Browsing: History

Learn about Mississippi’s rich history and the people who lived it.

Children need a way to fall in love with nature and they need places for this to happen. Current writing on child development explains and reinforces this need. The book “Last Child in the Woods” (2008) by Richard Louv is a good place to start. When children reach adulthood with a solid tie to the natural world – plants, forests, mammals, birds, beaches, rivers, and yes…dinosaurs and fossils – it will remain with them and provide happiness, a built-in prescription for stress, and a way to unclutter a mind that is constantly stimulated by computer screens, tablets, and cell phones. 

The 2nd Annual Casey Jones Blues Fest takes place Saturday, March 22, in downtown Water Valley, Mississippi. The festival celebrates the life of Water Valley resident John Luther “Casey” Jones, a legendary engineer with Illinois Central Railroad. 

A University of Southern Mississippi (USM) School of Humanities faculty member and a former colleague will conduct a special history study of Natchez, Miss. and its famed Fort Rosalie military garrison and their intersection with native peoples and enslaved Blacks through the support of a $120,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Interior’s National Park Service (NPS).

Burnt Bridge Rd, located in Purvis, Mississippi appears to be like any other road you’d drive on in this state. At first glance, it’s homey. Familiar. Typical and nothing extraordinary. But we all know there’s always more than what meets the eye. Burnt Bridge Road holds no exceptions to this rule. 

During this month of all things spooky, our monthly feature on historical sites in Mississippi will take you on a ghostly tour of the state’s most haunted and eerie historic sites. The Magnolia State is steeped in legend and lore throughout its history and is blessed with a multitude of historical locations that hold significance in the history of our state, but Mississippi also has its fair share of historical sites that haunt with spooky and eerie apparitions and spirits.

Hattiesburg, Mississippi is one of the largest cities in Mississippi. Located in the southern region, Hattiesburg is an economic powerhouse and has been growing rapidly for the last decade. Known as the “Hub City”, Hattiesburg is home to many businesses, small and large, and is jam packed with activities year round. But what are the origins of the name of this incredible city? It turns out that the way Hattiesburg got its name is comparable to a romance novel.