Arkansas State University and the City of Dyess

The Johnny Cash Boyhood Home is a significant property not only because of its association with the legendary internationally recognized singer and songwriter, but as one of the few remaining colony houses that retain some historic integrity. Once restored and opened to the public, the Cash property will show locals and visitors what colony life was like for a farm family affected by the Great Depression in rural America. 

 But what does that mean for the community of Dyess today?  With a population of 410 and an all but disappeared local economy, Dyess, like many small rural towns, struggles to serve its own residents, attract new businesses and provide visitors needed tourism-related infrastructure.  Dyess' traditional agrarian-based economy is now concentrated in the hands of a few large-scale farm operations.  Many residents travel hours each day to jobs in neighboring Blytheville, Jonesboro and Memphis, Tennessee, but return home each night to Dyess.  The Johnny Cash Boyhood Home project will create a visitor destination and a point of great pride for the Dyess community.  Visitors - already coming in impressive numbers and from around the globe each year - will travel to Dyess and support the fragile local economy when the Cash property is restored and opened.  Residents and local entrepreneurs are already beginning to capitalize on the attention and interest in the project by cleaning up the town and opening a restaurant in the colony center.  With its close proximity to Memphis and key regional music attractions like the Elvis Presley Birthplace in Tupelo, Mississippi and the B.B. King Museum in Indianola, Mississippi, the Johnny Cash Boyhood Home is positioned to be a major cultural destination for music lovers and heritage travelers.  This translates into considerable outside dollars flowing through Dyess' economy and giving residents and local entrepreneurs a reason to remain in the town. 

That's all great, but why does the Johnny Cash Boyhood Home MATTER to the people and town of Dyess?  Simply put, it is a chance at survival.  Dyess is a dying town - losing population and resources, with no chance of reviving the traditional economic driver, family farms.  The Johnny Cash Boyhood Home project has the potential to revive and revitalize the town, provide local entrepreneurs new opportunities, and once again instill pride in the folks who call Dyess home.

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