Clarksdale

Our first taste of Southern hospitality.   We intended to stop for one night in Clarksdale however after a visit to the beautiful visitors centre located in the old railway station we were convinced by Bubba (Ken Murphey) the new Tourism Director to stay for a couple of days.  Bill Sutton an ex History Teacher with extensive knowledge of the local history happened to be in the center and heard we were interested in the local history.  He offered to take us on a tour of the county.  We arranged to meet up with him the following day.  We meandered around town for the next few hours in the truck.

Clarksdale is a historic southern town in the middle of the cotton growing area in the "Mississippi delta".  As it is out of season the town was quiet and locals were happy to chat.  We dropped in at the local Juke bars, Harmonic builder (Deak's Mississippi) and cafe's.   That night we went to the Blueberry Cafe' and listened to the local blues singers.  We were frequently told by all how much they love Aussies and hope we have not left a bad impression by not living up to the precedent obviously set by others.  We enjoyed the show and could have stayed longer however some in our group were not so interested despite the personal attention of multiple people.

Next day we met Bill and drove through the area and visited the significant sites and the villages helped by "Habitat for Humanity" one of the projects Bill has been working on throughout his life.

Bill's view is that despite the south "surrendering" and giving "freedom" to the slaves the reality was quite different.  The life of the slaves was worse after the war than before.  Previously at least some would have been cared for by owners.  After the war as a means to maintain white dominance all blacks in the south were treated badly and regularly terrorised.  The result of this culture is still in evidence today.

The concept that the war was sparked by the desire for small plot farmers from the north to move into the areas controlled by large farmers in the south assisted by slave labour was a revelation.  The "freeing" of the slaves was a means of ending the domination of the large holders not necessarily motivated by idealism.

We visited the grave of James L Alcorn whom on the plaque says US Senator, State Governor and founder of the levee system however Bill's research suggests he might also have been a black marketeer and general scoundrel.  We visited Friars Point near where the levee system broke and a black vs white confrontation occurred after the civil war.

We visited some townships that "Habitat for Humanity" has built and saw the difference being made to communities that have 60% plus un-employment and a history of oppression and lack of opportunity.

Clarksdale is much more than just the birthplace of the blues.