Mississippi Trivia & Tidbits - Page 13

Looking for Mississippi trivia? Try our list Mississippi little know facts, tidbits and trivia.

The Garden for the Blind in Hazlehurst (pop. 4,400) can be enjoyed with most of our senses. The plants have strong aromas and unusual texture. The bubbling fountain provides a soothing sound, and a handrail guides visitors.

first appeared: 7/28/2002

The American Heritage “Big Red” Fire Museum in Louisville (pop. 7,006) promotes an appreciation of firefighting with its late 1700s hand pumpers, hose reels, horse-drawn ladder trucks, and more than 100 other antiquities.

first appeared: 7/21/2002

The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg houses the de Grummond Collection, the world’s largest collection of original children’s literature.

first appeared: 7/14/2002

Jimmy Buffett, singer and songwriter, was born in Pascagoula (pop. 26,200) on Christmas Day, 1946. His first release, Down To Earth, came out in 1970.

first appeared: 7/7/2002

The George E. Ohr Arts and Cultural Center in Biloxi houses much of the potter’s best work. Born in 1857, Ohr was dismissed by his contemporaries—but in 1968 a New Jersey antiques dealer sold his pieces in the New York area, where some pots have brought $100,000.

first appeared: 6/30/2002

Neshoba County derived its name from nashoba, a Choctaw Indian word meaning “wolf.”

first appeared: 6/23/2002

Built in 1852, Waverley Mansion near West Point (pop. 12,145) has an octagonal cupola and four self-supporting stairways that connect balconies. It is possibly the most toured home in the South.

first appeared: 6/16/2002

Both the city of Greenwood (pop. 18,425) and Leflore County were named for Greenwood LeFlore, a wealthy planter of French and Choctaw ancestry, known as the last chief of the Choctaws East of the Mississippi.

first appeared: 6/9/2002

Mississippi’s largest flea market, First Monday Trade Day in Ripley (pop. 5,478), began in 1893. The market originally was held on the first Monday of every month but now takes place on the preceding weekend.

first appeared: 6/2/2002

Built in 1789, Springfield Plantation in Fayette (pop. 2,242) was the setting for Andrew Jackson’s marriage to Rachel Robards in 1791. The 1,000-acre grounds, a working plantation for more than 200 years, are still farmed.

first appeared: 5/26/2002

Corinth (pop. 14,054) annually celebrates with the Slugburger Festival. Made of beef and cornmeal or soybean meal, then deep-fried, the name came from the slang expression for a nickel, the burger’s original cost.

first appeared: 5/19/2002

On 40 acres of gardens and bayous and surrounded by 26 Tuscan columns, Dunleith in Natchez (pop. 18,464) is the last fully colonnaded (columned) house standing in Mississippi.

first appeared: 5/12/2002

Grand Gulf Military Monument Park near Port Gibson (pop. 1,840) was the site of the shelling of Confederate forts Cobun and Wade by Union gunboats. The 400-acre park includes the forts, hiking trails, and a cemetery.

first appeared: 5/5/2002

After a Union victory in 1863, Gen. Ulysses S. Grant said Port Gibson (pop. 1,840) was “too beautiful to burn” and left it alone. Grant’s triumph at the Battle of Port Gibson began his successful campaign to capture Vicksburg.

first appeared: 4/28/2002

Established in 1960, the Palestine Gardens in Lucedale (pop. 2,458) feature an authentic scale model of the Holy Land at the time of Jesus Christ. Biblical scenes include the River Jordan, the Dead Sea, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem.

first appeared: 4/21/2002

Manship House in Jackson was built in 1857 by Charles Henry Manship, a decorative painter who was mayor of Jackson during the Civil War.

first appeared: 4/14/2002

Located in Pascagoula, the Old Spanish Fort is considered the oldest structure still standing in the Mississippi Valley. Built in 1718, the building’s former purpose actually is unclear since it resembles a house rather than a fort.

first appeared: 4/7/2002

Airliewood Plantation in Holly Springs (pop. 7,957) once served as Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s headquarters during the Civil War. Local lore states Union soldiers shot pickets off the fence bordering the front lawn for target practice.

first appeared: 3/31/2002

The Noxubee County Library in Noxubee County was erected as a jail in 1907 and used as that for 70 years. The building, restored in 1984, features penal décor and barred windows.

first appeared: 3/24/2002

The name Mississippi is most likely derived from the Chippewa words mici (great) and zibi (river). It was first written by early French explorer Henri de Tonti as “Michi Sepe.”

first appeared: 3/17/2002

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