Vicksburg, Mississippi has been on our destination list for a long time because of its part in the Civil War. President Lincoln referred to Vicksburg as “The Key to the South.” The city continues to embrace this designation and an elaborate key symbol appears on walking tours, campgrounds, museums, galleries, historical sites, and throughout the charmingly restored downtown.
Vicksburg surprised us by the quantity of museums, cultural centers, parks, and foods all celebrating the long and varied history of this port on the Mississippi River. Like a crown, the majestic Vicksburg National Military Park at the northern end of the city sets off this vibrant area. Once again, we came for the Civil War history, but left with a rich treasure chest of memories from the southern hospitality we received.
During our stay, we received the exciting news that a direct ancestor was enlisted in the Wisconsin 23rd Infantry and fought in several of the battles in and around Vicksburg. These included the Port Gibson, Champion Hill, Vicksburg and Red River campaigns. He suffered a bullet to the leg at one of the Red River battles near New Orleans and was discharged after serving from 1862 to 1864. Having a direct relative connected to the historical sites and battlefields added a new depth of meaning to all we were seeing.
Vicksburg Civil War Museum, located in the heart of the restored downtown area, opened last year by collector/curator, Charles Pendleton. We were met at the entrance by this soft spoken historian who directed us to the display of the letters of succession from each of the Confederate states. The premise of his museum is to emphasize the importance of slavery’s role in the war. The museum educates by utilizing first source documents and artifacts along with display cases filled with thousands of Civil War era weapons, artillery, and soldier accoutrements. This is a collector’s museum. I enjoyed the collection of camp coffee pots. Featured full size displays included a replica slave cabin, cotton bale and scale, a plantation cell, and a full KKK grand master’s outfit. Artwork and maps lined the corridor walls depicting Antebellum life as well as battlefield scenes. In between visitors, Charles would check in with us to answer any questions and converse about our impressions. We could have spent even more hours talking and absorbing all the information his extensive collections offer.
Vicksburg National Military Park
With over 1,300 monuments and a 116 acre national cemetery, the park commemorates the fierce contest between Union forces under U.S. Grant and Confederate forces under John C. Pemberton. The various campaigns against Vicksburg began in the spring of 1862 and lasted until July 4, 1863. At the park’s Visitor Center, we attended an orientation film and picked up maps for the self directed driving tour. As we set out towards the entrance arch, we were hoping to find a monument or marker for the Wisconsin 23rd Infantry somewhere along the miles of criss-crossing roads in the park. Imagine our surprise when the very first monument we approached was for our ancestor’s regiment!
The sheer enormity of the park quickly becomes apparent. Turn after turn, red and blue battle markers are placed among monuments as far as the eye can see.
As we wound our way past Union and Confederate positions, we arrived at the USS Cairo (pronounced kay-row) Museum. The only ironclad gunboat remaining of its kind, the exhibit includes the restored portions of the ship as well as artifacts from onboard. Cairo was sunk in early 1862 north of Vicksburg by an electrically detonated torpedo – a Confederate innovation. It wasn’t until 100 years later that the ship was raised and salvaged from being encapsulated in silt, sand and mud.
As we were leaving the park, we stopped at a unique statue of a horse and rider which was placed a few hundred feet off the road. As we approached the monument to get a better look, imagine my surprise when the plaque commemorated the Battle of Champion Hill. This was one of the other battles our ancestor in the Wisconsin 23rd Infantry had fought!
The Biscuit Company
One of the many outstanding restaurants in Vicksburg, The Biscuit Company is located off a quaint brick road at the edge of the Mississippi River in one of the historic buildings.. Known for their homemade biscuits (obviously!), they also featured fried catfish. Our biscuits were served hot and fluffy with molasses and the catfish was tender with just the right amount of breading and crispiness. Traditional Southern home cooking fare is becoming our favorite.
Speaking of catfish…
Catfish Row Museum
Catfish Row was the name given to the raucous area of town when river travel was king. Celebrating the history of the cultural life of Vicksburg, Catfish Row Museum is another newcomer to the downtown area. Much like the Corinth Museum, the exhibits featured prominent Vicksburg citizens and their accomplishments in addition to the rich cultural heritage of the city. The director gave us a fantastic tour of the pop-up exhibits and invited us to attend the next session of their free lecture series on food of the Delta. We greatly enjoyed the museum’s focus on local Vicksburg citizens, both past and present, with an emphasis on gathering first person stories of life along this Mississippi delta region.
The following afternoon, we had lunch at the nearby sidewalk cafe and joined the lecture.
As soon as we walked through the door, we were immediately recognized from our previous visit and greeted with an “Ohio’s here!!!!” from the staff. And for the rest of the afternoon, we were treated like celebrities. The speaker, Ralph Eubanks, described the changes and evolution of the agricultural business in the Delta with family stories going back three generations. The warm southern hospitality extended us at Catfish Row Museum will stay with us for a long time to come. As far as we are concerned, it is a must-see stop in this revival city.
Vicksburg Art Park
At the banks of the Mississippi River and next to the flood wall, Vicksburg has set aside space for a whimsical park for all ages.
On the flood wall itself is a timeline of painted murals depicting the historical events associated with the city of Vicksburg. To walk beside this wall is literally to walk through time.
Behind the flood wall is a reminder of the serious function provided by this concrete structure. High water marks with dates are indicated at several places.
The American Countess paddle wheel boat pulled up to the dock in this area behind the flood wall while we watched in awe of this majestic time capsule. We also saw river tug boats and barges traveling the waters and stood mesmerized as they slowly chug-chug-chugged out of sight.
Lower Mississippi River Museum
Housed in a beautiful new building, this free museum is located right at the river’s edge. Part of the museum is an actual (retired) river tug boat that visitors are free to tour. From the Pilot’s deck to the boiler room, we had fun exploring the inside of a ship like the ones we had watched from the flood wall.
The Old Depot Museum
The sheer quantities of miniature trains, doll houses, ship models, and a room sized diorama of the Siege of Vicksburg made this private museum a standout.
Vicksburg’s Visitor Center awards a free t-shirt to anyone who visits five attractions around town. By the end of our stay, we had visited enough museums to qualify. (If you’ve made it this far through this lengthy post, you probably qualify for one, too!)
Besides the military park, museums, and restaurants in town, there are casinos, restored homes and many restaurants located in the outskirts along the major thoroughfares. We sampled more southern favorites at Toney’s Seafood including crawfish gumbo and a huge portion of fried catfish. We’re finding the local visitor centers to be a great place to pick up information about the region and Vicksburg’s has a beautiful view of the Mississippi River as well. With so much to see and do here, it’s easy to see why Vicksburg retains the distinction as the “Key to the South.”
Campground Review: Rivertown Rose Campground
Rivertown Rose Campground is located a few miles south of Vicksburg directly off Highway 61 and was an easy drive into town to visit all the attractions. Sites here are gravel with a picnic table. Our site was level and we did not need any extensions to reach the hook ups. The office was able to receive mail for us and the staff were helpful and cheerful. They have a cute little policy of giving you a couple chocolate mints upon check in as a welcome. WiFi speeds depended on time of day, but were adequate for checking email and downloading documents. The pool was not yet open at the time of our visit and they have a small play structure for the kids. The laundry facilities were clean and spacious and included a TV, sofa, iron and ironing board. The office has quarters available for the machines. There is one bathhouse for the park. The facilities are accessed with a keypad and, for their age, they were relatively clean. We would stay here again and recommend this campground for its friendly staff, location to Vicksburg, and ease of access from the highway.
Next up…Plantations
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