Make plans to celebrate Bemis Heritage Days

A familiar sound will fill the streets of Bemis next Friday at 9 p.m. as the mill whistle once again pierces the air, bringing back memories of a simpler time and celebrating the 17th annual Bemis Heritage Days celebration. A staple of the Bemis community, the mill whistle was part of daily life, signaling a change from day to night shifts from 1947 until the mill closed in 1991. Now sounded off as part of Bemis Heritage Days, the whistle is just one part of a weekend of events to celebrate Bemis and its unique history.

Now a part of the city of Jackson, Bemis was the brainchild of businessman Judson Moss Bemis, who, after watching his father fail at various get-rich-quick endeavors, decided there was no shortcut to success.

“Judson Moss Bemis saw his daddy’s efforts and decided hard work was the way to make money, not just hoping for a windfall,” Bemis Historical Society Chairman Joel Jackson, said. “In St. Louis in 1858, he and his cousin went into the business of sowing cloth bags. It became a thriving business because he guaranteed his bags, and he got a reputation.

“So he built one factory, and then another, and then the seventh factory he built was in what would become Bemis, Tennessee where he decided he would try a system called benevolent capitalism, and it became a success.”

Jackson, who is a lifetime resident of Bemis and is the author of the book Bemis Tidbits, said all manner of cotton bags were produced by the Bemis factory. Judson Bemis, however, wanted his new town to be about more than just business.

“He decided that the town needed more than a mill and a house for the people to live in,” Jackson said. “Over the years he built a YMCA, a YWCA, a big swimming pool, a theater, and he started baseball and basketball teams for every kid in town from age six and up.

“There were hundreds of kids in town and they had a lot of fun playing, and he payed for all of it. It was all free. He bought all the balls and bats, and you could go swimming for a nickel.”

Thus over time, Bemis evolved into something of an American paradise, leaving a lasting impression on all who call it home.

“We all grew up in the town and it was a real pleasant place to be,” Jackson said. “It was kind of like Mayberry from TV, and once you’ve experienced it you don’t want to turn loose that memory.

“We just want to share how nice it was.”

W.S. Holland, another Bemis native, strongly shares this sentiment. As the drummer for the Johnny Cash Band, Holland has had an extensive career and traveled all over the globe, but out of all the places he’s visited, he says there’s no place like home.

“I graduated from JB Young High School in Bemis in 1953,” Holland said, “and in 1960 I joined the Johnny Cash Band and stayed with him for nearly 40 years. During that time I went around the world many times and played in every place there is to play, and I tell people all over the world what a great place Bemis, Tennessee is.

“Bemis, of all the places I’ve ever been was the cleanest town. Everybody knew everybody and I don’t think there’s a place better to live or have a family than Bemis has been as long as I’ve known about it. I don’t guess it could be any better than it has been. It’s like the American dream.”

Holland will play songs from his career with Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins as part of two days worth of events and activities next weekend at the Bemis Mill Village Museum. Doors open at 4 p.m. Friday, May 15 and barbecue plates will be served by Gaylon and Betty Cooper at 5 p.m. for $8 per plate. The evening of music will begin at 7 p.m. with the W.S. Holland Band. An optional donation of $5 is suggested.

Saturday’s events begin at 9 a.m. with self-guided tours of Bemis via a CD recorded by Historical Society member June Holloway. A free health check will be provided by Walgreens beginning at 10 a.m. along with a presentation on the history of flour sacks and their many uses by Sarah Wright. Peace by Piece Quilt Club will host a quilt exhibit inside the Bemis Mill Village Museum. Barbecue will again be available beginning at 11 a.m. Storytellers will spin Bemis yarns at 1 p.m. At 2:30 p.m., Museum Curator Joel Jackson will give an update on Bemis Historical Society projects and the status of the future Bemis Mill landmark.