Visited Mississippi for the first time today, and I was very pleasantly surprised. Chances are, you’ve heard the same anecdote I was thinking about prior to visiting, “Mississippi is the poorest state in the country”. This is in fact a true statement, in 2021 Mississippi had a GDP per capita of roughly $44k, 12% lower than runner up Arkansas at $50k. But what does it really mean to be the poorest state in the richest country in the world? Traveling through the state I certainly haven’t seen any obvious signs of widespread poverty, maybe being the poorest state doesn’t mean much, somebody had to be last. As an alternative what if we compared Mississippi to other countries? Well, Mississippi’s GDP per capita would rank in-between France and Japan, 2 countries that I don’t think anyone is classifying as poor. Something to ponder………
Started the day in Jackson, and did a quick tour of the state capital building. Next headed West to visit Vicksburg National Military Park. Vicksburg doesn’t get the same kind of attention as battlefields like Gettysburg, but the Union victory here was arguably much more important to ending the war.
https://www.nps.gov/vick/index.htm
Next headed South and made a quick stop at the Windsor Ruins. Windsor Plantation was once one of the largest homes in the South at 17,000 square feet. The home was completed in 1861 and survived the Civil War, ultimately falling victim to a fire started by a rogue cigar at a party in 1890. Interestingly, no photos survived the fire and all knowledge about what the home looked like was lost for 100 years. Then in 1991 historians uncovered a sketch of the home, drawn by a Union soldier during the Civil War.
Continuing South, I arrived in Natchez, which at one point was home to half of America’s millionaires. Natchez is a small town loaded with history. The town has over 1,000 structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and has more surviving Antebellum buildings than anywhere else in the South. Didn’t budget nearly enough time for this stop, and will almost surely be making a return visit sometime this year.
Finished the day by driving the Natchez Trace Parkway back to Jackson. The parkway is incredibly scenic and the roads might be the smoothest I have ever driven. It runs from Natchez all the way to Nashville, I only got to drive the first portion to Jackson, but it’s a good bet that I will be back to drive the entire length.
https://www.nps.gov/natr/index.htm
Was anyone killed in the fire?
I also found Natchez very interesting. Spent time there and loved all the antebellum plantation houses and buildings. Have a good trip. Looking forward to your story!
Don’t know if you made it as far north as Kosciusko. I was coming down the Natchez Trace Parkway about 15 miles south of Kosciusko (75 miles north of Jackson) when I stepped out of the car, fell, and broke my neck. As you know, I eventually walked away from that little episode. My only view of the Parkway was while laying on the ground (I was feeling miserable and had my eyes closed during the drive before I climbed out of the passenger seat) and the only tourist visit I made in Jackson was to Jackson Baptist Hospital.