Memphis Moments

Steve Pike, director of the Memphis Pink Palace Family of Museums, with another Memphis Moment: Henry Ford founded a car company, and changed our lives forever.  His goal was to build a car that most families could afford, and he succeeded.  The first Model T was sold on October 1, 1908.  

To lower costs, Ford used standardized parts, mass production, and an assembly line.  In 1914, it took 93 minutes to assemble a car.  By 1925, new Fords rolled out every ten seconds.

By Steve Pike

Memphis Moment: Clifford H. Poland, Sr., by Steve Pike

By Steve Pike

Memphis, TN – On July 15, 1916, the Harahan Bridge opened for railroad traffic, the second bridge built in Memphis to cross the Mississippi River. Originally named the Rock Island bridge, the steel structure was renamed for Memphis businessman J.T. Harahan, who had been killed in a 1912 train wreck.

By Steve Pike

Memphis Moment: Allen James Walker, by Steve Pike

By Steve Pike

Alberta Hunter, with extended song: "Amtrak Blues"

Memphis, TN – Alberta Hunter was one of many famous musicians who started off in Memphis. She was born here on April 1, 1895, attended Grant School and, and was a member of Collins Chapel CME church. By her early teens, she'd somehow gotten to Chicago. The record isn't clear whether she ran away from home, or her family relocated.