Mississippi Trivia & Tidbits - Page 5

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

Hand-hewn and wooden-pegged 1850s-style rocking chairs, made by Greg Harkins in his Vaughan shop, have provided comfort to U.S. presidents including Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, along with celebrities and common porch sitters.

first appeared: 7/2/2006

Civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer co-founded the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party in 1964 to protest the lack of African-American representation at the Democratic National Convention. She was born in 1917 in Montgomery County (pop. 12,189).

first appeared: 6/25/2006

Built in 1923 by the Hamasa Shrine, the Temple Theater in Meridian (pop. 39,968) features ornate Byzantine architecture, bronze chandeliers and a Robert Morton pipe organ. The theater still is used for Shrine activities, stage shows and concerts.

first appeared: 6/4/2006

In 1834, Capt. Isaac Ross, a plantation owner in Lorman, freed his slaves and arranged their passage to the west coast of Africa where they founded Liberia. Representatives of Liberia later placed a commemorative stone at the captain's grave to honor his kindness.

first appeared: 5/21/2006

A 55-foot-tall, flat-topped mound is among the prehistoric earthworks at Winterville Mounds near Greenville (pop. 41,633), one of the largest American Indian mound groups in the Mississippi Valley. They most likely served as ceremonial sites.

first appeared: 5/14/2006

The Mississippi Armed Forces Museum at Camp Shelby near Hattiesburg (pop. 44,779) includes 17,000 artifacts from all branches of the U.S. military. Its exhibits salute Medal of Honor recipients from the state and soldiers who trained at Camp Shelby.

first appeared: 4/23/2006

The U.S. Congress in 1982 designated Jackson as the home of the USA International Ballet Competition. This year’s Olympic-style competition, during which dancers vie for gold, silver and bronze medals, cash awards and scholarships, is June 17 to July 2.

first appeared: 4/9/2006

The Mississippi gopher frog, which once hopped in the longleaf pine forests of the lower coastal plain in several Southeastern states, today is an endangered species found only in the DeSoto National Forest in Harrison County.

first appeared: 3/26/2006

The state is the most charitable in the United States, according to the Catalogue for Philanthropy, a Boston-based nonprofit organization that publishes a "generosity index." The index takes into account "having" and "giving" based on incomes and donations.

first appeared: 3/12/2006

Col. William C. Falkner, who wrote the 1881 bestseller White Rose of Memphis, is honored with a statue in his hometown of Ripley (pop. 5,478). He may be better known as the great-grandfather of Nobel prize-winning author William Faulkner. (The "u" was added to the spelling of the family name.)

first appeared: 2/26/2006

Artesian wells, cypress trees and ancient oaks dripping with Spanish moss characterize Leroy Percy State Park near Hollandale (pop. 3,437). The park also features alligators and a wildlife preserve.

first appeared: 2/12/2006

Established in 1895 by Will Dockery, Dockery Plantation near Cleveland (pop. 13,841) included a post office, commissary and cotton gin, but is famous among music fans as the place where bluesman Charley Patton worked.

first appeared: 1/29/2006

Kiln (pop. 2,040) is famous as the hometown of Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre and attracts scores of football fans. When the sign for Favre Street kept getting stolen, the sign was purposely misspelled as "Farve."

first appeared: 1/15/2006

MISS MISSISSIPPI 2006—Kristian Dambrino of Grenada (pop. 14,879) toured the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and was moved to raise relief funds by recording a DVD of her original songs.

first appeared: 1/8/2006

Aqua Yacht Harbor, on Pickwick Lake near the mouth of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, in Iuka (pop. 3,059) is one of the nation’s largest inland marinas with 325 covered and 200 dry slips for vessels up to 120 feet.

first appeared: 1/1/2006

The scenic Tishomingo State Park in Tishomingo (pop. 316) traces its history back to 7000 B.C. when Paleo Indians occupied the area. The park’s name comes from the leader of the Chickasaw nation, Chief Tishomingo.

first appeared: 12/18/2005

Pioneering Delta bluesman Charley Patton, who recorded his first blues album in 1929, also was known for his entertaining style, which included playing the guitar between his knees or behind his back. He was born in 1891 in Hinds County.

first appeared: 12/4/2005

Cookbook authors, culinary historians, home cooks and barbecue pit masters are among the members of the Southern Foodways Alliance, an organization in Oxford (pop. 11,756) that studies and preserves traditional and developing food cultures in the South. NORTH CAROLINA—The Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition places 10 large-scale sculptures each year on the campus of Appalachian State University in Boone (pop. 13,472).

first appeared: 11/20/2005

Headquartered in Greenwood (pop. 18,425), Viking Range Corp. heated up the market for professional, upscale kitchen appliances in the United States with its 1987 introduction of the first heavy-duty commercial-style range for home use.

first appeared: 11/6/2005

Three hundred years of Mardi Gras history along the Gulf Coast are celebrated at the Mardi Gras Museum. Located inside Biloxi’s (pop. 50,644) Magnolia Hotel, the museum showcases costumes, photographs and carnival memorabilia.

first appeared: 10/23/2005

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