W.C. Handy Birthplace

"Life is like a trumpet. If you don’t put anything into it, you don’t get anything out of it."

Those are words attributed often to W.C. Handy, and it’s an understatement to say he lived by them.

Handy was born in Florence on Nov. 16, 1873, and went on to earn the title of "Father of the Blues." His contributions to the world of music, particularly jazz music, live on long after his death. Handy’s compositions have left a lasting mark on virtually every form of popular music whether it’s the blues, jazz, soul, pop, rock ‘n’ roll or gospel. Among his most noted compositions were the "St. Louis Blues," "Beale Street Blues," and "Memphis Blues."














A replica of the small, log cabin that Handy was born in is open to the public in Florence. The cabin on West College Street also doubles as a museum and library, which houses the most complete collection of Handy’s personal papers and artifacts. The library has become a valuable resource center for black history.




Handy died in 1958 and left numerous mementos to his native Florence. A 1,447 square foot building was added to the property to house the items.