A Tour of the Hotel Vicksburg

One of the most prominent landmarks in downtown Vicksburg is the old Hotel Vicksburg building located at the corner of Clay and Walnut Streets. The following postcard depicts the hotel when it was in its prime, somewhere between 1925 and 1949.

[Postcard: Courtesy of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History]

Here is the way the hotel looks today (photo taken from opposite side shown on postcard) ...

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the hotel is currently being used for apartment rentals, a theatre, and the Old Southern Tea Room, which recently reopened in the building.

I have photographed the outside of the hotel on numerous occasions, but had never ventured inside until a couple of days ago.

Notice the ceiling and lights of the overhang which graces the main entrance into the hotel.

And the beautiful windows and ironwork ...

Remember when these "Fallout Shelter" signs were a familiar sight? I'm curious about how far down under the hotel you would have to go to reach the shelter.

I've always found the back of the hotel interesting, too — especially the fire escape. Let's just hope that no one ever has to use it!

But enough of the outside — let's go inside!

From the moment I stepped through the doors, I felt as if I had gone back in time. I looked for someone to request permission to take pictures, but no one was around, so I took the liberty of shooting a few pictures in the lobby and main floor.

I loved the old elevators ...

But my attention was immediately drawn to what was between them — just look at this old treasure!

And speaking of treasures —

The sign above this beauty indicates that it is an ice water fountain original to the 1928 hotel, a novelty in its day, and similar fountains could be found on every floor of the hotel (I'm not sure where the water came out?).

It looked as if it was glowing!

The fountain was located next to the front desk, which, I assume, is original, too ...

I loved the elegant staircase and so wanted to climb it to see more, but since I wasn't able to ask permission to photograph the interior of the hotel, I didn't think that would be a good idea.

I did, however, go down these stairs which led to the Walnut Street entrance of the hotel (notice the unique iron newel post and stair railing).

This old map hangs above the doors leading to the street ...

I'm so glad I ventured inside the hotel and would love to go back sometime (with permission) and capture with my camera some of its other treasures. Perhaps we can visit the Old Southern Tea Room at the same time. Their daily menus posted on their Facebook page sound scrumptious!

A Mississippi Courtyard and Waterfall: Outdoor Wednesday

I'd like to thank our gracious hostess Susan at A Southern Daydreamer, for taking the time to host our "Outdoor Wednesdays."

I always look forward to seeing what's going on in everyone's outdoors, especially now that Spring is here.

Speaking of Spring ... everything looks so lush and green right now that I thought I'd better get some photos of our courtyard and waterfall areas before the long, hot summer arrives (we've already had temperatures in the high 80's here in Vicksburg!).

I created a slideshow of my pictures, beginning at the front of our house outside the gate to the courtyard. Next, are views of the entire area, including the covered porch, patio area, side yard and path leading to the backyard, and the waterfall and pond, with connecting stream.

I hope you enjoy the slideshow. If you'd like to hear the music, turn your sound up before clicking on "Play."

I hope you have a happy outdoor Wednesday ... however and wherever you spend it!

Vicksburg Vignettes -- Part II

Thank you for joining me for Part II of my "Vicksburg Vignettes" photo shoot (if you haven't read Part I, and would like to, click here).

Here are a few more pictures I captured "off the beaten path" in downtown Vicksburg ...

I love the red doors of Holy Trinity Church, one of the most beautiful churches in Vicksburg ...

Can you imagine the size of the loads this old tugboat used to push up and down the Mississippi?

These pretty irises growing in
another churchyard caught my eye ...

This sign marks the old Sisters of Mercy Convent which was built in 1868.

Some of the rooms downstairs have been restored, but "upstairs in the convent, it's still pretty much like it was when the Sisters left. The rooms where they lived are tiny and don't have any luxuries. You had to really want to be a nun." The convent is going to be part of the Vicksburg Spring Pilgrimage next month, and I'd love to see inside this beautiful old building.

My next stop was a residential area which is home to this truly amazing little playhouse ...

Yes, that's a PLAYHOUSE! I wish I could have gotten closer to capture the details of this exquisite little house. The roof appears to be covered with slate, and it even has a little wrought iron fence surrounding it like the fence surrounding the big house.

Here's the real house it belongs to ...

I would like to meet the lucky little girl, or girls, for whom the playhouse was built and hear the story behind its creation. Wouldn't you love to see the inside!

I enjoyed looking at Vicksburg from a different perspective ... and I look forward to doing that everywhere I go now. I'm sure I'm going to be pleasantly surprised by all the new and interesting things I see that were there all along and I never saw them ... like "huge one-eyed bears in windows."