Wordless Wednesday - Leflore County Courthouse, Greenwood, Mississippi

  Digital Photo Collection, 2009, Privately Owned by J. Tracy

Leflore County Courthouse
Greenwood, Mississippi

Excerpt from "Malmaison" by Mrs. W. H. Neill

Lately, I have been doing some more Carroll County family research and ran upon a copy of a poem, entitled "Malmaison." The poem was written by Mrs. W. H. Neill of Greenwood, Mississippi, and published in the local newspaper on April 12, 1942, not long after Greenwood Leflore's beautiful old mansion of the same name burned in Carroll County, Mississippi.  In the poem's entirely, the artistry of Mrs. Neill's words describe the feeling of loss and sadness experienced by other local Mississippians after the historical residence burned.  But in the excerpt below, the poet's words focus on the powerful enemy of all mankind, the force known as time.

But Time, relentless vandal, hastens onward in his flight,

And destroys with ruthless fingers, beauty, majesty and might.

Unless the strong oppose him, and with zeal his ravage mends,

And ever watchful of his craft, deter him in his ends.

- "Malmaison", by Mrs.W. H. Neill

Wordless Wednesday - Tallahatchie Flats

Entrance to Tallahatchie Flats, overnight lodging outside Greenwood, Mississippi, and near Robert Johnson's gravesite. (Digital Photo Collection - Privately held by Janice Tracy)

Crossing the Yazoo

Seen here is the historical bridge that spans the muddy waters of the Yazoo River and connects downtown Greenwood, Mississippi and the surrounding area to the rest of the town. The bridge's unique design includes a "swivel" base near the center of the bridge that allows the bridge to turn into a position parallel with the river's banks. Once the bridge was in its parallel position, riverboats and barges laden with cotton were able to navigate the river. Amazingly, the "mechanical process" to "turn" the bridge was accomplished by manpower - several men, as the story goes.

Source: Digital Photo Collection (2009) - Privately Held by Janice Tracy

Celestial Reflections in the Tallahatchie River, by Mark Adkins, A Book Review

Several months ago, one of my Mississippi readers, Mark Adkins, contacted me to see if I had information about someone he was researching for inclusion in a novel he was writing about the Civil War. In that email, Mark provided some details about the book that was scheduled to be published in late spring or early summer 2009. I was unable to answer Mark’s question about the individual he was researching, but the book piqued my interest, and I offered to publish a review of the book here on Mississippi Memories after it came out.

Earlier this week, I received another email from Mark, telling me that his book had been published, and he asked if I was still interested in reviewing the book on my blog site. I readily agreed to do so, and that review appears here today.

Celestial Reflections in the Tallahatchie River, written by Mark Adkins and categorized by the author as “historical fiction,” is an exciting tale of adventure and romance during the Civil War in The book focuses on events surrounding the Battle of Fort Pemberton, near Greenwood, Mississippi, and the efforts of Confederate forces to prevent access by Union troops to the Port of Vicksburg. In the book, Adkins tells the story of a fictional character, Joshua Thompson, his life in the South, and his fateful encounter near Greenwood with the Star of the West. The Star of the West was a side-wheel steamer, built by Cornelius Vanderbilt, that was on loan to the U. S. Government to transport Union supplies south after South Carolina seceded from the Union. Confederate forces captured the Star of the West at Fort Sumter and put it into service for the South during the war. In a successful effort to prevent Union troops from making their way down river to the Port of Vicksburg, Thompson and others scuttled the vessel, sinking it sideways in the Tallahatchie River. Joshua Thompson, the book's central character who was serving on board the vessel at the time, lost a treasure during the scuttling activity that would re-surface more than a century in the future. To identify the treasure and to tell more about its discovery would be taking away from the intrigue that surrounds this portion of the book's plot.

Whether you are a Civil War enthusiast or a reader of adventure, action or romance novels, you will enjoy this book by Mark Adkins. His ability to create period characters and weave fact into fiction has produced a book that has something for all readers.

Turnrow Book Company in Greenwood is sponsoring a book-signing event sometime soon. For additional information about this event or about purchasing a copy of Celestial Reflections in the Tallahatchie River, by Mark Adkins, contact Turnrow Book Company, 304 Howard St., Greenwood, MS.

Wordless Wednesday

Photograph: Digital Photo Collection (2009), privately held by Janice Tracy

Wordless Wednesday - Bottle Tree

Photograph of Bottle Tree and Country Store at Tallahatchie Flats near Greenwood, Mississippi.

Source: Digital Photo Collection (2009), Privately held by Janice Tracy

Robert Johnson's Grave and a Trip to Tallahatchie Flats

After leaving the Greenwood Blues Heritage Museum and Gallery, we set out to find Robert Johnson's grave. Although there has been much controversy over the years about where Johnson is really buried, the grave site just outside of Greenwood is believed by many, including Johnson historian and collector, Steve Lavere, to be the actual burial site.

As we drove out of Greenwood on the highway headed to Money, Mississippi ( yes, that is the town's name!) we neared the Little Zion M.B. Church and its cemetery where Johnson is believed to be buried. A Mississippi Blues Trail marker stands on the side of the highway near the cemetery, attesting to the influence of Robert Johnson's music on other Delta Blues musicians, including Son House, Muddy Waters, and Elmore James. According to the marker, Robert Johnson's early and mysterious death occurred in 1938 when Johnson was just 27 years old.



One of a number of Mississippi Blues Trail markers throughout the Mississippi Delta and elsewhere in the State of Mississippi.


Little Zion M. B. Church and Cemetery, where Robert Johnson is believed to be buried. The cemetery is located to the left of the church and is shaded by a number of large, old trees. Johnson's grave is near the back of the cemetery, under one of the largest pecan trees growing there.


The grave stone that marks the grave of Robert L. Johnson, Delta Blues Musician, is pictured above. Followers who visit Johnson's grave often leave flowers and other items to show their devotion to the man and the music that he left behind.


A close-up of Robert Johnson's grave marker that includes a fascimile of words allegedly written by Johnson shortly before his untimely death in 1928. We left the cemetery and headed for Tallahatchie Flats, an interesting new overnight venue near Greenwood. The gravel road that turns off the main highway is marked by a simple black mailbox held up by part of a plow. The name "Tallahatchie Flats" was on the mailbox, so we knew our destination was not far away. Although the actual address does not appear on the mailbox, the physical location of Tallahatchie Flats is 58458 County Road 518, Greenwood, Mississippi 38930.



Situated only a few yards from the mailbox is a large sign, visible from the main roadway, that assured us we were headed in the right direction.


As we continued to travel down the gravel road marked by the mailbox and the sign, we saw yet another sign, this one made out of old-fashioned tin, that guided us around a curve in the
road on the way to Tallahatchie Flats.


As we rounded the curve, we saw a cluster of seven sharecropper cabins that told us we had arrived at our destination. According to Steve Lavere and George Vasquez back at the museum in Greenwood, Tallahatchie Flats is made up of cabins that were moved from their original locations onto this tract of Delta farm land. The location is a short distance from Robert Johnson's place of rest and is used for overnight accomodations for visitors and festival goers from around the world, all wanting to experience the feel of life in the Mississippi Delta. The unpainted and weathered cypress exteriors of the cabins remain unchanged, but the interiors have been "modernized" with heat and air and "indoor plumbing," working appliances, and such, and each cabin has been decorated with furnishings reminiscent of the early-mid 1900s.

Individual cabins have been assigned names that are painted on a wooden marker above each
front door, including such names as "Red House" and "Tush Hog."


Pictured above is the larger of the two types of cabins that make up Tallahatchie Flats. This particular one has two exterior doors. Seen in the foreground of the cabin, just to the left of the walkway, is an in-ground pump once used to pump water for cooking and for baths.

Old-fashioned chairs sit on the front porch of this cabin, just waiting for the weary traveler to sit and watch the Delta sun set over endless flat rows of crops such as milo, soybeans, and cotton. A metal washtub is seen hanging on the left side of the cabin was used for many things, including laundry and baths.


Although this rental cabin now has a working stove inside, an antique one sits on the front porch as a reminder of the value of a wood stove. The stove was used not only for cooking, but it was used for heating the house in the winter and for warming bath water pumped by hand from an outside pump and carried into the house. Since electricity and gas were unheard of in most parts of the rural Mississippi Delta until the 1950s, kerosene or " coal oil" lamps were
used for lighting.

An iron wash pot and an old wringer washing machine, sitting on the porch of the cabin above, are remnants of a time gone by when laundry day really was an all-day chore. And that didn't include the time it took to hang all the laundry outside to dry. When clothes lines were not available, wet laundry was often hung on whatever was available, including the fence or porch rails.


The rural store pictured above, also made out of rough cypress lumber, looks just as it may have back in the 1940s. A "Royal Crown Cola" sign can be seen above the steps of the store, a reminder of the many cold soft drinks, all in bottles, that were sold at stores everywhere, even the Mississippi Delta, in years gone by. The only thing missing in this picture are the people who often lingered on the porch or the steps to drink RC, Grapette, Coca-Cola, or Big Red, at the end of a long, hot summer day.

For more information about festivals in or near Greenwood, including Rhythm on the River and Tallahatchie Flats Summer Music Festival, click here.

To visit the website for Tallahatchie Flats, click here or contact Les Shanks at 662.453.1854.
Next Stop: B. B. King Museum, Indianola, Mississippi
Source: All photos are from the Digital Photograph Collection (2009), privately held by Janice Tracy

Greenwood Blues Heritage Museum and Gallery, Greenwood, Mississippi

The next stop on our Delta Tour was the Greenwood Blues Heritage Museum and Gallery, located in the building in the photo above. If you are unfamiliar with Robert Johnson, he is the Delta Blues musician who allegedly "sold his soul to the devil" in order to become the greatest guitar man ever at what is now the intersection of U. S. Highways 49 and 61 known as the "crossroads." Robert Johnson's life and music career ended early, at the age of 27, allegedly under mysterious circumstances at Three Forks, a store and club near Greenwood.

The first floor of this beautifully renovated building houses the Blue Parrot Cafe and Veronica's Bakery. The restaurant had been on our list for dinner on Monday evening, but we were disappointed to find out that it was closed on the only evening we were in town. We did buy chocolate chip cookies from the glass case of goodies at Veronica's Bakery to take with us when we left Greenwood. The only word for the cookies - divine!

On the second floor is the museum and gallery, accessed by a single flight of stairs.




In addition to green historic markers that are posted along Mississippi's highways and byways, a new set of markers, blue in color, now mark places that are significant in the state's Blues History. The marker pictured above is one of the new markers and can be seen outside the building above.




Those who participated in the renovation of this three-story brick building in Greenwood's Historic Downtown District are memorialized on this plaque outside the building.




As we ascended the stairs, we knew we were at the right place when we saw this poster of the King of the Blues, Robert Johnson.

Once we reached the second floor, we were cordially greeted by George Vasquez, Steve Lavere's son. George's friendly smile and his knowledge of his father's thirty-something years collection of Robert Johnson records and memorabilia made our visit to the museum a very pleasant one. As he gave us a personal tour of the museum, he answered all of our questions with the ultimate in expertise and patience. Although George is a Californian who moved to Greenwood specifically to work with his father in getting this important blues museum established, we immediately decided that he is also a "Southern Gentleman." Thanks, George!

Memorabilia housed in glass showcases line the walls of the museum. Interestingly, these antique wooden glass cases and storage drawers were once part of an old drug store in Greenwood and now add to the uniqueness of this extensive collection of records, books, and other memorabilia.



Although the contents of this one-of-a-kind museum are the personal collection of Steve Lavere, there are a few new items for purchase in the small museum "store" area.

As we were about to leave the museum, Robert Johnson's loyal and longtime fan, Steve Lavere, "the man behind the museum," appeared at the head of the stairs. With the permission of both Steve and George, I snapped this final picture of them with another fan of Robert Johnson, my husband, who is standing in the middle. With Veronica's cookies in hand, we left the Robert Johnson Museum headed to check out a new venture described by George and Steve as "Tallahatchie Flats."

Source: Photos are part of a Digital Collection (2009), privately owned by Janice Tracy

Next Stop: A Pictorial Visit of Tallahatchie Flats

Scenes from Greenwood, Mississippi

Before we left Greenwood, Mississippi for other points of interest in the Mississippi Delta, we stopped to photograph a few historic buildings and landmarks in town. Although there are literally dozens of beautifully-kept turn-of-the century homes along Park Avenue, the one above caught my eye. With a porch on two sides, this house is the only one along this lovely tree-lined street with its front door facing a side street.


Our next stop was downtown Greenwood. Although we arrived in Greenwood after Memorial Day festivities were over, we thought it appropriate to include a photograph of the large Veteran's Memorial pictured above.



Another interesting building was the old Greenwood Public Library seen here. The new Greenwood Public Library is an up-to-date brick and glass facility in downtown Greenwood and is a great place to begin researching Leflore County family history.



One of the most beautiful historic structures in Greenwood, Mississippi is the Leflore County Courthouse seen above. Located at 317 W. Market Street, Greenwood, Mississippi, the courthouse is the center of government activity for the county of just under 40,000 people who live in and around the towns of Greenwood, Itta Bena, Morgan City, Schlater, and Sidon.
Next stop: Robert Johnson Museum

Sources: Digital Photograph Collection, privately held by Janice Tracy

The Bridgewater Inn, Greenwood, Mississippi

The absolute highlight of our Delta Tour was the grand old southern town of Greenwood, Mississippi. Named for the last Great Chief of the Choctaw Nation in Mississippi, Greenwood Leflore, Greenwood is the county seat of Leflore County, Mississippi. The town itself sits on both sides of a stretch of the Yazoo River, which empties into the Mississippi River just north of Vicksburg. Greenwood is home to a number of lovely "cotton mansions" that occupy its beautiful tree-lined streets.

This Mississippi historical marker pictured above occupies a vantage spot on River Road which runs along the Yazoo River. Although the town is built on both sides of the river, the older downtown section, with its narrow streets and alleys and historical buildings, occupies the side not seen in the photo. The marker tells the story of the "Greenwood Cotton Row District," a district comprised the "state's most important concentration of buildings associated with marketing of cotton and with the state's post-Civil War cotton boom," and has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Arriving in Greenwood in mid-afternoon on Memorial Day, we were headed to one of the lovely residences of times gone by when "Cotton was King." Our destination was the Bridgewater Inn, located at 501 River Road, where we had reservations for the night. Innkeepers and Hosts for the evening were native Mississippians Lucy Branch Cooper Hodges and her husband, James Hodges. Actually, Lucy and I are cousins, having descended from a common ancestor, Edward Tillman Branch, who migrated from Virginia to Mississippi in the early 1800's. James Hodges also has a connection to the Branch family through an elderly aunt.

This is a view of the front of the Bridgewater Inn, Greenwood, Mississippi, and what we saw as we drove to its address at 501 River Road . The view from the lower and the upper galleries of the house offer an unobstructed view of the waters of the Yazoo River. When we arrived at the Bridgewater Inn, I could not wait to sit in one of the inviting white rockers that occupied the downstairs gallery that ran the entire width of the house. And I didn't waste much time doing just that! I felt as if I needed to be wearing a hoop skirt and sipping on a mint julep while I watched the swift, muddy waters of the swollen Yazoo River flow by.

Entering the front door of this 1910 Greek Revival home, a visitor immediately sees the Drawing Room to the right of the front door.

In the late 1990's, Lucy Branch Cooper purchased the house from Dr. Donald Pierce, a local physician, and began an intensive restoration project. Lucy personally decorated the grand residence with exquisite period pieces exuding style and elegance. The house has a genuinely regal feel to it, thanks to Lucy's decorating expertise, but each room is inviting, warm, and comfortable, as well. As we wandered through the house, amazed by the ornate antique furniture that graces each room, I was pleasantly surprised to find a chef's kitchen filled with the latest in Viking appliances befitting even the most skilled culinary artisan. The fact that Greenwood is the home of the Viking Corporation, its manufacturing and distribution centers and the widely-acclaimed Viking Cooking School, has made Viking kitchens fairly common in many Greenwood homes.

Above is a view of the Front Parlor, which is seen to the left upon entering the Bridgewater Inn. Furnished in shades of green, the room's centerpiece is the fireplace and a turn-of-the century styled wooden mantle with intricate bead work trim and a beveled mirror.

Formerly the house's solarium, the room pictured above is located at the very back of the first floor and is furnished with inviting upholstered sofas and chairs. With beautiful stained glass windows throughout, the room is used as an informal living room for guests.

I snapped this photo just after we completed our breakfast in the grand dining room. When we awoke, the table was already set for two with Havilland china. This room, too, contains gorgeous stained glass windows in shades of yellow and gold that allowed the early morning light to enter the room ever so gently.

More stained glass windows! These were in the guest suite just around the corner from ours. So beautiful.

Our guest suite featured a king size bed. Like all of the other rooms in the house, it also had a fireplace with an antique mantle. Two of the bedrooms upstairs, including this one, had direct access to the upstairs gallery (see below.)

With a wooden swing boasting cup holders, the upstairs porch/gallery at the Bridgewater Inn was a perfect stop for an evening rest or morning coffee or tea, while watching the river just across the street. A soft wind was always blowing through the many large trees nearby. I could only wish we had been there a little earlier when the azaleas and other spring flowers were all in bloom.

A special part of our stay in Greenwood included dinner with our Bridgewater Inn Hosts, Lucy and James, who treated us to an unexpected and delicious dinner of Cornish game hen and wild rice. Since we are relatives, dinner conversation was sprinkled heavily with talk about family history, and Lucy even arranged a phone call for me to talk with Jim Branch, another family historian, who lives near Birminham, AL.Jim and I have been in touch since we returned home, and I now have a copy of a picture of Edward Tillman Branch, a son of the Edward Tillman Branch born in Virginia, along with a copy of a letter he wrote his daughter in 1902 while undergoing treatment for colon cancer in New Orleans. The picture and the letter will be the subjects of a later post about the Branch Family in Mississippi.

My only regret is that we had not visited Greenwood earlier in the year, when the azaleas and other spring plants were blooming in all their colorful glory. But there is always next year. And we are already planning a return trip to our newly-found fantastic home away from home in Greenwood.

A special thank you goes to you, Lucy and James, for being the perfect Hosts. You made our visit to the Bridgewater Inn and Greenwood a most memorable and enjoyable one.

See you next year!

Sources: Digital Photograph Collection 2009, privately owned by Janice Tracy

Mississippi Delta Tour

During the recent Memorial Day long weekend, we attended my brother's annual Memorial Day Party just south of Jackson. Just like the annual Byron Nelson Golf Tournament, his outdoor party has been known to get "rained out." This year it rained, and everyone, including a gaggle of great-nieces and great-nephews, were confined most of the day to the indoors, the covered patio, or the front porch. But the party was great fun. After lunch, we even had a baby shower for the newest addition to the family, another great-nephew, who already has a name and who is expected to arrive in mid-July in Biloxi.

Early Monday morning, the actual Memorial Day Holiday, we headed out for a trip that would end in Greenwood late that afternoon. Pictured below is how the street to Jessamine Cemetery in Ridgeland, Mississippi looked when we left for a short visit to the cemetery before leaving town.


(Photographed by J. Tracy, May 25, 2009)


Our itinerary for the day included stops in cemeteries around Coxburg, Ebenezer, Goodman, and Ebenezer, all in Holmes County, before arriving at the Bridgewater Inn in Greenwood, where we planned to stay for the night.

Beginning next week, I will be posting photos and articles about our short trip through the Mississippi Delta. I hope you will follow along to see and read about some of the sites that we visited along the way.

Next Stop: Greenwood, Mississippi (Leflore County)

"Malmaison," A Poem

Shortly after the fire that destroyed Malmaison, Mrs. W. H. Neill, a resident of Greenwood, Mississippi, wrote a poem about Greenwood Leflore's historic home. A copy of the poem, entitled simply "Malmaison," as it was published in the Greenwood Conservative on Friday, April 10, 1942, is reprinted here today.

Malmaison

"Home of a chief, it stands today, in dignity and pride.
The towering pine, and sturdy oak, as sentinels beside.
A monument it is, to him whose loyal hear ne-er swerved
From duty to the tribe he loved and, ever faithful, served.

Its pillared halls and lofty towers are symbols of his thought,
As beauty, majesty, and grace, were by his wishes wrought.
The name, 'Malmaison,' he bestowed, implies the tie that bound
Him to the country of his sire, tho' here a home be found.

And from that country, too, he chose his furnishings with care,
Brocades, for draperies and couch, and gold encrusted chair,
And candelabra, wrought with skill, with waxen tapers bright,
That made a scene of beauty, with their softly glowing light.

Carpets so velvety and soft, no foot fall e'er was heard,
And paintings, beautiful, and rare, were fashioned at his word.
All these have been preserved with care, tho' many years have past,
Since he left his loved Malmaison, Mighty chieftain to the last.

But Time, relentless vandal, hastens onward in his flight,
And destroys with ruthless fingers, beauty, majesty and might.
Unless the strong oppose him, and with zeal his ravage mends,
And ever watchful of his craft, deter him in his ends.

Mississippi! Tis your duty, it should be your joy and pride
To honor that great Chief, Leflore; make the honor nationwide,
And preserve Malmaison ever, as a symbol of his worth;
A tribute to his loyalty, in the land that gave him birth."