Life on the Plantation

There's a great article called "Plantation Days" about the Glover Plantation in the DeSoto Appeal. There's a neat picture of the old plantation commissary that is now a shooting supplies store.

100-Year-Old Drug Store

A pharmacy in the town of Mount Olive is 100 years old. It's now owned by the Powell family who have been in the pharmacy business for quite some time. The original owner was Graham Calhoun. It was then run by Ernest McRaney. A version of the story with more pictures is here.

"Exploring the Delta" Class

Delta State University has what appears to be a rather interesting class with several field trips involved called "Exploring the Delta." It is offered biannually.

Delta Air Lines Has Mississippi Connection

I've always wondered if Delta Air Lines had a connection to the Mississippi Delta, now, thanks to the Vicksburg Post, I know that it does.

Shopping Mall Contains Museum

The next time you are visiting the Mall at Barnes Crossing in Tupelo, take time to visit the Tupelo War Museum which pays tribute to the area's soldiers, sailors, and airmen.

New Albany's Tallahatchie River Bridge to Close

New Albany's Tallahatchie River Bridge will be demolished when traffic is diverted to a newer bridge.

Remembering Quitman Cotton

A former slave who later owned property in Attala County is finally getting his tombstone. Quitman Cotton was remembered by his grandsons LaVoise and Emmanuel.

Elbert Hilliard to Retire from MDAH

Elbert Hilliard has been at the helm of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History for quite a while. It has grown and recently moved into a new facility under his tenure. Read about his work in the Clarion Ledger.

Marshall County History Available

Lois Swaney, curator of the Marshall County Historical Museum, has written a book entitled History of Southeastern Marshall County & Delicious Dishes of Days Gone By which is available for purchase at the museum. Also available are The Window to the Architectural Treasures of Holly Springs and The Windows to the History of Holly Springs.

Sen. Willie Simmons Recalls Vietnam

State Senator Willie Simmons reminisces about Vietnam and growing up as the child of sharecroppers in Utica in the Bolivar Commercial.

2005 Northeast Mississippi Heritage Gathering

The 2005 Northeast Mississippi Heritage Gathering will be held in Aberdeen on January 14 and 15. For a registration form and schedule, please visit http://www.aberdeenms.org/heritage.htm.

Issaquena Cemetery Needs Protection

A cemetery located on the property of Windham Farms is in need of attention. The cemetery near Mayersville which contains graves of both whites and African-Americans is unusual in that sense.

Walking Tours of Historic Ocean Springs

An longtime Ocean Springs resident is providing walking tours of the historic portions of Ocean Springs for visitors.

Lawrence County Homes Showcased

The Lawrence County Historical Society is sponsoring a tour of historic homes this holiday season.

Southern Counties Named National Heritage Area

Mississippi's Coastal and southern counties have been designated as a National Heritage Area. The counties are George, Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Pearl River, and Stone. This is a big plus for historic preservation efforts.

Brookhaven Historical Column

I had never paid much attention to the section of Brookhaven's online newspaper which had the heading "Bob Jones." Out of curiosity, I clicked on it today, and discovered that Bob Jones in an attorney who writes about historical things, especially trials. It appears that the newspaper has not added new columns to this section in over a year, but the articles that are there are very interesting.

Crystal Springs History

There is a Brief History of Crystal Springs Mississippi located on Mississippi State's server. This Copiah County city's history dates back to 1823. It held some importance in the Chatauqua Movement.

U. S. Newspaper Project Digitization Effort

Many historians and genealogists are familiar with the U. S. Newspaper Program which worked at preserving our nation's newspapers through microfilm. It appears that there is now a digitization effort underway to bring those records to us in electronic format. This is wonderful news for all historians and genealogical researchers! The NEH is sponsoring this effort.

First Presbyterian Church - Jackson

The history of First Presbyterian Church of Jackson, Mississippi dates back to 1837 when a small group of people met at the building which had been Mississippi's first capital. You can read a brief history of this church at its Web site.

James Meredith

Most of us know that James Meredith was the first black man to be admitted to the University of Mississippi. The JFK library has a collection of documents online relating to his admission to Ole Miss. NPR also has a nice collection of audio clips that it compiled for the 40th anniversary of his admission.

Family Trees Promotes MDAH

This week's Family Trees column talks about the new facilities of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and some new publications it is offering to researchers. [This is the Clarion Ledger version of the column.]

Interesting Article by Columnist

I was reading the Clarion Ledger online today and ran across an article by columnist Orley Hood called "The Lesson: Our Present Is Filled with Our Past . . ." It's an interesting article where he reminiscisces about things as he sees them today.

Levin Culpepper, Jr. Honored

Levin Culpepper, Jr. has been honored for his service as a volunteer for the Lauderdale County Dept. of Archives and History. Read about it in the Meridian Star.

Hancock County WWII Memorial

The Sun Herald reports that Hancock County is dedicated a World War II Memorial. Read about the memorial.

Gulf Ordnance Plant

The West Point-Clay County Museum is hosting an exhibition of items relating to the Gulf Ordnance Plant which was located in Prairie in neighboring Monroe County. There will also be a program at West Point's Bryan Public Library featuring former Aberdeen police chief Brent Coleman who compiled (and wrote) a special issue for TomBigbee Country Magazine on the Gulf Ordnance Plant. Read about the exhibit and program in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal (Tupelo).

Mississippi & Presidential Elections

On election night, I thought it might be fun to locate a history of how Mississippi had voted in presidential elections. Mississippi History Now has so many great resources on it and their history of Mississippi's record in presidential elections is no exception.