RonnieAdventures: RonnieAdventure #0521

The Jerry Lee Lewis Ranch is located in Mississippi about five miles east of the Circle G Ranch that Elvis owned. Jerry Lee, however, still lives on his ranch. We stopped by to see "The Killer," but the gate was locked. Well, maybe next time I will call ahead if I plan to stop by to see my 12th cousin, Jerry Lee Lewis. We did, however, have the opportunity to see two cousins of Elvis and Jerry Lee.

The Marshall County Historical Museum in Holly Springs (population 6,968) was described as a "quirky place" that was "more like an eccentric grandmother's attic than a Museum." It was not open when we stopped by, but it reportedly contained everything from 1920s flapper girl clothing to taxidermy animals.

On October 31, 1878, the first Holly Springs resident died of Yellow Fever that had started in New Orleans and then spread northward. As the plague spread, people left town and the population declined from 3,500 to 800. Thirteen Sisters from the Catholic school stayed in town to take care of the sick and all of them eventually contracted the disease. It is unknown how many of the town's people died from the disease, but it is known that the disease was responsible for the death of six Sisters and Father Oberto.

The Church was closed when we stopped by; but there was a woman working around the building and she unlocked the door and let us in for a self-guided tour.

Picture by Kolohe

A sign in the building stated that the only treatment for a patient with Yellow Fever was: "A plaster of cayenne pepper and flour was place to the back for pain. Mustard and steam baths were given externally to stanch perspiration. For stomach and bowl irritation a dose of Caster Oil could be given, and after two hours, enema of warm water and oil. Sometimes a pleasant sudorific such as balm or orange-leaf tea would be offered."

Picture by Kolohe

Located directly across the street from the Church is the Kate Freeman Clark Art Gallery. The Gallery is the largest collection of paintings by a single artist anywhere in the world.

Picture by Kolohe

On the way out of town we drove by the Marshall County Courthouse and Rust College, a private black college that was founded in 1866.

Picture by Kolohe

The town of Ashland (population 569) has an all-volunteer fire department consisting of over 30 active members. On display in front of the fire station is their first fire truck -- a 1954 American LaFrance 700 Series Pumper. As Kolohe was walking around taking pictures, a person kept watching her to make sure she was not going to steal something.

Picture by Kolohe

When passing through Ripley (population 5,273), it is hard to miss the 120-feet tall, 64-feet wide cross located on the west side of town at the Tippah County Veterans Memorial Park/Fred & Elizabeth Smith Sportsplex.

We also drove by the Tippah County Courthouse that is located in downtown Ripley.

After the Union Army won the Civil War Battle of Shiloh, the Confederates fell back to the town of Corinth. It took the Union Army a month to take Corinth and then six moths later there was a second battle at Corinth when the Confederates attempted to retake the town. They were not successful in their attempt.

There is now a nice National Park Interpretive Center in Corinth (population 14,472) and historic markers are located around town describing events that happened at each location. We watched a movie at the Interpretive Center about the battles that was very informative, but a little too graphic. I find the Civil War sites interesting because my Great-Grandfather Allen E.C. Hawkins, various uncles, and cousins (in both the Union and Confederate Armies) fought in the War. In some cases, cousins had to fight cousins. Sadly, not all of them returned home safely.

Picture by Kolohe

Corinth was also known as "Cross City" because it was the junction of the Mobile & Ohio and Memphis & Charleston railroads. When the Union Army captured Corinth, they cut off the major Confederate Army supply lines.

Picture by Kolohe

The Corinth National Cemetery serves at the final resting place for 1,793 known and 3,895 unknown soldiers representing 273 regiments from 15 states.

Picture by Kolohe

The Historic Old Tishomingo Courthouse in Iuka (population 2,937) is now managed by the Iuka Battlefield Commission and has a wealth of information on Civil War sites in the area. A mobile-audio tour is available from the museum.

Located diagonally across the street from the courthouse is Mineral Springs Park that contains a covered bridge, log cabin, large play area, and a youth center. The covered bridge is still used to cross Spring Creek.