Merchants on Issaquena : avenue of the blues in Mississippi
Margery Kerstine (Author), Terry Thompson (Photographer)
The merchants of Issaquena Avenue, Clarksdale, Mississippi, have seen it all. They survived two depressions, both world wars, societal upheaval, and the most destructive river flood in American history. In writing the history of her hometown and its Jewish community, Margery Kerstine discovered the steely resolve and ingenious ideas of the shopkeepers and workers in the twenty-three buildings that line Issaquena Avenue in Clarksdale. She researched the written and oral histories of families from all over the globe who settled and thrived in the Mississippi Delta during a time when the South was changing dramatically. Her tour takes you building by building through this street. Along the way, Kerstine solves some town mysteries and finds others. What is Issaquena's connection to the birth of the blues? How was the New Roxy Theater named? Where was the original New World Saloon? Detailed illustrations and maps bring the street to life as Kerstine follows families through the turmoil and triumph of life in Clarksdale
Print Book, English, 2020
Kerstine's Enterprises, [Mississippi?], 2020