Memphis The City Beautiful

Title

Memphis The City Beautiful

Subject

Civic Life

Description

Memphis The City Beautiful was written by Frances Akers Greeson in 1947. The book chronicles the Memphis City Beautiful Commission’s history from 1929 to 1947. The Memphis City Beautiful Commission was founded by E.H. Crump, former mayor of Memphis and Congressman. He was inspired to start the Commission after he watched a train passing by and was concerned about the impression the city would leave with the passengers. Mr. Crump thought the women of Memphis should be the “housekeepers” for the community. The headquarters for the Commission was setup in the Nineteenth Century Club. The Commission started slowly, engaging volunteers to help clean the community, but quickly grew to include alley projects and vacant lot campaigns. Through the 1940s the City Beautiful Commission continued to promote the planting of flowers, shrubs, and trees and endorsed the conservation of natural resources. While the projects are year-around, the city has an annual city-wide Clean-Up Campaign. The campaign includes not only the City Beautiful Commission, but also the Memphis Chamber of Commerce and the City of Memphis government. The city of Memphis became nationally recognized for the achievements of its citizens.

Creator

Greeson, Frances Akers

Source

Mississippi Valley Colliection

Publisher

The University of Memphis Libraries

Date

1947

Rights

Digital Image © 2015, University of Memphis Libraries Preservation and Special Collections Department. All rights reserved.

Relation

Hist4851, Spring 2015

Files

Citation

Greeson, Frances Akers, “Memphis The City Beautiful,” Making an Impact: The Lives of Tennessee Women, accessed March 29, 2024, https://umhist4851.omeka.net/items/show/6.