Rodney Postscript

Last week, I shared a recent trip I made to a place called Rodney, Mississippi. The purpose of this follow up is to "tie up some loose ends."

If you missed the first chapters of my story, you may want to read them before you read this last one (I promise, it really is the LAST one).

A Place Called Rodney

The Rise and Fall of the Rodney Presbyterian Church

A Visit to Rodney, MS: The Cemetery

In my previous posts, I forgot to include my pictures of what remains of another old building in Rodney — the Alston Grocery Store. I'm sure that during its heyday, the old general store was the center of activity in the little community. It was opened by the Alston family in 1915, but has been closed for many years.

Here is what remains of the store today ...

I love the rusty old gas pump, and can just imagine the stories it could tell about the townspeople who lived during that era of Rodney's history — if only it could talk!

Down the road a little and across the street from the grocery store are these dilapidated buildings, one of which I believe was a drugstore.

Due to the interest expressed by several of my readers, I would also like to take this opportunity to share a few additional facts about Rodney's history, which I purposely omitted in my previous posts, for the sake of brevity.

Rodney was originally settled by the French in 1763, and named Petit Gouffre meaning "Little Gulf." The town was later renamed Rodney in 1828, in honor of Judge Thomas Rodney. Thomas Rodney was born June 4, 1744, to a wealthy family with political ties. He served as a Continental Congressman from Delaware, and a Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court until 1803, at when President Jefferson appointed him as the chief justice for the Mississippi Territory. Judge Rodney bought land in what was then Jefferson County, Mississippi, and moved to Natchez to assume his new duties as the senior federal judge for the Mississippi Territory, from 1803 to 1811. Judge Rodney died January 2, 1811, at Natchez. He was the younger brother of Caesar Rodney, Revolutionary President of Delaware, who was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. During its heyday, Rodney was host to many notable visitors, including Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay, and Zachary Taylor. Taylor was so taken by the area that he purchased Cypress Grove Plantation, complete with 81 slaves, in 1842. I found it interesting that it was around this time that Taylor's daughter, Sarah, eloped with Lt. Jefferson Davis, much to her father's dismay. In 1861, Jefferson Davis would become President of the Confederacy. Although Rodney entertained some important political figures, one of its own residents made quite a name for himself. Dr. Haller Nutt, a native of Virginia, came to Rodney in 1815. Dr. Nutt was a successful cotton planter and plantation owner in Mississippi, and developed a strain of cotton that would lead to the South's becoming the cotton kingdom of the world. He also improved Eli Whitney's cotton gin by connecting the gin to steam power. Haller Nutt became a very wealthy man, and he and his wife Julia had 11 children. In 1860, Dr. Nutt began construction on Longwood Plantation in Natchez, and that's another story I would like to tell someday.

If you are ever in the Vicksburg or Natchez area, I hope you will put Rodney on your "Places to See" list. There are several other Mississippi historical treasures nearby — Port Gibson: The town "too beautiful to burn" during the Civil War; the truly awesome Ruins of Windsor; and, of course, the Vicksburg National Military Park — so, it would be well worth your time to wander off the beaten path to explore them all.

The Town Too Beautiful to Burn

Located almost halfway between Natchez and Vicksburg, Port Gibson is the third oldest incorporated town in Mississippi. It is best remembered from the legendary Civil War story in which General Grant reportedly declared the town "too beautiful to burn."

I visited Port Gibson recently, and captured with my camera traces of that beauty still lingering in some of the old homes lining Church Street.

Some of the houses have been restored and are well maintained, while others have fallen into disrepair. It always saddens me to see the toll time takes on these old homes, constructed mostly of wood, but I can certainly understand how costly it must be to maintain them.

My first stop on my tour was the Drake House, ca 1900, a lovely example of the Queen Anne style of architecture prevalent around the turn of the century.

Here is a close up view of the beautiful old stained glass window transom which is characteristic of Queen Anne architecture. I love those lace curtains, too!

My next stop was at the Disharoon Home, ca. 1830s, one of the finest Federal-style houses in Claiborne County.

This Greek Revival house is the Presbyterian Manse, ca. 1830-31, the first building to house the First Presbyterian Church.

And speaking of the Presbyterian church, its steeple is probably the most photographed landmark in Port Gibson. Built in 1859, the church's steeple features a gilt hand pointing to Heaven.

Another fine example of Queen Anne architecture is the Schillig House, ca 1896 ...

Gage House, ca 1830

One of the things I love most about old houses is the lagniappe you find in unexpected places. Like this pretty design almost hidden under the eave of this house.

Here are a few more houses that caught my eye. The first one is McDougall House, ca 1820 (think about that for a second -- that's 41 years before the Civil War started!).

I love the flag hanging on this house, and just look at those magnificent swan planters waiting to welcome guests.

Spencer House, ca 1840. The rocking chairs on the porch caught my eye.

Be sure and click on this picture to see the details on the rocker, plus the beautiful stained glass hanging in the window.

I love the wide brick sidewalk leading to the Tuscan Columns Bed and Breakfast, ca 1904.

I hated to see the remains of this old home place on Church Street. What a waste ...

But next door, this cute little cow mailbox made me smile. Don't you know the postman loves to put mail in that.I wonder if it moos when you open it!

I wanted to get some pictures of the downtown historic district, but traffic was heavy and I had had enough walking for the day (especially with the humidity at 97%!). I did manage to get a shot of the old Trace movie theater, though ...

And this old Red Goose Shoes sign brought back some memories. Isn't it neat!

If you're ever in Natchez or Vicksburg, I hope you will take the time to visit Port Gibson. And while you're there, I highly recommend you take a side trip to see the Windsor Ruins.

You can find out more about Windsor here: The Story of the Ruins of Windsor).

Lotus Blossoms

My friend Marty, who is a professional photographer here in Vicksburg, recently told me that I needed to go to a lake near Port Gibson, Mississippi, to see the Lotus blossoms in bloom. Port Gibson is about 30 miles South of Vicksburg, and my husband and I drove down Saturday. It was, indeed, a sight to behold.

I hope you will click here to see Marty's breathtaking photos of his visit to the lake. It's always interesting to see things you have photographed from someone else's perspective, and Marty has a truly awesome eye for capturing God's glory.

Here are some of my pictures of the Lotus blossoms. You can click on the pictures to enlarge them, if you'd like.

I'm not sure what kind of bird he is, but I loved this little "lily pad walker."

I didn't see the spider under this bloom, until I was editing the picture.

And last, but not least, this is a formidable sight that can be seen for miles around the lake.

It's the cooling tower for the Grand Gulf Nuclear Plant, and it was an eerie feeling to be so close to it.

While I was close to Port Gibson, I captured some pictures of a few of the beautiful old homes there and will share them in a post later this week.

If you would like to see more of my photos, I invite you to visit my new blog called Photography with a Southern Accent.