NEHA’s 2008 Conference Melodies, Maladies and Meandering Ministries was so named because Memphis – the “M” city - best known for music, is the birthplace of the Blues.  Essential also to Memphis’ history are the Yellow Fever Epidemics of the 1870s, the time of Constance and her Companions, the Martyrs of Memphis.  And the meandering Mississippi River has provided a geographical background for the shaping of the culture.

Highlights of the Conference included an opening address by Dr. Tim Sharp, author of Memphis Before the Blues, on people and events that contributed to Memphis’ eclectic musical life that emerged against the backdrop of the Civil War and yellow fever.  Molly Crosby, author of American Plague, spoke.  Local historian Dr. Douglas Cupples narrated original photographs from the day Martin Luther King was assassinated, and there was a panel on the Civil Rights era and the Church in Memphis.  

The Conference Banquet took place at the Hunt-Phelan Home, an antebellum mansion. The Rev. Jim Wilkinson, known as the Mississippi River Chaplain, was the banquet speaker. The following evening, a tour of area churches concludesd with a festive barbeque dinner held at Elmwood Cemetery.

Many members came to worship, work, and play with the National Episcopal Historians and Archivists as we experienced the rich history and attractions of the Memphis area.