Mississippi Roads eases on down to the far southwest corner of the state to the county seat of Wilkinson County; we are in the charming yet secluded town of Woodville.
http://woodville4.tripod.com/
When you get to Woodville make your first stop the Wilkinson County Museum on the square. Here you can obtain your guide map and get your questions answered about the area. The building that houses the museum was erected in 1838 as the office of the West Feliciana Railroad Company; which was the third oldest railroad in the country. The line was originally built to transport cotton from Woodville to the river boats on the Mississippi at Bayou Sara, Louisiana.
There is also an African American Museum on the square where you can learn about Woodville native William Grant Still. He was the first African American to become a conductor for a major orchestra; which just so happened to be the Los Angeles Symphony. Both of these fine museums are operated by the Woodville Civic Club.
And while we are on the subject of native sons; in our first story Woodville recently held a two hundredth birthday bash for one of the town’s more famous statesmen.
The descendents of Jefferson Davis’ parents have been holding an annual family reunion at Rosemont Plantation in Woodville, Davis’ boyhood home, since 1975. Walt Grayson takes us to the reunion held in 2008, in celebration of Jefferson Davis’ 200th birthday. Although their famous forefather was a controversial figure in American history, the story nowadays seems to be the lack of controversy among his descendents and how typical the Davis family is. http://woodville4.tripod.com/rosemont.htm
There are a whopping 240 historical sites in the town of Woodville and most are within a one square mile radius. The Woodville Baptist Church, built in 1809 is the oldest church in Mississippi. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church dates back to 1823 and the oldest Methodist church in the state was built here in Woodville in 1824.
While many towns try to turn back the clock to recapture the feel of days gone by; the town of Woodville has managed to hang onto its quaint and charming personality for the past two hundred years without having to reinvent itself. It is truly a one of a kind town in the state of Mississippi.
And speaking of one of a kind; the Old South Winery in Natchez is the only winery still in operation in the state of Mississippi. http://www.oldsouthwinery.com/
The Old South Winery located in Natchez Mississippi has a rich and fruitful history. The winery was established in 1979 by Dr. Scott Galbreath Jr. Scott was a local veterinarian in Natchez who learned to make muscadine wine from his grandmother when he was a teenager. Since then doctor Galbreath has specialized in making a wide variety of muscadine wine. The winery got off to a rocky start due to Mississippi’s prohibition laws in the 70’s, but has since came into fruition. Dr. Scott Galbreath Jr. has now passed his wine making expertise; as well as the business, down to his children Scott Galbreath III and Diane Galbreath. The winery is now a successful family business with Scott III as winemaker and Diane as the manager. The Old South Winery offers daily tours; as well as wine tasting. Their wine is available on site and at many stores around the state.
If you make the trek to Woodville, drive another fifteen minutes to the Pond General Store. This old general store was built in 1881and still retains its original charm with hardwood floors and antique display cases and it is open seven days a week. Here you can get a map and supplies to explore our next destination; which is the Clark Creek Natural Area. http://home.mdwfp.com/parks.aspx
“No pain, no gain,” someone said. They may well have meant the price in physical exertion one has to pay to get to see the beautiful waterfalls at remote Clark Creek in Wilkinson County. Walt Grayson took the hike in and out of the wilderness area and brought back a high-definition tour of some of the waterfalls, and warns of some of the pitfalls for those of us who may want to take the hike for ourselves.
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