Themed Photo Gallery & Information : Hazlehurst and Robert Johnson
History
Hazlehurst is a city in and the county seat of Copiah County, Mississippi, United States,[2] located about 30 miles (48 km) south of the state capital Jackson along Interstate 55. The population was 4,009 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its economy is based on agriculture, particularly tomatoes and cabbage.
The first settlement here by European Americans became known as the town of Gallatin; two lawyers and brothers-in-law named Walters and Saunders came from Gallatin, Tennessee, in 1819 and named the village after their hometown. They built their homes on the banks of the Bayou Pierre, in the western part of Copiah County. Other settlers came with them, and in 1829 the state legislature incorporated the town. The first decades of agriculture were based on the use of slave labor of African Americans. The incorporation charter was repealed on January 18, 1862.
The construction of the New Orleans, Jackson and Great Northern Railroad began on November 3, 1865, stimulating development of Hazlehurst at the railway stop. It was named for Col. George H. Hazlehurst, an engineer for the new railroad. A city in Georgia is also named for him.
As Hazlehurst grew, Gallatin declined into a settlement at a crossroads. In April 1872, the legislature ordered the county board of supervisors to hold an election to decide whether the county seat should be moved from Gallatin to Hazlehurst. After a majority voted for the change, Gallatin’s old brick courthouse was torn down and reassembled in Hazlehurst. Several years later, the old courthouse suffered a fire and was replaced by a new building. The courthouse has been destroyed and rebuilt more than 15 times during the town’s history.
This city had civil rights activity during the mid-1960s. Because of violence against blacks in this area, Mississippi, the armed Deacons for Defense and Justice established centers here and in nearby Crystal Springs in 1966 and 1967. They provided physical protection for protesters working with the NAACP on a commercial boycott of white merchants to force integration of facilities and employment, and to gain jobs for African Americans following passage of civil rights legislation in 1964.
Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Hazlehurst. Amtrak Train 59, the southbound City of New Orleans, with service to Brookhaven, McComb, Hammond, and New Orleans. Amtrak Train 58, the northbound City of New Orleans, with service to Jackson, Yazoo City, Greenwood, Memphis, Newbern-Dyersburg, Fulton, Carbondale, Centralia, Effingham, Mattoon, Champaign-Urbana, Kankakee, Homewood, and Chicago.
Hazlehurst station is an unstaffed flag stop, consists of a single platform with a small shelter, located next to the old Illinois Central Railroad Depot, which was built in 1925 and is now occupied by the Hazlehurst Depot Museum.
Source: Wikipedia
Mississippi Department of Archives and History Marker : Hazlehurst
Mississippi Department of Archives and History : 10 Most Endangered Historic Places
Robert Johnson’s Birthplace
Robert Johnson was born in Hazlehurst, Mississippi on May 8, 1911, but spent much of his early life in levee camps and on plantations in the northern Delta. Johnson began playing harmonica and associating with older blues musicians and later abandoned the harmonica for the guitar.
Many have dubbed Robert Johnson the father of modern rock and roll, and he is considered one of the most prolific artists of the early blues. Although he did not live long enough to become as popular as many other blues artists, his music continues to influence musicians. Popular covers of his songs have been recorded by modern artists such as Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and many more. Not only was Johnson a legendary bluesman, he was the subject of legend. Robert Johnson is rumored to have traveled to the crossroads near midnight to sell his soul to the devil, in exchange for being able to play anything and everything on the guitar.
His birthplace was constructed circa 1905 and was moved nearly a mile from its original location when the interstate highway was constructed. The property is currently vacant and is rapidly deteriorating.
2017 Update – No Progress
The town of Hazlehurst owns Robert Johnson’s birthplace and has hopes of restoring it. Officials are considering moving the house into the City of Hazlehurst; however, funding for the project has been an issue. The building has been secured against the elements. There is now a Mississippi Blue marker at this site but some historians are not sure if Robert Johnson was actually born in Hazlehurst.
Source: http://www.ms10most.com/
Mississippi Blues Marker : Robert Johnson Birthplace
Full text:
The legendary bluesman Robert Johnson was born on the northern outskirts of Hazlehurst to Julia Majors and Noah Johnson, on May 8, 1911 (or possibly 1912). Johnson lived in Tunica County and in Memphis as a child, but in the early 1930s he returned for a stay in the Hazlehurst area, where he honed his skills playing with local blues guitarist Ike Zinnerman.
Robert Johnson whose body of twenty-nine recordings from 1936-37 is widely regarded as an artistic high point of the blues, had a close connection to the Hazlehurst area. He was born here, probably in the Damascus community north of town, later returned regularly to perform, and fathered his only known child with a local woman. Johnson’s mother, Julia Majors, was originally from Hazlehurst, and after separating from her first husband, Hazlehurst native Charles Dodds, she had a child with Noah Johnson, a local sawmill worker. Robert Johnson’s year of birth is frequently reported as 1911, but the ages given on two marriage licenses, school records, and his death certificate suggest birthdates ranging from 1907 to 1912. Since he is not listed in the 1910 census among his mother’s children, 1911 or 1912 are more likely.
Shortly after Johnson’s birth his mother moved to the Delta and sent Robert to live in Memphis with the family of Dodds, who had changed his last name to Spencer. In the late 1910s Johnson moved to the Abbay and Leatherman plantation near Robinsonville to live with his mother and her new husband, Dusty Willis. Some confusion about the details of Johnson’s life has stemmed from his using the names Johnson, Dodds, Spencer, and Willis. He began actively performing music while in his teens, and around 1930 came to the attention of local blues powerhouse Son House, who later recalled that at the time Johnson could only make a “racket” on the guitar. In the early ‘30s Johnson returned to the Hazlehurst area, where he studied with guitarist Ike Zinnerman of Beauregard, ten miles south of Hazlehurst. Upon Johnson’s return to the Delta, House recalled that Johnson’s skills had increased markedly. In Martinsville, just south of Hazlehurst, Johnson had a romantic relationship with Virgie Mae Cain, resulting in the birth of Claud Johnson on December 12, 1931. In 1998 the Chancery Court of Leflore County determined that Claud Johnson was Robert Johnson’s son and the legal heir to his considerable estate. He subsequently founded the Robert Johnson Blues Foundation, oriented toward arts education.
In May of 1931 Robert married a Martinsville woman, Callie Craft, and gave a Memphis address when he filed for the license. Johnson traveled widely, but continued to visit the Hazlehurst area, where he stayed with his aunt, Clara Majors Rice. Her son Howard recalled that, in addition to guitar, Johnson played piano and pump organ. Among the musicians who played with Johnson during these years was guitarist Houston Stackhouse, who recalled performing with him at the Frank Ford plantation outside of Crystal Springs. Johnson died in Greenwood on August 16, 1938.
Source : http://msbluestrail.org/
Mississippi Blues Marker : Robert Johnson Greenwood
Whilst this second marker in located just north of Greenwood, it’s included here for continuity.
Full text:
A seminal figure in the history of the Delta blues, Robert Johnson (1911-1938) synthesized the music of Delta blues pioneers such as Son House with outside traditions. He in turn influenced artists such as Muddy Waters and Elmore James. Johnson’s compositions, notable for their poetic qualities, include the standards “Sweet Home Chicago” and “Dust My Broom.” Johnson’s mysterious life and early death continue to fascinate modern fans. He is thought to be buried in this graveyard.
One of the most famous and legendary Delta blues musicians is Robert Johnson (1911-1938). Although he recorded only twenty nine songs at two recording sessions in 1936 and 1937, his work has been included in the repertoires of countless blues and rock musicians since. Johnson’s songs “I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom,” “Cross Road Blues,” “Love in Vain Blues,” “Traveling Riverside Blues” and “Sweet Home Chicago” became well known via the recordings of Elmore James, Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and many others.
Johnson was born in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, but by 1920 he was living near Robinsonville, just south of Memphis. In the late 1920s, he took up the guitar and was learning to play from Willie Brown, Charley Patton, and Son House. By 1931, Johnson had returned to the Hazlehurst area and begun studying with local bluesman Ike Zinnerman, generally accepted by scholars as the most important influence on Johnson and his revolutionary, modern style.
From 1933 on, Johnson traveled around the Delta and to other parts of the country including Memphis, St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit, New York, and even Canada. Johnson went from one jook to another, never settling in one place, although he did have a home in Helena, Arkansas, for a time. Late in 1938, impresario John Hammond planned to present Johnson as part of the “From Spirituals to Swing” concert at Carnegie Hall, an appearance that would have undoubtedly made him an international star. Unfortunately, Johnson died before that event. He was allegedly poisoned by the angry husband of a woman he was seeing. He died on Star of the West plantation just south of this site on August 16 and was buried here the following day.
Some believe the myth that Johnson sold his soul in exchange for remarkable guitar-playing skills that would make him famous, and the story of his fateful meeting with the devil at a rural crossroads is an enduring blues theme. Bluesman Son House stated, “He sold his soul to play like that,” but early blues songs are full of references to witchcraft and the devil, with Johnson’s lyrics no exception. His songs “Hell-Hound on My Trail” and “Me and the Devil Blues,” helped to perpetuate the legend.
About Robert Johnson
There are many accounts of the life of Robert Johnson and a good starting point is Wikipedia – click here
However, my recommendation to gain the most detailed insight into the life of Robert Johnson is to refer to a website provided by Steve LaVere of The Delta Haze Corporation. Steve, prior to 1998 court judgement regarding Claud Johnson as righful heir, served as the authorized agent for the Estate of Robert Johnson. Click here to access the Robert Johnson website provided by the Delta Haze Corporation.
Photo Gallery
Hazlehurst Homes and Heros Mural
The Illinois Central Railroad Depot, built in 1925 and now occupied by the Hazlehurst Depot Museum.
Amtrak station single platform. Note the speling of ‘Hazelhurst’ on the right.
Mississippi Blues Trail marker for Robert Johnson to the right behind the red caboose.