The Memphis Martyrs

In mid-January 2020, I was working in my home office and heard a news story on the television in the living room. “Starting January 17, 2020, travelers from Wuhan to the United States will undergo entry screening for symptoms associated with 2019-nCoV at three U.S. airports that receive most of the travelers from Wuhan, China: San Francisco (SFO), New York (JFK), and Los Angeles (LAX) airports.” – Center for Disease Control (CDC) Press Release

I instantly started researching news articles and using my social media tools to find out more. I contacted colleagues from around the country. The conversation was the same. It’s probably here, it’s not yet clearly understood, and we should prepare now, right now.

I recalled the quarantine ordinances adopted by the City of Monroe and the Ouachita Parish Police Jury in 1878. I thought about the 1918 Spanish Flu and the 2001 Saint Louis Encephalitis (SLE). Over the years I have supported prime contractors with dashboard products to track cases and participated in community planning. With my experience working directly with the CDC, public health, emergency management, elected officials and the public, it was clear a national response was going to be challenging.  

As the weeks went by, the cases of coronavirus being reported in the New Orleans area were increasing. There were media reports of a growing number of people from the New Orleans area staying in hotels along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Governor’s began issuing travel restricts to other states. I remembered the story of Memphis and how the people self-evacuated out of fear. History was repeating itself again.

A yellow fever epidemic struck the Mississippi Valley in 1878. New Orleans and Memphis were hit especially hard. Thousands became ill and thousand died in both cities. Newspapers carried the latest updates on the number of cases and deaths. In 1878, no one understood how the disease was transmitted.

The 1878 yellow fever epidemic was the impetus for the City of Monroe and the Ouachita Parish Police Jury in 1878. Checkpoints were established for people entering the parish.

Summer came early to Memphis in 1878. This caused anxiety among the people. They were worried about yellow fever. There are accounts of people writing letters to relatives to schedule vacations. They were afraid and wanted to leave Memphis. Later in the summer, Memphis was struck by the yellow fever epidemic. Following the first fatality an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 people fled the bluff city.

There were brave citizens that felt it was their duty to stay behind to help the thousands sick and bury the dead. Many of these brave citizens died. They would later be known as the Memphis Martyrs. Memphis went bankrupt and it would take many years to recover.

A memorial was erected in Memphis to honor these brave citizens.

Sources: The State of Tennessee, Newsaper.com, The yellow fever epidemic of 1878, in Memphis, Tennessee, The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, The Epidemic That Shaped Our History and CDC.

Tom M.

Image provided by the CDC. Covid-19 graphic.