Hank Williams was born in rural Butler County, Alabama, in 1923. He moved to Montgomery and won a talent contest that launched his career. From there, he got a gig performing on a radio show with the Drifting Cowboys. Like contemporaries like Elvis Presley, he gained notoriety by performing on the Louisiana Hayride and Grand Ole Opry. Williams wrote nearly a dozen number one … [Read more...] about Hank Williams Landmarks Fans Can’t Miss
museums
Angola: Alcatraz of the South
The History of Angola An 8,000-acre plot of land between New Orleans, Louisiana and Natchez, Mississippi was purchased in 1880 by Confederate Major Samuel James. It was named Angola for the country of origin of the slaves that worked the land shaped by the Mississippi River. Once the existing prisons in New Orleans and Baton Rouge became old and overcrowded, the … [Read more...] about Angola: Alcatraz of the South
Visiting the National Civil Rights Museum
The National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel is one of the biggest attractions in Memphis, Tennessee. Located in a desegregated hotel popular with musicians and celebrities of all races, it was here that an assassin's bullet ended the life of Martin Luther King Jr. A wreath now marks the room that he stayed in while helping with the Sanitation Worker's Strike. The … [Read more...] about Visiting the National Civil Rights Museum
Visiting New Orleans Area Plantations
The byway known as the River Road follows the Mississippi River from the north to the Gulf of Mexico, winding curves along the way. The river was an important resource for commerce and transportation as steamboats were the main form. Houses were built on both sides of the water using materials brought back and forth, but these plantations also grew items like cotton, … [Read more...] about Visiting New Orleans Area Plantations
Should We Visit Plantations?
A big part of visiting the South, especially places like Charleston and New Orleans, is visiting plantations. These large homes are typically defined as "an estate on which crops such as coffee, sugar, cotton, and tobacco are cultivated by resident labor" by encyclopedias. But what they almost always mean in this part of the world is a place that relied on slave labor. So … [Read more...] about Should We Visit Plantations?
