Wednesday, October 22, 2008

A Photo Tour of Vicksburg, Mississippi, Part I

The City of Vicksburg, Mississippi, perched high on the bluffs of the picturesque Mississippi River, is a beautiful southern town, and is literally a treasure trove of photographs just waiting to be taken.


I am blessed to live in Vicksburg, and one of my favorite pastimes is driving around town with my camera and stopping when I see something that catches my eye. Yesterday was a beautiful fall day, with a brilliant blue sky and bright sunshine ... a perfect day to venture out in hopes of capturing some of the beauty and charm of Vicksburg through my camera lens. The only problem is that everywhere you look there are historical landmarks, architectural works of art, monuments, elegant antebellum homes, and beautiful old "turn of the century" homes.

With so many wonderful places and things waiting for me and my camera, I was like "a kid in a candy store." But this kid had a plan. I want to share with you, through my pictures, why I love living in Vicksburg.

My adventure began on Washington Street in downtown Vicksburg.


This is the Biedenharn Candy Company, where
Coca Cola was first bottled in 1894 ...

These bikers chose a gorgeous day to tour Vicksburg ...

Downtown Vicksburg is very hilly and some of the old historical buildings and churches can be seen from miles away. I love these steeples poking through the treetops ...

Holy Trinity Episcopal Church
The Old Courthouse Dome, which is blocks
away, can be seen behind the steeple.

First Presbyterian Church
St. Paul Catholic Church

First Baptist Church of Vicksburg

My next stop was this pretty boulevard
which is a couple of blocks from downtown.

There's a rose garden in the boulevard
and I stopped to smell these beauties ...

I love flags and thought these were
pretty against the church in the background ...

Here's another boulevard with a beautiful statue (you can see the
old Court House, which is blocks away, in the background) ...

I used my telephoto lens to capture this picture of the statue, with the Court House in the background, and was delighted with the results ...
My next stop was the Old Court House Museum, which you've seen in the backgrounds of several of my pictures.

The Old Court House, built in 1858, stands today as Vicksburg’s most historic structure, and is home to Confederate flags (including one that was never surrendered), the tie worn by Jefferson Davis at his inauguration as Confederate President, fine portraits, china and silver, exquisite antique furniture, the trophy antlers won by the steamboat Robert E. Lee in an 1870 race, antebellum clothing, toys, Indian and pioneer implements, and an original Teddy Bear given to a local child by Theodore Roosevelt. If you ever visit Vicksburg, the museum is a "must see," and I hope to feature it in a post soon, if I can get permission.

Notice the moon in the upper left corner of this picture ...




After I left the courthouse museum, I didn't have to drive far to find more treasures, such as the elegant Vicksburg City Hall, which was built in 1903 ...


I love the detailing around this window ...

This beautiful old building houses the Holy Cross Anglican Church ...

Here are a couple of close up views of the architectural details ...

Another architectural wonder is
the old downtown post office ...

Click on the pictures if you'd like to see the detailing up close ...



Unfortunately, the old post office building has been closed and I regret that I never went in it. I'm sure it was just as beautiful inside.

This beautiful old building was constructed
in 1894, and houses the Mississippi River Commission ...

I love these graceful fleur de lis finials on top ...

I have several more pictures I want to share, and will continue my "tour" in Part II. I hope you will join me ... but until then, I invite you to read some previous posts I've written about Vicksburg: A National Treasure: Vicksburg Military Park, The Gates of Vicksburg, The Monuments of Cedar Hill, and In the Arms of the Angels.

In closing, here are a few random pictures
from the streets of Vicksburg ...


The Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad Depot



Belle of the Bends, CA 1876 ...

Cedar Grove, CA 1852 ...

The Bridges of Vicksburg ...

15 comments:

Blogger said...

Wow, what a wonderful tour...you are so lucky to live there, it looks so beautiful. Lots of French influence in some of those buildings. I just love those lights from the Post Office and the Fleur de Lis on top of that other building.

You are very talented at taking pictures, too, they're just stunning!

Thanks for the tour!

Bella

Anonymous said...

how smart and talented you are....i have thoroughly enjoyed my trip to vicksburg.......jennie in tn <><

Bo said...

Oh, this was a great tour...I LOVE old architecture & historical
places. Maybe it's the time of the year or something, but I also got out here in our hometown & took some photos of old homes which is scheduled to post tomorrow. Thanks for sharing yours!
;-) Bo

Julie @ Sweet Chaos said...

Talk about time of year--I just went out with my camera yesterday!

Thanks for sharing Vicksburg. I've never visited "in" Mississippi, only drove thru. It's good to "see" towns like this thru other's eyes... or lenses!

Anonymous said...

Morning Janie! I'm just checkin in to see what you are up to! (I'm painting again today!lol) I love City Hall; it would make a gorgeous condo bldg. (not that I would want that to happen) Just loved that bldg. The brick one with the arch/circular windows another favorite. I love church steeples and actually can see a local church from my back deck; so peaceful and pretty at night when lit - now that the trees are getting bare! Enjoyed this tour and the tag slide show too. I was just telling my mother about you and your gorgeous garden/home yesterday on the phone! Have a great day - Sincerely, Jeannette

Anonymous said...

Oh Janie how lucky are you !!! Thanks for the tour I loved it.

What spectaular pictures you take.

I will be back for part deux !!!

Kathy :)

nikkicrumpet said...

BEAUTIFUL!!! And I need to build a shrine in Biedenharn since it's the place that first bottled my glorious cocacola!!!!!!!!!

Tracey said...

Thank you so much for sharing this post! I can't wait to visit Vicksburg in person!

Anonymous said...

Thanks so very much for the tour. Beautiful photos! I visited Vicksburg during the early 1960's and have always wanted to return.

Cottage Rose said...

I can see why you love your beautiful town. Thank you for the tour I so enjoyed it. I can't wait to see more.

Hugs;
Alaura

Salmagundi said...

What wonderful architecture in your lovely town!! Were those brick streets I saw? I can hardly wait for part 2. Sally

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Janie,

I've been out of town, and this is such a treat to get to see the pictures upon returning.

You know how I love the Old Courthouse! :-)

Thanks for sharing these.

Sheila

Liz Maxson said...

Thanks for all the lovely photos! A friend and I spent about 2 hours touring the historic district one day last week. We have photos of the lady statue, too, but cannot find out who she represents. Do you have that information? Thanks!

Southern Lady said...

LIZ: Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and leave a comment.

You asked about the statue/fountain: The statue is of Hebe, the Greek goddess who personified the eternal beauty of youth. Hebe is pronounced correctly as "Hebe," as in "Hebrew," or "Heebie," as in "Heebie Jeebies."

Hebe was the cup bearer of the Greek gods on Mount Olympus, serving them ambrosia carried in her pitcher from the cup in her hand at their heavenly feasts.

I hope you enjoyed your trip to Vicksburg, and will come back to visit us again soon.

Sincerely,

Janie

Liz Maxson said...

Thank you so very much for solving the puzzle for me, and for responding so quickly!! Take care! Liz