Sights & Landmarks
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THE RUINS OF WINDSOR - Port Gibson
Windsor Ruins are located in Claiborne County about 10 miles southwest of Port Gibson near Alcorn State University. The ruins consist of 23 standing Corinthian columns of the largest antebellum Greek Revival mansion ever built in the state. The mansion stood from 1861 to 1890, when it was destroyed by fire. The 2.1-acre site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 and was designated a Mississippi Landmark in 1985.
Windsor mansion was located on a plantation that covered 2,600 acres. The mansion was constructed between 1859 and 1861 for Smith Coffee Daniell II, who was born in Mississippi and had acquired great wealth as a cotton planter by age 30. In 1849, Smith Daniell married his cousin Catherine Freeland (1830–1903). The couple had six children, with three surviving to adulthood.
On February 17, 1890, a fire started on the third floor when a guest dropped ashes from a cigarette or cigar into construction debris left by carpenters who were making repairs. Windsor mansion was destroyed leaving only the columns, balustrades, cast iron stairways, and pieces of bone china.
Kid-friendly features: No bathrooms are located on the property
Address: Rodney Road, Port Gibson, Mississippi 39150
31.9406° N, 91.1295° W
Admission: Free
Hours: Everyday, dawn until dusk
Photo courtesy of Allan Innman
THE DENTZEL CAROUSEL - Meridian
The carousel was manufactured in 1896 by Gustav Dentzel of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for the 1904 St. Louis Exposition and later sold to the City of Meridian. A cabinetmaker by trade, Dentzel was a young German immigrant to the United States. In 1860, he established the Dentzel Factory. His family had manufactured carousels in Germany and offered great support to Gustav's American venture. The Dentzel Factory manufactured two or three carousels per year and supplied parks throughout the East and South. All of the animals were hand-carved out of poplar or basswood. The carousels often had original oil paintings as well. The arrival of the Great Depression spelled the end to the factory in 1929. The Dentzel Carousel arrived in Meridian in 1909 and has occupied its same location in Highland Park ever since. Its house is the only remaining original carousel building built from a Dentzel blueprint.
In 1977, Meridian's Dentzel Carousel and Carousel House along with Highland Park were placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In October 1986, the Department of the Interior designated the Highland Park Dentzel Carousel and Carousel House as National Historic Landmarks. This honor was given to 11 carousels nationwide, with Meridian's being the only one located in the South.
Address: 39th Avenue, Highland Park, Meridian, MS 39302
Admission:
RIDES: $0.50 per ride
TOURS: $1 per person
Hours:
SATURDAY ONLY: November - March, 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.
SATURDAY & SUNDAY: August - October, 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.; April - May, 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.
DAILY: June - July, 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Phone: 601-485-1904
photo courtesy of nomadfoodie_photo
William Faulkner Statue - Oxford
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Ghost Town - Rodney
Rodney is a former city in Jefferson County in southwest Mississippi, approximately 32 miles northeast of Natchez. Rodney was founded in 1828, and in the 19th century, it was only three votes away from becoming the capital of the Mississippi Territory. Its population declined to nearly zero after the Mississippi River changed course. The Rodney Center Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Today a small number of inhabitants remain but the area is considered a ghost town.
Kid-friendly features: No public bathrooms are located in the town. Several of the buildings are deteriorating significantly and can pose hazards to small children.
Address: Rodney, MS 39096
Hours: Everyday from dawn to dusk
The Witch of Yazoo’s Grave - Yazoo City
Located in the middle of the historic section of Glenwood Cemetery, Yazoo City’s public cemetery, is a grave surrounded by chain links known as, “The Witch’s Grave”. The legend of the Witch of Yazoo became famous in Willie Morris’ book, Good Old Boy published in 1971. This story is an example of the unusual folklore surrounding Yazoo County. Many have pointed out that the grave and the legend were there long before Morris was born, and that the chain had been broken for a long time.
According to the legend, the old woman lived on the Yazoo River, and was caught torturing fishermen who she lured in off the river. The sheriff is said to have chased her through the swamps where she was half drowned in quicksand by the time the sheriff caught up with her. As she was sinking, she swore her revenge on Yazoo City and on the town’s people. “In 20 years, I will return and burn this town to the ground!” No one thought much of it at the time. Then came May 25, 1904…
The Fire of 1904 destroyed over 200 residences and nearly every business in Yazoo City – 324 buildings in total. Many theories evolved as to how the fire started, but none were conclusive. The most popular theory is that the fire started in the parlor of a young Miss Wise who was in preparation for her wedding to be held later that day. While this is quite possible and certainly innocent enough, it is the strange and fierce winds that were blowing on that fateful day, unusual for the time, that lead many to blame the witch. The flames were said by witnesses to have jumped through the air, as if driven by some supernaturally forceful winds. This is one of the eeriest facts of the story. Area weather reports from May 25, 1904, make no mention of high winds in the area.
A group of citizens made their way into Glenwood on the day after the fire, and found the large chains around the grave of the witch broken in two.
Address: Glenwood Cemetery, Yazoo City, MS 39194
Enter Glenwood Cemetery at the fountain, take a right, and a large marker points to the Witch’s grave.
Red Bluff - Foxworth
Kid-friendly features: Sight-seeing, walking trails,
Address: Hwy 587, Foxworth, MS 39483