Egg's rollin' again!

Moved the Casita nearer the back door today.  It's going to be rolling again Monday morning if all goes as planned.  The River Valley Egg Rally kicks off on Thursday just outside of Ft. Smith, AR.  We plan to arrive Tuesday and do some serious visiting with old friends before the official start.  Looking forward to meeting some new folks also.  We haven't been to the Ft. Smith area before and are really looking forward to it.

 A few more notes on last weekends trip.  As tropical storm Lee was flexing her muscles on Monday morning, I drove into the town of Port Gibson, MS

Port Gibson's greatest claim to fame is reported to be that General Grant, on his march to Vicksburg to win control of the Mississippi River, spared the town because it was "too beautiful to burn."  Not sure if that is true or not, but the view of Church Street will make it seem possible.  There are eight churches within three blocks, interspersed with majestic homes from the past.

The most famous of the churches is the First Presbyterian Church.  Known throughout the South for the gilded hand pointing toward Heaven.

The church is filled with beautiful stained glass windows and three of the the chandeliers came from the steamboat Robert E. Lee. They were salvaged from the boat after a fire destroyed it near Port Gibson in 1882.      

                                                                

 Another unique example is the Jewish Synagogue, Temple Gemiluth Chessed.  Built in 1891, it speaks of the diverse population of the area at the time. I liked the front entrance.

With the other six churches nearby, along with others scattered throughout the town, I think it would be safe to say that Port Gibson was settled by People of Faith.  To have all the fascinating structures in such a small town testifies to that.

Next post to be from somewhere in Arkansas.  Looking forward to getting on the road, again!!!!

                                                                                                                                    

 

Cemetery

 

There is an old cemetery on the bluffs above Grand Gulf.  It is the final resting place for many of the townspeople of the time.

Many of the family plots are showing their age.  Trees have sprouted, grown to maturity, died, and collapsed;  all since the last burial took place here.

 

There were many examples of extraordinary wrought-iron craftsmanship on display.  Though some of the plots showed the signs of vandalism or theft, there were still many looking as they did 150 years ago.

I wonder if the broken branch had some special significance. There was one on each side of the gate.

Most of the individual tombstones had a story.  There was one which showed the deceased died during a steamboat explosion. Another said “He was murdered on the Mississippi River by a black man from Louisiana”. One was for two brothers who died shortly after returning from California by way of the Pacific Ocean.  Many showed their home country being Scotland.  Wonder if their loved ones back home ever knew what happened to them?

There was also the largest lichen(?) I have ever seen.  It was growing on a root of a very old oak tree.  Thought it deserved a picture, too.

Grand Gulf

After being out of touch for nearly a week, it is good to have internet access again.  We left home last Thursday, along with another couple, to visit Grand Gulf State Military Park Near Port Gibson, Mississippi.  Located in the kudsu covered hills of Southwest Mississippi, Grand Gulf was a major Mississippi river port during the first half of the 18'th century.  It also played a major role before the battle of Vicksburg during the Civil War.  The land was donated to the state during the 1960’s and the park was created to honor the memory of the town, and also the men who fought and died here over 148 years ago.There is a museum with a lot of information about the town of Grand Gulf, along with many other unusual items.

There was even a mastodon bone which was found in the area that had markings from the tools used  to butcher the animal thousands of years ago.

Grand Gulf got its name from a huge whirlpool in the Mississippi River just North of the town site.  It became a major river port for a few short years before the river changed course and whittled away most of the town shortly before the Civil War. By the time the war began, there was nothing left but a few abandoned buildings.


There were many other unusual items such as an old cotton press, a Civil War ambulance, a moonshine still, and even a submarine.

“Dog Trot” house from the 1700’s and a Catholic Church from the ghost town of Rodney, MS.

It is a very interesting place off the beaten path, but a jewel if you are interested in American history.  It is fascinating to me to study the ways of those who came before us and to try and understand the lives they lived.  Those folks who lived and died in Grand Gulf, Mississippi in 1835 probably thought they had it as good as it could get.  Little did they know that a few short years later there would be nothing left but memories and tombstones.  More to come on the area later this week.