The Roots of Johnny Cash
Though the man in black never really “shot a man in Reno”—don’t believe all the song lyrics—he did pick “cotton in the bottomland” as the son of an Arkansas Delta farmer.
His family’s 1930s homestead, meticulously restored, opened a year ago as a museum. It’s located an hour north of Memphis, Tennessee, in Dyess, a New Deal resettlement colony created in 1934. Along with 500 or so families, the Cashes received a white cottage and 20 acres here and set to work clearing and farming the fertile land.
For Johnny Cash buffs, ephemera on exhibit range from his Boy Scout card to the pillow of his beloved brother Jack. (The 2005 biopic Walk the Line depicted Jack’s death in a childhood accident.)
Led by a guide through the Cash home, tourgoers discover its five rooms as they originally appeared.
Not surprisingly, the family piano (untuned to preserve its innards, though family members love to play it when they visit) holds court in the living room. An old hymnal remains open to “The Unclouded Day,” the first song Cash performed in public.
This is more than a shrine for music lovers.
From its butter churn to the quilt frame that lowers from the living room ceiling, “the house evokes wonderful memories of what life was like for farm families during the 1930s and 1940s,” says Ruth Hawkins, who led the restoration project for Arkansas State University’s Heritage Sites program.
This time capsule of the Depression era is anything but depressing.
Katie Knorovsky (on Twitter @TravKatieK) is an editor at large at National Geographic Traveler. This piece first appeared in the magazine’s August/September 2015 issue.
> Related Content:
Related Topics
You May Also Like
Go Further
Animals
- These 'trash fish' are among Earth's most primitive animalsThese 'trash fish' are among Earth's most primitive animals
- These photos are works of art—and the artists are bugsThese photos are works of art—and the artists are bugs
- The epic migration of a 6-foot long, 200-pound catfishThe epic migration of a 6-foot long, 200-pound catfish
- Frans de Waal, biologist who studied animal emotion, dies at 75Frans de Waal, biologist who studied animal emotion, dies at 75
Environment
- Are synthetic diamonds really better for the planet? The answer isn't clear-cut.Are synthetic diamonds really better for the planet? The answer isn't clear-cut.
- This year's cherry blossom peak bloom was a warning signThis year's cherry blossom peak bloom was a warning sign
- The U.S. just announced an asbestos ban. What took so long?The U.S. just announced an asbestos ban. What took so long?
- The most dangerous job? Inside the world of underwater weldersThe most dangerous job? Inside the world of underwater welders
- The harrowing flight that wild whooping cranes make to surviveThe harrowing flight that wild whooping cranes make to survive
History & Culture
- Meet the powerful yokai that inspired the demon king in ‘Demon Slayer’Meet the powerful yokai that inspired the demon king in ‘Demon Slayer’
- A surprising must-wear for European monarchs? Weasels.A surprising must-wear for European monarchs? Weasels.
- Meet the woman who made Polaroid into a cultural iconMeet the woman who made Polaroid into a cultural icon
- Inside the observatory that birthed modern astrophysicsInside the observatory that birthed modern astrophysics
- See how Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr around the worldSee how Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr around the world
Science
- NASA smashed an asteroid with a rocket. The debris could hit Mars.NASA smashed an asteroid with a rocket. The debris could hit Mars.
- Humans really can have superpowers—scientists are studying themHumans really can have superpowers—scientists are studying them
- Why engineers are concerned about aging infrastructureWhy engineers are concerned about aging infrastructure
- The benefits of eating the peels on your fruits and veggiesThe benefits of eating the peels on your fruits and veggies
- The island of Santorini is hiding an explosive secretThe island of Santorini is hiding an explosive secret
Travel
- Play and stay in the mountains of eastern Nevada
- Paid Content
Play and stay in the mountains of eastern Nevada - This couple quit the city to grow wasabi in Japan's mountainsThis couple quit the city to grow wasabi in Japan's mountains