Mississippi Roads eases up the highway to the eastern edge of the Mississippi Delta. We’re stationed at the county seat of Leflore County; in the town of Greenwood.
http://www.greenwoodms.org/
Founded by John Williams in 1830 on the banks of the Yazoo River; this settlement was first known as Williams Landing. The town quickly blossomed and later was named after the Choctaw Chief Greenwood Leflore.
Greenwood prospered into the “Cotton Capital of the World” because of its location in the heart of the Delta along the Tallahatchie and Yazoo rivers. Greenwood was a prime shipping point to connect with the Mississippi River ports of Vicksburg, New Orleans and St. Louis.
The area along Front Street was once bustling with Cotton Factors and other related businesses earning the area the name of Cotton Row.
It is now on the National Register of Historical Places. Today, most of these building along Front Street have been bought up by Greenwoods newest and largest employers. It is home to the corporate offices of Viking Corporation. In our first story we take a look at the hospitality side of Viking that has contributed to the revitalization of downtown Greenwood.
In this story we go inside the Alluvian Hotel; which is a cosmopolitan boutique hotel in the heart of the Mississippi Delta. We also indulge in the luxuries services offered at the Alluvian Spa, sample the menu at Giardina’s fine dining restaurant and hone up on our culinary skills at the Viking Cooking School. http://www.thealluvian.com/alluvian_hotel.html
The Greenwood Blues Heritage Museum and Gallery in downtown Greenwood is owned and operated by Stephen LaVere. http://www.threedeuces.net/page5.html
He honors the history and memory of a wide variety of blues musicians across the central Delta. It also houses the largest collection of Robert Johnson materials ever assembled. Johnson was the famed bluesman who supposedly sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads in return he would be able to play and sing the greatest blues music every heard.
Johnson spent time in the Baptist Town area of Greenwood just before his career ended abruptly a year later. Supposedly poisoned by a jealous husband at a juke joint at Three Forks where Highways 82 and 49E intersect, Johnson was taken to a shotgun house at the Star of the West Plantation north of Greenwood, where he lingered for several days before dying on Aug. 16, 1938, at the age of 27.
Johnson’s death and burial created a mystery almost as great as his talent’s sudden appearance.
His death certificate says Johnson is buried at Zion Church, but which one? There are three sites claiming to be the final resting place for Johnson.
In our next story, we go exploring the area where this famed bluesman and many others like him got their start, the Mississippi Delta.
The Mississippi Delta is a deceivingly flat area of land. Not deceiving because it is flat, because it sure is; but deceiving because the complexity of life there is in sharp contrast to its flatness. Walt Grayson examines some of that complexity from the viewpoint of one who has lived on this storied land.
When you are in Greenwood make sure to stop downtown and go shopping. One of the best independent bookstores in the state is located here; Turnrow Books. http://www.turnrowbooks.com/
Also be sure to check out the only retail store in the entire state that offers only Mississippi made items. The Mississippi Gift Company carries over three hundred and fifty food and gift products. They will gladly make up a gift basket and send it to your relatives or friends out of town. http://www.themississippigiftcompany.com/
Greenwood is also a hot bed for great restaurants, like Lusco’s. They have been serving fantastic steaks and seafood to customers in their own privately enclosed rooms for generations. These private booths were brought about by prohibition; so people could imbibe in private. This unique feature is still here today along with the convenience of pushing a button to summon your waiter.
We go from one distinctive dining experience to another. The Shed Barbeque in Ocean Springs is drawing quite a crowd down on the coast.
Brad Orrison and his sister Brooke have created a dining experience along the coast that you won’t soon forget. What started out as a to-go barbeque stand has grown and expanded into an award-winning barbeque restaurant that is attracting people from around the country to this one-of-a-kind experience. Decorated with unique items found by the owner and donated by patrons, The Shed offers up a dining experience you won’t soon forget. They specialize in barbeque, blues and beer. http://www.theshedbbq.com/
Three miles west of Greenwood you will find the remains of Fort Pemberton, the only fort on the Yazoo River to resist the attack of Union forces during the Civil War.
The fort’s hasty construction of cotton bales covered with earth was ordered by Confederate General John C. Pemberton to block General Ulysses S. Grant’s effort to send a fleet to Vicksburg from the rear. To further impede the enemy, Major General William W. Loring ordered the famous steamship “Star of the West” — which received the first shots of the Civil War at Fort Sumter on Jan. 9, 1861 — to be sunk in a channel of the Tallahatchie. The ship can still be seen in the river when the waters are low. |
