Time to complete the Bucket List

Day six consisted of a visit to The Hypogeum, The Three Cities and the Malta at War Museum.

The Hal Saflieni Hypogeum is a Neolithic underground burial complex carved out of the limestone and is one of Malta’s most important World Heritage sites. Thousands of human skeletons were found here in a series of chambers and hollows cut progressively deeper into the rock, which ultimately create an elaborate three level burial complex. The complex was in use for centuries and was embellished with superb rock carvings, ochre wall painting and numerous works of art and gifts for the departed in an underworld for the dead.

The Hypogeum was discovered by workmen during construction of overlying houses at the turn of the 20th century. Wells were being cut for the houses and resulted in the workmen cutting through the roof of the underground chambers. The current site contains a cinema where a short film is shown about The Hypogeum, after which visitors are taken down through the three levels with audio guides that explain what is being seen.

Unfortunately photography is not allowed in The Hypogeum so we cannot share the experience of our visit but pictures and a virtual experience are available on the Heritage Malta Hypogeum site at https://heritagemalta.mt/explore/hal-saflieni-hypogeum/

The Hypogeum has a limited entrance to 10 persons at a time, with timed tours, and gets booked up months in advance, so turning up on the day does not work and has to be booked in advance.

Our next visit was to the Three Cities of Senglea (Isla), Vittoriosa (Birgu) and Conspicua (Bormia) which sit across the Grand Harbour from Valletta.

The series of inlets and promontories were chosen by the Knights of St John as their first headquarters when they took control of Malta in 1530. Centred around Galley Creek were three small towns with the main one being Birgu, which still retains much of the originality of the 16th century streets and buildings.

From the Three Cities, the Knights of St John valiantly defended the island from the Ottomans during the Great Siege of 1565. After the Great Siege they built Valletta but also refortified the three towns’ massive defences known as the Margarita and Cottonera Lines.

Strategically located on a hillock at the end of Birgu peninsula the Fort dominates the Grand Harbour. By 1274, the stronghold, previously known as Castrum Marias (castle by the sea), consisted of two enclosures. The Sicilian overlords considered this fort as a guarantee of their interests in the Maltese Islands. Christened, Fort St Angelo, by the Order of St John and turned into their headquarters, the Knights remodelled the building extensively with the construction of a series of artillery platforms, which marked the bastioned system of defence into the Maltese Islands. The rejuvenated sentinel of the Grand Harbour had a major role during the Great Siege.

As one walks around the streets of Birgu, buildings that were the Auberges (hostel/lodge) of various Knights are marked with plaques. The Knights were made up of many nationalities and it seemed that the Auberges were arranged by nationality.

As the picture above shows, the Auberges are still lived in today. The streets of Vittoriosa (Birgu) are charming and definitely worth visiting if you are into your history.

Also in Vittoriosa (Birgu) is the Malta at War Museum. During World War II the Maltese made good use of their stone quarrying heritage to build numerous underground shelters as protection from heavy bombing. There were several hundred shelters in Malta and one of the largest was in the Three Cities, whose proximity to the Grand Harbour made it a frequent target. Today, the underground shelter houses the Malta at War Museum where one can see various presentations of how World War II impacted Malta and tour the tunnels.

Some of the tunnels were very small, so when the tunnels were full it must have been claustrophobic. There was a communal dormitory which was fitted with bunk-beds that were used on a first come, first served, basis. There were also private cubicles occupied on a private basis by individuals or families at their own expense. Individual cubicles were only allowed after shelters could cater for the whole population.

The Museum is very interesting and shows the tribulations the Maltese people, who stayed in Malta during World War II, had to suffer.

That was our last day in Malta and our last trip for this year. Roll on 2025.

Words and photos: Copyright John Cruse 2024

On our fifth day we were visiting the medieval and Roman capital of Malta, Mdina and Rabat. In Roman times these were two parts of the same city but in early medieval times the old Roman city walls were replaced by a shorter circuit creating the separation into Mdina and Rabat. Mdina is one of Malta’s most visited site and when you visit there you can see why.

Mdina became home to Malta’s medieval nobility and its quiet winding alleys and narrow streets have a delightful mix of medieval and baroque architecture. Mdina continued to be the capital of Malta until the arrival of the Order of St John in 1530 when Birgu, on the opposite side of the Grand Harbour to modern day Valletta, took over.

Mdina is quiet as only the cars of the residents or businesses, emergency vehicles and wedding cars are allowed to enter. We were told that only 88 residents still permanently live in Mdina and they are an ageing population where the properties have been passed down through the family.

As you leave Mdina you are immediately into Rabat which is the modern looking area of the Mdina/Rabat area with a population of between 11,000 and 12,000. Just outside the entrance to Mdina is the Domus Romana, Malta’s best Roman archaeology.

Domus Romana is now outside the walls of Mdina but would have been close to the centre of the earlier Roman capital. The site was accidentally discovered in 1881 and the Roman Town House sheds light on the private life and habits of a Roman aristocrat. The antiquities, including the remaining marble pieces, found at the site are in the museum which is part of the site. The town house still has some mosaics in situ which are further evidence of the high status of the occupant.

A last visit of the day was to St Paul’s Catacombs which served as a burial ground in the Punic, Roman and Byzantine times and represent the earliest and largest archaeological evidence of Christianity in Malta.

The catacombs form a typical complex of interconnected underground Roman cemeteries that were in use up to the 7th and possibly 8th centuries AD. The area has more than 30 hypogea, of which the main complex comprises a system of interconnected passages and tombs that cover an area of more than 2000 square metres.

The main halls of the catacombs are equipped with circular tables set in a low platform, which were probably used to host commemorative meals during the annual festival of the dead.

There was a small museum at the site which displayed some of the burial goods.

The catacombs were very interesting to see and set us up for our visit the next day to the World Heritage site, The Hypogeum.

Words and photos: Copyright John Cruse 2024

Day four saw us heading to the island of Gozo, which lies very close to Malta. It takes the ferry roughly 30 minutes to reach Gozo and passes the island of Comino in the process. Comino is only 1.4 square miles.

Comino was apparently inhabited by farmers in Roman times but for long periods in its history has been sparsely populated or entirely abandoned. Its rugged coastline with limestone cliffs and deep caves were popular with pirates and marauders in the Middle Ages. Today there are only two people living permanently on Comino after the deaths of two other residents in the last seven years. Ferries do go to Comino and many people visit it for a day trip. The small hotel we understood was being rebuilt so this may help increase the permanent population of the island at some time in the future.

Gozo by contrast is 26 square miles with the largest settlement being the main town, Victoria, originally called Rabat but renamed in the honour of Queen Victoria in her Golden Jubilee year of 1887.

Our first visit of the day was to the Gigantija Neolithic Temple which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is the earliest dated of all the Maltese Temples (3600 BC) and can be said to herald the dawn of megalithic temple building in Europe. The site is remarkably well preserved for its age and a museum has recently been opened. There are two temples with an incomplete third. The temples are built in the typical cloverleaf design with the inner facing blocks making the shape. A series of semi-circular apses is connected by a central passage. It is believed that the apses were originally roofed. Researchers have found numerous figurines and statues that they believe are connected to the fertility rites associated with the cult at that time.

After visiting the Gigantija Temples we had lunch at Xlendi which is an attractive harbour town.

After lunch in Xlendi we returned to Victoria as it has a citadel which has evidence of prehistoric occupation. By medieval times it could accommodate the entire population of Gozo in times of threat.

The fortification we see today was begun by the Knights of St John after the devastating Ottoman raid on Gozo in 1551.

Gozo seemed a bit less busy than Malta and is a nice place to visit. Many tourist make the ferry trip across from Malta and although boarding the ferry was a bit chaotic there were plenty of seats on deck to enjoy the views. They have an interesting ticketing system where it is free to go across from Malta, but you have to buy a ticket to return.

Words and photos: Copyright John Cruse 2024

Our third day was spent in the south of Malta visiting the Hagar Qim and Mnajdra Archaeological Park, and the Clapham Junction cart ruts with a lunchtime visit to the Blue Grotto.

Hagar Qim is situated on top of a promontory with a fertile plain to its east and a garrigue sloping down to the sea to the west. One finds Mnajdra a short walk downhill from Hagar Qim. The late Neolithic site of Hagar Qim consists of a group of monumental megalithic buildings and is unusual with features and doorways along its external walls.

Doorways inside the buildings are either trilithon, built with two upright stone blocks with a lintel and threshold, or an opening cut into a single megalith known as a porthole doorway.

It is believed that part of these buildings were covered by a corralled roof which was made by successive courses of megaliths, each one smaller than the one below. Hagar Qim has the largest stone so far found in any of these Maltese Neolithic temples, which is 20 tonnes.

A short walk down the hill towards the sea are the Mnajdra Temples. Mnajdra consists of three buildings constructed in both globigerina and coralline limestone. The first and oldest structure is the small three apsed structure with the south building being next to be completed and the central building being constructed on an artificial platform between the two earlier buildings. The south building’s doorway is aligned with sunrise during the spring and summer equinoxes.

Soon after their excavation these temples became national icons appearing on Maltese stamps and coins. The site also has a small museum and audio-visual show.

Our next stop was the Blue Grotto which is on the south coast of Malta not far from the Hagar Qim and Mnajdra Temples. It is on the general tourist schedule so can be very busy, but we were lucky that there was no queues for the boat rides to view the sea caves of the Blue Grotto. It is a nice spot and there are many restaurants for a good seafood lunch.

After lunch we made the short trip to an “off the beaten track” location to see the cart ruts of the area called Misrah Ghar il-Kbir which is also known as Clapham Junction. It is reported that the Clapham Junction nickname was given by an archaeologist, David H Trump, who said it reminded him of the busy railway station in London.

There is a complex network of cart ruts in this area in the limestone. It is unclear as to the age and purpose of these ruts although there are numerous theories. There are similar tracks in a number of sites on both major islands of Malta and Gozo. It has been suggested that they may have been used in different periods for different activities. It seems unlikely that the true reason for these ruts will ever be unearthed.

Words and photos: Copyright John Cruse 2024

Day two consisted of a walking tour of Valletta, the capital of Malta. The walled city of Valletta is on a peninsula and was built by Grand Master Jean Parisot de Valette after the Great Siege victory by the Knights of St John over the Ottoman’s in 1565. The foundation stone of the city was laid by the Grand Master on 28 March 1566. The stone became part of Our Lady of Victories Church.

The walled city of Valletta was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980. Its Baroque architecture is due to Pope Pius V’s own military architect, Francesco Laparelli, being employed to create, with financial support from Phillip II of Spain, a city for Catholic Europe’s noblest families – “a city built by gentlemen for gentlemen”.

Our first stop was St John’s Co-Cathedral which is dedicated to St John the Baptist and built by the Order of St John between 1573 and 1578. The Co-Cathedral is famous for displaying two of Michelangelo Merisi’s (known as Carravaggio) paintings when he was in Malta. Caravaggio apparently had a hot temper and whilst in Rome in 1606, killed a man in one of his many brawls. The Roman authorities issued a “bando capitale” on his head and he fled to Naples outside of their jurisdiction. He left Naples after a successful spell of commissions and travelled to Malta arriving in July 1607. Caravaggio was accepted into the folds of the Order of St John and Grandmaster Alof de Wignacourt accepted him as a Knight of Obedience. They knew of his past but were able to get papal permission to accept him into the Order. Caravaggio painted the “Beheading of St John” and “St Jerome writing”, both of which are preserved in the St John’s Co-Catherdral. The “Beheading of St John” is said to be the only painting signed by Caravaggio. By August 1608 Caravaggio was again involved in a brawl where a number of Knights were injured. Caravaggio escaped from Malta before his trial and was expelled from the Order in his absence.

Our next visit was the Grandmaster’s Palace which was built between the 16th and 18th centuries. During the British period it was known as the Governor’s Palace. The Palace currently houses the Office of the President of Malta and the Armoury.

The Grandmasters Palace contains some impressive rooms but the highlight is the Armoury which displays the armour of Knights of the Order of St John from the 17th and 18th century.

We then visited the National Museum of Archaeology that houses a spectacular collection of artefacts from Maltese prehistory and early history. The artefacts date back from Malta’s Neolithic period until early Phoenician period. The finds that were excavated from the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the megalithic temples and Hal Saflieni Hypogeum are in the museum, including the Sleeping Lady. The Sleeping Lady was unearthed in the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum and was thought to have been created in the Neolithic period.

Our last visit of the day was to the Upper Barrakka Gardens that have fantastic views over the Grand Harbour that sits between the Valletta peninsula and the Three Cities on the other side.

Words and photos: Copyright John Cruse 2024

Our first day consisted of a visit to a Neolithic temple, Tarxien, and the paleontological cave of Ghar Dalam in Eastern Malta.

Tarxien Temples

The Tarxien Temples were discovered in 1914 by local farmers ploughing a field. The site consists of four temples which intersect each other and were built successively over a number of years believed to be between 3800 and 2500 BC. Malta’s largest example of ‘Fat Lady’ statutory, originally 3 metres tall, was discovered in an apse of the south temple.

The bottom part of a ‘Fat Lady’ statue

The Temple was completely covered so Themistocles Zammit, the director of the National Museum, spent 3 years excavating the site. By 1920, Zammit had identified and carried out restoration work on five separate but interconnected temples which all yielded a collection of artefacts. The ‘Fat Lady’ statues are thought to be genderless so could represent a man or a woman and could be a fertility charm.

The Apse of one of the temples

A protective shelter was constructed to cover the remains in 2015 and the site, along with Malta’s other Megalithic temples, was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992.

Our archaeologist guide gave us a view regarding the purpose of the temples based on the current thinking but, apart from the artefacts found in the temples, there are no firm clues to the beliefs or reasons why the temples were built as they are. What is undeniable is the skill of the craftsmen who did the work moving heavy stone with very basic tools. These temples date back possibly before Stonehenge, which was thought to be built about 2500 BC.

For our lunch break we relocated to Marsaxlokk, a fishing village where there is a wide range of restaurants around the small harbour.

This is a nice place but very busy as many other tourist were also lunching there. Malta is a small island so getting away from the crowds is difficult.

Our afternoon stop was the Ghar Dalam cave site which contains the earliest evidence so far of humans on Malta and is thought to be Malta’s oldest prehistoric site. The animals whose bones have been found in the cave have not existed on Malta for thousands of years.

The human artefacts are dated to about 7000 years ago while the animal bones date back more than 100,000 years. Thousands of bones of an extraordinary range of animals have been unearthed and demonstrate island dwarfism such as the dwarf elephants and hippopotami. The animal bones were washed into the cave by water in the Pleistocene era, around 500,000 years ago.

A series of archaeological excavations were held in the cave in the 19th century and the cave has various layers with different animal bones. The lower layer did not contain animal bones. The Hippopotamus layer contained the bones deposited in the Pleistocene era. In the Deer layer, remains dating from 25,000 to 18,000 years ago were recovered. A sterile layer corresponding to a volcanic ash layer lies over the deer layer and the top layer. The Cultural layer holds the earliest evidence of human presence in Malta some 7,400 years ago.

There is a small museum at the entrance to the cave site that displays the bones found. This is in a Victorian style with glass cases full of bones, but is nevertheless very informative and helps understand the evolution of Malta’s environment.

Words and photos: Copyright John Cruse 2024

We were attracted to visiting Malta due to its interesting history spanning from pre-history through to the more recent second World War. Some people, we understand, visit or retire to Malta for its climate but as a beach holiday resort its has a lack of beaches and, notwithstanding the good weather, if asked I would say it is not the best option for that type of holiday. That said, the history is very interesting.

When we flew into Malta we were surprised to see how much of the island had been built up. Our local guide told us that the population of Malta had nearly doubled in his lifetime from 300,000 to nearly 600,000 at the last census. An estimated 25% of the increase, we understand, is made up of the legal migrants and their children who had come to Malta to work in the hospitality and other industries related mainly to tourism.

We stayed at St Paul’s Bay rather than in the capital, Valetta, but with Malta only being 17 miles long and 9 miles wide we were never too far from the historic sites we visited throughout the week.

During the Ice Ages of the past 2 million years, sea levels changes have sometimes isolated Malta and at other times connected Malta to Sicily with a land bridge. When sea levels were low animals, plants and people were more easily able to colonise Malta and during periods of high sea levels the population would become isolated. Cave deposits in Malta have uncovered the bones of many animals dating back to the Ice Ages such as dwarf elephants and hippos, giant swans and dormice, which developed due to the isolation resulting from the rising seas.

Fossilised dwarf elephant skeleton Ghar Dalam Museum

The earliest evidence that humans were in Malta is from the Neolithic Age from around 5000 BC where pottery and animal bones indicate that farming communities existed. The early Neolithic period in Malta (5200 to 4100BC) is subdivided by pottery styles into Ghar Dalam, Grey Skorba and Red Skorba phases. Around 3600 BC during the later Neolithic period (4200 to 2500 BC), the early farmers of Malta began building extraordinary megalithic monuments which can be divided into the Tarxien and Ggantija phases.

There are six main monument clusters across Malta and Gozo of which Tarxien, Hagar Qim and Ggantija are the best preserved. Some of their stones weight 20 tonnes and their walls typically enclose chambers with carved doorways.

Tarxien Temple, the legs of one of the fat ladies of Malta statues

About 2500 BC the temple culture of the Neolithic Age collapsed and the sites were left to crumble away. This collapse coincided with the appearance of the first metal objects on the islands heralding the Bronze Age.

The first millennium BC is marked by the arrival of the Phoenicians (800 to 218 BC) who bring knowledge of iron working with them. The Phoenicians originated from the Levant and it is thought they may have been trading in the western Mediterranean by the 9th and 10th centuries BC. They stayed for many centuries and had a considerable impact on Maltese society. The Maltese language today still holds Phoenician elements with the name of Malta possibility being derived from the Phoenicians word for “refuge”.

By the 3rd century BC a new power had entered the Mediterranean, the Romans. Rome’s interest in Malta was connected to its wars with Carthage whose commercial interest clashed with the ambitions of Rome. This led to the Punic wars during which Punic-dominated Malta surrendered to the Romans.

Rome declined in the 5th century AD and by 535 AD the islands were captured by the Byzantines. Byzantine rule from Constantinople lasted for 250 years and has left little surviving evidence in Malta other than the catacombs. The Byzantine fleet successfully defended the islands from Muslim Arab attacks until 870 AD.

The Arab period (870 to 1091 AD) brought advances in science and philosophy and new crops such as orange, lemon, date palms and sugar. They left a undoubted cultural legacy including influencing the Maltese language with many place names and surnames being a kind of Tunisian Arabic.

During the early medieval period (1091 to 1530 AD), Southern Italy was fast becoming a favourite Norman haunt. The Normans hired themselves out to Italian barons as mercenaries and, encouraged by the Pope, agreed to drive the Arabs out of Sicily and Malta. There is little trace of Norman art and architecture left in Malta although their influence is apparent in subsequent medieval buildings.

The rule of Malta passed through a succession of royal houses until in 1283 it passed to the Spanish Aragonese who enjoyed the longest rule (1283 to 1530 AD). By the early 16th century Malta found itself on the front line of conflict between the western Spanish Empire and the eastern Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans attacked on a number of occasions and the Spanish defensive solution in 1530 was to grant the islands in fief to the Order of the Knights of St John (1530 to 1798 AD). The Knights were renown for their bravery and chivalry and were in search of a new home since being ousted from Rhodes by the Ottomans. The Knights brought prosperity and stability to Malta but their status waned when the threat from the Ottomans declined. Their wealth attracted the European powers, particularly the French, who confiscated the Order’s possessions. The Knights surrendered to Napoleon Bonaparte in 1798 with barely a shot fired.

Armour from the Knights period

During the Colonial period (1798 to 1964 AD) after rebellion broke out against the French, a British detachment of Nelson’s fleet arrived to help the Maltese blockade the French. After two years the French garrison capitulated and the British found themselves de facto rulers of Malta by right of conquest in 1814.

Malta became the headquarters of the British Mediterranean fleet and during the Second World War it became clear how vital Malta was to the allied war effort.

Malta was granted a constitution with a form of self government in 1947 and after a referendum in 1964, Malta gained complete independence from Britain. The last British military left Malta in 1979 and Malta joined the European Union in 2005.

Words and photos: Copyright John Cruse 2024

Our eighth day saw us on the road again. This time heading from Natchez to New Orleans. Climbing on board the coach I wondered what New Orleans would have in store for us – there was so much destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 when a reported 1,500 people died and damage estimates reached $300 billion. Would some of the destruction still be evident, and to what extent had the city recovered? But answers to that were to come later. In the meantime we had a 200 mile journey taking us into the state of Mississippi.

Mississippi. Oh how I remember those school days where we would spell out the name M-I-double S-I-double S-I-double P-I as we played two-balls against the wall. There are now even online videos of how this game is played. Ah progress.

But back to the road. We headed across the expansive Natchez-Vidalia bridge (above) across the Mississippi River and towards our first stop at one of the many area interpretation centres – this is something the Americans do very well. This was a brief, but poignant, stop as the location was nearby the now-abandoned West Feliciana railroad line. The wagons would haul cotton across country to the Mississippi River for shipping all around the world. Poignant because our experience yesterday gave us an insight into the hard efforts and struggles of the Natchez workers, which ultimately led to worldwide trade.

The West Feliciana railroad was set up in the first half of the 19th century and fell into disrepair in 1978.

We were then off to a place we were looking forward to seeing, actually because our tour guide kept playing a catchy tune of that name – ‘Callin’ Baton Rouge’ by Garth Brooks. I can hear that tune as I write these words and like Garth Brooks, we too had to send our love down to Baton Rouge, and so we did while we lunched and made a short visit to Louisiana’s capital city.

The town included two buildings – the Louisiana State Capitol and the Old State Capitol. The former welcomed visitors from afar with its 450 feet tall tower.

We didn’t visit the tall State Capitol but did go inside the older Gothic Revival building which was designed by James H Dakin in 1850. It served as the Capitol until it was occupied by Union forces in the Civil War. It later faced fires and a reconstruction and continued once again as the Capitol until 1932 when the tall building was erected.

Inside this castle-style building was an ornate pink interior with beautiful spiral staircase and balustrades, Gothic arches and picturesque glass dome.

Proudly displayed at the entrance were 15 Louisiana Purchase flags alongside the American flag. These represent the 15 states purchased by President Thomas Jefferson in 1803 from Napoleon Bonaparte when the latter needed finances for his war against Britain. New Orleans was sold and in return Jefferson gained control over the port of New Orleans and the Mississippi River, securing an important shipping route.

Then we were off once again, this time reaching our destination at New Orleans. We had a quick turnaround, for our evening entertainment was a visit to the New Orleans School of Cooking.

This was an eye-opener. We learnt all about Gumbo! This is the official Louisiana state dish comprising mainly strong-flavoured stock, meat (in our case) or shellfish, vegetables and… LARD! Now I am familiar about the culinary uses of lard (can’t beat it in pastry or for roasting potatoes), however, we have never seen it used in such QUANTITIES! (Oh, I feel I am turning into an impression of Tom Allen.)

I appreciate we were cooking for more than 40 people, but this steaming pot held several kilos of lard together with a bubbling array of deboned chicken, sausage, vegetables, stock, and the secret ingredient ‘Joe’s Stuff’ seasoning – the latter being HOT. Be warned. The longer the recipe cooks the darker it gets, and the more flavourful it becomes.

Despite all the calories and cholesterol, boy it was tasty. We also tried Jambalaya which is a savoury rice dish developed in Louisiana by fusing together African, Spanish and French influences and consisting mainly of meat or seafood, or both, and vegetables mixed with rices and spices.

So endeth our first day in New Orleans, but two more were to follow.

Copyright: Words and photos Sue Barnard 2024

The next destination on our journey took us to Natchez, around 300 miles south of Memphis. Here we visited The Frogmore cotton plantation and gins – the latter not the popular drink of today but the old cotton engine that separated cotton fibres from their seeds.

The tour was predominantly about the old buildings, equipment, and the production and picking of the cotton, rather than a heavy emphasis on the life of the slaves, although there were books available in the shop to delve deeper into this if visitors wanted. Of course, the work from the early 1800s was carried out by slaves and some of their accommodation has been brought back to life with the restoration of 19 structures.

The huts and, below, an example of the interior

We were not told just how many slaves would have been working on this cotton plantation, but owners of the smaller sites – whilst possibly appearing to be wealthy – could not afford to keep many slaves.

We learnt about the yearly cycle of production here. A few acres were set aside for sugarcane for domestic use. Its byproduct, molasses, provided iron, magnesium, calcium, vitamin B6, potassium and carbohydrates. A pint of molasses, together with 4lbs of salt pork, a peck of corn meal (about 2 gallons), salt, soda, and lye soap were typical weekly rations per adult slave. 

Corn was also planted – in March – and its harvesting in August was arranged to not interfere with cotton production.

By far the remainder of the site was for cotton production and this involved the beginning of the year spent on necessary repairs of tools, equipment, barns, buildings and fences before preparing the land by adding a milo crop to the soil for nitrogen. The following months involved planting and cultivating this perennial crop before harvesting between September and November. 

Cotton was grown in the Deep South of America. Its bushes, when in season, comprise clusters known as bolls. When the bolls ripened, turning from green to white, they were plucked from their prickly pods which could injure the fingers. This was hard, back-breaking, work.

Pickers had to spend all day picking the bolls from the bushes and dropping them into a long sack, which could be up to 9 feet in length. As more bolls were picked the heavier the sack became. This involved men and women. Many might work from sunrise to sunset. Children would use smaller pillowcases for their collection.

The bolls were then transported to a cotton gin where the seeds were removed from the cotton fibres, but only an estimated 5% of the yield provided the desired long fibres. The fibres were then pressed into bales for transportation and sale.

Much cotton was sent to the UK. Part of our tour took us to the historic, listed and rare steam gin on the site, dated 1884. It is housed in the building below.

But operation today is vastly different and Frogmore is at the leading edge with its equipment. A most interesting video brought things right up to date. Latest computerised combine harvesters are capable of producing 900 bales of cotton a day with just 1% waste and byproducts such as shucks can be used for compost, with some of the shorter cotton fibres called ‘fuzz’ being used for insulation within TVs and – meeting a more recent demand – as part of vapes. Additionally, just two people are needed for the operation, but it comes at a price. Such equipment can cost $1 million – a far cry from the resources of yesteryear.

Copyright: Words and photos Sue Barnard 2024

There’s no reason to leave the Southern States of America without a broad insight into its musical  background. Our first visit was to the Memphis Rock ’n’ Soul Museum. This started life as an exhibition –  named ‘Rock ’n’ Soul: Social Crossroads’ – by the Smithsonian Institute to commemorate its 150th anniversary. The archive became so extensive that it now forms the content of the museum. To get the full benefit it would require a day, if not many days, to delve through its materials.

The exhibition tells the story of how people from all social backgrounds and races broke through cultural barriers to create new musical genres such as Blues, Soul and Rock ’n’ Roll.  These originated from the stories of Southern farmers expressing their trials and tribulations, hopes and dreams, through music and song, which is not dissimilar to the origins of the sea shanties created by maritime folk.  

One display summed this up succinctly saying: “Rural music – blues, country, gospel, field hollers and work songs – resonated with the rhythms of the land. Each generation added new instrumentation and styles, creating the songs that gave texture and poignance to family, love, work, tragedy and frustration”.

As one delves more there is a commonality is such songs. They lightened the load of often mundane workers’ tasks and lives. They were a means of releasing frustration, but also offering hope. Often the rhythm of the song played along with the rhythm of the work.

Memphis Rock ’n’ Soul Museum takes the visitor through to the Memphis musical heyday of the ’70s and beyond, and includes references to studios including Sun and Stax.

This can be explored via visual displays but also interactive means such as audio tours and records played through its jukebox systems. As a bit of fun one can also act out a studio recording, and Ted managed to indulge himself.

Some notable information that added to our knowledge was finding out that Albert ‘Sunny’ Burgess recorded Hank Williams’s ‘My bucket’s got a hole in it’. Despite the title, if one listens to it online it will get many people jigging.

Our day from here took on a more sombre mood when we travelled to the Lorraine Motel, now a museum. This is actually the venue where civil rights leader Dr Martin Luther King Jnr was assassinated on his room’s balcony in 1968. The assassin fired from a boarding house opposite.

In that era most hotels were for whites only, but the Lorraine Motel welcomed blacks and whites. Regular visitors included musicians Ray Charles, Wilson Pickett, Count Basie, Aretha Franklin and Otis Reading.

While being a memorial to Dr King, the site – now named the National Civil Rights Museum – is a place for educating about the African-American fight for equal rights. When walking around the expansive interior it is easy to forget that this was once a motel until one comes across a bedroom and kitchen. These are the rooms that Dr King was staying in. 

From the outside the museum clearly looks like a motel, and on the balcony where Dr King was shot hangs a floral tribute. His cars are parked outside as if he is still a guest. 

The building from which the assassination took place is also part of the museum. This is now an exhibition centre which covers the search for the assassin and his arrest. As time was limited we did not get the chance to see this part of what is an extensive archive into civil rights.

But we were then to lighten the load travelling to our next destination in Natchez some 300 miles from Memphis. It was here that we got the chance to visit and interact with some homeowners.

The first involved a piano recital from the owner of the house, which is stacked with family memorabilia. And that is justified, for the Joseph Newman Stone House had been acquired in 1877 by a gentleman of that name and has remained in the Stone family for more than 147 years. The current owner, Joseph Britton Stone, is the great grandson of the original purchaser and who, not only told us about the family history and showed us a wealth of artefacts, but also treated us to a recital of a work by Claude Debussy played on a Steinway piano.   

The house, which is quite small, is built in the style of a Greek temple, but encompassed a private billiard hall. Everywhere one looked there were intriguing historical items. Some of those that caught my eye included a book entitled ‘The history of the mild Yellow Fever in 1848’ (the area had been hit many times by the disease); beautiful ‘pocket doors’ which slide back into the surrounding walls when fully opened; and a chaperone chair which comprised three seats in a circular fashion. There were also many wonderful maps. The house was a treasure-trove owned by a most interesting individual.

The doors slide back into the interior of the walls alongside

Not a lot of romantic talk would be carried out by lovers here, accompanied by their chaperone

We then moved on and rather than having supper in a restaurant we were entertained by owners of an original plantation house, which enabled us to see how the interiors were decorated in their heyday.

Supper was served in the elegant surrounding of yesteryear

Such houses would have been those used by the plantation owners to entertain and impress their guests. It gave us some idea of what life would have been like for the plantation owners, but tomorrow would bring a greater insight into the life of the slaves.

Copyright: Words and photos Sue Barnard 2024