Memphis, Tennessee: Beale Street Police Museum (Gone)

I'm sad to report that this museum is no more. I first stumbled into this amazing little storefront one evening in 2005 while taking a break from a cross-country trip. Just inside the front door was a police sergeant sitting behind one of those tall desks. Very confusing, as a sign said "Police Museum" and the the place was chock-full of historic memorabilia. Turns out that this storefront museum was an actual working Beale St. precinct station.

The ambience was truly unbelievable and priceless, for as I was perusing the displays, police officers would drag handcuffed prisoners through the front door and through doors in the rear of the museum for booking.

I returned to Memphis in 2009 with another stop at this museum high on my list of things to do. The storefront is now empty, an apparent victim of municipal modernization. The memorabilia may be on display somewhere else, but for me, it will never be the same without the real-live perp walk.

Beale Street swells with drunks and partiers on a nightly basis. Nestled between the bars is a police substation hosting the Beale Street Police Museum -- open 24 hours a day. As in many police museums, it shows off handmade prisoner weapons and other historic paraphernalia. Our favorite display, which may serve as a warning to those who visit not to learn about law enforcement, but to get out of the heat and humidity for a few minutes before getting further wasted, is this display of attacking German shepherd photos. We couldn't find the fire hose display.