Court House Tour - The Attic!

If you have been following my blog recently, you will recall that I have been sharing a series of posts featuring my tour of the Old Court House Museum in Vicksburg. During my tour I took literally hundreds of pictures, and I'm afraid that my posts have been quite lengthy as a result of my sharing some of those pictures and telling their stories. I appreciate those of you who have stuck with me, and took the time to let me know you enjoyed the tour. As I mentioned in a previous chapter, this was one of the most thrilling photo shoots I've ever experienced. What could be "thrilling" about touring a museum (albeit a national landmark-worthy historical museum), you ask? Well, my tour turned into quite an adventure, and it began on the other side of this door, which leads from the upstairs courtroom to the record rooms and "beyond." Let me back up a little before I begin my story. The day before I visited the museum, I called the curator, Mr. Bubba Bolm, to ask about a convenient time for me to visit and take pictures for my blog. Bubba told me there were going to be 65 school children touring the museum the next day, but if I came early, I should have plenty of time for a tour. At that time, I asked Bubba if it would be possible for me to go up on the roof and take pictures, and he said they were going to be pressed for time that day, but I could come back another day and someone would be glad to take me up. I was disappointed, but decided to go ahead and tour the museum the next day, anyway. But I was in for a surprise! When I arrived for my tour, Bubba told me they would have time for someone to take me upstairs, after all — and I was absolutely delighted! A very nice young man named Jordan was my guide, and Jordan told me before we started our trek through the attic to the roof to "Walk where I walk, and only where I walk," which I thought was rather ominous-sounding. I soon discovered why that was good advice. The door pictured above led from the courtroom to a set of old wooden stairs (which I failed to take a picture of when we were going up, because I was so excited). This is a picture I captured when we were coming back down, and I was standing at the top of the stairs looking down. You can see some of the benches in the courtroom through the open door. I really didn't know what to expect when it came to how we were going to get to the roof. I think I had pictured a dusty old wooden staircase winding its way up ... and there was, indeed, some old wooden steps. They looked sturdy enough, and I thought, "No big deal, I can do this!" But if you will look closely at the picture, you will notice that the stairs sort of disappear into nothingness. It was at this point that Jordan told me that the stairs originally went all the way to the roof, but the rest of the staircase was destroyed by the deadly tornado that struck Vicksburg in 1953, and we were going to have to "go a different way." Now, I have always loved meandering "off the beaten path" on my photo shoots, but this took "off the beaten path" to a different level. The "different way" Jordan pointed out to me looked like this ... It didn't take me long to realize why he had told me to "walk where I walk!" Notice the metal steps on the left in the next picture. We climbed several sets of those, which was more like climbing ladders than steps. I was glad I have small feet, because the steps weren't very wide. I have to admit that when I first saw all those steps and how high up they went, I was a little apprehensive and wondered if I would make it all the way to the roof. But I was determined to continue on my" adventure-to-end-all-adventures" ... and focused my attention on "walking where Jordan walked." After seeing the massive old beams and supports that are the heart of the infrastructure of the building, I can understand how it has survived all these years. As we made our way to the top, it got lighter and lighter, and all I could see when I looked down were beams and crossbeams ... and darkness. I knew we were close to the roof when I saw this window, which is part of the clock tower ... By the time we reached the top, my heart was pounding and I was "huffing and puffing," but not just because of the exertion from climbing. I was overcome with excitement, and couldn't wait to see the City of Vicksburg, from one of the most prominent vantage points in town. I hope you will join me next time as I share the beauty of Vicksburg, as I captured it from the roof of the Old Court House Museum!

Upstairs at the Court House - Part 4

Today, our tour of the Old Court Museum in Vicksburg, begins by going up this impressive iron staircase, which leads from the first floor to the second floor. I can't just skip from the first floor to the second floor without pointing out the beautiful ironwork of the staircase itself. The stairs, along with the other ornamental iron work in the building, were made by T. F. Baker Iron Company of Cincinnati, Ohio, and brought by steamboat down the Mississippi River in the late 1850's. At the top of the stairs is a room dedicated to the fashions that were popular around the mid-1800s. They range from plain, everyday clothes to fancy wedding attire. My favorites in this room were the "baby," baby carriage, and christening dress ... I couldn't wait to see the courtroom, and I wasn't disappointed. I loved everything about it, but was fascinated with the ornate iron dais. The judge presided from the dais, which was also made by the Baker Iron Company, in 1859. What a work of art! I love its graceful curves and intricate "lacy" trim at the bottom (you can click on the pictures to enlarge them if you'd like to get a closer look). The judge's view of the courtroom ... (I took this picture from behind the dais) Attorneys and clients sat at this long table ... Witnesses sat in a chair elevated by a platform that could be easily moved. There was not a permanent or stationary box for the witness. I missed capturing one very important feature of the courtroom — the jury chairs! They are beautiful swivel chairs and were installed about 1890. I guess I was too busy taking pictures of the bust of General Robert E. Lee ... Robert Edward Lee January 19, 1807 - October13, 1870 Lieutenant Colonel, United States Army General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate States of America President, Washington College If you look closely, you can see the jury chairs in this picture ... There are two rooms off of the courtroom — one is the Burwell Vick Memorial Room. Burwell Vick, was a brother of Newit Vick, who founded Vicksburg. The other room is the Jefferson Davis Room, and, obviously, features memorabilia about the President of the Confederacy. Before I leave the courtroom, I want to share pictures of a couple of the fireplaces. This one is in the Vick Room, and I especially like the tile surround and hearth. I also like the tile work on this fireplace, which is in the courtroom ... That concludes my tour of the upstairs, but before we leave, I have one more picture to share with you — this imposing door, which is located on the left at the back of the courtroom. Next time, I will take you through that door and share with you one of the most thrilling adventures I've ever experienced. I can't wait to show you what's on the other side! If you missed the previous chapters of my tour of the museum and would like to read them, you can click on the following links: The Court House - Part 1 Court House Lagniappe - Part 2 Downstairs at the Court House - Part 3