Just Bryan & Kerrie!

Bryan & I finally got away together & we decided to go to Memphis. The first thing we did when we got there was to go have barbeque at "Corky's". Fantastic food & service! I made some sock monkey's for the kids since we would be gone for 4 days. I had to finish Wyatt's in the car, so I insisted that Bryan have his picture taken with him.

National Civil Rights Museum

The next morning, we went to the "National Civil Rights Museum", which is connected to the Lorraine Motel (where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. The museum was incredible, and we wound up touring it with a group of congressmen. John Lewis was the main speaker in the group, & his pictures were all over the museum. He was one of the main leaders in the civil rights movement, & we were just shocked that we got to hear him speak about that time in his life. To commemorate the 40 year mark of Dr. King's assassination, these congressmen gave speaches & set out a wreath in his honor. Bryan & I also sang "We Shall Overcome" with this group, along with the ambassador of South Africa! I went back into the building after this was over, & when I opened the door, Jesse Jackson was walking out. He spoke briefly with John Lewis, & I suppose they are pretty good friends because he stuck his tongue out at him. Jesse Jackson went up to the balcony outside room 306 where Dr. King was assassinated & recounted the events to reporters. He was standing right next to Dr. King at that moment, & actually had to make the call to King's wife to give her the news. Talk about being at the right place at the right time! It was truly an incredible experience.

Underground Railroad Museum

The next day, we went to the "Slave Haven" underground railroad museum. This was an old farmhouse that Mr. Burkle built, knowing that he was going to do this for the underground railroad. He kept a couple of slaves, just so no one would catch on to what he was doing. They were actually there to help him get supplies (medicine, food, etc.) down to the basement & to help take care of the babies so the parents could get the rest they needed to continue. They stayed there (on average) about three days before leaving in the night to go to the next safe haven. They had to out run the slave catchers, so they couldn't stay long. Stairs were built from the main house into the cellar sometime in the 1930's (?). The only way into the cellar was to go through a trap door on the front porch, slide along on their stomachs to an opening in the foundation (about one foot wide), & then they were safe in the cellar. You can't really tell from the pictures, but I really didn't see how a man could fit his shoulders through that opening. There were areas to sleep once they made it to the cellar, & there was some shelving which held the medicine, bandages, food, etc. I was surprised to see a little bottle with a spout on it - the tour guide said it was used to sedate the babies so they wouldn't cry & everyone would get caught. There were tools on the shelf in case you had chains that needed to be cut off. My eyes were just welling up on the entire trip through the house. I reccommed visiting if you are ever in Memphis. It was worth every nickel of the $6 admission. Mr. Burkle's granddaughter was the last of the family to live in the house, & no one found out about the cellar & what had happened until 1978 right before the granddaughter died. This little four-room farmhouse housed so many slaves during that time-period. Amazing!