This Week in Memphis: October 12

Yellow Fever ends, Haunted Memphis Series continues, and events to look out for this week!

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This is Memphis 〽️
October 12, 2025

Welcome back to This Week in Memphis! We’re glad you’re here. As we head into the week of October 13–19, 2025, we’ve got some fun stories from Memphis history and exciting events lined up. Let’s dive in.

On This Week in Memphis History

Killing Frost Ends the 1878 Yellow Fever Outbreak

October, 1878

In Mid-October, 1878, a killing frost swept across Memphis and finally put a stop to the mosquitoes responsible for spreading Yellow Fever. The epidemic had ravaged Memphis for months, claiming thousands of lives and emptying the city.

This cold snap brought hope and marked the end of Memphis’s deadliest disease outbreak. Survivors began returning to the city as rebuilding efforts started. The community’s spirit and resilience helped Memphis begin its slow recovery.

The city’s response to crisis is a testament to how Memphians rise together after hardship. Today, Memphis remembers those lost and those who rebuilt by showing strength that echoes across generations. Read more about the epidemic on our website!

Also this week in Memphis history:

  • 🎂 Chickasaw Cession (Jackson Purchase) — October 19, 1818. Treaty cedes land for what becomes Memphis.

  • 🎂 Political Boss E.H. “Boss” Crump Dies — October 16, 1954. Crump’s passing closes a chapter in city power.

  • 🎂 Tigers Upset #13 Ole Miss, 37–24 — October 17, 2015. Memphis Tigers notch a program-defining football victory at the Liberty Bowl.

  • 🎂 A C Wharton Wins Special Mayoral Election — October 15, 2009. A C Wharton becomes mayor of Memphis promising unity and progress.

What’s Happening This Week

Memphis is bursting with energy this week! From historic celebrations to iconic food festivals and open-air concerts, here’s your guide to the best happenings in the 901:

15th Annual Cooper-Young Beerfest

🎨 Date & Time: October 18, 2025

📍 Location: Cooper-Young Neighborhood

Raise a glass to 15 years of regional craft beer, music, and local eats. Designated drivers 21+ get in free. Celebrate Memphis craft flavor at its best.

Music Export Memphis presents Tambourine Bash

🎨 Date & Time: October 16, 2025, 6:00 PM

📍 Location: Central Station

Experience Memphis music collaborations benefiting Music Export Memphis. GA and VIP ticket options available for this one-of-a-kind evening.

RiverArtsFest

🎨 Date & Time: October 18, 2025, 9:00 AM

📍 Location: Riverside Drive Downtown

A two-day fine arts festival featuring over 160 artists, live music, food, and creative activities. Get inspired and shop local art.

University of Memphis Football vs UAB

Photo by Austin Starling

🎨 Date & Time: October 17, 2025, 11:00 PM

📍 Location: Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium

Cheer on the Tigers as they defend their home turf against UAB. Every seat counts so show your Memphis pride in blue and gray.

Grizzlies @ Hornets

🎨 Date & Time: October 15, 2025, 6:00 PM

📍 Location: Charlotte, NC

The Grizzlies continue preseason on the road—tune in and support Memphis as they face the Hornets in Charlotte.

Grizzlies @ Heat

🎨 Date & Time: October 18, 2025, 7:00 PM

📍 Location: Miami, FL

Catch the Grizzlies on the road as they hold it down in Miami. Every game counts for Memphis basketball fans.

Corey Lou & Da Village + Savannah Brister (Orion Free Concert Series)

🎨 Date & Time: October 17, 2025, 6:00 PM

📍 Location: Overton Park Shell

Enjoy local favorites Corey Lou & Da Village and Savannah Brister as part of the Orion Free Concert Series. Bring a blanket and take in the sounds outdoors.

🎃 Haunted Memphis Has Arrived

Memphis has a way of holding on to its stories. Some live in our music and streets. Others echo through the walls of the city’s oldest buildings.

All month long, This Is Memphis is uncovering the legends and ghost stories that still haunt the Bluff City. We are taking you inside the places where history and mystery overlap: from the glowing stage of The Orpheum Theatre, where more than one spirit still watches the show, to the smoky barstools at Earnestine & Hazel’s, where the jukebox plays for a bartender who never clocked out.

We are revisiting the scent of roses that lingers in Mollie Fontaine’s Rose Room, the Arcade’s omnipresent owner, the whispers inside The Green Beetle, and more.

Each story tells us something about the city we love — how much of it is built on memory, and how the past never really lets go.

Stay tuned all October as we explore the haunted side of Memphis, one story at a time.

💀 Read the latest in our Haunted Memphis series on our website.

Thank you for reading and being part of the Memphis story. This newsletter exists because of you.

If there’s an event we missed, or a Memphis history story or birthday you’d like us to highlight, email us at [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you.

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See you next week, Memphis!