Trottin’ down South

Hello Blogtrotters! I’m so happy you could stop by today for a visit in my lovely little state!  Please pull up a chair, grab a glass of sweet tea, and enjoy the show!

The Hospitality State.  The Magnolia State.  Southern hospitality and true southern charm can be found in Mississippi!  Allow me to tell you a  little about my state…

On any sunny, and most likely HOT, summer day, you can jump in your car and ride through any number of towns– most of which date back to the 1800s or late 1700s– that are home to some of the most beautiful antebellum homes in the South!  Most of these homes (if not all) are listed on the National Registry of Historic Places and can be toured during each city’s annual Pilgrimage.  During the Pilgrimage, residents dress in period costumes to give you a real feeling of what it was like back in the days when these homes were first built.  Along with informative tours, you are likely to see beautiful architectural details original to the homes as well as art work that you’ll not find any where else!

A drive to the north of my home will lead you to the birthplace of the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley himself!  Located in Tupelo, this small two-room house that was built by his father for a modest $180 draws over 50,000 visitors from all over the world each year.  The birth place is part of the 15-acre Elvis Presley Park.  Inside the park is a museum which showcases his life from the beginning to fame; a chapel built by fan donations for meditating; a “Walk of Life”, which surrounds the birth home, that is a concrete circle with dated granite blocks that denote each year of his life from 1935 to 1977; a bronze statue, “Elvis at 13″, which memorializes him as a young boy wearing overalls and carrying a guitar; and a “Fountain of Life” water feature that represents Elvis’ life in Tupelo.

A five hour drive to the south will lead you to the wonderful Mississippi Gulf Coast where you can enjoy the magnificent Gulf views from the Biloxi Lighthouse.  Erected in 1848, the 65-foot tall structure was one of the first cast-iron lighthouses in the South.  It is, to date, the only lighthouse in the world to stand in the middle of a busy highway (U.S Hwy 90).  In 2005, the lighthouse was damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Restoration was completed with a re-lighting ceremony on February 19, 2010. The original site of the light was a sand bluff.  Neglect during the Civil War years and the subsequent failure of a retaining wall in 1867 caused the tower to lean two feet off center. In danger of toppling into the Mississippi Sound, the tower was righted by excavating under the North side.  Also, because of the constant exposure to salt and moisture, rust was becoming a serious problem for the exposed iron and to prevent this the tower was given a protective temporary coating of black coal tar.  This subsequently gave rise to a popular myth (probably started by Yankee carpetbaggers) that the community had painted the structure black because of the death of Lincoln. The lighthouse was repainted white when maintenance and repair efforts were completed.  During most of its existence as an active station, the Biloxi lighthouse was exclusively tended by women keepers beginning with Mary Reynolds in 1854.  Maria Younghans assumed these duties in 1867 and was succeeded her daughter Miranda in 1920. The light was electrified in 1926.  It was deeded to the City of Biloxi by the United States Coast guard in 1968.  In a beautiful town with many wonderful coastal sites to visit — the Gulf Islands National Seashore and the Maritime Museum — the Biloxi lighthouse stands out.  (One of the nicest places to visit, the Marine Life Oceanarium, once located just down the road in Gulfport, was completely destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.  The park was home to 14 dolphins, 26 sea lions, 1 seal and 25 exotic birds.)

A drive just a few short hours to the west will lead you to Natchez, home of the Great Mississippi River Balloon Race and the quaint Southern city with more than 500 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places.  Natchez was settled by the French in 1716 and is the oldest permanent settlement on the Mississippi River. It was once home to 500 millionaires, more than any other city except New York City.  The Natchez Trace Parkway, named an All American Road by the federal government, extends from Natchez to just south of Nashville, Tennessee. The Trace began as an Indian trail more than 8,000 years ago.  There are numerous historical sites on the Parkway, including the Meriwether Lewis Museum, the refurbished Mount Locust stand, and the Mississippi Craft Center which focuses on promoting Mississippi’s native art. Nestled between the Parkway and Old Port Gibson Road is the ghost town of Rocky Springs that thrived in the late 1800s. Today the old Rocky Springs Methodist Church, the cemetery and several building sites still exist and are accessible from the Parkway. Scenic Cypress Swamp is located at Mile Post 122. There are also several cascading waterfalls to view; for access, some require a bit of hiking from the parkway. In addition, parts of the original trail are still accessible.  The history of the Parkway and that of the entire Trace is summarized at the Natchez Trace Visitor Center.

These are just a few of the sites and scenes of Mississippi.  There is much much more to the 46,000+ square miles that make up the 32nd largest state in the U.S.

Here are a few interesting (and quirky) facts about Mississippi and its residents, past and present:

• In 1963 the University of Mississippi Medical Center accomplished the world’s first human lung transplant and, on January 23, 1964, Dr. James D. Hardy performed the world’s first heart transplant surgery.
• In 1902 while on a hunting expedition in Sharkey County, President Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt refused to shoot a captured bear. This act resulted in the creation of the world-famous teddy bear.
• In 1884 the concept of selling shoes in boxes in pairs (right foot and left foot) occurred in Vicksburg at Phil Gilbert’s Shoe Parlor on Washington Street.
• Burnita Shelton Mathews of Hazelhurst was the first woman federal judge in the United States and served in Washington DC.
• The first nuclear submarine built in the south was produced in Mississippi.
• Mississippi was the first state in the nation to have a planned system of junior colleges.
• The rarest of North American cranes lives in Mississippi in the grassy savannas of Jackson County. The Mississippi Sandhill Crane stands about 44 inches tall and has an eight-foot wingspan.
• S.B. Sam Vick of Oakland played for the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. He was the only man ever to pinch hit for the baseball great Babe Ruth.
• Friendship Cemetery in Columbus has been called Where Flowers Healed a Nation. It was April 25, 1866, and the Civil War had been over for a year when the ladies of Columbus decided to decorate both Confederate and Union soldiers’ graves with beautiful bouquets and garlands of flowers. As a direct result of this kind gesture, Americans celebrate what has come to be called Memorial Day each year, an annual observance of recognition of war dead.
• The largest Bible-binding plant in the nation is Norris Bookbinding Company in Greenwood.
• David Harrison of Columbus owns the patent on the Soft Toilet Seat. Over 1,000,000 are sold every year.
• The first football player on a Wheaties box was Walter Payton of Columbia.
• The world’s largest cactus plantation is in Edwards.
• The Vicksburg National Cemetery is the second largest national cemetery in the country. Arlington National Cemetery is the largest.
• Pine Sol was invented in 1929 by Jackson native Harry A. Cole, Sr.
• Greenwood is called the Cotton Capital of the World.
• Belzoni is called the Catfish Capital of the World.
• Vardaman is called the Sweet Potato Capital of the World.
• Root beer was invented in Biloxi in 1898 by Edward Adolf Barq, Sr.

Some famous Mississippians:

3 Doors Down (Escatawpa)

Morgan Freeman (Greenwood), Oprah Winfrey (Kosciusko), Sela Ward (Meridian), Lasey Chabert (Purvis), Parker Posey (Laurel), Diane Ladd (Meridian), James Earl Jones (Arkabutla), Eric Roberts (Biloxi), James Wheaton (Meridian), Jim Henson (Leland), Elvis Presley (Tupelo), Charley Pride (Sledge), Tommy Aldridge (White Snake and Ozzy), Conway Twitty (Friars Point), Chris LeDoux (Biloxi), Jimmy Buffett (Pascagoula), Bo Diddley (McComb)

Bret Favre (Kiln)

Faith Hill (Jackson), Tammy Wynette (Tupelo), John Lee Hooker (Clarksdale), LeeAnn Rimes (Pearl), Big Jack Johnson (Clarksdale), Bobbie Gentry (Greenwood), Willie Dixon (Vicksburg), Jimmy Reed (Dunleith), Lance Bass (N’Sync), Blind Melon (Starkville), Brandy Norwood(McComb), George Cummings (Meridian), Olu Dara (Natchez), Sam Cooke (Clarksdale), John Grisham (South Haven), Tennessee Williams (Columbus), Afroman (Hattiesburg), Saving Abel (Corinth)

I hope you’ve enjoyed your tour of my sweet little southern home.  Ya’ll come back now, ya hear?!