Note: This is a continuation of our list of 40 Memphis Quintessentials, in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Memphis magazine. The whole list can be found here.
Martha Kelly
Elmwood
Elmwood
Few cities can boast such a beautiful, parklike cemetery as Elmwood, a quiet refuge of gentle hills, majestic elms, and imposing monuments. Established in 1848, it’s the final resting place for some of our city’s most famous residents, and a history lesson for anyone who appreciates our city’s past. — Michael Finger
Jackie Smith’s 30-year protest of the Civil Rights Museum
Jacqueline Smith used to be a tenant and employee of the Lorraine Motel before Martin Luther King was shot there in 1968. Smith has devoted her life to protesting what she sees as the gentrification of the area, including the conversion of the motel into the National Civil Rights Museum. You can speak with Smith about her cause almost every day in front of the museum, where she has held her ground now for nearly 30 years. — Eileen Townsend
The Pangean Disc
Drivers usually do a double-take when they see the Pangean Disc sculpture where Walnut Grove merges into Union Avenue, but this artwork — complete with cut-steel continents and a cylinder holding dolls — is just one of the more striking examples of the public work of Memphis sculptor Roy Tamboli. His many contributions include critter-decorated street signs along Cooper, and the soaring monument to Max Rose at Elmwood Cemetery. — Michael Finger
Dreamstime
The King’s Scepter
Standing where Elvis once stood has been known to induce goose bumps in these parts. But what about holding the very microphone that captured a voice that changed the world? Visitors to Sun Studio can see the stand-up microphone Elvis used when he was merely a crown prince, before “That’s All Right” made rock-and-roll a worldwide language. Go ahead, sing into it. We’ll listen. — Frank Murtaugh
