November 6th Street

Ever wondered why we have a street named after a day? Well, November 6, 1934 is when we joined TVA.



Tour guide Robert Montgomery led a stroll down November 6th Street on November 6th and we followed along.



We are the number one consumer of TVA power, using 10-11% of all their power annually. In 1934, according to Robert, E. H. Crump, who was buddies with FDR, supported the New Deal in exchange for funding in Memphis. Crump felt multiple utilities was a waste of money and that streamlining into one would be more focused. Now, MLGW is largest three service utility under one roof in America. 


Robert had a lot of other fun facts to share as we made our way through downtown:

• Lansky's extended a line of credit to Elvis for clothes to wear on the Ed Sullivan Show. Then Elvis bought from Lansky's for the rest of his career.  
• In 1831 from Union Avenue south, there was a rival town called South Memphis. Beale Street was the primary thoroughfare No one knows where the name came from. Beal Avenue was the original name. In 1906, the "E" was added. Danny Thomas helped change the name to Beale Street based on a reference in pop culture. 
• George Peabody is known as the father of modern philanthropy. Robert Brinkley, a man from London, was in Memphis looking for funding for a railroad, and befriended Peabody. When Peabody passed away, Brinkley named the hotel after Peabody rather than after himself.(Though Brinkley did end up with a plaza.)