Alonzo Chatmon’s Juke Joint

Description

Mt. Zion Memorial Fund executive director and Assistant Professor of History at Prairie View A&M University Dr. DeWayne Moore conceived this project in January 2022, when he worked with Greenville attorney Stan Perkins to conduct the deed trace for the Glen Allan property, which contains the juke joint and store originally built by Alonzo Chatmon, the fiddler who fronted the famous 1930s recording artists, the Mississippi Sheiks. In consultation with the current owner, Ollie Morganfield, Dr. Moore contacted Dr. Carroll Van West, a well-respected Historic Preservationist at Middle Tennessee State University, who agreed to conduct a historic preservation assessment of the property as an in-kind donation. Dr. Moore also secured the support of public historians with expertise in African American History, Milo Reed and Dr. Brian Mitchell.

We are now working with the Mississippi Department of Archives & History to add the property to the list of Mississippi Landmarks, and we will submit the nomination to the National Register of Historic Places in 2024.

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