Heritage House in Hazlehurst

The Heritage House in Hazlehurst is one of the topics I've wanted to cover ever since I made a visit to Hazlehurst in late March.

(courtesy of Heritage House website)

Hazlehurst is not only the scene of Beth Henley's Crimes of the Heart but it is also the birthplace of legendary blues musician Robert Johnson.

Of course my trip involved food, so I hadn’t made it too far down the road before my car first smelled like donuts, thanks to Mr. Monroe:

And naturally barbecue, courtesy of Louise’s:

And a cold treat from the Dairy Freeze (aka a little slice of heaven):

It was like I was a 21st century chuck wagon – especially since I was driving in the lap of luxury: a Lincoln Continental, baby. (Gotta love state cars!) More on the food later.

During my visit, I was put in touch with Janet Schriver, who is the Director of the Heritage House. The Heritage House runs in conjunction with the Robert Johnson Foundation, helping Hazlehurst youth learn the arts.

This is Janet:

(courtesy of Heritage House website) 

She spearheads some incredible youth-oriented programs which teach them skills in various arts disciplines: videography, photography, art and recording music.  Janet has also created an invaluable support system for the teens, giving them a place to go when home may not be their safest option.

Janet is making such a difference in these kids' lives and it was fun to get a tour of the house that the kids have painted themselves - the brightly painted interior walls, that is. I also got to meet a few of the teens who sat out on the porch enjoying the pretty day.

She gave me a tour of Robert Johnson’s birthplace. It was originally located outside of town, was neglected and had slowly been falling apart. It was moved and sits behind the Heritage House wrapped in pink protective wrapping to further save it from the elements until they can rebuild/restore it to original condition. Apparently there was a parlor on the front and also another room that didn’t survive the neglect and move.

Here's a little about the house on the Delta Blues site, where you can see the house as it was before it was moved.

Wow.  It was really an experience to be inside where he was born with its earthy smell of years and neglect and see the planks of wood his father put together to build the house.  Looks like it had been updated at some point because there was a fairly modern bathroom tub in one area.

When we initially spoke, Janet told me about wanting to install a garden in the back yard (by Robert Johnson's house, no less) because many of the kids were unfamiliar with vegetables and did not even know how to cook. (This may sound familiar in the era of slow food, Jamie Oliver programs, Michelle Obama obesity initiatives being put into place – thankfully!)


Janet finds grant money to help sustain Heritage House projects and she called me this morning to fill me in on the newest grant they received to create a sustainable garden.


They have already broken ground!

Here is a link to the Heritage House blog where you can look at photographs, upcoming video clips of their garden project and learn more about the kids involved.

If you are interested in volunteering in any capacity at the Heritage House, they would love to have you. Hazlehurst is an easy drive down I-55 South. I can say that I’ve definitely been inspired to volunteer at some point soon.