[1] Former Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest was inducted into the Ku Klux Klan in this hotel in 1866.

In the fall of 1866, former Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest was inducted into the Ku Klux Klan, a newly formed secret vigilante group.

[5] Chapters of the new association sprang up across the South, and the first national meeting of the KKK took place at the hotel in April 1867.

[6][7] What local citizens called "Overton's Folly"[3] was finally completed and opened in fall 1869; total costs were $500,000.

The main lobby featured mahogany cabinetry, brass fixtures, gilded mirrors, and chandeliers.

Its Christmas dinner featuring calf's head, black bear, and opossum, and other unusual delicacies became famous.

[11] General Foods, former owner of the Maxwell House brand, acknowledged that Roosevelt in fact had nothing to do with the slogan's origin.

The coffee brand is still in operation, and is now owned by Kraft Heinz in the North American market and JDE Peet's in the rest of the world.