Weather: low 30 degrees, high 55 degrees, clear skies, heavy frost early
As I said in yesterday's post, we were going to get out and do some sightseeing today. We decided to take a trip over to Columbus, Mississippi, to see what that town is about. For those who don't know, Columbus is a city of about 27,000 people located in the east-central part of the state, about eight miles from the Alabama/Mississippi state line. Our impression is that the town is fairly prosperous, with an Air Force base located in the area. The town was officially named in 1821. Prior to that, it was known by several other names, including Possum Town, which is still it's nickname.
The city is the home of the Mississippi University for Women, and was the birthplace of playwright Tennessee Williams and sports announcer Red Barber. During the Civil War, the city was used as a hospital town, but also had an arsenal that produced different types of ammunition for the Confederacy. In 1866, a group of local ladies decorated the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers, which led to the founding of Memorial Day. The city has a large collection of antebellum homes, which were spared by the Union forces because of the city being a hospital town.
The downtown area is attractive and clean. It appears that there has been some effort made to revitalize the area. We saw evidence that some of the old buildings were being used for homes.
Below are some pictures of what we saw in Columbus.
The city is proud of their cultural background, especially the influence some of the residents had on the Blues style of music. Below is a historical marker that denotes the significance of Blues music and some of the other local history.
As we were driving into the city, we noticed that they have a Back Yard Burgers restaurant that had just opened. Since they are one of our favorite hamburgers, we decided we would eat lunch there. Good decision, and a good burger.
On the way home, we traveled back roads, and enjoyed the fall colors. It was a good excursion, and helps remind us even with all the problems the country is going through, this is still a great country, with good people.
More later, be safe.
Today's Town - Columbus, Mississippi: Possum Town
Not all who wander are lost.
No comments:
Post a Comment