Payne Chapel Memorial Baptist Church - Itta Bena, Mississippi

The short life of Blues singer/guitarist Robert Johnson went largely undocumented and his death was shrouded in mystery too (some say he died after drinking whiskey laced with strychnine; others claim this can't have been possible). It therefore seems only right that his final resting place is equally uncertain. The quiet churchyard here at Payne Chapel Memorial Baptist Church is just one of three local sites to have been claimed, at one time or another, as his "real" grave. According to one of Johnson's friends and contemporaries, "Honeyboy" Edwards, his body was moved here from nearby Mt Zion Baptist Church.

If you go:
The small marker at this site was placed here in 1990 and can be found towards the rear of the churchyard.

Phone Numbers:

+1 (662) 254-9650