From 1875 to 1879 John R. Flippin was mayor of Memphis. That time period is definitely the worst time period possible to have been mayor. The largest and deadliest yellow fever epidemic ever in Memphis took place in 1878. The city's population was decimated. The majority of its remaining citizens were poor and / or uneducated. The city's debts could not be serviced. It was during Flippin's tenure that the city relinquished its charter.
Flippin worked hard to keep the city afloat, but the disease had its way. Not a bad mayor, Flippin was simply up against the superior competition of pestilence. While there was an ongoing malfeasance scandal (some say this led to Flippin relocating in Mexico) the administration is clean from a historical point of view. Flippin instituted some of the practices that would lead to the eradication of yellow fever, but he and the medical community were not made aware of the possible base causes of the epidemic early enough to prevent the scourge of 1878. Below is an excerpt from the City of Memphis web site concerning yellow fever, waste management and Mayor Flippin:
In its early years, Memphis was very much like other American settlements when it came to addressing waste collection and disposal. Initially, there was no garbage collection or specific place for people or businesses to take their discards. Finally, in 1864 Memphis health officials began to wonder if perhaps there might be a correlation between the spread of Yellow Fever in the Memphis area and garbage being dumped throughout the city. To reduce the threat of the deadly Yellow Fever disease, residents were told to take their "garbage", as it was referred to in those days, to specific locations on the edge of town. Although there was never any proof that garbage caused Yellow Fever, it forced Memphians to think responsibly about how waste should be handled.
In 1878, Memphis Mayor John Flippin and other city officials decided it was time to organize garbage collection at homes and businesses. The method of collection was with small wooden carts pulled by mules. This form of collection continued until the mules were replaced by motorized vehicles sometime during the early 1900's. These early trucks were simple dump trucks with no compacting capability, unlike today's modern compacting trucks which can contain up to twelve tons of waste material
There is no record indicating how often garbage was collected in those early years, or when twice per week collection began; however, we do know that garbage was collected from the back yards of homes by City of Memphis employees. This service was referred to as "back door collection" and the service involved employees going to the back yards of homes with a large metal tub to collect the garbage from garbage cans provided by the homeowners. The tubs containing approximately 40 gallons of garbage would then be lifted on to the heads of the City employees and walked to a garbage truck waiting in the street. This form of collection lasted approximately sixty years.
J. R. Flippin served with distinction as a quartermaster under General Johnson in the One Hundred Fifty-Fourth Tennessee Regiment. As a private in the Confederate army Flippin fought in some of the bloodiest battles of that war including Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge and Shiloh. After the war and his stint as Mayor of Memphis he returned to the practice of law. He was a pillar of the Linden Street Christian Church. For a period he lived in Mexico overseeing some large mining interests. After a few years he returned to Memphis and the fraternity of his fellow Confederate veterans. He and his wife had three children.
From: Memphis History.com
Flippin worked hard to keep the city afloat, but the disease had its way. Not a bad mayor, Flippin was simply up against the superior competition of pestilence. While there was an ongoing malfeasance scandal (some say this led to Flippin relocating in Mexico) the administration is clean from a historical point of view. Flippin instituted some of the practices that would lead to the eradication of yellow fever, but he and the medical community were not made aware of the possible base causes of the epidemic early enough to prevent the scourge of 1878. Below is an excerpt from the City of Memphis web site concerning yellow fever, waste management and Mayor Flippin:
In its early years, Memphis was very much like other American settlements when it came to addressing waste collection and disposal. Initially, there was no garbage collection or specific place for people or businesses to take their discards. Finally, in 1864 Memphis health officials began to wonder if perhaps there might be a correlation between the spread of Yellow Fever in the Memphis area and garbage being dumped throughout the city. To reduce the threat of the deadly Yellow Fever disease, residents were told to take their "garbage", as it was referred to in those days, to specific locations on the edge of town. Although there was never any proof that garbage caused Yellow Fever, it forced Memphians to think responsibly about how waste should be handled.
In 1878, Memphis Mayor John Flippin and other city officials decided it was time to organize garbage collection at homes and businesses. The method of collection was with small wooden carts pulled by mules. This form of collection continued until the mules were replaced by motorized vehicles sometime during the early 1900's. These early trucks were simple dump trucks with no compacting capability, unlike today's modern compacting trucks which can contain up to twelve tons of waste material
There is no record indicating how often garbage was collected in those early years, or when twice per week collection began; however, we do know that garbage was collected from the back yards of homes by City of Memphis employees. This service was referred to as "back door collection" and the service involved employees going to the back yards of homes with a large metal tub to collect the garbage from garbage cans provided by the homeowners. The tubs containing approximately 40 gallons of garbage would then be lifted on to the heads of the City employees and walked to a garbage truck waiting in the street. This form of collection lasted approximately sixty years.
J. R. Flippin served with distinction as a quartermaster under General Johnson in the One Hundred Fifty-Fourth Tennessee Regiment. As a private in the Confederate army Flippin fought in some of the bloodiest battles of that war including Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge and Shiloh. After the war and his stint as Mayor of Memphis he returned to the practice of law. He was a pillar of the Linden Street Christian Church. For a period he lived in Mexico overseeing some large mining interests. After a few years he returned to Memphis and the fraternity of his fellow Confederate veterans. He and his wife had three children.
From: Memphis History.com
From 1875 to 1879 John R. Flippin was mayor of Memphis. That time period is definitely the worst time period possible to have been mayor. The largest and deadliest yellow fever epidemic ever in Memphis took place in 1878. The city's population was decimated. The majority of its remaining citizens were poor and / or uneducated. The city's debts could not be serviced. It was during Flippin's tenure that the city relinquished its charter.
Flippin worked hard to keep the city afloat, but the disease had its way. Not a bad mayor, Flippin was simply up against the superior competition of pestilence. While there was an ongoing malfeasance scandal (some say this led to Flippin relocating in Mexico) the administration is clean from a historical point of view. Flippin instituted some of the practices that would lead to the eradication of yellow fever, but he and the medical community were not made aware of the possible base causes of the epidemic early enough to prevent the scourge of 1878. Below is an excerpt from the City of Memphis web site concerning yellow fever, waste management and Mayor Flippin:
In its early years, Memphis was very much like other American settlements when it came to addressing waste collection and disposal. Initially, there was no garbage collection or specific place for people or businesses to take their discards. Finally, in 1864 Memphis health officials began to wonder if perhaps there might be a correlation between the spread of Yellow Fever in the Memphis area and garbage being dumped throughout the city. To reduce the threat of the deadly Yellow Fever disease, residents were told to take their "garbage", as it was referred to in those days, to specific locations on the edge of town. Although there was never any proof that garbage caused Yellow Fever, it forced Memphians to think responsibly about how waste should be handled.
In 1878, Memphis Mayor John Flippin and other city officials decided it was time to organize garbage collection at homes and businesses. The method of collection was with small wooden carts pulled by mules. This form of collection continued until the mules were replaced by motorized vehicles sometime during the early 1900's. These early trucks were simple dump trucks with no compacting capability, unlike today's modern compacting trucks which can contain up to twelve tons of waste material
There is no record indicating how often garbage was collected in those early years, or when twice per week collection began; however, we do know that garbage was collected from the back yards of homes by City of Memphis employees. This service was referred to as "back door collection" and the service involved employees going to the back yards of homes with a large metal tub to collect the garbage from garbage cans provided by the homeowners. The tubs containing approximately 40 gallons of garbage would then be lifted on to the heads of the City employees and walked to a garbage truck waiting in the street. This form of collection lasted approximately sixty years.
J. R. Flippin served with distinction as a quartermaster under General Johnson in the One Hundred Fifty-Fourth Tennessee Regiment. As a private in the Confederate army Flippin fought in some of the bloodiest battles of that war including Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge and Shiloh. After the war and his stint as Mayor of Memphis he returned to the practice of law. He was a pillar of the Linden Street Christian Church. For a period he lived in Mexico overseeing some large mining interests. After a few years he returned to Memphis and the fraternity of his fellow Confederate veterans. He and his wife had three children.
From: Memphis History.com
Flippin worked hard to keep the city afloat, but the disease had its way. Not a bad mayor, Flippin was simply up against the superior competition of pestilence. While there was an ongoing malfeasance scandal (some say this led to Flippin relocating in Mexico) the administration is clean from a historical point of view. Flippin instituted some of the practices that would lead to the eradication of yellow fever, but he and the medical community were not made aware of the possible base causes of the epidemic early enough to prevent the scourge of 1878. Below is an excerpt from the City of Memphis web site concerning yellow fever, waste management and Mayor Flippin:
In its early years, Memphis was very much like other American settlements when it came to addressing waste collection and disposal. Initially, there was no garbage collection or specific place for people or businesses to take their discards. Finally, in 1864 Memphis health officials began to wonder if perhaps there might be a correlation between the spread of Yellow Fever in the Memphis area and garbage being dumped throughout the city. To reduce the threat of the deadly Yellow Fever disease, residents were told to take their "garbage", as it was referred to in those days, to specific locations on the edge of town. Although there was never any proof that garbage caused Yellow Fever, it forced Memphians to think responsibly about how waste should be handled.
In 1878, Memphis Mayor John Flippin and other city officials decided it was time to organize garbage collection at homes and businesses. The method of collection was with small wooden carts pulled by mules. This form of collection continued until the mules were replaced by motorized vehicles sometime during the early 1900's. These early trucks were simple dump trucks with no compacting capability, unlike today's modern compacting trucks which can contain up to twelve tons of waste material
There is no record indicating how often garbage was collected in those early years, or when twice per week collection began; however, we do know that garbage was collected from the back yards of homes by City of Memphis employees. This service was referred to as "back door collection" and the service involved employees going to the back yards of homes with a large metal tub to collect the garbage from garbage cans provided by the homeowners. The tubs containing approximately 40 gallons of garbage would then be lifted on to the heads of the City employees and walked to a garbage truck waiting in the street. This form of collection lasted approximately sixty years.
J. R. Flippin served with distinction as a quartermaster under General Johnson in the One Hundred Fifty-Fourth Tennessee Regiment. As a private in the Confederate army Flippin fought in some of the bloodiest battles of that war including Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge and Shiloh. After the war and his stint as Mayor of Memphis he returned to the practice of law. He was a pillar of the Linden Street Christian Church. For a period he lived in Mexico overseeing some large mining interests. After a few years he returned to Memphis and the fraternity of his fellow Confederate veterans. He and his wife had three children.
From: Memphis History.com
Bio by: Sue Lee Johnson
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