78-691: The Walter Sillers State Office Building is a high-rise government office building in Jackson, Mississippi , USA. It was designed in the International Style and built from 1970 to 1972. It is the fifth-tallest building in Jackson. It is named after the politician Walter Sillers Jr. This article about a building or structure in Mississippi is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Jackson, Mississippi Jackson
156-512: A circuit along the Trace as early as 1800. By 1812 they claimed a membership of 1,067 white Americans and 267 African Americans . The Methodists were soon joined in Natchez by other Protestant denominations, including Baptist missionaries and Presbyterians . The latter accompanied the migration of Scots-Irish and Scots into the frontier areas. Presbyterians and their frontier offshoot,
234-404: A Supreme Court challenge in 1898. As 20th-century Supreme Court decisions later ruled such provisions were unconstitutional, Mississippi and other Southern states rapidly devised new methods to continue disfranchisement of most black people, who comprised a majority in the state until the 1930s. Their exclusion from politics was maintained into the late 1960s. The so-called New Capitol replaced
312-483: A consistently high rate of voter registration and turnout. Following the decades of the Great Migration , when more than one million black people left the rural South, since the 1930s the state has been majority white in total population. African Americans are a majority in the city of Jackson, although the metropolitan area is majority white. African Americans are also a majority in several cities and counties of
390-649: A new home front . Natchez Trace The Natchez Trace , also known as the Old Natchez Trace , is a historic forest trail within the United States which extends roughly 440 miles (710 km) from Nashville, Tennessee , to Natchez, Mississippi , linking the Cumberland , Tennessee , and Mississippi rivers. Native Americans created and used the trail for centuries. Early European and American explorers, traders, and immigrants used it in
468-725: A number of museums and cultural institutions, including the Mississippi Children's Museum , Mississippi Museum of Natural Science , Mississippi Civil Rights Museum , Mississippi Museum of Art , Old Capital Museum , Museum of Mississippi History . Other notable locations are the Mississippi Coliseum and the Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium , home of the Jackson State Tigers football team. In 2020,
546-564: A pilot project in 1963, activists rapidly registered 80,000 voters across the state, demonstrating the desire of African Americans to vote. In 1964 they created the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party as an alternative to the all-white state Democratic Party, and sent an alternate slate of candidates to the national Democratic Party convention in Atlantic City , New Jersey, that year. Segregation and
624-605: A population exceeding 100,000 people. Founded in 1821 as new state capital for Mississippi, Jackson is named after General Andrew Jackson , a war hero in the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812 and subsequently the seventh U.S. president . Following the Battle of Vicksburg , which was fought near Jackson during the American Civil War in 1863, Union forces commanded by General William Tecumseh Sherman launched
702-635: A protest of the Vietnam War included students' overturning and burning some cars. These killings occurred eleven days after the National Guard killed four students in an anti-war protest at Kent State University in Ohio , and were part of national social unrest. Newsweek cited the Jackson State killings in its issue of May 18 when it suggested that U.S. President Richard Nixon faced
780-602: A relatively well-established path. Numerous prehistoric indigenous settlements in Mississippi were established along the Natchez Trace. Among them were the 2,000-year-old Pharr Mounds of the Middle Woodland period , located near present-day Tupelo, Mississippi . The first recorded European explorer to travel the Trace in its entirety was an unnamed Frenchman in 1742, who wrote of the trail and its "miserable conditions". Early European explorers depended on
858-480: A road near downtown Jackson, now known as Fortification Street. Because of the siege and following destruction, few antebellum structures have survived in Jackson. The Governor's Mansion , built in 1842, served as Sherman's headquarters and has been preserved. Another is the Old Capitol building, which served as the home of the Mississippi state legislature from 1839 to 1903. The Mississippi legislature passed
SECTION 10
#1732787528808936-513: A site on the "Civil Rights Trail" by the National Park Service . The mass demonstrations of the 1960s were initiated with the arrival of more than 300 Freedom Riders on May 24, 1961. They were arrested in Jackson for disturbing the peace after they disembarked from their interstate buses. The interracial teams rode the buses from Washington, D.C. , and sat together to demonstrate against segregation on public transportation, as
1014-645: A straightening and dredging of the Pearl River below Jackson. During Mississippi's extended Prohibition period, from the 1920s until the 1960s, illegal drinking and gambling casinos flourished on the east side of the Pearl River, in Flowood along with the original U.S. Route 80 just across from the city of Jackson. Those illegal casinos, bootleg liquor stores, and nightclubs made up the Gold Coast,
1092-601: A strategic manufacturing and railroad center for the Confederacy. After driving the Confederate forces out of Jackson, Union forces turned west and engaged the Vicksburg defenders at the Battle of Champion Hill in nearby Edwards . The Union forces began their siege of Vicksburg soon after their victory at Champion Hill. Confederate forces began to reassemble in Jackson in preparation for an attempt to break through
1170-531: A strip of mostly black-market businesses that operated for decades along Flowood Road. Although outside the law, the Gold Coast was a thriving center of nightlife and music, with many local blues musicians appearing regularly in the clubs. The Gold Coast declined and businesses disappeared after Mississippi's prohibition laws were repealed in 1966, allowing Hinds County, including Jackson, to go "wet". In addition, integration drew off business from establishments that earlier had catered to African Americans, such as
1248-488: Is best known for her novels and short stories. The main library of the Jackson/Hinds Library System was named in her honor, and her home has been designated as a National Historic Landmark . Richard Wright , a highly acclaimed African-American author, lived in Jackson as an adolescent and young man in the 1910s and 1920s. He related his experience in his memoir Black Boy (1945). He described
1326-541: Is no such road.' The region between Washington, Mississippi, and the Choctaw domain was, Burr reported, 'a vile country, destitute of springs or of running water—think of drinking the nasty puddle water, covered with green scum, and full of animaculae —bah! … [H]ow glad I was to get [into the high country,] all fine, transparent, lively streams, and itself [the Tennessee] a clear, beautiful, magnificent river.'" By 1809,
1404-584: Is not located on the Mississippi River , and it did not develop during the antebellum era as those cities did from major river commerce. The construction of railroad lines to the city sparked its growth in the decades following the American Civil War . Despite its small population, during the Civil War, Jackson became a strategic center of manufacturing for the Confederacy . In 1863, during
1482-413: Is the capital of and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi . Along with Raymond , Jackson is one of two county seats for Hinds County . The city had a population of 153,701 at the 2020 census , a significant decline from 173,514, or 11.42%, since the 2010 census , representing the largest decline in population during the decade of any major U.S. city . Jackson is the anchor for
1560-621: The Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812 . He was later elected as the seventh president of the United States . The city of Jackson was originally planned, in April 1822, by Peter Aaron Van Dorn in a " checkerboard " pattern advocated by Thomas Jefferson . City blocks alternated with parks and other open spaces. Over time, many of the park squares have been developed rather than maintained as green space . The state legislature first met in Jackson on December 23, 1822. In 1839,
1638-557: The Cumberland Presbyterians , were the most active of the three denominations in this country. They claimed converts among Native Americans. The Presbyterians started working from the south; the Cumberland Presbyterians worked from the north, as they had migrated to Tennessee from Kentucky. As with the much-unsettled frontier, banditry regularly occurred along the Trace. Much of it centered around
SECTION 20
#17327875288081716-701: The Gulf Coast . Before the damage and losses due to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the state ranked second nationally in gambling revenues . During World War II , Hawkins Field (at that time, also known as the Jackson Army Airbase) the American 21st, 309th, and 310th Bomber Groups that were stationed at the base were re-deployed for combat. Following the German invasion of the Netherlands and
1794-488: The Jackson metropolitan statistical area , the largest metropolitan area located entirely in the state and the tenth-largest urban area in the Deep South . With a 2020 population of nearly 600,000, metropolitan Jackson is home to over one-fifth of Mississippi's population. The city sits on the Pearl River and is located in the greater Jackson Prairie region of Mississippi. Jackson is the only city in Mississippi with
1872-712: The Japanese invasion of the Dutch East Indies , between 688 and 800 members of the Dutch Airforce escaped to the UK or Australia for training and, out of necessity, were eventually given permission by the United States to make use of Hawkins Field. From May 1942 until the end of the war, all Dutch military aircrews trained at the base and went on to serve in either the British or Australian Air Forces. In 1949,
1950-648: The Mississippi Delta , which are included in the 2nd congressional district . The other three congressional districts are majority white. The first successful cadaveric lung transplant was performed at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson in June 1963 by Dr. James Hardy . Hardy transplanted the cadaveric lung into a patient suffering from lung cancer. The patient survived for eighteen days before dying of kidney failure . In 1966 it
2028-540: The Pearl River until they reached LeFleur's Bluff in today's Hinds County. Their report to the General Assembly stated that this location had beautiful and healthful surroundings, good water, abundant timber, navigable waters, and proximity to the Natchez Trace . The Assembly passed an act on November 28, 1821, authorizing the site as the permanent seat of the government of the state of Mississippi. On
2106-532: The Summers Hotel . When it opened in 1943 on Pearl Street, it was one of two hotels in the city that served black clients. For years its Subway Lounge was a prime performance spot for black musicians playing jazz and blues. In another major change, in 1990 the state-approved gaming on riverboats. Numerous casinos have been developed on riverboats, mostly in Mississippi Delta towns such as Tunica Resorts , Greenville , and Vicksburg , as well as Biloxi on
2184-573: The salt licks of today's Middle Tennessee , and to the Mississippi River. Native Americans used many early footpaths created by the foraging of bison , deer , and other large game that could break paths through the dense undergrowth. In the case of the Trace, bison traveled north to find salt licks in the Nashville area. After Native Americans began to settle the land, they blazed the trail and improved it further until it became
2262-507: The siege of Jackson and set the city on fire. During the 1920s, Jackson surpassed Meridian to become the most populous city in the state following a speculative natural gas boom in the region. The current slogan for the city is "The City with Soul". It has had numerous musicians prominent in blues , gospel , folk , and jazz . The city is located in the deep south halfway between Memphis and New Orleans on Interstate 55 and Dallas and Atlanta on Interstate 20 . The city has
2340-424: The "Columbian Highway" to emphasize American sovereignty in the area. The people who used it, however, dubbed the road "The Devil's Backbone" due to its remoteness, rough conditions, and the frequently encountered highwaymen found along the new road. Aaron Burr wrote to his daughter, that the "'road...you will see laid down...on the map...as having been cut by the order of the minister of war[,]...is imaginary; there
2418-496: The "white only" public library and were arrested. Founded as a historically black college (HBCU) by the American Missionary Association after the Civil War, Tougaloo College helped organize both black and white students of the region to work together for civil rights. It created partnerships with the neighboring mostly white Millsaps College to work with student activists. It has been recognized as
Walter Sillers State Office Building - Misplaced Pages Continue
2496-446: The 450 miles back up the Trace to Nashville. In 1810, an estimated 10,000 "Kaintucks" used the Trace annually to return to the north to start another river journey. Other dangers lurked on the Trace in the areas outside city boundaries. Highwaymen (such as John Murrell and Samuel Mason ) terrorized travelers along the road. They operated large gangs of organized brigands in one of the first examples of land-based organized crime in
2574-627: The Confederate forces heading west from Jackson. Upon learning that Vicksburg had already surrendered, the Confederates retreated into Jackson. Union forces began the siege of Jackson , which lasted for approximately one week. Union forces encircled the city and began an artillery bombardment. One of the Union artillery emplacements has been preserved on the grounds of the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. John C. Breckinridge , former United States vice president , served as one of
2652-416: The Confederate generals defending Jackson. On July 16, 1863, Confederate forces slipped out of Jackson during the night and retreated across the Pearl River. Union forces completely burned the city after its capture this second time. The city was called "Chimneyville" because only the chimneys of houses were left standing. The northern line of Confederate defenses in Jackson during the siege was located along
2730-586: The Constitution provides for unrestricted public transportation. Although the Freedom Riders had intended New Orleans as their final destination, Jackson was the farthest that any managed to travel. New participants kept joining the movement, as they intended to fill the jails in Jackson with their protest. The riders had encountered extreme violence along the way, including a bus burning and physical assaults. They attracted national media attention to
2808-777: The Democratic Party" to take back political power from the Republicans and to drive black people from the polls ( Mississippi Plan ). Democrats regained control of the state legislature in 1876. The constitutional convention of 1890, which produced Mississippi's Constitution of 1890, was held at the capitol. This was the first of new constitutions or amendments ratified in each Southern state through 1908 that effectively disenfranchised most African Americans and many poor whites, through provisions making voter registration more difficult: such as poll taxes , residency requirements, and literacy tests . These provisions survived
2886-427: The Jackson metropolitan area held a GDP of 30 billion dollars, accounting for 29% of the state's total GDP of 104.1 billion dollars. Located on the historic Natchez Trace trade route, created by Native Americans and used by European American settlers, and on the Pearl River, the city's first European American settler was Louis LeFleur, a French-Canadian trader. The village became known as LeFleur's Bluff . During
2964-519: The Mississippi Legislature passed the first state law in the U.S. to permit married women to own and administer their own property. Jackson was connected by public road to Vicksburg and Clinton in 1826. Jackson was first connected by railroad to other cities in 1840. An 1844 map shows Jackson linked by an east–west rail line running between Vicksburg, Raymond , and Brandon . Unlike Vicksburg, Greenville , and Natchez , Jackson
3042-550: The Mississippi River) and Jackson's Military Road (heading south from Nashville) formed more direct and faster routes to New Orleans . Trade shifted to either of these routes along the east or west of the area, away from the Trace. As author William C. Davis wrote in his book A Way Through the Wilderness (1995), the Trace was "a victim of its own success" by encouraging development in the frontier area. With
3120-530: The Mississippi River. The U.S. signed treaties with the Chickasaw and Choctaw tribes to maintain peace as European Americans entered the area in greater numbers. In 1801, the United States Army began trailblazing along the Trace, performing major work to prepare it as a thoroughfare. The work was done by soldiers reassigned from Tennessee and later by civilian contractors. Jefferson called it
3198-463: The Trace disappeared back into the woods, much of it was used by people living nearby. Large sections of the Trace in Tennessee were converted to county roads for operation, and sections continue to be used today. Though the Natchez Trace was briefly used as a major United States route, it served an essential function for years. The Trace was the only reliable land link between the eastern states and
Walter Sillers State Office Building - Misplaced Pages Continue
3276-418: The Union lines surrounding Vicksburg and end the siege. The Confederate forces in Jackson built defensive fortifications encircling the city while preparing to march west to Vicksburg. Confederate forces marched out of Jackson in early July 1863 to break the siege of Vicksburg. But, unknown to them, Vicksburg had already surrendered on July 4, 1863. General Ulysses S. Grant dispatched General Sherman to meet
3354-400: The United States. The inns , or stands, as they were called along the Natchez Trace, provided lodging for travelers from the 1790s to the 1840s. These stands furnished food and accommodations and contributed to the spread of news, information, and new ideas. The food was basic: corn in the form of hominy was a staple, and bacon, biscuits, coffee with sugar, and whiskey were served. Lodging
3432-1002: The United States. In January 1973, Paul Simon recorded the songs "Learn How to Fall" and "Take Me to the Mardi Gras", found on the album There Goes Rhymin' Simon , in Jackson at the Malaco Recording Studios. Many well-known Southern artists recorded on the album, including the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section (David Hood, Jimmy Johnson, Roger Hawkins, Barry Beckett), Carson Whitsett , the Onward Brass Band from New Orleans, and others. The label has recorded many leading soul and blues artists, including Bobby Bland , ZZ Hill , Latimore , Shirley Brown , Denise LaSalle , and Tyrone Davis . On May 15, 1970, Jackson police killed two students and wounded twelve at Jackson State College after
3510-549: The assistance of Native American guides to go through this territory — specifically, the Choctaw and Chickasaw who occupied the region. These tribes and earlier prehistoric peoples, collectively known as the Mississippian culture , had long used the Trace for trade. The Chickasaw leader, Chief Piomingo , made use of the trail so often that it became known as Piominko's Path during his lifetime. Another early common name
3588-672: The disfranchisement of African Americans gradually ended after the Civil Rights Movement gained Congressional passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965. In June 1966, Jackson was the terminus of the James Meredith March, organized by James Meredith , the first African American to enroll at the University of Mississippi . The march, which began in Memphis , Tennessee,
3666-542: The harsh and largely terror-filled life most African Americans experienced in the South and Northern ghettos such as Chicago under segregation in the early 20th century. Jackson had significant growth in the early 20th century, which produced dramatic changes in the city's skyline. Jackson's new Union Station downtown reflected the city's service by multiple rail lines, including the Illinois Central . Across
3744-449: The late 18th and early 19th centuries. European Americans founded inns, also known as "stands", along the Trace to serve food and lodging to travelers. Most of these stands closed as travel shifted to steamboats on the Mississippi and other rivers. The heyday of the Trace began in the 1770s and ended in the 1820s, by the 1830s the route was already in disrepair and its time as a major interregional commercial route had come to an end. Today,
3822-617: The late 18th century and early 19th century, this site had a trading post . It was connected to markets in Tennessee . Soldiers returning to Tennessee from the military campaigns near New Orleans in 1815 built a public road that connected Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana to this district. A United States treaty with the Choctaw, the Treaty of Doak's Stand in 1820, formally opened the area for non-Native American settlers. LeFleur's Bluff
3900-446: The legislators who represented Hinds County in the legislature. African Americans also served in local offices, as judges, and as marshalls. Mississippi had considerable insurgent action, as whites struggled to maintain white supremacy. Jackson's appointed mayor Joseph G. Crane was stabbed to death in 1869. The assailant, Edward M. Yerger , was arrested by military authorities but, after a U.S. Supreme Court case ( Ex parte Yerger ), he
3978-549: The march, addressed a large rally of some 15,000 people in Jackson. In September 1967 a Ku Klux Klan chapter bombed the synagogue of the Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson, and in November bombed the house of its rabbi, Dr. Perry Nussbaum . He and his congregation had supported civil rights. Gradually the old barriers came down. Since that period, both whites and Black Americans in the state have had
SECTION 50
#17327875288084056-436: The military campaign which ended in the capture of Vicksburg , Union forces captured Jackson during two battles—once before the fall of Vicksburg and once after the fall of Vicksburg. On May 13, 1863, Union forces won the first Battle of Jackson , forcing Confederate forces to flee northward towards Canton . On May 14, Union troops under the command of William Tecumseh Sherman burned and looted key facilities in Jackson,
4134-434: The oil and natural gas profits] properly safe-guarded would soon pay the state's entire bonded indebtedness and even be great enough to defray all the state's expenses and make our state tax free so long as obligations are concerned. This enthusiasm was subdued when the first wells failed to produce oil of a sufficiently high gravity for commercial success. The barrels of oil had considerable amounts of saltwater, which lessened
4212-644: The older structure upon its completion in 1903. Today the Old Capitol is operated as a historical museum. Author Eudora Welty was born in Jackson in 1909, lived most of her life in the Belhaven section of the city, and died there in 2001. Her memoir of development as a writer, One Writer's Beginnings (1984), presented a picture of the city in the early 20th century. She won the Pulitzer Prize in 1973 for her novel, The Optimist's Daughter , and
4290-591: The ordinance of secession from the Union there on January 9, 1861, becoming the second state to secede from the United States. The Jackson City Hall , built in 1846 for less than $ 8,000, also survived. It is said that Sherman, a Mason , spared it because it housed a Masonic Lodge , though a more likely reason is that it housed an army hospital. During Reconstruction , African Americans were granted civil rights. Schools were established and African Americans held political offices. Eugene Welborne , Charles Reese , Weldon Hicks , and George Caldwell Granberry were among
4368-495: The path is commemorated by the 444-mile (715 km) Natchez Trace Parkway , which follows the approximate path of the Trace, as well as the related Natchez Trace Trail . Parts of the original trail are still accessible, and some segments are listed on the National Register of Historic Places . Largely following a geologic ridge line, prehistoric animals followed the dry ground of the Trace to distant grazing lands,
4446-592: The poet Margaret Walker began teaching at Jackson State University , a historically black college . She taught there until 1979 and founded the university's Center for African-American Studies. Her poetry collection won a Yale Younger Poets Prize . Her second novel, Jubilee (1966), is considered a major work of African-American literature. She has influenced many younger writers. The civil rights movement had been active for decades, particularly mounting legal challenges to Mississippi's constitution and laws that disfranchised black people. Beginning in 1960, Jackson as
4524-633: The quality. The governor's prediction was wrong in hindsight, but the oil and natural gas industry did provide an economic boost for the city and state. The effects of the Great Depression were mitigated by the industry's success. At its height in 1934, there were 113 producing wells in the state. The overwhelming majority were closed by 1955. Due to provisions in the federal Rivers and Harbors Act , on October 25, 1930, city leaders met with U.S. Army engineers to ask for federal help to alleviate Jackson flooding. J.J. Halbert, city engineer, proposed
4602-413: The rights when courts determined that the asylum did not have the right to lease the state's property.) Businessmen jumped on the opportunity and dug wells in the Jackson area. The continued success of these ventures attracted further investment. By 1930, there were 14 derricks in the Jackson skyline. Mississippi Governor Theodore Bilbo stated: It is no idle dream to prophesy that the state's share [of
4680-443: The rise of steamboat culture on the Mississippi River after the invention of the steam engine, the Trace lost its importance as a national road, as goods could be moved more quickly, cheaply, and in greater quantity on the river. Before the invention of steam power , the Mississippi River's south-flowing current was so strong that northbound return journeys generally had to be made over land. Although many authors have written that
4758-598: The river landing Natchez Under-The-Hill , as compared with the rest of the town atop the river bluff. Under-the-Hill, where barges and keelboats put in with goods from northern ports, was a hotbed of gamblers, prostitutes, and drunken crew from the boats. Many of the rowdies, referred to as "Kaintucks", were rough Kentucky frontiersmen who operated flatboats down the river. They delivered goods to Natchez in exchange for cash and sought gambling contests in Natchez Under-the-Hill. They walked or rode horseback
SECTION 60
#17327875288084836-531: The same day, it passed a resolution to instruct the Washington delegation to press Congress for a donation of public lands on the river for improved navigation to the Gulf of Mexico . One Whig politician lamented the new capital as a "serious violation of principle" because it was not at the absolute center of the state. The capital was named for General Andrew Jackson , to honor his January 1815 victory at
4914-469: The state capital became the site for dramatic non-violent protests in a new phase of activism that brought in a wide variety of participants in the performance of mass demonstrations. In 1960, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Jackson's population as 64.3% white and 35.7% black. At the time, public facilities were segregated and Jim Crow was in effect. Efforts to desegregate Jackson facilities began when nine Tougaloo College students tried to read books in
4992-402: The store, but they wanted them to shop in their stores. In Jackson, shortly after midnight on June 12, 1963, Medgar Evers , civil rights activist and leader of the Mississippi chapter of the NAACP , was assassinated by Byron De La Beckwith , a white supremacist associated with the White Citizens' Council . Thousands marched in Evers' funeral procession to protest the killing. Two trials at
5070-448: The street, the new, luxurious King Edward Hotel opened its doors in 1923, having been built according to a design by New Orleans architect William T. Nolan . It became a center for prestigious events held by Jackson society and Mississippi politicians. Nearby, the 18-story Standard Life Building , designed in 1929 by Claude Lindsley, was the largest reinforced concrete structure in the world upon its completion. Jackson's economic growth
5148-439: The struggle for constitutional rights. After the Freedom Rides, students and activists of the Freedom Movement launched a series of merchant boycotts , sit-ins and protest marches, from 1961 to 1963. Businesses discriminated against black customers. For instance, at the time, department stores did not hire black salesclerks or allow black customers to use their fitting rooms to try on clothes, or lunch counters for meals while in
5226-546: The time both resulted in hung juries . A portion of U.S. Highway 49 , all of Delta Drive, a library, the central post office for the city, and Jackson–Evers International Airport were named in honor of Medgar Evers. In 1994, prosecutors Ed Peters and Bobby DeLaughter finally obtained a murder conviction in a state trial of De La Beckwith based on new evidence. During 1963 and 1964, civil rights organizers gathered residents for voter education and voter registration . Black people had been essentially disfranchised since 1890. In
5304-416: The trading ports of Mississippi and Louisiana . All sorts of people traveled down the Trace: itinerant preachers, highwaymen , traders, and peddlers among them. As part of the " Great Awakening " movement that swept the country in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the "spiritual development" along the Trace started from the Natchez end and moved northward. Several Methodist preachers began working
5382-554: The trail was fully navigable by wagon, with the northward journey taking two to three weeks. Critical to the success of the Trace as a trade route was the development of inns and trading posts , referred to at the time as "stands". Many early migrants in Tennessee and Mississippi settled along the Natchez Trace. Some of the most prominent were Washington, Mississippi (the old capital of Mississippi); "Old" Greenville, Mississippi (where Andrew Jackson married Rachel Jackson in 1791); and Port Gibson, Mississippi . The Natchez Trace
5460-419: Was Trail to the Chickasaw Nation . Even before the 1803 Louisiana Purchase , President Thomas Jefferson wanted to connect the distant Mississippi frontier to other settled areas of the United States. To foster communication with what was then called the Southwest, he directed the construction of a postal road between Daniel Boone 's Wilderness Road (the southern branch of the road ended at Nashville) and
5538-399: Was an attempt to garner support for full implementation of civil rights in practice, following the legislation. It was accompanied by a new drive to register African Americans to vote in Mississippi. In this latter goal, it succeeded in registering between 2,500 and 3,000 black Mississippians to vote. The march ended on June 26 after Meredith, who had been wounded by a sniper's bullet earlier on
5616-536: Was bonded out, moved to Baltimore and was never tried. The economic recovery from the Civil War was slow through the start of the 20th century, but there were some developments in transportation. In 1871, the city introduced mule-drawn streetcars which ran on State Street, which were replaced by electric ones in 1899. In 1875, the Red Shirts were formed, one of the second waves of insurgent paramilitary organizations that essentially operated as "the military arm of
5694-556: Was developed when it was chosen as the site for the new state's capital city . The Mississippi General Assembly decided in 1821 that the state needed a centrally located capital (the legislature was then located in Natchez ). They commissioned Thomas Hinds , James Patton, and William Lattimore to look for a suitable site. The absolute center of the state was a swamp, so the group had to widen their search. After surveying areas north and east of Jackson, they proceeded southwest along with
5772-410: Was distraught over many issues, possibly affected by his use of opium . He was believed by many to have committed suicide there with a gun. Some uncertainty persists as to whether it was suicide. His mother believed he had been murdered, and rumors circulated about possible killers. Thomas Jefferson and Lewis's former partner, William Clark , accepted the report of suicide. Lewis was buried near
5850-513: Was estimated that recurring flood damage at Jackson from the Pearl River averaged nearly a million dollars per year. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spent $ 6.8 million on levees and a new channel in 1966 before the project completion to prevent a flood equal to the December 1961 event plus an additional foot. Since 1968, Jackson has been the home of Malaco Records , one of the leading record companies for gospel , blues , and soul music in
5928-399: Was further stimulated in the 1930s by the discovery of natural gas fields nearby. Speculators had begun searching for oil and natural gas in Jackson beginning in 1920. The initial drilling attempts came up empty. This failure did not stop Ella Render from obtaining a lease from the state's insane asylum to begin a well on its grounds in 1924, where he found natural gas. (Render eventually lost
6006-760: Was normally on the floor; beds were available only to a few due to many travelers and cramped conditions. Some travelers chose to sleep outdoors or on the porches. Source: Meriwether Lewis , of the Lewis and Clark Expedition fame, died while traveling on the Trace. Then serving as appointed governor of the Louisiana Territory , he was on his way to Washington, D.C., from his base in St. Louis, Missouri. Lewis stopped at Grinder's Stand (near current-day Hohenwald, Tennessee ) for overnight shelter in October 1809. He
6084-555: Was used during the War of 1812 and the ensuing Creek War , as soldiers under Major General Andrew Jackson's command traveled southward to subdue the Red Sticks and to defend the country against invasion by the British . Jackson most likely knew the road well from his career as an interstate slave trader operating between Natchez and Nashville beginning in 1789. By 1817, the continued development of Memphis (with its access to
#807192