Secret Memphis: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure

What happened in 1954 at the Chisca Hotel in downtown Memphis that sparked a worldwide musical phenomenon? How did an eccentric businessman living in a pink mansion invent the first self-service grocery store, forever changing the way Americans shop? Where did notorious gangster Machine Gun Kelly enjoy his final moments of freedom before spending life in prison? Uncover these stories and more tales from a soulful river city in Secret Memphis, a guide that takes you beyond the basics and into the deep waters of Memphis culture and history. As Memphis author Holly Whitfield leads you through the most surprising, intriguing, and marvelous locations in the city, you ll discover places you never knew existed and the unexpected stories behind familiar sites. From a glass-and-steel pyramid on the banks of the Mississippi River to a park populated by bison, from mounds built by Native Americans centuries ago to the birthplace of the Queen of Soul, Secret Memphis unearths this authentic, lively city s mysteries one by one.

Holly Whitfield eats, sleeps, and breathes Memphis. As a proud Memphian since 2005, she sees her beloved city with a fresh perspective and finds that the contagious energy of her fellow Memphians provides constant inspiration and knowledge for daily articles and online musings through the award-winning I Love Memphis Blog. Holly is a graduate of The University of Memphis, an internationally-published writer, a 2016 Southern Living Southerner of the Year, and Editor of the I Love Memphis Blog since 2013.