Jun 28, 2020
“While doing research for my book ‘A Secret History of Memphis Hoodoo: Conjurers, Rootworkers & Spirituals’ I discovered secrets behind a number of Memphis landmarks and stories that I had never been told growing up in Memphis.”
“The area of Beale, Lindy, Turly & Martin were home to a number of settlements where Africans and African-Americans were housed. The settlements went by names such as ‘Hell’s Half Acre’ and ‘Rotten Row’. Rotten Row became a popular spot for police to confiscate mojo bags and rootworking artifacts from residents who were arrested for simply being ‘unemployed’. In one case police arrested a man and destroyed his mojo ‘hand’ despite his protest that the bag was providing protection from his enemies.” -Tony Kail