Central Mississippi geographic names pay tribute to our two most famous foreign-born Revolutionary War heroes. Lafayette County, which has Oxford as its county seat, is named for the French Marquis de Lafayette, and the county seat of Attala County is the tiny town of Kosciusko, named in honor of the Polish-born Tadeusz Kosciuszko. Koscuszko grew up attending military schools in Europe, and in 1776, at the age of 30, happened to be in Paris and heard about the American War for Independence. Making his way across the ocean, he volunteered in George Washington’s Army and would rise to the rank of Brigadier General. There are many lasting tributes to Kosciuszko around the country and the world including a garden at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and National Memorial in Philadelphia, an island in Alaska and a wonderful statue in Lafayette Park in my hometown of Washington D.C.
The Mississippi city which now bears his name was once a simple campsite along the Natchez Trace Trail known as Red Bud Springs. At some point, a tavern and blacksmith shop were built to provide for travelers making their way up the Trace. Over time this settlement grew, and would eventually be chosen as the county seat of the new Attala County.
Kosciusko is a friendly and welcoming town which centers around a stunning town square. It gets its nickname, The Beehive of the Hills because it is the industrial and retail trade center of the region (there are beehive sculptures around the square which I mistook as pineapples when I arrived). Kosciusko is probably best known as the hometown of Oprah Winfrey, but bluesman Charlie Musselwhite also hails from the town. As did James Meredith, the first African-American student to attend Ole Miss. I loved my visit to this beautiful little community where I stopped off for the night as travelers have for centuries. It was really quiet when I visited, despite it being Saturday evening, and I almost felt like I had the square to myself. The twilight was perfect for taking these photos, and the sky was a wonderful blue when I went back in the morning. I hope you enjoy these pictures of beautiful downtown Kosciusko, Mississippi - The Beehive of the Hills..
Hi Guys, it’s that time of the week again. It’s been another great week on the road in Mississippi, and I’m happy to share some of the highlights with you here. My week started in Cascilla in the rural center of the state, led me on a quick loop through the Delta with night stops in Cleveland, Clarksdale and Greenwood and is ending right here in beautiful but rainy Vicksburg. It’s been a week of beautiful towns, incredible food, good music and some really great photo opportunities. Despite the gloomy weather which has been a pretty constant companion this week, my spirits are high and I’m enjoying myself out here. I’m finding some good balance and trying to stress less and enjoy more. In all, it’s been a pretty awesome week out here.
Storms came hard in Central Mississippi as my week began, with hail, tornadoes and damaging wind. I was grateful to my friend John and his family for giving me shelter from the storm last Wednesday night (and for two nights before that). By the time I left Thursday morning, the worst of the storms had passed although the clouds persisted. Shadow Catcher was a whole different vehicle with new shocks, and we no longer bounce down the road like Tigger. That would come in really handy on the less-than-ideal roads of the Delta. I went with stiffer shocks because it’s a big van, so it’s not a smooth ride, but it’s enormously improved on what it was last week.
Decending from John’s place in the hills and heading west on Route 8, I came out into the beautiful, pancake-flat Mississippi Delta. Cotton fields hemmed in the road, and the familiar sights of rusted out cars in front of old sharecroppers’ cabins made me feel like I was once again on familiar ground…
Hello Everyone,
It’s great to see you, and I’d like to extend a very warm welcome to our new subscribers this week, I’m happy that you’re here. It’s been a pretty quiet week here in Mississippi, but a busy one as well. I haven’t done a lot of traveling, but I’ve been to some pretty cool places and met some wonderful people. This week has brought me from Columbus back through to middle of the state with stops in French Camp, Kosciusko and Winona. I spent a couple of nights Cascilla in a pretty rural part of the state with my friend John and his family, and then wound up the week traveling northwest into the Mississippi Delta. Of all the time I’ve spent in Mississippi in the past, most of it has been in the Delta, so it’s pretty comfortable to me. I love it here, and have always been fascinated by the music and the culture. Sadly, I know that poverty levels in the Delta are high, and that this factor contributes to both the music and culture of the region, but I’ve also seen the region develop a reasonable tourism industry in the 15 years or so I’ve been coming here, and hope conditions continue to improve for the area’s residents. Regardless of any of that though, it’s always great to be back in the Delta.
When we last we spoke, I had just pulled into Columbus, in the far east of the state near the Alabama border. My first impressions of the town were good, but my lasting impressions were even better. I really found it to be a delightful and hospitable town full of history with surprises around every corner.
Water Valley is an endearing small town of about 3400 people in Yalobusha County in North-Central Mississippi. Settlers began moving to the area after the treaties of Dancing Rabbit Creek and Pontotoc which would push the native Choctaw and Chickasaw people out of the area. Cotton plantations began to spring up in the region with most of the cotton traveling to market along the Yalobusha and Yocona Rivers. Then the Mississippi Central Railroad came to town in 1860 and Water Valley became a bit of a boom town. Beautiful Victorian homes were built and downtown was thriving. The Civil War came to Water Valley in 1862 when Union forces occupied the town. After the war, Water Valley would thrive again, but when rail traffic was diverted elsewhere the town would begin a long slow decline. Some time around 2008, Water Valley underwent a renaissance as people began to discover a beautiful town with cheap real estate and empty storefronts. Today, Water Valley is starting to come into its own yet again. If it weren’t in the heart of Central Mississippi, I might even call it “hip”. It’s still quiet and a little sleepy, but you can feel renewal in the air. As I walked around, I saw a lot of people working in the empty buildings and turning them into something fresh and new. Meanwhile, Turnage Drugstore which has been in operation since 1905, is still at the heart of the community and remains a great place to visit, grab an ice cream and catch up on the gossip (and get your prescriptions filled too, I assume). I really enjoyed this delightful little town…
The Square has been the heart of the town of Oxford since the town was founded back in 1837. The county which surrounds it was named Lafayette after Revolutionary War hero Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier - the Marquis de Lafayette. Oxford took its name from the English home to Oxford University in the hopes it would help secure them a new state university, which it did in 1848 when the University of Mississippi or “Ole Miss” opened its doors. Ole Miss shut its doors during the Civil War when 135 of its 139 students enlisted in the Confederate Army. Sadly, all 135 were killed, most in the battle at Gettysburg. The town was occupied by Union forces during the war, and much of it was burnt to the ground in 1864. The town and university were rebuilt after the war, and both would go on to thrive, creating one of the wealthiest and most vibrant communities in the State of Mississippi. Today, The Square is still the heart of town and university life, with restaurants, shops, bars and one of the best bookstores in the country. I had a great visit to Oxford, and really fell in love with the photogenic central square. I hope you enjoy these photos of beautiful Oxford Square. Click on any image to enlarge it, and please contact me if you are interested in purchasing or licensing any of these images.
Hey Y’all,
It is great to be back on the road and it is great to be back writing This Week on the Road. I’ve missed you all, and this weekly post and this journey. While it was definitely good for me mentally to go back to work for a few months and then spend some quality time with my friends and family back at home, I feel really good and very blessed and happy to be back on the road.
I left home in Washington DC last Thursday and aimed for my dad’s place in Charleston, West Virginia. It was a cold and windy ride through the mountains, and snow whirled and blew as Shadow Catcher and I made our way west. The winter blast made me happy we were heading south and it felt good to have months ahead of us and only our plans and our wits to guide us. It was wonderful passing through and past some of the earliest destinations of this journey when we first set out way back in November of 2017. It was cold then too and the days were short, and my dad’s place was definitely a point of refuge as I got all of this off the ground. But driving past exits for Blackwater Falls and Weston and Morgantown and Harpers Ferry all brought a huge smile to my face. We’ve come a long way since then and it was good to take a drive down memory lane.
I spent 2 days with my Dad and Judy, and it was great to catch up with them and enjoy their company. I helped them with a few things around the house and they took me out to a nice meal. It’s always great to see them, and it was my last taste of home for a while.
We set off from Charleston on Saturday, headed west into Kentucky and then south from Lexington into Tennessee. This ride took us past even more wonderful memories from this journey…
The Corinth Contraband Camp was established in the wake of the Battle of Shiloh and the subsequent occupation of Corinth by the Union Army. Enslaved people in the area fled behind Union lines, seeking safety from their masters with the Union Army. The army saw the strategic value in providing these people a safe haven. The former slaves were put to work to aid the war effort, and were paid for their time and allowed to pursue an education with missionaries who came from the North. They built homes and gardens for food and even planted cotton to aid the Union Army. Many young men who made their way to the camp enlisted in the army – first used as cooks and laborers and later armed as the 1st Alabama Infantry Regiment of African Decent (later the 55th U.S. Colored Troops). These troops were used in combat at Brices Crossroads and Waterford in 1864. The camp was a model for others of its kind springing up across the South. It was the first step for these people on their road to freedom. More than 6,000 people passed through the Corinth Contraband Camp during the year it was operational. The camp was abandoned in 1864 as Union efforts consolidated in Memphis, and not much remains there today. The open site is part of Shiloh National Battlefield, and the wonderful sculptures in these photographs were produced by Larry Lugar, a sculptor from nearby Memphis. I think they are wonderful depictions and show the determination these newly freed people showed under adverse conditions during their time there. It might not have been paradise, but for the first time in any of their lives, they were free.
The Battle of Shiloh took place on April 6th and 7th, 1862 in the woods near the Tennessee River just north of the Mississippi border. The battle takes its name from a log church which was there at the time and built by the settlers in the area. The word ”Shiloh” sadly comes from the Hebrew for “Place of Peace”, but in our history it will forever be remembered as a place of terrible, bloody conflict. The Union was moving down the Tennessee River with the hopes of capturing and controlling the Mississippi River Valley. One of the keys to that goal was the important railroad crossing in nearby Corinth, Mississippi, which linked the Mississippi and Charleston and the Mobile and Ohio Railroads. The first was the only rail link between the Mississippi River and the Atlantic Ocean. After a decisive victory at Fort Donelson and the subsequent falls of Nashville and Clarksville, the Union Army set their sights on Corinth, and the Confederacy rushed to reorganize and defend it…
During my month in Hawaii I visited Oahu twice, but only for a total of four days. I enjoyed a lot of the historic buildings in Honolulu, especially Iolani Palace. Pearl Harbor was fascinating and heartbreaking, the North Shore was full of amazing scenery and cool places to stop and poke around, and Waikiki had a beautiful beach and some wonderful recreational opportunities and nightlife. It was always hectic when I was there as I was running around trying to get trips started and dealing with taxis and rental cars, but when I finally had a little bit of time and space to breath, I really enjoyed my brief visit to Oahu. Although I didn’t have time to take a lot of photos there, I quite like some that I did take. I hope you do too.
Kauai was the island I spent the least amount of time on during my month in Hawaii, having only been there for a scant 48 hours. I was still very happy I made it to this distant and quiet island, as any time on Kauai is better than no time there at all. Arriving in tiny Lihue Airport, we seemed to be a world away from the sparkle and noise of Honolulu. With a population of just 72,000 people, about the same as tiny Lake Charles, Louisiana, Kauai sure does pack a punch. With lovely beaches, a rugged north coast and incredible Waimea Canyon, the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, tucked into its interior, anywhere you look you’re bound to see something beautiful. The towns are all small and quaint, the beaches almost deserted, and there was hardly a car on the road. We even made it to a luau on the beach. I hope you enjoy these photos from the lovely “Garden Island” as much as I enjoyed taking them.
I got to visit Maui twice during my month in Hawaii, and what a beautiful island it is. It seems like each time you turn the corner the view is somehow more stunning than the last. The beaches are beautiful and inviting, the locals are friendly and quick to offer advice, and the landscape is amazingly diverse for such a tiny island. This post will start with the amazing journey down the Road to Hana, one of America’s greatest road trips. Although short in miles, it’s long on beautiful views and sites to see. Then I’ll take you to the summit of Haleakala in the National Park of the same name, to gaze out over this amazing volcano, high above the clouds. Finally, we’ll go on a sunset stroll around the beautiful town of Lahaina, where whalers, missionaries and Hawaiian royalty once mingled. Even though these photos only scratch the surface of what Maui has to offer, I’m sure you’ll understand what all the fuss is about.
During my month in Hawaii I had the pleasure of spending more time on the Big Island than anywhere else. It became my home base in the state and I really enjoyed exploring all the little off-the-beaten-path places as I made my way around. From the awesome Green Sand Beach near South Point to the breathtaking Waipi’o Valley in the far north, the Big Island has such a diverse landscape and personality. And best of all, there weren’t the big crowds I ran into on Maui and Oahu. It’s a relatively quiet little corner of paradise. I hope you enjoy these photos from my two and a half weeks exploring Hawaii’s Big Island. I can’t wait to go back!
