Original subtitles

\h\h\h\h\h\hTENNESSEE, AMERICA‘S 16th STATE,

IS BORDERED ON THE EAST BY THE MAJESTIC APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS

AND ON THE WEST BY THE MIGHTY \h\h\h\h\h\hMISSISSIPPI RIVER.

WHAT LIES BETWEEN

IS A SPECTACULAR RANGE \h\h\h\h\hOF IMAGES--

NEARLY 20,000 MILES OF RIVERS \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND STREAMS,

STUNNING GEOLOGICAL FORMATIONS,

QUIET FIELDS,

WHERE SOME OF THE BLOODIEST \h\hBATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR

WERE FOUGHT.

IT‘S HOME TO ONE OF AMERICA‘S

\h\hMOST CONTROVERSIAL PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMS,

AND THE MOST VISITED \h\h\hNATIONAL PARK

IN THE UNITED STATES.

\h\hWHAT OTHER STATE CAN CLAIM OWNERSHIP

OF THE GRANDEST ICON \hOF COUNTRY MUSIC,

THE BIRTHPLACE OF THE BLUES,

\h\h\hAND THE HOMES OF THE QUEEN OF SOUL

AND THE KING OF ROCK-N-ROLL?

AN AERIAL TRIP THROUGH TENNESSEE IS A MAGICAL, MUSICAL RIDE

OVER TIMELESS WONDERS.

LONG BEFORE ELVIS GOT HERE,

\h\h\hTENNESSEE WAS HOME TO THE CHEROKEE INDIANS.

IN 1540, SPANISH EXPLORER \h\h\h\h\hHERNANDO DE SOTO

WAS THE FIRST EUROPEAN TO TRAVEL

TO WHAT WOULD EVENTUALLY BECOME TENNESSEE,

ON A QUEST TO FIND \hSILVER AND GOLD.

HE CROSSED THE MISSISSIPPI \h\h\h\h\hNEAR THIS POINT.

DE SOTO NEVER DID FIND \h\h\hSILVER OR GOLD,

AND IN 1542,

\h\h\hHE DIED ON THE BANKS OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.

MORE THAN 100 YEARS LATER,

THE FRENCH AND BRITISH \h\h\h\h\hALSO ARRIVED

TO STAKE THEIR CLAIMS HERE.

FORT LOUDON,

\hTHE FIRST PLANNED FORT ON THE WESTERN FRONTIER,

WAS BUILT BY THE BRITISH IN 1756

\h\h\hTO KEEP THE FRENCH ARMY OUT OF THE APPALACHIAN REGION

AND TO MAINTAIN THE ALLIANCE

\h\hTHE BRITS HAD FORMED WITH THE CHEROKEE TRIBE.

\hBUT THAT ALLIANCE TURNED TO DISASTER.

OVER TIME, BETRAYAL AND MISTRUST LEFT THE CHEROKEE WEARY,

AND THEY SURROUNDED THE FORT

UNTIL THE BRITISH FAMILIES \h\h\h\h\h\h\hLIVING THERE

RAN OUT OF FOOD AND WATER.

\h\h\h\hTHE PRESENT-DAY FORT IS A REPLICA OF THE ORIGINAL

\h\h\hAND SURROUNDED BY A MAN-MADE LAKE.

\h\h\h\h\hIT IS RECOGNIZED AS A NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK.

JUST SOUTH OF FORT LOUDON

\h\h\h\hSITS THE BIRTHPLACE OF A MIXED-BLOOD CHEROKEE INDIAN

NAMED SEQUOYAH,

NOW MARKED BY A STYLISH \h\h\h\hMUSEUM COMPLEX.

FASCINATED BY THE EUROPEAN \h\h\hIMMIGRANTS‘ ABILITY

\h\h\hTO COMMUNICATE WITH MARKS ON PAPER,

OR WHAT HE CALLED "TALKING LEAVES,"

SEQUOYAH WAS CONVINCED

THAT A WRITTEN FORM OF LANGUAGE WOULD HELP HIS PEOPLE.

HE SPENT 12 YEARS WORKING \h\hON A SYSTEM OF WRITING

FOR THE CHEROKEE LANGUAGE.

IT QUICKLY BECAME

THE OFFICIAL WRITTEN LANGUAGE \h\h\h\h\h\h\hOF THE CHEROKEE.

NEWSPAPERS AND BOOKS \h\h\hWERE PRINTED,

AND IN JUST A FEW YEARS

THE LITERACY RATE \hOF THE CHEROKEE

WAS SAID TO BE 95%.

TODAY, THIS LAND IS OWNED

\h\hBY THE EASTERN BAND OF THE CHEROKEE INDIANS,

\h\h\h\h\h\hAND A MUSEUM TO PROMOTE UNDERSTANDING

OF THE CHEROKEE CULTURE \h\h\h\h\h\h\hWAS BUILT.

\h\h\h\h\h\hMODERN TENNESSEE HAS THREE DISTINCT REGIONS,

\h\h\h\h\hOFFICIALLY KNOWN AS THREE GRAND DIVISIONS.

WEST TENNESSEE IS MADE UP

OF LUSH FARMLANDS, CITIES, \h\h\h\h\hAND SMALL TOWNS

\h\h\hBUILT ON THE BANKS OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER

\h\h\h\h\h\hAND REACHING TO THE TENNESSEE RIVER.

ITS HISTORY AND CULTURE

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hARE DISTINCT FROM THE REST OF THE STATE.

\h\hTHIS REGION HAS HAD A SIGNIFICANT INFLUENCE

ON AMERICAN MUSIC.

\h\hMIDDLE TENNESSEE IS HOME TO THE STATE’S CAPITAL, NASHVILLE.

\h\h\h\h\hWHILE MEMPHIS MAY HAVE BROUGHT AMERICA

THE BLUES AND ROCK-N-ROLL,

NASHVILLE IS THE WORLD CAPITAL \h\h\h\h\h\hFOR COUNTRY MUSIC.

BUT OUR JOURNEY BEGINS IN EASTERN TENNESSEE,

\hA REGION FILLED WITH DENSE FORESTS

AND BREATHTAKING MOUNTAINS.

THESE ROADS WERE ORIGINALLY \h\h\hJUST A MOUNTAIN TRAIL,

BUT EVEN TWO CENTURIES AGO

IT WAS THE EARLY AMERICAN VERSION OF A SUPERHIGHWAY.

CALLED THE CUMBERLAND GAP,

\h\h\h\h\h\hIT WAS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ROUTES

FOR EARLY SETTLERS, \hNATIVE AMERICANS,

AND POSSIBLY EVEN BISON.

THE GAP IS A LOW POINT

\h\h\hIN THE CUMBERLAND REGION OF THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS,

\hWHERE THE STATES OF VIRGINIA, KENTUCKY AND TENNESSEE ALL MEET.

STEEP CLIFFS THAT RISE HUNDREDS OF FEET OFF THE VALLEY FLOOR

LINE ITS SIDES.

\hSCIENTISTS BELIEVE THE PATH WAS CREATED BY STREAM EROSION

\h\h\h\hTHAT TOOK PLACE OVER MILLIONS OF YEARS.

\h\h\h\hAMERICAN COLONISTS, BARRICADED BY THE MOUNTAINS,

WERE ANXIOUS FOR A WAY \h\h\hTO EXPAND WEST.

SO PIONEER DANIEL BOONE \h\hLED A TEAM OF 30 MEN

TO MARK AND CUT A TRAIL GIVING \h\h\h\h\h\hACCESS TO SETTLERS

\hWHO USED IT TO JOURNEY TO THE WESTERN FRONTIERS

OF KENTUCKY AND TENNESSEE.

THIS PART OF THE GAP WAS CALLED THE WILDERNESS TRAIL.

HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE EITHER WALKED, RODE

\h\h\h\h\hOR WERE CARRIED ACROSS THE CUMBERLAND GAP,

PART OF WHICH IS NOW \h\hA NATIONAL PARK.

\h\h\hFURTHER SOUTH IN THE APPALACHIANS

SITS THE MOST VISITED \h\h\h\hNATIONAL PARK

IN THE UNITED STATES:

THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS.

THIS NATIONAL PARK COVERS \hMORE THAN 500,000 ACRES.

GEOLOGISTS BELIEVE \hTHESE MOUNTAINS

ARE MILLIONS OF YEARS OLD--

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hMUCH OLDER THAN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.

THE CHEROKEE INDIANS LIVING HERE

\h\h\h\hCALLED THE LAND THE PLACE OF BLUE SMOKE

BECAUSE OF THE SMOKY BLUE HAZE THAT SITS OVER THE MOUNTAINS.

IN THE EARLY 1900s,

LUMBER COMPANIES MOVED IN \hAND BEGAN LOGGING HERE.

WITHIN 20 YEARS,

DESPITE THE PROTESTS OF CONSERVATIONISTS,

TWO THIRDS OF THE TREES \h\h\hHAD BEEN CUT DOWN.

IN 1934 CONGRESS ESTABLISHED \hTHE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS

AS A NATIONAL PARK.

IT‘S HOME TO COUNTLESS \h\h\h\hANIMAL SPECIES

INCLUDING AT LEAST 700 \h\h\h\h\hBLACK BEARS.

\h\h\h\h\hTHE PARK HAS MORE SPECIES OF PLANTS

THAN ANY OTHER AREA \hON THE CONTINENT.

IT‘S AN INTERNATIONAL \h\hBIOSPHERE RESERVE

AND A WORLD HERITAGE SITE.

BORDERING THE GREAT SMOKY \hMOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK

IS A BEAUTIFUL BUT OFTEN \h\hOVERLOOKED TREASURE.

\h\h\h\hTHE 640,000-ACRE CHEROKEE NATIONAL FOREST

FOLLOWS THE ANCIENT RIDGES

\h\h\hOF THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS,

\hTHEIR VALLEYS FILLED WITH A CHAIN OF LAKES.

IT‘S THE LARGEST PUBLIC TRACT \h\h\h\hOF LAND IN TENNESSEE.

RESTING AT THE FOOTHILLS

AND SURROUNDED ON THREE SIDES BY THE SMOKIES IS GATLINBURG,

\h\h\h\h\h\hA DESTINATION FOR VACATIONING TOURISTS.

THE SKY LIFT TAKES RIDERS \h\h\hON A 500-FOOT ASCENT

OVER GATLINBURG TO THE TOP \h\hOF CROCKETT MOUNTAIN.

AND THE AERIAL TRAMWAY IS ONE OF THE LARGEST IN THE COUNTRY.

THE TWO 120-PASSENGER \hCOUNTERBALANCED CARS

LIFT OFF TO TAKE PASSENGERS

\h\hTO GATLINBURG‘S WINTERTIME SKI RUNS.

\hIN THE 1900s PIGEON FORGE WAS A SMALL MOUNTAIN VILLAGE

WITH NO PAVED ROADS.

TODAY, IT‘S KNOWN MOSTLY

FOR A GIANT THEME PARK \h\hCALLED DOLLYWOOD,

CO-OWNED BY TENNESSEE NATIVE

AND COUNTRY MUSIC SUPERSTAR \h\h\h\h\h\h\hDOLLY PARTON.

\hA VINTAGE STEAM TRAIN RUNS THROUGH THIS 125-ACRE PARK,

WHICH COMBINES CRAFTS NATIVE TO THIS REGION

WITH THRILL RIDES \hAND WATER PARKS.

\h\hIT WAS NAMED DOLLYWOOD TO DRAW DOLLY PARTON FANS

WHO MIGHT BE COMING TO TENNESSEE FOR ANOTHER ATTRACTION.

\h\hKNOXVILLE WAS THE SITE OF THE 1982 WORLD‘S FAIR.

\h\h\h\h\h\hSOME WERE CYNICAL ABOUT THE CHOICE OF KNOXVILLE

AS THE SITE FOR THE FAIR.

\hA WALL STREET JOURNAL WRITER CALLED KNOXVILLE

A "SCRUFFY LITTLE CITY."

MAYBE THAT WAS JUST THE IMPETUS THE CITY NEEDED.

THE FAIR WAS THE LAST SUCCESSFUL WORLD‘S FAIR HELD IN AMERICA,

WITH 22 COUNTRIES AND MORE THAN 50 CORPORATIONS PARTICIPATING.

11 MILLION VISITORS CAME \h\h\hFOR THE EXPERIENCE

AND THE FAIR MADE A PROFIT \h\h\h\h\hOF EXACTLY $57.

TODAY, THE MOST STRIKING \h\hREMINDER OF THE FAIR

IS THE SUNSPHERE, \hA 266-FOOT TOWER

WITH A 75-FOOT HIGH GIANT GLOBE ON TOP.

THE WINDOW PANELS ARE LAYERED \h\h\h\hIN 24-CARAT GOLD DUST

AND AN OBSERVATION DECK OFFERS \hVISITORS VIEWS OF THE CITY.

KNOXVILLE IS TENNESSEE‘S \h\h\hTHIRD LARGEST CITY

\h\h\hAND WAS THE STATE‘S FIRST CAPITAL FROM 1796 THROUGH 1819.

\h\h\h\hTHE CITY SITS ON THE TENNESSEE RIVER

AND IS HOME TO THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE, THE VOLUNTEERS.

CHARTERED IN 1794, TODAY U.T. \hHAS NEARLY 30,000 STUDENTS.

\h\h\h\hBUT BASKETBALL IS WHAT THE VOLS ARE MOST FAMOUS FOR--

WOMEN‘S BASKETBALL.

\hGIVEN THE SUCCESS AND LARGE FOLLOWING

OF WOMEN‘S BASKETBALL HERE,

IT SEEMED THE ONLY LOGICAL PLACE

TO HAVE THE NATIONAL WOMEN‘S \h\hBASKETBALL HALL OF FAME.

BUILT IN 1999, THE HALL OF FAME HONORS BOTH MEN AND WOMEN

\h\h\h\hWHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE SPORT OF WOMEN‘S BASKETBALL.

\hTHE BALL THAT SITS ON THE ROOF IS 30 FEET HIGH, WEIGHS 10 TONS

\h\hAND SITS ON TOP OF A GLASS STAIRCASE

THAT WAS CREATED TO RESEMBLE \h\h\h\h\hA BASKETBALL NET.

A FEW MILES NORTHWEST \h\h\h\h\hOF KNOXVILLE

IS A TOWN THAT WAS BORN \h\h\h\h\h\hIN SECRECY.

OAK RIDGE, TENNESSEE,

\hIS TEN MILES LONG AND TWO MILES WIDE--

\h\hTHE WHOLE THING SURROUNDED BY A HIGH CHAIN-LINKED FENCE,

TOPPED WITH BARBED WIRE

AND PATROLLED BY GUARDS \h\h\h\h\hON HORSEBACK.

THIS AREA USED TO BE FILLED \hWITH SMALL FARMING TOWNS--

UNTIL 1942.

\h\h\h\h\hAMERICA WAS AT WAR, AND SUDDENLY THE FARMERS HERE

\h\hBEGAN GETTING VISITS FROM FEDERAL OFFICIALS.

THEY ONLY WANTED ONE THING, \h\h\h\h\h\hALL OF THE LAND.

\h\h\h\h\h\hRELUCTANTLY, AND WITH LITTLE CHOICE,

\h\h\hONE THOUSAND FAMILIES LEFT THEIR SMALL FARMING COMMUNITIES

AND SOON THOUSANDS OF ENGINEERS,

\h\h\hSCIENTISTS AND CONSTRUCTION WORKERS

SWARMED INTO THE NEW LAND.

\h\h\h\h\hCONSTRUCTION BEGAN AND THREE HUGE WINDOWLESS BUILDINGS

WERE ERECTED WITHIN MONTHS.

OAK RIDGE HAD A SECRET.

\h\h\hOF THE 75,000 PEOPLE WHO LIVED AND WORKED HERE,

\h\hONLY ONE PERCENT KNEW WHAT WAS REALLY GOING ON.

\h\h\hWORKERS WERE TOLD, "LOOSE LIPS SINK SHIPS."

MEANWHILE, SOME OF THE MOST \hBRILLIANT SCIENTIFIC MINDS

IN THE UNITED STATES

WERE WORKING TO PRODUCE

\h\hTHE MOST POWERFUL BOMB THE WORLD HAD EVER KNOWN.

\h\h\h\hOAK RIDGE WAS PART OF THE MANHATTAN PROJECT,

THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT‘S \hHIGHLY SECRET INITIATIVE

TO DEVELOP AN ATOMIC BOMB.

AND ON AUGUST 6, 1945,

\h\h\h\hWHEN AMERICA DROPPED AN ATOMIC BOMB ON HIROSHIMA,

\hIT ULTIMATELY BROUGHT WORLD WAR TWO TO AN END.

EVEN TODAY, AIRCRAFT MUST KEEP \hTHEIR DISTANCE FROM THE SITE

AND THE BUILDINGS ARE STILL USED

BY THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY FOR FEDERAL PROJECTS.

OAK RIDGE ISN‘T THE ONLY SECRET IN THE TENNESSEE HILLS.

THIS IS THE HOME OF THE OLDEST \h\h\h\hREGISTERED DISTILLERY

IN THE UNITED STATES

AND ITS RENOWNED WHISKEY, NAMED AFTER JASPER NEWTON DANIEL,

BETTER KNOWN AS JACK DANIEL.

WHEN HE WAS JUST A TEENAGER,

\h\hJACK DANIEL BOUGHT HIS WHISKEY DISTILLERY

FROM A LOCAL LUTHERAN MINISTER.

\h\h\h\hHE HANDCRAFTED THE SOUR MASH WHISKEY

FROM HIS SECRET INGREDIENT--

THE SPRING WATER PIPED \hINTO THE DISTILLERY

FROM A NEARBY LIMESTONE CAVE.

\h\hIRONICALLY, LYNCHBURG, TENNESSEE, IS A DRY TOWN,

\hSO WHILE THE WHISKEY CAN BE DISTILLED HERE,

IT CAN‘T BE PURCHASED.

FOLLOWING AN INFECTION \h\hFROM A BROKEN TOE,

DANIEL DIED FROM BLOOD POISONING IN 1911

\h\h\hAND IS BURIED NEAR THE DISTILLERY,

\h\hNOW A NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK.

TENNESSEE IS HOME TO 28 SITES

\h\h\h\h\h\hRECOGNIZED BY THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

AS HISTORIC LANDMARKS.

ONE OF THEM, LOCATED 131 MILES \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hFROM LYNCHBURG

IN THE SMALL TOWN OF DAYTON,

WAS HOME TO A PUBLICITY STUNT

\h\h\hTHAT TURNED INTO ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS TRIALS

IN AMERICAN HISTORY.

\h\hIN THIS COURTHOUSE, IN 1925, TENNESSEE PASSED THE BUTLER ACT,

A LAW THAT MADE IT ILLEGAL \h\h\hTO TEACH ANY THEORY

THAT DENIED THE BIBLICAL STORY \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hOF CREATION--

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hSPECIFICALLY, DARWIN‘S THEORY OF EVOLUTION.

IN JULY OF 1925, JOHN SCOPES WAS ARRESTED FOR TEACHING DARWINISM.

NEWS OF THE IMPENDING TRIAL \h\h\h\h\hTRAVELED QUICKLY.

\h\h\h\h\hAND THIS MAN, WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN,

KNOWN FOR HIS CRUSADE \h\hAGAINST DARWINISM,

\h\h\hOFFERED HIS SERVICES AS A PROSECUTOR FOR FREE.

THAT‘S WHEN CLARENCE DARROW, \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAN AGNOSTIC,

OFFERED TO DEFEND MR. SCOPES-- \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hALSO FOR FREE.

IT WAS CALLED THE MONKEY TRIAL

BECAUSE OF ITS ASSOCIATION \h\h\h\h\hWITH EVOLUTION.

SCOPES WAS FOUND GUILTY \h\h\h\hAND FINED $100.

HOWEVER, A YEAR LATER

THE VERDICT WAS OVERTURNED \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hON APPEAL.

THE RHEA COUNTY COURTHOUSE \h\h\h\h\hIS STILL IN USE,

AND ITS MOST FAMOUS TRIAL \h\h\h\h\h\hRAISED ISSUES

DEBATED IN AMERICA TO THIS VERY DAY.

CHATTANOOGA, THE FOURTH LARGEST CITY IN TENNESSEE,

IS LOCATED ON A SEVEN-MILE BEND IN THE TENNESSEE RIVER

NEAR THE BORDER OF GEORGIA.

\hTHE TOWN‘S FAME RESTS ON A SONG ABOUT A TRAIN,

THE INVENTION OF MOON PIES

AND A POETICALLY NAMED \h\hCIVIL WAR BATTLE.

\h\hLOOKOUT MOUNTAIN RISES UP OVER THE CITY OF CHATTANOOGA.

SITTING ATOP THE MOUNTAIN

\hIS A ONE OF A KIND PIECE OF AMERICANA.

PART NATURE, PART FANTASY,

\h\hROCK CITY FEATURES CAVES AND ANCIENT ROCK FORMATIONS

\h\h\h\hCARVED BY NATURE OVER MILLIONS OF YEARS.

\h\hROCK CITY‘S HISTORY AS A TOURIST ATTRACTION

\hDATES BACK TO BEFORE THE GREAT DEPRESSION,

WHEN A LOCAL BUSINESSMAN WANTED TO TURN THE AREA

INTO A RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY \h\h\h\hCALLED "FAIRYLAND."

\h\hHERE IT IS SAID THAT ON A CLEAR DAY

ONE CAN SEE SEVEN STATES.

ABOUT A HUNDRED YEARS EARLIER,

\hLOOKOUT MOUNTAIN HAD GRABBED THE ATTENTION

OF ANOTHER MAN WITH DREAMS.

IN 1852, COLONEL JAMES WHITESIDE BUILT A ROAD TO HIS PROPERTY

ON THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN.

HE CALLED IT POINT LOOKOUT.

DURING THE CIVIL WAR,

POINT LOOKOUT BECAME AN OBSERVATION POST.

THE CONFEDERATE ARMY \hHELD THE MOUNTAIN

\h\h\h\hBUT IN 1863 UNION FORCES LED BY GENERAL ULYSSES S. GRANT

\h\hWON A DECISIVE VICTORY AND TOOK OVER THE MOUNTAIN

\h\h\h\h\h\hIN WHAT WAS CALLED THE "BATTLE ABOVE THE CLOUDS."

TODAY VISITORS CAN RIDE UP

\h\h\h\h\h\hONE OF THE STEEPEST PASSENGER RAILWAYS IN THE WORLD.

AT THE TOP OF THE INCLINE \h\h\h\h\hSITS POINT PARK,

PART OF THE CHICKAMAUGA- \h\h\h\h\h\hCHATTANOOGA

NATIONAL MILITARY PARK.

THE NEW YORK PEACE MEMORIAL,

\h\h\hFEATURING A UNION AND CONFEDERATE SOLDIER

SHAKING HANDS,

IS JUST ONE OF THE MONUMENTS

TO THE MEN WHO FOUGHT \h\h\h\hAND DIED HERE.

\h\hWHEN THE CIVIL WAR ENDED CHATTANOOGA CONTINUED TO BE

\hA MAJOR RAILROAD HUB AND INDUSTRIAL CENTER.

\h\h\h\h\hIT WAS KNOWN AS THE DYNAMO OF DIXIE

AND INSPIRED GLENN MILLER‘S \h\h\h\hBIG BAND SWING SONG

"CHATTANOOGA CHOO CHOO."

\hBUT THE MOUNTAINS THAT MADE CHATTANOOGA SUCH A SCENIC TOWN

ALSO TRAPPED IN THE POLLUTION \h\h\h\h\hBEING CREATED HERE.

IN 1969,

WALTER CRONKITE ANNOUNCED \hON THE CBS EVENING NEWS

THAT THE ENVIRONMENTAL \h\hPROTECTION AGENCY

\h\h\h\h\h\hDEEMED CHATTANOOGA THE DIRTIEST CITY IN AMERICA.

EMBARRASSED AND HUMILIATED,

\h\hCITY LEADERS MOUNTED AN $850 MILLION CLEANUP.

TODAY THE CITY IS VIBRANT \h\hAND THE AIR IS CLEAN.

TODAY‘S HIGHWAYS HEADING WEST

BEAR NO SIGN OF AN EARLIER, \h\h\hMORE PAINFUL JOURNEY.

\h\h\hIT BECAME KNOWN AS THE TRAIL OF TEARS.

\h\h\hFROM MAY 1838 THROUGH MARCH 1839,

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT REMOVED \h\h\h16,000 CHEROKEE INDIANS

FROM TENNESSEE, ALABAMA, GEORGIA AND NORTH CAROLINA.

MANY WALKED BAREFOOT \h\h\hTHE ENTIRE WAY

FROM EAST TENNESSEE TO OKLAHOMA.

IT‘S BELIEVED THAT MORE THAN \h\h\h4,000 NATIVE AMERICANS

DIED ON THE JOURNEY.

\h\hTHE DEVELOPMENT OF RACCOON MOUNTAIN

\h\h\h\h\hIS THE RESULT OF ANOTHER FEDERAL PLAN.

THE TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY \h\h\h\h\hWAS CREATED IN 1933

\h\h\h\h\h\hAND SIGNED INTO LAW BY PRESIDENT FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT.

\h\h\h\hITS MISSION WAS TO PROVIDE FLOOD CONTROL

AND CHEAP ELECTRIC POWER,

\h\h\hAND TO IMPROVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

IN THE TENNESSEE VALLEY,

\h\h\h\hAN AREA HIT HARD BY THE GREAT DEPRESSION.

TODAY THE TVA IS THE LARGEST \h\h\h\hPUBLIC POWER COMPANY

IN THE UNITED STATES

AND PROVIDES ELECTRICITY \hFOR MOST OF TENNESSEE

AND PARTS OF ALABAMA, GEORGIA, \h\h\h\hKENTUCKY, MISSISSIPPI,

NORTH CAROLINA AND VIRGINIA...

\h\hAN AREA WITH A POPULATION OF MORE THAN 8 MILLION PEOPLE.

IN THE 1960s THE TVA WAS LOOKING FOR WAYS

TO MEET THE GROWING DEMAND \h\h\h\h\h\hFOR MORE POWER

TO RUN NEW APPLIANCES \h\hIN PEOPLE‘S HOMES.

\h\h\h\h\hTHE IDEA WAS TO CREATE A RESERVOIR

ON TOP OF RACCOON MOUNTAIN

AND THEN FUNNEL THE WATER \h\h\h\h\h\h\hTO A TURBINE

\h\hA THOUSAND FEET UNDER THE MOUNTAIN.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIT WAS CALLED A WASTE OF TAXPAYERS‘ MONEY,

WILD-EYED, AND IMPRACTICAL.

DESPITE THE SCANDAL, THE TVA BEGAN WORK.

OVER EIGHT YEARS, \h\hA MANMADE LAKE

\hHOLDING 60 MILLION CUBIC YARDS OF WATER

WAS CREATED ON TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN...

\h\h\h\h\hAND SEALED BY AN 8,500-FOOT-LONG DAM.

\h\h\hDEEP BELOW THE LAKE SITS A TURBINE PUMP HOUSE

\h\hTHAT RELEASES WATER FROM THE DAM WHEN NEEDED

AND THEN PUMPS IT BACK UP TO THE TOP

AT A RATE OF SEVEN MILLION \h\h\hGALLONS PER MINUTE.

\h\h\h\h\hTODAY IT‘S CONSIDERED A MODERN MARVEL OF ENGINEERING.

THE GIANT FACTORY FEEL \h\h\h\h\hOF THIS AREA

IS IN STARK CONTRAST TO THE ROLLING HILLS

OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE‘S \hPLANTATION COUNTRY.

THIS NEARLY 6,000-ACRE \h\h\h\h\h\hPLANTATION

WAS WON IN A GAME OF CHANCE.

RATTLE AND SNAP PLANTATION \h\h\h\h\h\hIS AN EXAMPLE

\hOF THE LAVISH SCALE OF MANY SOUTHERN HOMES

BUILT BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR.

\h\h\h\h\h\hWILLIAM POLK BUILT THE RATTLE AND SNAP PLANTATION

FOR HIS SON GEORGE.

POLK, ONE OF THE LARGEST \h\h\h\h\h\hLANDHOLDERS

IN TENNESSEE AT THE TIME,

WON THE NEARLY 6,000-ACRE TRACT

\h\h\hIN A GAME OF CHANCE THAT‘S PLAYED WITH BEADS.

THE GAME WAS CALLED \h\hRATTLE AND SNAP.

BUILT IN 1853, BELLE MEADE \h\h\h\h\hIS OFTEN CALLED

THE "QUEEN OF TENNESSEE \h\h\h\h\hPLANTATIONS."

\hORIGINALLY SPANNING MORE THAN 5,000 ACRES,

NEARLY 150 PEOPLE LIVED HERE-- \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hMOSTLY SLAVES.

TODAY THE PROPERTY \hCOVERS 30 ACRES

\h\h\h\hAND INCLUDES THE ORIGINAL MANSION

\h\h\h\h\h\hAND SEVERAL OF THE ORIGINAL OUTBUILDINGS.

IT‘S OWNED BY THE ASSOCIATION

\h\h\hFOR THE PRESERVATION OF TENNESSEE ANTIQUITIES.

\h\h\h\hOUTSIDE OF NASHVILLE SITS THE CARNTON PLANTATION.

BUILT IN 1826,

THE HOME WAS THE LOCATION OF LARGE SOCIAL GATHERINGS

AND VISITS FROM PRESIDENTS \h\hAND BUSINESS LEADERS.

\h\h\h\h\h\hBUT THAT ALL CHANGED AT FOUR O‘CLOCK IN THE AFTERNOON

OF NOVEMBER 30, 1864,

WHEN CARNTON CAME UNDER ATTACK \h\h\h\h\h\h\hBY UNION TROOPS.

IN ONLY FIVE HOURS OF FIGHTING, MORE THAN 9,000 SOLDIERS

WERE KILLED, WOUNDED OR UNACCOUNTED FOR--

\h\h\h\h\hMOST OF THEM CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS.

\h\h\hTHE CONFEDERACY ALSO LOST 12 GENERALS

AS CASUALTIES THAT DAY.

SOON THE ELEGANTLY MANICURED \h\h\h\h\h\hLAWNS AT CARNTON

WERE FILLED WITH THE INJURED \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND DYING.

\h\h\hIT IS SAID THAT THE FLOORS OF THE HOME

\h\h\h\h\hARE STILL STAINED WITH THE BLOOD OF SOLDIERS--

\h\h\h\hAND MANY OF THEIR GHOSTS ARE RUMORED TO BE HERE AS WELL.

CARNTON WAS NOT THE ONLY PLACE \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN TENNESSEE

BLOODIED BY CIVIL WAR BATTLES.

TENNESSEE WAS THE LAST STATE \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN THE SOUTH

TO JOIN THE CONFEDERACY.

BUT WHEN PRESIDENT LINCOLN

CALLED FOR REBEL STATES \h\h\h\h\hTO BE SUBDUED,

SOME TENNESSEANS TOOK UP ARMS

WITH THEIR FELLOW SOUTHERNERS \h\h\h\h\hIN THE CONFEDERACY.

THE EASTERN PART OF THE STATE

REMAINED LOYAL TO THE UNION \h\h\h\hTHROUGHOUT THE WAR.

MORE CIVIL WAR BATTLES \h\h\hWERE FOUGHT HERE

THAN IN ANY OTHER STATE \h\h\h\hEXCEPT VIRGINIA.

ONE WAS THE BATTLE \hOF STONES RIVER.

80,000 CONFEDERATE AND UNION SOLDIERS

FOUGHT FOR THREE DAYS.

\hTHERE WERE OVER 23,000 CASUALTIES,

AND ALTHOUGH THE UNION \h\hCLAIMED A VICTORY

\h\hAND TOOK CONTROL OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE,

IT CAME WITH A HEAVY PRICE.

THEY LOST MORE THAN 13,000 \h\h\h\hOF THEIR SOLDIERS

\h\h\h\hIN WHAT WAS ONE OF THE BLOODIEST BATTLES

FOUGHT ON THE WESTERN FRONT.

TODAY THE BATTLEFIELD \hIS A NATIONAL PARK.

\h\h\hAMONG ITS 700 ACRES IS THE STONES RIVER NATIONAL CEMETERY,

ESTABLISHED IN 1865

AND FILLED WITH MORE THAN \h\h\h\h6,000 UNION GRAVES

AND MORE THAN 2,000 UNKNOWNS.

MORE THAN 4,000 ACRES REST IN PRIVATE HANDS

AND HAVE BEEN CONSUMED BY NEW DEVELOPMENT AND URBAN SPRAWL.

LOCAL CONSERVATION GROUPS \h\h\h\h\h\h\hARE WORKING

TO TRY AND PRESERVE THIS LAND

\hTHAT IS IN DANGER OF BEING PAVED OVER.

WHEN THE LAST CANNONS FIRED \h\hAT THE BATTLE OF SHILOH,

\h\h\hLOCATED A LITTLE MORE THAN 30 MILES AWAY FROM STONES RIVER,

NEARLY ANOTHER 24,000 SOLDIERS

WERE KILLED, WOUNDED \h\h\hOR CAPTURED--

MORE THAN ALL THE CASUALTIES \hOF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR,

\h\h\hTHE WAR OF 1812 AND THE MEXICAN-AMERICAN WAR COMBINED.

IRONICALLY, SHILOH \hIS A HEBREW WORD

MEANING "PLACE OF PEACE."

GENERAL GRANT‘S MEN

BORE THE BRUNT OF THE FIGHTING \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hOVER TWO DAYS

WHEN THE CONFEDERATE ARMY LAUNCHED A SURPRISE ATTACK

WHILE THE UNION SOLDIERS \h\h\h\h\hATE BREAKFAST.

\h\h\hCRITICS CONDEMNED GRANT‘S POOR PERFORMANCE

AND SUGGESTED THAT HE WAS DRUNK LEADING UP TO THE ATTACK.

\h\h\h\h\h\hTHE NEXT DAY HE COMMANDED HIS TROOPS

TO REGAIN THEIR LOST TERRITORY,

AND THAT‘S WHAT THEY DID.

ULTIMATELY THE SOUTH WAS DEFEATED AGAIN.

\h\h\h\h\hAFTER THE BATTLE THE UNION TROOPS GATHERED

AS MANY OF THE DEAD BODIES \h\h\h\h\h\hAS THEY COULD

\h\h\h\h\h\hAND BURIED THEM WITH SIMPLE WOODEN CROSSES.

IN 1889 THE SHILOH NATIONAL \hCEMETERY WAS CREATED HERE.

THERE ARE 3,584 CIVIL WAR DEAD-- 2,359 OF THEM UNKNOWN.

\h\h\h\hANDREW JACKSON, THE 7th PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES,

ARRIVED IN NASHVILLE

WHEN TENNESSEE WAS STILL \h\h\h\h\hTHE FRONTIER.

\h\hHE BOUGHT 425 ACRES OF LAND WHERE HE WOULD EVENTUALLY CREATE

\h\h\h\h\h\hHIS STATELY SOUTHERN PLANTATION HOME, THE HERMITAGE.

JACKSON WAS NOT AN ARISTOCRAT

LIKE THE PRESIDENTS \hWHO PRECEDED HIM.

\hHE WAS A SCRAPPY, SHORT-TEMPERED MAN.

AT THE HERMITAGE \hHE GREW COTTON

\h\h\h\h\hAND ADVANCED HIS POLITICAL CAREER.

JACKSON LED THE AMERICAN FORCES TO DEFEAT THE BRITISH

AT THE BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN 1812.

HIS ROLE IN THAT BATTLE

\h\h\hHELPED JACKSON WIN THE PRESIDENCY IN 1828.

HE SERVED TWO TERMS.

PROBABLY THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL ASPECT OF HIS PRESIDENCY,

BY MODERN STANDARDS, \h\h\h\hWAS HIS PLAN

TO REMOVE NATIVE AMERICANS \h\h\h\h\hFROM THEIR LAND,

\hULTIMATELY CAUSING THE TRAIL OF TEARS.

\h\h\h\hTODAY THE HERMITAGE IS A POPULAR TOURIST DESTINATION

AND ONE OF THE OLDEST HISTORIC \hSITE MUSEUMS IN THE COUNTRY.

\h\h\hSITUATED AS IT IS JUST OUTSIDE NASHVILLE,

TENNESSEE‘S STATE CAPITAL.

SOME PEOPLE CALL IT TWANG TOWN.

LOCALS CALL IT NASHVEGAS.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND WHILE IT IS THE STATE CAPITAL OF TENNESSEE,

IT‘S BEST KNOWN AS MUSIC CITY

\h\hAND MOST OF THE WORLDS TOP COUNTRY SINGERS CALL IT HOME.

NASHVILLE HAS SEEN \hA TRANSFORMATION

FROM A FRONTIER SETTLEMENT \h\h\h\hTO A THRIVING CITY

WITH A FOOTBALL FRANCHISE, \h\h\h\h\h\hA HOCKEY TEAM

AND THE SLICKER, GLOSSIER WORLD OF TODAY‘S COUNTRY MUSICIANS.

THE COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN NASHVILLE

IS FILLED WITH MEMENTOS

FROM SOME OF COUNTRY MUSIC‘S \h\h\hMOST STORIED VETERANS.

PATSY CLINE, ELVIS PRESLEY \h\h\h\h\hAND JOHNNY CASH,

AND ONE OF ITS FIRST INDUCTEES, HANK WILLIAMS, SR.

\h\hTHE BUILDING IS 130,000 SQUARE FEET.

DEPENDING ON WHAT ANGLE \h\h\h\hIT‘S VIEWED FROM

\h\h\hIT RESEMBLES A PIANO, THE FIN TAIL OF A CADILLAC,

\h\h\hA BASS CLEF OR A RADIO TOWER.

THE MUSEUM IS FILLED \h\h\hWITH ARTIFACTS

THAT TRACE THE HISTORY \h\hOF COUNTRY MUSIC.

NASHVILLE‘S RISE AS THE CAPITAL OF COUNTRY MUSIC

CAME BECAUSE OF THE POPULARITY \h\h\h\h\hOF A RADIO STATION.

WSM BEGAN BROADCASTING IN 1925.

A LIVE RADIO SHOW PRODUCED HERE

WOULD CHANGE THE COUNTRY MUSIC \h\h\h\h\h\hINDUSTRY FOREVER--

IT‘S THE GRAND OLE OPRY.

THE FIRST BROADCAST TOOK PLACE \h\h\h\h\h\hIN OCTOBER OF 1925

AND PLAYED AT THIS BUILDING-- \h\h\h\hTHE RYMAN AUDITORIUM--

FROM 1943 TO 1974.

THE GRAND OLE OPRY

IS THE LONGEST CONTINUOUS \hRUNNING LIVE RADIO SHOW

IN U.S. HISTORY.

IN 1954, A TEENAGER NAMED ELVIS PRESLEY

WALKED THROUGH THESE DOORS \h\h\hAND PERFORMED HERE.

\h\h\h\h\hWHEN HE WAS DONE, ONE OF THE SHOW‘S ORGANIZERS

TOLD HIM HE SHOULD STICK \h\h\h\h\hTO HIS DAY JOB

AS A TRUCKER IN MEMPHIS.

ELVIS NEVER PERFORMED \h\hAT THE OPRY AGAIN.

NEVERTHELESS, TODAY THE OPRY \h\h\h\h\hIS AN INSTITUTION.

IT‘S NOT JUST A TENNESSEE ICON

BUT ALSO A POTENT SYMBOL \h\hOF AMERICAN CULTURE.

OF COURSE, NASHVILLE‘S \h\h\h\hHISTORY BEGAN

LONG BEFORE HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS

OR WHEN THE FIRST COUNTRY SINGER CAME TO TOWN.

NASHVILLE BECAME THE PERMANENT CAPITAL OF TENNESSEE IN 1843.

\hTWO YEARS LATER WORK BEGAN ON A STATE CAPITOL BUILDING.

\h\h\hTHE ARCHITECT, WILLIAM STRICKLAND,

DIED WHILE THE CAPITAL \h\h\hWAS BEING BUILT

AND ACCORDING TO HIS WISHES

WAS BURIED IN THE WALLS \h\h\h\hOF THE BUILDING.

COMPLETED IN 1859,

THE CAPITAL SITS ON A HILL \h\hOVERLOOKING THE CITY.

\h\hMANY OF TENNESSEE‘S MOST PROMINENT CITIZENS

ARE HONORED HERE.

\h\h\hPRESIDENT JAMES POLK AND HIS WIFE ARE BOTH BURIED HERE.

THE GREEK REVIVAL BUILDING

\hIS ONE OF THE OLDEST WORKING STATE CAPITOLS IN THE COUNTRY.

AT THE TIME NASHVILLE WAS DUBBED THE ATHENS OF THE SOUTH.

SO THE CITIZENS BUILT THEMSELVES

\h\h\hAN EXACT REPLICA OF THE GREEK PARTHENON

FOR THE STATE‘S CENTENNIAL \h\h\hCELEBRATION IN 1897.

SO MANY OF AMERICA‘S CHARACTERS

HAVE COME FROM THESE \h\h\hROLLING HILLS:

\h\h\hTHE FAMOUS FRONTIERSMAN DAVY CROCKETT AND SAM HOUSTON.

\h\h\h\hBUT MANY WOULD ARGUE THAT YOU‘D HAVE TO HEAD WEST

\hTO FIND TENNESSEE‘S MOST VIVID CHARACTERS.

\h\h\h\hSEPARATED FROM THE REST OF THE STATE

BY THE TENNESSEE RIVER,

WEST TENNESSEE HAS ITS OWN \h\hCULTURE AND FOLKLORE.

HIGHWAY 61, ALSO KNOWN \hAS THE BLUES TRAIL,

\h\hCUTS NORTH THROUGH THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA,

THE BIRTHPLACE OF THE BLUES--

AND LEADS TO MEMPHIS, \hTHE BREEDING GROUND

OF SOME OF AMERICA‘S GREATEST \hMUSICAL GIFTS TO THE WORLD.

\h\h\h\h\h\hSITTING RIGHT ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER,

IN ITS EARLY DAYS MEMPHIS \h\h\hWAS A BUSY PORT CITY

\h\h\h\h\hAND A CENTER FOR THE SOUTHERN SLAVE TRADE.

THE SOIL AND CLIMATE OF MUCH \h\h\h\h\hOF WEST TENNESSEE

WERE PERFECT FOR GROWING COTTON

\h\h\hAND AS A RESULT, MUCH OF THE LAND HERE

\h\h\h\hWAS DOMINATED BY LARGE PLANTATIONS.

COTTON WAS KING.

BUT HAVING SO MUCH COTTON WAS ONLY GOOD IF IT COULD BE SOLD.

\h\h\h\hIN 1873, THE MEMPHIS COTTON EXCHANGE WAS CREATED.

COTTON FARMERS WOULD COME TO THIS BUILDING DOWNTOWN

AND SELL THEIR HARVEST \h\h\h\h\h\hTO TRADERS

\h\hWHO WOULD THEN SELL IT TO TEXTILE MANUFACTURERS.

\h\h\hTHE COTTON WAS SHIPPED OUT OF MEMPHIS ON STEAMBOATS

AND IN LATER YEARS ON TRAINS.

\h\hTHE COTTON FIELDS WERE WORKED BY SLAVES.

DURING THEIR ARDUOUS DAYS \h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN THE FIELD

\h\h\hTHEY WOULD SING AND CLAP, DO FIELD HOLLERS AND WORK SONGS.

THEIR METHODS FOR CREATING MUSIC

\h\hWOULD HAVE A LASTING IMPACT ON EVERY FORM OF AMERICAN MUSIC,

BEGINNING WITH THE BLUES.

AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSICIAN AND BANDLEADER W.C. HANDY

\h\h\h\hBEGAN TO EXPERIMENT WITH THE UNUSUAL RHYTHMS AND CADENCE

OF THE FORMER SLAVES‘ MUSIC.

AT HIS HEADQUARTERS \h\hON BEALE STREET,

\h\hHANDY WROTE A WILDLY POPULAR SONG CALLED "THE MEMPHIS BLUES."

HANDY BROUGHT THE MUSIC TO A MUCH WIDER AUDIENCE

\h\h\h\h\hAND TODAY IS KNOWN AS THE FATHER OF THE BLUES.

AND HERE ON BEALE STREET \hIT WAS BLUES CENTRAL.

\h\h\h\h\hBY THE 1920s, THE SOUNDS OF THE BLUES

RANG OUT ON THE STREETS \h\h\h\h\h\hOF MEMPHIS.

ESPECIALLY HERE ON BEALE STREET.

IN THESE CLUBS AND RESTAURANTS

WAS PLAYED SOME OF THE HOTTEST \h\h\h\hMUSIC IN THE COUNTRY.

\h\h\hOVER THE NEXT 20 YEARS, LOUIS ARMSTRONG, MUDDY WATERS

AND MANY OTHER BLUES LEGENDS \hPERFORMED ON BEALE STREET.

IN THE ‘70s, BEALE STREET

WAS OFFICIALLY DECLARED "THE HOME OF THE BLUES"

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hBY AN ACT OF THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS.

IT‘S ONE OF THE MOST STORIED ADDRESSES IN POPULAR MUSIC.

AND NOT TOO FAR AWAY THERE‘S ANOTHER ONE.

ON JULY 5th IN 1954,

\hSAM PHILLIPS WAS SITTING IN HIS OFFICE HERE AT SUN RECORDS

WHEN A 19-YEAR-OLD WALKED IN THE DOOR

AND SANG "THAT‘S ALL RIGHT."

\h\hTHAT YOUNG MAN WAS ELVIS PRESLEY,

\h\hAND THE SONG BECAME AN OVERNIGHT SENSATION.

DURING THE HOURLY TOURS \h\h\h\h\h\hGIVEN HERE,

VISITORS CAN TOUCH \h\hTHE MICROPHONE

AND STAND ON THE EXACT SPOT \h\h\h\h\hWHERE ELVIS STOOD

TO RECORD HIS FIRST SONG.

\h\hFOR THOSE WHO NEED A BIGGER FIX OF ELVIS,

THERE‘S PLENTY TO BE SEEN \h\hJUST A SHORT WAY SOUTH

ON OLD U.S. HIGHWAY 51.

WHEN HE WAS JUST 22 YEARS OLD,

ELVIS BOUGHT GRACELAND, \h\h\hA 14-ACRE ESTATE.

HE DIED HERE 20 YEARS LATER.

IN 1982, GRACELAND OPENED TO THE PUBLIC AS A MUSEUM.

TOURISTS CAN EVEN VISIT ONE OF HIS PRIVATE JETS.

NEARLY 650,000 VISITORS

\h\hMAKE THE PILGRIMAGE TO GRACELAND EACH YEAR.

ELVIS‘S NAME IS SYNONYMOUS \h\h\h\h\h\h\hWITH MEMPHIS

AND THE CITY OFTEN GETS CREDITED AS THE HOME OF THE BLUES

\hAND THE PLACE WHERE ROCK-N-ROLL WAS BORN,

BUT ITS CONTRIBUTIONS \h\h\h\hTO SOUL MUSIC

ARE OFTEN OVERLOOKED.

\h\h\hMEMPHIS SOUL GOT SOME ATTENTION IN 2000

WHEN THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION

OPENED ITS 8,000-SQUARE-FOOT MEMPHIS ROCK AND SOUL MUSEUM

JUST OFF BEALE STREET--

\h\h\h\hTHE SMITHSONIAN‘S FIRST PERMANENT EXHIBITION

OUTSIDE OF WASHINGTON, D.C., \h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND NEW YORK.

\h\h\h\hMEMPHIS SOUL WAS FURTHER HONORED IN 2003

WHEN THE STAX MUSEUM \h\hOF AMERICAN SOUL

WAS OPENED HERE.

IN THE 1960s, STAX RECORDS

\h\hWAS THE SECOND BEST SOUL RECORD LABEL IN THE COUNTRY,

AFTER MOTOWN.

MEMPHIS SOUL WAS GRITTIER AND BORN OUT OF THE BLUES.

AL GREEN, ISAAC HAYES \h\h\hAND OTIS REDDING

ARE ONLY A FEW OF THE ARTISTS \h\h\h\hWHO RECORDED AT STAX.

BLACK AND WHITE MUSICIANS WORKED ALONGSIDE EACH OTHER AT STAX,

A RARITY IN A LARGELY \h\h\hSEGREGATED CITY.

BUT THAT RACIAL HARMONY \hCAME TO AN END IN 1968

LARGELY BECAUSE OF EVENT \h\h\h\hTHAT TOOK PLACE

\h\h\h\hNOT TOO FAR FROM STAX RECORDING STUDIOS.

\h\h\h\hTHIS BUILDING IS PART OF THE NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM

FOUNDED TO COMMEMORATE \h\h\h\h\h\hTHE EVENTS

OF THE 4th OF APRIL, 1968.

ON THAT DATE, AT 6:01 P.M., \h\h\hMARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

WAS SHOT AND KILLED \h\hHERE IN MEMPHIS

AT THE NEARBY LORRAINE MOTEL.

THIS BUILDING WAS ORIGINALLY \h\h\h\h\hTHE ROOMING HOUSE

ACROSS FROM THE MOTEL

\h\h\h\h\h\hWHERE JAMES EARL RAY ALLEGEDLY FIRED THE FATAL SHOT.

\h\h\h\h\hTHE MUSEUM CHRONICLES THE STRUGGLE FOR RACIAL EQUALITY

\h\hFROM THE DAYS OF SLAVERY UP THROUGH DR. KING‘S DEATH.

TODAY, MEMPHIS IS STILL \h\h\hKNOWN AND VISITED

FOR THE MUSICAL REVOLUTIONS \h\h\h\h\h\hTHAT BEGAN HERE.

IT‘S ALSO A FIVE-TIME WINNER

OF THE "NATION‘S CLEANEST CITY" AWARD.

\hIN 1991, PLANNERS WANTED TO CREATE A VISUAL LANDMARK HERE.

\h\h\hTHEY DECIDED TO BUILD THE GREAT AMERICAN PYRAMID.

AT 321 FEET TALL,

IT‘S THE SIXTH LARGEST PYRAMID \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN THE WORLD.

ONCE USED AS A SPORTS ARENA \h\h\h\h\hAND CONCERT VENUE,

TODAY IT STANDS EMPTY.

THE NEARBY FEDEX FORUM TOOK OVER AS THE MAIN VENUE IN TOWN.

\h\h\hFEDEX FORUM IS ONLY ONE SMALL PART

OF THE FEDERAL EXPRESS PRESENCE HERE IN MEMPHIS.

THE COMPANY‘S HEADQUARTERS \h\h\h\h\h\hARE HERE, TOO.

FEDEX IS THE LARGEST EMPLOYER \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN MEMPHIS

WITH MORE THAN 30,000 EMPLOYEES AND A SUPER HUB AT THE AIRPORT.

SOMETIMES EVEN VINTAGE \hWORLD WAR TWO PLANES

LIKE THIS HAWKER SEA FURY

FLY OVER MEMPHIS,

A CITY THAT WILL ALWAYS BE KNOWN

FOR THE RICH MUSICAL TRADITIONS BORN HERE.

\hFROM ITS ANCIENT EASTERN MOUNTAINS

TO ITS ROLLING CENTRAL HILLS...

AND VERY MUSICAL WEST END...

\hTENNESSEE TELLS THE STORY OF AMERICA‘S EXPANSION WEST,

\h\hAND ALL OF THE CELEBRATION AND SADNESS THAT CAME WITH IT.

FROM THE AIR, TENNESSEE \hIS A NATURAL BEAUTY--

RUGGED, INVITING AND INFUSED WITH THE SPIRIT OF A NATION.