I couldn’t resist this pull-off due to its name: “Yockanookany”, a Choctaw word meaning “has been lost”. The Yockanookany River is nearby. (Seeing fun place names is an added benefit to RV travel!)
A view of the tranquil Natchez Trace Parkway at this spot, with large, round bales of hay in the background:
As mentioned in an earlier post, the Ross Barnett Reservoir is actually an impoundment of the Pearl River. Just after the Cypress Swamp site is one called River Bend. It’s a beautiful view of the Pearl River and worth a stop. There are picnic areas and rest rooms.
The river enters the picture on the right:
Another view with the main channel in the center to the left of the dark clump of trees:
At the north end of the Ross Barnett Reservoir, north of Jackson, MS, is the Cypress Swamp site.
[The sign makes the stroll through this site sound so tranquil. It would be except for the mosquitoes!! They were out in full force!!]
Several people had recommended that we stop here. It’s really a good example of what early explorers and travelers typically had to deal with when traversing this part of the country. And during the Civil War, troops and supplies often had to move through these hazards. Insects and disease were prevalent.
Nevertheless, it was quite interesting to view. And, despite swatting away the “skeeters”, it was a tranquil place. Many shades of green and many different textures.
The predominant tree types are water tupelo and bald cypress. The latter are known for “cypress knees” which rise up from the tree roots (see the photo above). They’re a bit of a mystery. They don’t function as roots per se and possibly to help stabilize the tree. They’re certainly interesting shapes. The water tupelo doesn’t produce the “knees” and has a smoother bark. (Sorry I don’t seem to have a photo of one! Oops!)
We found it odd that we didn’t see any wildlife as we quietly walked the trail. No turtles. Even the birds were illusive.
We continued our day trip from the Choctaw Agency (MM 100.7) north along the reservoir. Almost immediately, we discovered access to the parkway from Ridgeland, location of the Mississippi Crafts Center. Several interesting sites/pull-offs follow in the next 4 or 5 miles, one of which is the Reservoir Overlook (MM 105.6). The parkway parallels the reservoir for the next 8 miles.
The 31,000 acre reservoir is owned/managed by the Pearl River Valley Water Supply District. The dam is on the northern edge of Jackson; the reservoir then stretches north up the Pearl River for just over 15 miles. There are 105 miles of shoreline. It provides Jackson’s water supply and is a major recreational focal point for the area.
There are 4 campgrounds on the reservoir, all supervised by the Pearl River Water Supply District. Two are convenient for use while visiting Jackson or pausing on a journey on the parkway. Timberlake Campground is nearest the city and all amenities (see earlier post). Goshen Springs Campground is a bit further north. Both are within easy access to the Natchez Trace Parkway. The fee for a full-hookup RV site is $24/night; senior citizens receive a $2 discount so pay $22/night. In summer, it’s wise to call for a reservation. The website and phone numbers are:
http://www.rossbarnettreservoir.org/about.html
Timberlake Campground: 601-992-9100, 143 Timberlake Dr., Brandon, MS 39047; Goshen Springs: 601-829-2751, 4248 Hwy. 43 North, Brandon, MS 39047
Our next stop was of very personal interest to me. My great-great-grandfather, Silas Dinsmore (correct spelling), had served as an Indian Agent for the US Government. I was pleased to see this sign at the site of the Choctaw Agency, located here from 1807 to 1820, though the building no longer exists.
Silas Dinsmore later convinced his son, James, to buy nearly 400 acres near Burlington, KY, in 1838. James built a house there completed in 1840. As the years passed, a family graveyard was established on a hill above the house. Silas, James, and their descendants, including my grandmother, grandfather, mother, and uncles are all buried there. My first husband and I were married in the house’s main parlor in December, 1974. In 1988, my mother sold most of the property to the Dinsmore Homestead Foundation which has created The Dinsmore Homestead, a living history museum depicting Ohio River Valley life from 1850 through the early 1900’s. The website is:
Over 100 acres of woodland was donated to the Nature Conservancy to preserve it as an example of “climax forest”, a mature forest community. Several acres were sold to Boone County for use as a park.
We hope that Silas is pleased with the outcome.
With the motor home, Richard and I had traveled up the Trace as far north as I-20 at Jackson before pausing to explore Jackson itself (see postings on Jackson). During our stay there, we drove our truck up the Trace north from I-20 to well above the north end of Ross Barnett Reservoir at about MM 135. We turned off at MS 16 which took us into Carthage, MS. We “dined” at Little Richard’s Seafood Diner – we just had to!
Our first stop on this segment of the Trace was at the Clinton, MS, Visitor Center (+/- MM 88 or 89). This building has won numerous awards for its design incorporating the distinctive style indigenous to Mississippi. The “ell” on the left side is attached in the style known as a “dog trot”, a covered walkway open at both ends which allowed for good air circulation and a sheltered spot to sit in warm weather. One’s farm dogs could “trot” right on through. There’s a covered gallery which also invites sitting in a rocker out of the sun or during an evening.
The building’s interior was well-planned to look like a home, except this one displays racks of brochures of interest to tourists. There are display cases on the walls with historical artifacts and fine art, as well as gift items made locally.
An exhibit, “Journey Stories”, was set up in 2 or 3 of the rooms. This remarkable exhibit was organized and circulated by the Smithsonian’s Traveling Exhibition Service. The brochure states: “Journey Stories is a compelling Smithsonian exhibition that shows how our evolving mobility changed a young nation and how transportation made us grow. The accounts of travelers themselves express the hopes and promises of fresh starts, the grim realities of forced migrations and difficult journeys, and the thrills of personal travel.” For some this was a one-way journey to America; for others, an arduous trek made by covered wagon; a railroad trip across country; steamboat travel on our mighty rivers; and also stories of family vacations full of fun and adventure. It all involved travel – how apropos for the Natchez Trace Parkway!
What a long name for this other key attraction in Jackson!
It’s easy to find: 1150 Lakeland Drive, exit 98-B on I-55, Jackson, MS, 39216. Phone 601-713-3365. It’s adjacent to the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. Hours: Open Mon-Sat, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Closed Sundays. Closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.
Per the brochure, “the Museum depicts the dominant forces that have shaped the history and economy of the state. The exhibits, showing the powerful roles of agriculture and forestry, help to express the fact that Mississippi, as well as America, has a heritage that is linked to our soil.”
And we can verify that the 35,000 sq. ft. Heritage Center does an excellent job of doing exactly that! There’s even a section devoted to “crop dusters” and the evolution of the airplanes used in the state’s agriculture, complete with vintage planes! Other sections explain Mississippi’s cotton farming and ginning, the state’s timber industry, and food production.
Outside, you’ll find the pre-Civil War Fortenberry-Parkman Farm. Started in 1860, the entire farmstead was moved from its original site in south MS and restored as it was in the 1920’s.
Another outside exhibit is “Small Town Mississippi”, a reconstruction of a typical small town of the 1920’s to 1930’s. It’s very well done. Here are just some of the buildings:
There’s a cane mill and the Bisland Cotton Gin. Both are operated for display purposes in the fall after cane is cut and cotton is picked. A photo of the gins, showing the machines which remove the cotton seeds:
Every community relied on its local gristmill to grind each family’s supply of corn meal and flour. I enjoyed this sign near the old gristmill machinery on display. Indeed, “grits and corn bread are somewhat peculiar to this region”!! Corn bread, corn muffins, hushpuppies…what would a southern meal be without them?
Finally, you MUST see the Fitzgerald Collection, the truly remarkable result of one couple’s lifetime accumulation of Mississippi-Americana. Among other things, this includes 17,500 Native American artifacts and a gun collection. If an item could be “collected”, the Fitzgerald’s gave it a try!
A photo of the building which houses the collection and one of the original sign from the Fitzgerald’s home in Inverness, MS, which now hangs in front of the building. 
The Mississippi Crafts Center is one of two key attractions in Jackson. It’s located at 950 Rice Road, Ridgeland, MS 39157, right off the Natchez Trace Parkway. (Ridgeland is adjacent to Jackson’s north side.) The Center is housed in a new 20,000 sq. ft. facility and displays the work of over 400 artisans from 19 states. The building itself is very pleasant: airy, open, and filled with natural light. It can be rented for special occasions (weddings, etc.), including the large front patio. The Center is run by “the Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi, an organization of craftsmen and others interested in preserving and promoting the folk, traditional and contemporary crafts of Mississippi and in encouraging the highest standard of excellence in these crafts.” (quote from the Center’s brochure). The Guild offers educational demonstrations by Master Craftsmen most weekends and several annual events. The day we visited, a small blue grass band was pickin’ and strummin’ in the front patio, using classic instruments.
Inside, the displayed works of art were created in many different materials – cloth, clay, wood, metal, etc., and painted works. The caliber of craftsmanship was VERY high. A few pieces weren’t for sale but most were – the prices were appropriate to the quality of work – moderate to high but not unreasonable, thus making this a shopping destination! (I restrained myself – living in a motor home automatically puts the “kibosh” on indiscriminate purchases!) I didn’t find the work to be “traditional”. I guess I expected the Mississippi equivalent to Appalachian crafts.
We would definitely recommend a visit to this Center!! It’s across the street from Ross Barnett Reservoir. There are restaurants nearby, marinas, and green space. It’s minutes from downtown Jackson and very near access to and from the Natchez Trace Parkway. It’s open 7 days a week, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. except for Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, and Easter Sunday. The phone number is 601-856-7546.
Helpful resources:
The Mississippi Crafts Center is one of two key attractions in Jackson. It’s located at 950 Rice Road, Ridgeland, MS 39157, right off the Natchez Trace Parkway. (Ridgeland is adjacent to Jackson’s north side.) The Center is housed in a new 20,000 sq. ft. facility and displays the work of over 400 artisans from 19 states. The building itself is very pleasant: airy, open, and filled with natural light. It can be rented for special occasions (weddings, etc.), including the large front patio. The Center is run by “the Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi, an organization of craftsmen and others interested in preserving and promoting the folk, traditional and contemporary crafts of Mississippi and in encouraging the highest standard of excellence in these crafts.” (quote from the Center’s brochure). The Guild offers educational demonstrations by Master Craftsmen most weekends and several annual events. The day we visited, a small blue grass band was pickin’ and strummin’ in the front patio, using classic instruments.
Inside, the displayed works of art were created in many different materials – cloth, clay, wood, metal, etc., and painted works. The caliber of craftsmanship was VERY high. A few pieces weren’t for sale but most were – the prices were appropriate to the quality of work – moderate to high but not unreasonable, thus making this a shopping destination! (I restrained myself – living in a motor home automatically puts the “kibosh” on indiscriminate purchases!) I didn’t find the work to be “traditional”. I guess I expected the Mississippi equivalent to Appalachian crafts.
We would definitely recommend a visit to this Center!! It’s across the street from Ross Barnett Reservoir. There are restaurants nearby, marinas, and green space. It’s minutes from downtown Jackson and very near access to and from the Natchez Trace Parkway. It’s open 7 days a week, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. except for Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, and Easter Sunday. The phone number is 601-856-7546. Helpful resources:
We’d read about a restaurant in Lorman, a speck of a community just off the Parkway. It’s called the Old Country Store and its owner, Mr. Arthur Davis, cooks and serves reputedly the “World’s Best Fried Chicken” – while wearing a crisp white shirt and fine red tie. He and his establishment were featured in Alton Brown’s “Feasting on Asphalt” television program on the Food Network. From the outside, it isn’t very impressive. As the name implies, the building has served as a general store and several other things.
Remnants of of the building’s days as a general store can be seen in the sliding ladders (one on each side of the store’s interior), the shelving, and the drawers. Today, this area serves as a dining room.
The food is served buffet-style in an adjoining room. There was fried chicken, field peas, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans with bacon, mustard greens, salad, cornbread, fruit, and homemade desserts (including banana pudding with vanilla wafers, quite popular in MS). With your choice of non-alcoholic beverages, this all-you-can-eat array cost a mere $8.95!
While I was eating, I could hear Mr. D crooning in a bluesy, Mississippi Delta way that there was “Fresh hot fried chicken” as a new batch was put out on the serving table. When you pay for your meal at the register, Mr. D signs a menu and gives it to you as a gift. You just have to go there! It’s remarkable!
Incidentally, there is nothing remotely healthy in Mississippi cuisine. It’s either fried, has lots of sugar in or on it, or a combination of both! Vegetables have been cooked too long and often with bits of pork fat or bacon in them. This is the South, where you are asked if you want “sweet” or “unsweet” ice tea. “Sweet” tea will give you such a sugar buzz!
Our motor home needed an oil change so we left the Trace and went into s.e. Jackson. Our base camp for the coming week was at Timberlake Campground on Ross Barnett Reservoir, in n.e. Jackson (Brandon). This is one of several campgrounds offered through the Pearl River Valley Water District and is located closest to the city – VERY convenient to local attractions, shopping, and restaurants. We highly recommend Timberlake.
We were lucky to get a site on the lake. The Reservoir is huge so fishing and recreational boating occur on other parts of the water. Our campground makes a good fish camp and has a couple of boat ramps.
We enjoyed some good bird watching: Canada Geese, Blue Jays, Eastern Bluebirds. Lots of baby birds (see pix below)! A fine Canada Goose: A fuzzy young gosling and baby Blue Jay… Eastern Bluebird… Mallard drakes taking a break… Red-headed Woodpecker… And my favorite, the “Goose Parade”: These guys were marching along the edge of a parking lot across the water from our campsite. Everything was done by group decision and with constant discussion. Soon after I snapped this picture, they carefully climbed down the rocks and slipped into the water. The goslings were so fun to watch!
This segment of the Trace is fairly uneventful, enjoyed mainly for its being a quiet green snippet of time away from “civilization”.
We’d read about a restaurant in Lorman, a speck of a community just off the Parkway. It’s called the Old Country Store and its owner, Mr. Arthur Davis, cooks and serves reputedly the “World’s Best Fried Chicken” – while wearing a crisp white shirt and fine red tie. He and his establishment were featured in Alton Brown’s “Feasting on Asphalt” television program on the Food Network. From the outside, it isn’t very impressive. As the name implies, the building has served as a general store and several other things.
Remnants of of the building’s days as a general store can be seen in the sliding ladders (one on each side of the store’s interior), the shelving, and the drawers. Today, this area serves as a dining room.
The food is served buffet-style in an adjoining room. There was fried chicken, field peas, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans with bacon, mustard greens, salad, cornbread, fruit, and homemade desserts (including banana pudding with vanilla wafers, quite popular in MS). With your choice of non-alcoholic beverages, this all-you-can-eat array cost a mere $8.95!
While I was eating, I could hear Mr. D crooning in a bluesy, Mississippi Delta way that there was “Fresh hot fried chicken” as a new batch was put out on the serving table. When you pay for your meal at the register, Mr. D signs a menu and gives it to you as a gift. You just have to go there! It’s remarkable!
Incidentally, there is nothing remotely healthy in Mississippi cuisine. It’s either fried, has lots of sugar in or on it, or a combination of both! Vegetables have been cooked too long and often with bits of pork fat or bacon in them. This is the South, where you are asked if you want “sweet” or “unsweet” ice tea. “Sweet” tea will give you such a sugar buzz!
We first explored the Parkway from MM 0 north to near MM 60, slightly s.e. of Vicksburg. It would be incredibly challenging to stop at every single historic site or pull-off, so we can only mention the ones we chose to visit.
Our main interest was in the Old Trace itself, its history, and the remaining portions of it. When it was being heavily traveled, there were inns established along the way called “stands”. A good example of that is Mount Locust (MM 15.5), dating to 1780, one of the oldest buildings in Mississippi. It was restored in 1956 as a frontier home of the 1820s, the peak of the Trace’s foot and horse travel.
It was easy to imagine travelers reaching this stand, located a one-day walk from Natchez, and emerging from the trail out of the woods. An interesting note, according to the NPS ranger on-site, was that travelers were not allowed to sleep in the house. They had to prepare their own meals outdoors and likely slept in an outbuilding furnished with wall-to-wall corn shuck mattresses. The stand offered them safety, since the Trace was also frequented by thieves and scoundrels.
While exploring around the stand’s exterior, I was captivated by a sweet scent. I followed it and found, almost hidden away at one end of the house, what seemed to be a whole gardenia bush!
I imagined that it brought quiet joy to Pauline Ferguson Chamberlain, the innkeeper from 1801 through her death in 1849. (I just planted a gardenia in my patio in south Texas before we left on this summer’s adventures.)
We detoured off the Natchez Trace Parkway to visit Vicksburg which lies right on the banks of the Mississippi River less than 50 miles north of Natchez. It had tremendous historical significance during the Civil War: control of the Mississippi River south of Cairo, IL, and free transport of goods. The Confederacy had seized control of the river, thereby denying the North its use of the river to move and supply its troops, but Union troops waged an enormous campaign to wrest that control away. The South defended its position throughout a valiant and exhaustive effort, the loss of many lives, destruction of property, and several months, but ultimately the North won. The campaign lasted from March 29 to July 4, 1863. To commemorate this pivotal and intense military campaign, a National Military Park was established in 1899 and is administered by the National Park Service (NPS).
The Park is liberally marked by plaques, monuments, statues and busts to honor every single company and/or regiment ever recorded as serving in this one campaign. I think I heard it has more of these commemorative tributes than any other military park in the country! It’s a bit overwhelming and impossible to read all of them. I’ve included a few samples further on.
Initially, the Park was a very large crescent-shape encompassing Vicksburg and incorporating the exact siege and defense lines occupied by both the Confederates and the Union troops during the Vicksburg Campaign. However, this crescent effectively closed off modern-day Vicksburg from any potential growth. An urgent appeal was made to the NPS, a deal was struck whereby the City of Vicksburg was given the southern third of what had been the Military Park, and the NPS was given additional land at the Park’s north end. The stranded monuments are still accessible along roadsides, in people’s back yards, and in the woods!
The park is well-designed. The main roadways are “Union Avenue” or Confederate Avenue”, appropriately located. Signage denoting location of troop movement is on either blue or red background.
Some states spared little to properly acknowledge the troops representing them. The State of Illinois’ monument was rather impressive.
The mosaic floor inside (seen below) was stunning!
This one on the hill represents only ONE of the monuments from Ohio!
This is a sample marble monument for Wisconsin’s 17th Infantry.
Here’s a typical plaque:
And an example of the statues:
This one below remembers Mississippians and, particularly, all the African American troops who served in the war after being “freed” by their slave owners.
The official State of Mississippi Monument for the National Military Park (seen below) almost didn’t get funded! It was approved at the very last minute!
Many of the monuments have elaborate carvings, bas reliefs, and sculptural elements on them:
And this:
And I’ve saved a good one for last -- the monument representing the Great State of Texas:
A closer look shows yucca plants on the base:
God Bless Texas!
