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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.

(KFM Note: Located in a remote area. No bathrooms are located on the property. A fence has been erected around the property keeping the public from walking around the columns.)

Admission: Free

Hours: Everyday, dawn until dusk

Address: Rodney Road, Port Gibson, Mississippi 39150
31.9406° N, 91.1295° W

Photo courtesy of Allan Innman

BILOXI LIGHTHOUSE - BILOXI

The Biloxi Lighthouse is a lighthouse in Biloxi, adjacent to the Mississippi Sound of the Gulf of Mexico. The lighthouse has been kept by female keepers for more years than any other lighthouse in the United States. The Lighthouse was erected in 1848 and was one of the first cast-iron lighthouses in the South. It is the city’s signature landmark and has become a post-Katrina symbol of the city’s resolve and resilience.

Guided tours: Daily at 9, 9:15 and 9:30 a.m., weather permitting. No reservations required, except for group tours, which can be arranged by calling (228) 374-3105.

Admission: $5, adults, $2 children ages 2 to 12), with discounts for groups.

Address: 1050 Beach Blvd, Biloxi, MS 39530

Phone: (228) 374-3105

photo courtesy of woodlot

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.

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.

Address: 39th Avenue, Highland Park, Meridian, MS 39302

Phone: 601-485-1904

photo courtesy of Kid-Friendly Mississippi

WILLIAM FAULKNER STATUE - Oxford

Located on the Oxford Square in front of City Hall, the William Faulkner bronze statue by local sculptor Bill Beckwith provides the perfect photo op for families.

Address: 107 Courthouse Square, Oxford, MS 38655

photo courtesy of Marilyn Innman

WINTERVILLE MOUNDS - Greenville

Winterville Mounds is the 42-acre site of a prehistoric Native American ceremonial center and home to sacred structures and ceremonies near Greenville, Mississippi, featuring 12 mounds, two large plazas, and a museum.

Hours: Monday-Saturday: 9 AM - 5 PM
Sunday: 1:30 - 5 PM

Address: 2415 MS-1, Greenville, MS 38701

Phone: (662) 334-4684

photo courtesy of Winterville Mounds

YOKNA SCULPTURE TRAIL

“Featuring a rotating exhibit of 18 large-scale sculptures by locally, regionally, and nationally renowned exhibiting artists, this collaboration between the City of Oxford, The University of Mississippi, and the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council is the first outdoor sculpture program of its kind in North Mississippi. A vibrant arts culture and beautiful green spaces are at the heart of what makes our community great. It is our hope that this trail, that highlights both, will be a source of enjoyment for residents and visitors for years to come!”

Trail Locations:

1 - POWERHOUSE SCULPTURE GARDEN

413 South 14th Street, Oxford, MS

2 - UM SCULPTURE PARK

Meek Hall, West Terrace/Cross Street, University, MS

3 - LAMAR PARK

Country Club Road, Oxford, MS

4 - UNIVERSITY MUSEUM 

Corner of 5th St. & University Ave., Oxford, MS

photo courtesy of Yokna Sculpture Trail

ELVIS PRESLEY HOMECOMING STATUE - Tupelo

This larger than life statue of Elvis’ 1956 Homecoming Concert at the Tupelo Fairgrounds was based on a famous shot called “the Hands” by Roger Marshutz. The statue was placed by the Tupelo Elvis Fan Club and the Tupelo Convention and Visitors Bureau in August of 2012 to commemorate Tupelo’s most famous native son. Facing east toward his Tupelo birthplace, the statue is poised for a perfect photo op with Tupelo City Hall standing behind his right shoulder and Tupelo Hardware visible over his left shoulder. The statue stands on the site of the old fairgrounds where the concert took place and was created by Mississippi sculptor Bill Beckwith.

Address: Fairpark, Tupelo, MS 38804

photo courtesy of https://www.tupelo.net

DUNN’S FALLS - ENTERPRISE

The 65-foot waterfall was once used as a power source for a gristmill and the manufacture of Stetson hats. Historic Carroll-Richardson Gristmill is open for tours. The park is a natural wildlife refuge with a picnic area with barbecue grills, a gristmill pond, hiking and swimming areas.

Admission: Day use for adults (12 years old and up): $3.25 per person;
Day use for kids (2-11 years old): $2.25 per person;
Day use for kids under 2 years old: Free;
Day use group rate (15 people or more): $50.00

Hours: Wednesday - Sunday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Closed Monday & Tuesday

Address: 6890 Dunns Falls Rd Enterprise, MS 39330

Phone: (601) 655-8550

photos courtesy of Kid-Friendly Mississippi

Emerald Mound - Near Stanton

The Emerald Mound Site (22 AD 504), also known as the Selsertown site, is a Plaquemine culture Mississippian period archaeological site located on the Natchez Trace Parkway near Stanton, MS. The site dates from the period between 1200 and 1730 CE. It is the type site for the Emerald Phase (1500 to 1680 CE) of the Natchez Bluffs Plaquemine culture chronology and was still in use by the later historic Natchez people for their main ceremonial center. The platform mound is the second-largest Pre-Columbian earthwork in the country, after Monk's Mound at Cahokia, Illinois.

The mound covers eight acres, measuring 770 feet by 435 feet at the base and is 35 feet in height. Emerald Mound has a flat top with two smaller secondary mounds at each end. It was constructed around a natural hill. Travelers in the early 19th century noted a number of adjoining mounds and an encircling ditch that are no longer present.This site once had six other secondary mounds which were lost due to the plowing of the surface of the mound. Emerald Mound was stabilized by the National Park Service in 1955. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1989. The mound is now managed by the Park Service's Natchez Trace Parkway unit, and is open to the public.

Admission: Free

Hours: Open daily from dawn to dusk

Address: Emerald Mound Rd, Natchez, MS 39120

photo courtesy of Elisa Rolle

Grave of Douglas the Confederate Camel - Vicksburg

Douglas The Camel, or “Old Douglas,” was a domesticated camel used by Company A of the 43rd Mississippi Infantry, part of the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. Because of Old Douglas, the 43rd Mississippi Infantry came to be known as the Camel Regiment, Douglas was originally part of a U.S. War Department program called the Texas Camel Experiment, which aimed to experiment with camels as a possible alternative to horses and mules, which were dying of dehydration in vast numbers. Jefferson Davis, who had ascended to the position of United States Secretary of War in 1853, was a strong proponent of the program, and used his political influence to make the experiment happen. Although the details are unknown, Douglas somehow made his way to Mississippi, and eventually died at Davis's hometown of Vicksburg, Mississippi. He was initially given to Colonel W. H. Moore by 1st Lt. William Hargrove. Besides being a mascot, Moore assigned Douglas to the regimental band, carrying instruments and knapsacks.

Address: 326 Lovers Ln, Vicksburg, MS 39183

photo courtesy of Natalie Maynor

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.

Hours: Open everyday from dawn to dusk

Address: Glenwood Cemetery, Yazoo City, MS 39194
Enter Glenwood Cemetery at the fountain, take a right ,and a large marker points to the grave.

photo courtesy of Joshua Ray Lancaster

VICKSBURG RIVERFRONT MURALS

The Vicksburg Riverfront Murals project is a series of murals painted on Mississippi River flood walls in Vicksburg. The murals are intended to depict the city's historical significance, as well as its envisioned future role in the region's commerce and culture. Artist Robert Dafford was commissioned to complete the first series of 12'x 20' panels along the flood wall facing Levee Street. The first mural in the series was unveiled in 2002. In all, 32 panels completed the first phase of the project.

Address: 1201-1299 Levee St, Vicksburg, MS 39180

photo courtesy of Kid-Friendly Mississippi