Spring Break in Mississippi

This past week was Spring Break for the boys.  Greg was unable to take time off from his internship, so I packed them up and we headed for Mississippi.  We drove across Southern Arkansas and arrived in the Mississippi Delta, the land of cotton and the birthplace of the blues.  We had never been to this part of Mississippi before.  The reason for our visit was my desire to seek out historical places.  This time I was in search of a site that was a catalyst to the Civil Rights movement.  We visited what remains of the Bryant Meat and Grocery in Money, MS.  It is where 14 year old Emmett Till whistled at a white woman, thus setting into motion a chain of events that eventually gave Rosa Parks the courage to say no to the white man who demanded her seat on that Montgomery bus.  If you do not know the story of Emmett Till, you might want to take a moment to google him.  It's heartbreaking.  We arrived at the store on a foggy morning.  There is no marker or memorial, just a rotting building.  The smell of decay was heavy.  All and all, fitting for what happened here.  

Bryant Meat and Grocery, Money, MS

After we left Money we drove south.  I really enjoy seeing the bayous and back road country. It's mysterious in a way, like something you can never really know.  Our destination was Flora, MS.  In Flora is the Mississippi Petrified Forest.  This is the only petrified Forest east of the Rocky Mountains.  Apparently 38 million years ago, these trees came down river, got buried under silt and turned to stone.  Today, through erosion, they have re-emerged.  As you walk the trails, you see logs sticking out of the ground here and there.  It was a lovely hike.

38 million year old log

After our hike we continued west toward Vicksburg.  We traveled on the Natchez Trace Highway for a little while.  What a beautiful road.  Someday it would be fun to drive the whole lenghth, from Natchez, MS to Nashville, TN.  Upon reaching Vicksburg, we spent the remainder of the day at the battlefield.

Jacob near the Shirly House, Vicksburg, MS

Justin "firing" the cannon

The next day was spent finishing our tour of the battlefield, then a trip down to the Windsor Mansion Ruins outside Port Gibson, MS.  This mansion burned to the ground in 1890.  Now only the columns remain.  

Us at the Windsor Ruins

We drove home across Louisiana, thus making a circle of sorts.  It was a rewarding trip, seeing new sites, the boys doing so well, and knowing I could handle it on my own.