Clarksdale in Coahoma County, Mississippi — The American South (East South Central)

Tennessee Williams

Mississippi Writers Trail

By Tom Bosse, July 25, 2020

1. Tennessee Williams Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

Williams famously remarked that "home is where you hang your childhood", and for the world renowned playwright, that place was the Mississippi Delta, specifically Clarksdale, where he set some of his greatest dramas, including Summer and Smoke, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and Orpheus Descending. Others were filled with Delta characters and memories of the region—notably The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire. To Williams, the alluvial area seemed so wide and so flat that "the seasons could walk across it four-abreast." It was for him the magical element of place that served both as an inspiration and the background against which the remarkable lives of his characters could be acted out. Born Thomas Lanier Williams III in 1911, he often professed himself "a Mississippian" and never lost his Delta accent nor his pride at being born in the state that produced so many authors. He died in 1983.

Erected by Mississippi Writers Trail.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Arts, Letters, Music.

Location.

By Tom Bosse, July 25, 2020

2. Tennessee Williams Marker

34° 12.4′ N, 90° 34.452′ W. Marker is in Clarksdale, Mississippi, in Coahoma County. Marker is at the intersection of Clark Street and Yazoo Avenue, on the left when traveling east on Clark Street. Marker located in front of the Cutrer Mansion. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 109 Clark Street, Clarksdale MS 38614, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. J.W. Cutrer House (within shouting distance of this marker); Temple Beth Israel (approx. 0.2 miles away); Carnegie Public Library (approx. 0.2 miles away); Clarksdale (approx. ¼ mile away); Ike Turner (approx. 0.4 miles away); WROX Radio (approx. 0.4 miles away); Harvey B. Heidelberg (approx. 0.4 miles away); W. C. Handy (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Clarksdale.

Also see . . . Tennessee Williams. (Submitted on August 16, 2020, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee.)

Tennessee Williams image. Click for full size.

3. Tennessee Williams

Credits. This page was last revised on October 2, 2020. It was originally submitted on August 16, 2020, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 51 times since then and 2 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 16, 2020, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.