In 1866, a white mob shot Robert Church Sr. in the head and left him for dead in the streets of Memphis. Twelve years later, when the Yellow Fever epidemic caused the white folks to panic and flee, Church used his cash to buy up their prime real estate for pennies on the dollar.
Sources:
Beale Street Dynasty: Sex, Song, and the Struggle for the Soul of Memphis by Preston Lauterbach
"Robert R. Church Sr." – The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture
"Robert Reed Church" & "Solvent Savings Bank and Trust" – Wikipedia
Robert Reed Church of Memphis: The First Black Millionaire – Historic-Memphis archives
Church Family Papers – Special Collections, University of Memphis Libraries
Audio Onemichistory.com
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