My Mississippi Journal
18 Nov, 2018
Welcome to Pambling Roads.
We're in Mississippi.
What a wonderful
state.
Our travels have brought us all
around the “lower 48”. We’ve tried to zip zag and circle through and around
every state we could. Florida was where this endeavor started.
Enjoy your journal.
Thank you for taking this
wonderful journey with us. It has been absolutely incredible.
Please keep in mind that some
museums don’t allow photography.
Pambling Roads−My Mississippi
Journal
Mississippi
Our very first impression of the
state of Mississippi was Greenville and the River Road Queen Welcome Center.
The ladies at the center were wonderful, friendly and very helpful. We felt
truly welcome.
I had a lot of people tell me
they never stay in Mississippi but just drove through. Huge mistake
on their part. What a beautiful state! We found that the people that we met and
spoke with were very pleasant, polite, and friendly.
We crossed over the Yazoo River,
too, another expression where I always wondered where “Up the Yazoo” came from.
Now I know.
We stayed at the LaQuinta in
Starkville, MS. The employees were happy, very helpful, and enjoyed our dinner
at Harvey’s Grill.
While in Mississippi, we visited
the birthplace of Tennessee Williams in Columbus where he lived with his
mother, sister, and grandparents. (Also a welcome center.)
Natchez
Being on the Mississippi River,
Natchez is a gold mine of history. It’s also known as the oldest city on the
Mississippi. (Two years before New Orleans)
The Natchez website advertised
trolley tours. There were no trolley tours available. We were interested in
getting a river tour as well but there were none available.
However, the visitor center
recommended a carriage tour that we did take. There really wasn’t any
information about the company who did the carriage tour. The tour was very
informative and the driver was knowledgeable about the area.
With a map in hand, we did the
recommended driving tour to decide which historic antebellum homes we wanted to
see.
Auburn
Auburn, an antebellum Greek
revival home was built in the early 1800’s. A fascinating feature is the home’s
circular staircase which stands alone and is unsupported by anything but
itself. (the image was very blurry--sorry.)
We met a couple who was on the
tour that lived in Valkerie, LA right near the Oak Alley and St. Joe Plantations.
It was neat talking with someone who lived in an area that we had visited the
year before.
Stanton Hall
The property is large considering
that it’s in the city. (A full city block) Stanton is absolutely beautiful.
There’s a restaurant on the property. When we opened the door the overhead
lights inside looked so dark, dim, and unwelcoming. We were under the impression
it was closed and didn’t go inside. We decided to go to another restaurant on
Under-the-Hill.
Rosalie
Rosalie was my favorite. It
wasn’t any more or any less elaborate than any of the other homes we visited.
Perhaps it was the walk in the back yard along the river, or just the right
touch of southern charm, welcoming anyone coming to the home.
Longwood
Longwood started construction
before the U.S. Civil War and was never completed. It’s the largest octagonal
house in the United States. When the war started, the bottom floor was the only
floor that had been finished. It’s being preserved in its unfinished state.
Natchez Under-the-Hill and the
nature trail
This was a great place to walk
around and enjoy the atmosphere of the Mississippi River.
We were going to dine at one of
the casinos but a gentleman was walking into the building wearing a three piece
suit so we both realized we were extremely under-dressed. (Both of us in shorts
since it was in the 90’s
Forks of the Road
Forks of the Road was the last
thing we visited before we headed to our next destination.
It’s a small park-like area with
an historical kiosk of information on the slave trading in the area. I found it
stunning at the amount of names on the list. We didn’t count but I would guess
that over half of the slaves were Asian and the other half Africans. There were
shackles in a group on the ground near the kiosk.
We met a gentleman there who had
gotten very emotional over the idea of those people being used as slaves. Our
last comments to each other was our gratefulness that we, as a country, have
grown to become better people and that most people no longer have the attitude
of slave ownership.
Biloxi
The forgotten coast ─ where
Hurricane Katrina devastated the area, leveling many older historical homes and
leaving more than half of the residents homeless. We stopped by the visitor
center and toured the magnificent structure as well.
We grabbed a local map and asked
about the train tour and shuttle buses and were told no shuttle buses were
available. She gave us information on the train tour, the available times, and
where to get the tour.
On our first night, we enjoyed
the recommended walking tour.
The next morning we strolled
along the beach area near the lighthouse and waited for the train to arrive.
Forty-five minutes later, we left. We waited for twenty minutes after the train
was supposed to be there). There were at least a dozen people waiting for the
train tour who also gave up and left.
Beauvoir
Beauvoir is one of the homes of
the former president of the Confederate States. In the early 1900’s it was used
as a Confederate Soldiers’ Home. On the property you can find a Jefferson Davis
statue, the Jefferson Davis and Sons Statue, several reproduction buildings,
the Confederate Soldiers’ Home Cemetery which includes the Tomb of the Unknown
Confederate Soldier.
There’s also a free buggy ride
that takes you around the grounds of the property. It was definitely worth the
few bumps along the dirt road.
In the Presidential Library and
Museum, we enjoyed viewing many of the confederate states history and a few
previously unknown facts about southern Mississippi history.
Stopping at the gift shop, we
picked up a few things. One was a very rare copy of the movie Song of the
South. I was thrilled. It was one of my favorite movies when I was younger. I
loved Uncle Remis, his stories, and the lessons he was teaching. I never quite
understood the controversy. (Still don’t.)
I made a comment to my husband
about how much I loved the movie when a gentleman told me this was the only
place that would sell the movie because they want people to see the truth. He
was very passionate in his opinions.
When he said that the movie
promoted hatred of the South I asked him how. (Big mistake) He proceeded to
tell me that northern schools “to this day” teach their students to hate the
South.
I told him I was educated in the
North and they didn’t teach me to hate the South nor did they promote any
negative ideas like that to the students.
He blinked. I walked away. I had
to. This would not have turned out well if I didn’t walk away.
Goodness! I felt like I went back
150 years. I find it very sad that some people actually still hold such
antiquated beliefs after all this time.
Unfortunately, that’s when he
turned to my husband and my husband received the man’s passionate views about
the North and South. He continued on how Lincoln wasn’t elected by any of the
southern states and how he wasn’t voted in by any southerner. (Lincoln wasn’t
put on the peoples’ ballot in the southern states, but was in the running on
the Electoral College ballots.)
My husband, being the generous,
patient soul that he is, let the man vent. He is much more diplomatic than I
am. Although, I am getting better with age.
Thank you for taking the time to
travel with us, meeting people, and seeing the sites with us. If you haven't
been to any of the places we have suggested, visit if you can. It's fun and
relaxing!
We're having a blast and are so
glad you have joined us on this journey!
Purchase Pambling Roads My
Mississippi Journal on Amazon or at your favorite book store.
Tell us about your travel
stories!
No comments:
Post a Comment