Mississippi Trivia & Tidbits - Page 15

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

Emerald Mound in Adams County is the second-largest American Indian ceremonial mound in the United States. The flat-topped earthen structure, dating from around A.D. 1250, rises 35 feet and covers eight acres.

first appeared: 10/21/2001

Oliver Pollock, the largest financial contributor to the Revolutionary War, is buried near Pinckneyville. He’s best known as the man who invented the $ sign.

first appeared: 10/14/2001

The oldest town in the Mississippi Valley, Biloxi was founded in 1699 by French explorer Pierre LeMoyne Sieur D’Iberville.

first appeared: 10/7/2001

The concept of selling shoes in boxes as pairs first occurred in Vicksburg (pop. 26,407) in 1884 at Phil Gilbert’s Shoe Parlor.

first appeared: 9/30/2001

Sardis Lake, in the counties of Panola, Lafayette, and Marshall, is the largest lake in Mississippi.

first appeared: 9/23/2001

Muppet creator Jim Henson was born in Greenville in 1936. His muppets—unique marionette and puppet hybrids—include Miss Piggy, Kermit the frog, and Elmo.

first appeared: 9/16/2001

Stone ground cornmeal is still produced at the 1895 Causeyville General Store and Gristmill in Meridian. Hoop cheese has been sliced for customers on site for more than 90 years.

first appeared: 9/9/2001

Twenty-three Corinthian columns mark the remains of Windsor, a 2,000-acre antebellum plantation in Claiborne County (pop. 11,831). Local lore states Windsor survived the Civil War but was destroyed by an 1890 fire.

first appeared: 9/2/2001

The first European settlement in the Mississippi Valley, Fort Maurepas, is now Ocean Springs (pop. 17,225). It was founded in 1699 by Pierre Le Moyne, a French-Canadian soldier and explorer.

first appeared: 8/26/2001

Named for Thomas Jefferson, historic Jefferson College in Washington (pop. 700), incorporated in 1802, was the first chartered institution of higher learning in the Mississippi Territory.

first appeared: 8/19/2001

Built in 1840-1858 in Vicksburg (pop. 26,407), Cedar Grove Plantation, a Greek Revival home, still has a cannonball lodged in its parlor wall, compliments of a Union gunboat.

first appeared: 8/12/2001

In 1935, Babe Ruth hit his last home run off a ball pitched by Guy Bush, of Tupelo (pop. 34,211), at that time a pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

first appeared: 8/5/2001

The International Checkers Hall of Fame in Petal (pop. 7,579) houses the only hall of fame devoted to the game and hosts an annual international checkers competition.

first appeared: 7/29/2001

Jackson is home of the USA International Ballet Competition, held every four years—next in 2002. Touted as the Olympics of Dance, Jackson is the only U.S. city to host this event.

first appeared: 7/22/2001

Along Highway 90, between Bay St. Louis (pop. 9,433) and New Orleans, is a stretch of road dotted with roadside stands, souvenir shops, and country cafes all selling the same item—pralines, a confection made of pecans boiled in sugar syrup.

first appeared: 7/15/2001

Mississippi was the first state with an organized system of junior colleges.

first appeared: 7/8/2001

Rose Hill Cemetery in Meridian (pop. 41,000) is the final resting place of the King and Queen of the Gypsies, Emil and Kelly Mitchell, who were revered by the tribe. Visitors from all over the country leave gifts at the gravesites.

first appeared: 7/1/2001

The town of Grenada (pop. 11,155) came to be on July 4, 1836, as a result of the marriage between the towns of Pittsburgh and Tullahoma. The towns held an actual wedding ceremony, presided over by a minister, before enjoying a barbecue dinner together.

first appeared: 6/24/2001

A strange formation in Star (pop. 400) called the Rockhouse is actually a shallow cave made out of sandstone. Since the sandstone is rich in salt, it’s said that the cave was “licked into existence” by whitetail deer.

first appeared: 6/17/2001

Born in 1954 in Columbia (pop. 6,914), Walter Payton, twice named NFL Player of the Year and Most Valuable Player during his career with the Chicago Bears, was the first football player to be featured on a Wheaties cereal box.

first appeared: 6/10/2001

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