Taking the back roads in the Arkansas Delta led us to Johnny Cash’s boyhood home…literally surrounded by cotton fields. Seeing his humble beginnings was so inspiring and interesting. We have grown up listening to his music with our parents and grandparents so this was a very special visit for us.
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How Do I Find The Home?
The Johnny Cash home is located in Dyess, AR…about an hour from Memphis, TN. Leaving Memphis on I-55, head north and take exit 41. Head west on Hwy 14 for 7.6 miles to the town of Dyess.
Interesting History Of The Cash Home
The Cash home was part of the Dyess colony, a new deal agriculture resettlement colony established in the wake of the Great Depression. Its founder, William Dyess, proposed the project to the Federal Emergency Relief Administration in 1934. Originally known as “Colonization Project Number One”, the colony was created in the Mississippi Delta in an effort to provide homesteads to 500 Arkansas families who had lost their farms and jobs during the downturn of the Great Depression.
The enormous undertaking of creating a colony in this area provided jobs for many hundreds of workers as they cleared timber, filled in swamps, and ran utilities. In the end, 500 homesteads were created in total. Each contained a 3 – 5 room farmhouse, smokehouse, chicken coop, outhouse, and came with at least 20 acres of Arkansas farmland. The colony featured a town center in the middle with farms extending out from there in a wagon-wheel type layout. The Cash home is one of the few houses left from the original Dyess Colony.
Eligibility requirements to occupy one of these homesteads included the following:
- The applicant must be an experienced farmer.
- The farmer must have lost their own farm in the economic depression through no fault of their own
- The farmer must be under 50 years of age and be in good physical health.
- The farmer must be a resident of Arkansas and be of the white race.
While despicable, rule No. 4 (“must be of the white race”) was part of the selection criteria at the time. Rather than pretend this type of discrimination didn’t exist, we have decided to include it here so people of our generation and the generations to come can hopefully learn from these blatant atrocities and make sure they are not repeated in the future.
Humble Beginnings
According to the selection criteria above, we can determine that the Cash family lost their original farm during the economic downturn of the great depression. The Cash’s relocated to Dyess in 1935 when Johnny was only 3 years old. Johnny grew up in this 4-room home with his parents and 6 brothers and sisters…an experience that greatly shaped his life and perspectives.
Touring the home revels some replica and many original items from Johnny’s upbringing. Notable items include the original upright piano that Johnny’s mother played when he was just a boy and an interactive screen recording of Johnny’s reaction to his homecoming later in life.
We were amazed to see the humble beginnings of such a legendary American musician. No doubt growing up in poverty played a pivotal role in shaping Johnny Cash into the iconic artist that he was. To start with almost nothing and go as far as he did is a testament to greatest of the man, and to our country that affords so much possibility.
Touring
Tours begin at the historic museum located in Dyess, and proceed from there to the actual homesite a few twisty miles away. Tours are given on the hour Monday – Saturday 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM and cost $10 for general admission, however discounts are available for seniors and tours.
In summary, this unique slice of American pie is only about an hour away from Memphis and definitely worth visiting if you’re a Johnny Cash fan. Be sure to check out the Museum and Visitor Center while you’re there. Also, a short 20 minutes away is the town of Wilson Arkansas…a cute, quaint southern gem offering great food and boutique shopping. Read all about Wilson and why you should check it out here.
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