True, Forrest was involved in slave trading before the war, but he would never break up a family when offering slaves for sale.  However, most don’t know – because we were never taught this – that the biggest slave market in the country was located a few blocks from the Lincoln’s Capitol Building in Washington City.  At that time Washington had not become Washington DC yet.  that wouldn’t happen until Grant took the Oval Office.

It should also be remembered that Forrest sold horses, land, was a blacksmith, served on the Memphis City Council before the war, and was a plantation owner.  During the war, if a woman or a group of women came to General Forrest with a problem, Forrest always turned his troops to go fix the problem.  But enough about the Civil War.  I should mention though that after the war the Freedman’s Bureau warned Forrest that he was too generous to his black tenant farmers, and the Forrest’s funeral was attended by 3,000 blacks whom he had helped.

From reading this book I discovered that while I was working I had delivered packages to every area in which Nathan Bedford Forrest ever owned land, but I also learned that Forrest, before the war, also owned land in Tunica County, where we are.  So, I started asking questions, and I didn’t have to go too far.  When I asked our very own Tait Seldon he picked up the phone and had an answer.

I learned that if you travel north on Old Hwy 61 and take a left on Indian Mound Road you will find the land that Nathan Bedford Forrest once owned, which is on the north side of Indian Mound Road.  In fact, once you find the Hollywood Indian Mound you are pretty well there.

However, don’t consider stopping to explore these Mounds up close.  Not only are they overgrown with trees and brush – and probably snakes – but there is a notice that this is private land and you shouldn’t go much further.  Here’s your sign…

But we’re not really interested in the Indian Mounds for our purposes, except as a marker that we have found our destination.  There are two tracts of land, one on either side of the Indian Mounds.  The tract to the west of the Mounds actually runs up to the Mississippi River Levee.  Here are a couple shots.  On the first shot you can see the Levee in the upper left corner of the photo.

This photo shows the same piece of land looking eastward.  In the distance you can see the Forest containing the Indian Mounds, but from a distance.

On the other side of the Indian Mounds’ break the scene looks much the same, but I am nothing if I am not thorough.  Here is a shot looking east.

And here is a shot looking west.  Here you can see that I didn’t go much past the Indian Mounds before snapping this photo.  The tree line is actually the Indian Mounds.

So, if your staying with us, or just passing through, you might want to pull off and take a look, just for a lark.  But be warned, if you pass Indian Mound Road don’t let Google tell you to take Hambrick Road.  The roads that connect this road to Indian Mound Road are dirt roads that run through planted fields, and the farmer that owns them might not appreciate that.  If you would like a guide look for the older white F250 parked near our parking lot and I will be happy to show you.

One day Tait Tate came to work there.  It was his second job and he was 16 looking so forward to his first pay check.  He had already spent it and was over-drawn at the bank. This was great, five days work to clear 75 dollars!  You see Tait Tate had been the cook at the Hollywood Restaurant where Ralph Rubin spent most Saturday night singing at the piano.  His favorite song being Why Why Why Delilah singing with Muriel on the piano, and Bob Hall waiting next to sing Tie A Yellow Ribbon ‘Round The Old Oak Tree.

Times were good for young Tait Tate having Mr. Rubin the plant manager at Pillow Tex and Tait Tate’s pal.  Tait Tate could do no wrong.

That summer Tait Tate wasn’t the only youth working.  There were 10 youth summer employees.  The youth would be always messin’ around with something.  But AD on line one was always the star employee.

Tait Tate and John Dulaney were always fighting or goofing off.  AD was always running into boxes that would have to be re-boxed by the two boys.  This was getting old and one day Tait Tate told John he’d bet $5 that he could turn off AD’s gas on the fork lift with out him knowing it.

Well the bet was on, AD rounded Broadway and John yelled at AD “hey dumbass”. When he stopped to look around to see who said that, Tait Tate cut off AD’s gas.  The fork lift went dead AD got off cussin’ and lookin’ for his wrench, another trick on AD.  AD had to walk all the way back to the shop to get the wrench to take off the propane tank.   Then back to the shop for Propane and back to the fork lift to put on the new tank.  Finally, he’d crank up the fork lift and back to work.  Well, it ran about 5 minutes and the two boys cut it off again.

Mr. Potter walked by plant #2 man and asked what was wrong.  AD told him he had replaced the propane tank that had run empty with a misplaced tank in the full rack that was empty too.  AD was all flustered when Mr. Potter said don’t let that happen again.  AD thought something was fishy.  Ad took the tank off, went and got another tank and put that one on.

Back to work, an hour later John went to pull the trick again AD caught him and was cussin’ mad. It was lunch time AD went back to the shop and got a piece of steel to use as a knife the next one to try to cut off his gas he swore he‘d cut their hand off.

Well about 3.30 Tait Tate tries again and this time AD saw him.  AD made good on his pledge but he misses Tait’s hand and cuts the gas line on a full tank instead.   Propane was going ever’where. Mr. Potter came by to see what was going on since AD’s work was all backed up.

AD was demoted to shipping clerk repacking boxes that John Dulaney had run over as new folk lift driver. Tait Tate was promoted to Ms. Gann’s assistance making labels for addresses on out going boxes.

What a life for young Tait Tate.

Tate county was dry and the Junior collage was about 30 miles away. We were opening September 20th, the first Saturday after school started.

We had a spy too.  Brother Chad was in school over there and he and his friends were giving out fliers for free beer. Opening night we were jam packed, with cousins Dooglefish and John Tait as waiters and bouncers it was almost more than they could handle.

Business was good all summer and the new semester brought more thirsty people.  One day Cousin Baby Gayle came up and talked to brother Bard about buying him out.  Our dad had passed away and that January and Bard was going back to school.  That was just right, so he kept the name “The Hollywood” and had live bands.  On weekend’s business was great, food was added and that helped out too.

Baby needed a cook.  I (Tait Tate) applied at 16, ran the kitchen and bought supplies.  One afternoon a girl asked could I fry a pickle for her.  I said, “Sure, how?”

Just quarter it, roll it in flour and fry in hot grease.

I did and that started the main attraction at the Hollywood; Fried Pickles.  This was new and different and with the batter fried onion rings, it started the fried food paradise.  Everyone that came ate lots of both and good steaks and catfish too. What a place.

It wasn’t long before Bob Hall came up talked to Baby about a partner. That went over great, you see Bob Hall was a singer, and a paint contractor, and he was the Delta Crooner.  He could really spread it on thick.  The women loved him, the food was great, and buses loaded with Memphians would come down for the night.  They would all sing with Muriel at the piano
Eat a good steak or Catfish and get on the bus back home to Memphis..

I courted my wife there dancing to Tie A Yellow Ribbon, Darkness On The Delta and more with Muriel at the piano, Bob singing and added The Turn Row Cowboy.  We rocked on for about 10 years until one night after closing  there was a grease and fire The Hollywood went up in smoke.

Keep your line wet.

Tait Tate

When Maw married Paw she got many letters from town folks that had spent their honeymoons in the ole hotel.

You see it was in the town of Hollywood.

Hollywood was named for the native holly trees that Hernando de Soto had given the Indian Chief as a gift to plant for a good omen of friendship.

The town was booming then.  It had seven saloons, three cotton gin, a broom factory, brick plant, a hotel, Tate Brothers Commissary, and three plantations the Perry, the Sledge, and the Tate Brothers Plantation.

Now that’s the history, now the story. (The start of the story)

Tait Tate

We couldn’t find any pictures of the old days, but did find some modern manufactured versions, to give ya an idea.

Next comes cutting switch Willows and nailing them onto pallets making them 3 deep for structure weighted with pyramid blocks dropping them in the deeper parts of the lake.

After that a trip to Helena AR for cotton seed meal.  Putting 15 lbs. in a burlap sack, tied off to bricks with holes, wetting the meal down so it would sour, and drop 3 of these in each mat structure.

The souring meal would attract the fish to the mats, both small and large fish.  Bait and supper for all.

You would give Mat maps to your best customers, so they would bring more customers to your ramp.  This worked well and on any given week it was easy to have 100 boats launch on Saturday.

The same went for the fishing dock, baiting with cotton seed meal was the best.  One mat sack would last a month. So you would do this all season until Dove season rolled around when most fishermen become hunters in the fall.  Then business would drop off until the next January and start all over again.

If you could keep down the dead minnow syndrome you could come out.  A customer would come in and ask for 3 doz.  So, you would weigh out the minnows and it never failed, they’d look in the bucket and say that’s not 3 doz.  Then I would said make it easy on yourself, double or nothing.  What’s that mean?  If there’s less than 3 doz. they’re free, but 3 doz. or more and you pay double. Being the minnows weren’t sized the house always won.  You would get to do this at least 3 times before they’d catch on.

We’d pay 1 cent per minnow and sell them for 3 cents.

The big trick was keeping the minnows alive.  First plenty of fresh water.  Your drain would be 2 inches lower than that of the tank.  You would have a flow restricter that was a 2” pipe over a 1” pipe.  The 2” pipe had 15 1/4” holes, and the top was at your desired depth of the vat.  Minnows have scales.  Sun light let’s the minnow see each other and the males fight for the right to mate with the females.  The top 2” of the tank collect all the waste the minnows put out and that’s why you have to leave a flow of fresh-water, without chlorine or it will kill the minnows.  The water needs to be 55 degrees, so you need a cooler in the water that’s like a water AC unit.  You also need antibiotics to treat the minnows, to keep them from getting sores from fighting.  All that and you can make money selling minnows but only if you do all these things.

Also there was boat and motor rentals.  Someone rents a boat and motor, but doesn’t pay attention to ya about how to crank an outboard motor.  About half would be towed in, mad as hell because the motor won’t crank.  So double or nothing come’s in again.  You’d ask did you listen to me about the motor?  Show me if it will crank.  They would, but it wasn’t the way I told them and I’d say watch.  I’d twist the throttle 2 times, hit the chock, and pull it one time.  It would crank up every time.

Double or nothing; he’d owe me 50.00 instead of 25.00.  Some fishermen will be mad as hell then, so you’d play “get like me”.  Nobody knows about “get like me” but me.  I made it up.  You say we both get a coin flip, and I tell the fisherman he has to have what I have to win.   It never fails as them who won, because whatever it is you say you lost.  They are too embarrassed because they don’t understand.  Half the time you let him win because he is a good sport.  You know they always lose and the good sports it’s up to you 50/50.

On the way home the street car tracks on Popular Av. West of Cleveland were steep and when the coast was clear the five of them would soap the tracks and the street cars couldn’t go up hill.  They’d just sit and spin.

At Dyers big skillet you could stop get a burger there for the same as a street car ride home. So since the street car was stuck they’d grab a burger and walk home happy.

The 10 of them would all rent a boat by they selves, one each.  One lady had a 10 hp. Evin-rude and each boat had a 10’ length of rope tied to the front.

Each lady would tie off to the boat in front and the motor boat pulled all 10 up lake to the islands.  Each lady would untie and scull their boat to fish the islands.

Come 4 ok they all tied back on and come back to the dock. Load up and start over the next day same routine. The Mule train was what they said they wuz.

We miss those ladies and their “Mule Train” today.  A chuckle is always a good thing.