Downtown buildings in Merigold, Mississippi (photo: Mississippi Blues Travellers)Old Jail House, Belzoni, Mississippi, Charlie Patton was incarcerated here, circa 1933. (photo: Mississippi Blues Travellers)
One of our readers, Doug Turner, sent the following message about Charley Patton, the former Belzoni jail in Belzoni, Humphries County, Mississippi and the former sheriff’s deputies mentioned in Charley Patton’s song, High Sheriff Blues:
“My grandfather, O.J. Turner, Sr, was the first sheriff of Humphreys County. The county was formed in 1918 and he was appointed sheriff by the governor. He served as sheriff for a few years and it is my understanding that Mr. Purvis was his chief deputy and succeeded my grandfather as sheriff. Mr. Purvis’ grandson, Johnny Purvis, lives in Belzoni today. It would be a wonderful project for Blues History and fantastic for Belzoni.”
We agree. Restoration of the former Belzoni jail and new research on the early sheriffs and deputies mentioned in Charley Patton’s High Sheriff Blues would be very beneficial to Belzoni and to research and knowledge of Blues History. A Mississippi Blues Trail marker at the former Belzoni jail would also be a very useful project. We have sent an email to the Mayor of Belzoni about the idea.
Old Jail House, Belzoni, Mississippi, Charlie Patton was incarcerated here, circa 1933.
Charley Patton was briefly incarcerated in the former Belzoni jail, circa 1933, and recorded his experiences in High Sheriff Blues.
Here is a Google Street View image of the former Belzoni jail where Charley Patton was incarcerated circa 1933:
Here is a map showing the location of the former Belzoni jail:
We are going to contact the Mississippi Blues Trail to see whether there is any interest on its part in erecting a new marker at the former Belzoni jail to commemorate Charley Patton and his song, High Sheriff Blues.
Old Jail House, Belzoni, Mississippi, Charlie Patton was incarcerated here, circa 1933. (photo by Mississippi Blues Travellers)
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“Where is the remnants of the house now? I was in Clarksdale back in the 90’s the day they were dis-assembling it and supposedly bringing to a museum.[ Note: It is now in the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale].
There was a film crew there who filmed me playing some blues before they took the house down,,,.. I was the last person to play live music at the house..
any info would be appreciated..
thanks”
We asked Larry Amato if he had any photos from that day and he sent us these photos of Muddy Waters House being disassembled at Stovall Farms, outside Clarksdale, Mississippi, on 6 May 1996, prior to being moved to the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale.
Another reader, Rick Hagedorn, wrote the following comment in the Dialog Box on our Muddy Waters’ House web page:
“When Muddy Waters cabin was moved from the Stovall Farms to the Blues museum, there was a crew from New Orleans that filmed the taking down of the cabin. Was this film ever released anywhere? Do you know the name of the film or the film crew? Thanks in advance.”
Both Larry Amato and Rick Hagedorn wrote about a film crew, possibly based in New Orleans, having filmed the dismantling of Muddy Waters’ house at Stovall Farms on May 6 1996.
Does anyone anything about this film and/or the film crew? We haven’t seen this film and we weren’t aware of it until Larry Amato and Rick Hagedorn mentioned it in comments on the website.
If you know anything about it please let us know by leaving a comment in the Dialog Box below.
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One of our readers, Terry Baker, has provided this photo of the Three Forks store at Highway 7 and County Road 512 in Quito, Leflore County, Mississippi.
The photos dates from 1995 and the building has since been demolished. This building at the intersection of Highway 7 and County Road 512 in Quito, Leflore County, Mississippi has been suggested as the site where Robert Johnson was poisoned.
“I am doing some writing for my own enjoyment, and I am going over my 1995 trip to Mississippi (I moved to New York City in 1993, and lived there until I returned to my native England in 2012).
Anyway, to start that Delta peregrination, I bought a poster at the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, the original site above the city library, which showed the places in the state of importance to its Blues history.
Now, this is a quarter of a century ago, but the person selling me the poster in what was a small museum then told me to visit Quito and Morgan City on the trail, of course, of Robert Johnson. In my notes at the time I have written from what I am sure must have been from that person: “First house in Quito on left beyond junction with County Road 512, former Three Forks store, dragged there from two or three miles farther in on 512.”
I read your notes on your excellent website, and the comments from Honeyboy Edwards, plus one reader’s comments of the tornadoes that ripped through the Greenwood area, supposedly destroying the store, but all I can report is what I was explained to me. I attach a photo of the “store” I was told about, the explanation being that the Itta Bena-Quito road, although very basic, was still the busiest road in the area, and the store was brought here on a flatbed from two to three miles inward on 512.
Either a long tale I believed, or something with substance?
Many regards,
Terry
