really you wouldn't either if you just googled Forest Hill cemetery. Imagine the kind of money this place could bring in if it advertised that???)

Here is another fun one at Forest Hill. This guys name was at the very top of the box and it was taller than me. I have no idea who was in there...wasn't about to climb on it and find out.

These really are pieces of artwork. I think of the ones who built them and the hours of work it must have taken to carve those intricate leaves out. Amazing.

I think I could have just walked around this place all day if Adam would have let me. Not so much being around people who have passed, but enjoying the artwork and the magnificent history of our nation that has been left behind and forgotten.  







**Part two will be next. This post has gotten entirely to long.**