May 31,2010
There are 3 Waffle Houses in this city listed with a 2000 census of 25,000. How can that be? This city that was under siege for 47 days because of their position on the Mississippi River, no longer sits on that river. There are 3 offices of the COE here controlling the flow of the Mississippi. We drove today on a levee that protects farm land from the river, except that now it is an isolated lake, a protion of an oxbow in the river that has been orphaned. A city of contradictions to be sure, but we have really enjoyed being here and researching its history.
During a tour yesterday, we came upon the first house of the area from 1827, built by George Washington Ball. That's the same Ball family as ol' George's Mom. The same Ball family that Russell is related to! We haven't gotten the connect straight yet, but it turns out we both have connections here. Who Knew?
We learned many other facts on that tour, a 2-hour trip in time, to ice merchants, nuns, governors, and Jeff Davis. Antebellum, Vicksburg was a town of merchants and plantation owners who kept a place in town for parties. We also learned that we were the first private tour for Mr. David Maggio, the biggest shock of the day. We highly recommend David if you are in the area.
We even adopted "Bbq Cat" on a very temporary basis. A beautiful little tawny adopted us for a couple of days because he/she likes the smell of Russell's cooking, but who doesn't? All part of a successful trip to this western Mississippi town.
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