Jackson, Mississippi

Notice the two banana puddings!

We departed Tannehill Ironworks on Sunday wondering where the ranger would have put more RVs had they shown up this weekend... they'd have had to stack us in like cordwood there were so many of us. Fortunately, we managed to sneak out before that became necessary... We arrived at a quaint campground on the banks of the Pearl River, LeFleur's Bluff State Park in Jackson, Mississippi. Evidently Mr. Louis LeFleur established a trading post here that eventually became the city of Jackson. Good job, sir. Ken made us a nice dinner while I worked on a homemade banana pudding (complete with vanilla wafers and banana slices!) for dessert.

Evers' Home (picture from Wikipedia)

On Monday, we drove into downtown Jackson to see the sights...and, oh, the sights we saw. First, we decided to head to Medgar Evers Home, the home of the first NAACP field secretary who was assassinated in his own driveway in 1963. The home is the site of the museum dedicated to Mr. Evers, but unfortunately, it's closed on Mondays. Nonetheless, we discovered the neighborhood around the Evers home has a number of abandoned burned out houses...how sad. 

Mississippi State Capitol

3rd Floor Stained Glass Ceiling Panels

Once back in downtown Jackson, we found the Mississippi State Capitol building, an imposing structure fashioned in the style of the U.S. Capitol. It was built on the site of the old State Penitentiary in 1903. Outside, the building is beautifully landscaped with colorful bushes and flowers all around. Inside, every nook and cranny has symbolism and importance in its own way. There are stained glass windows in the grand staircase representing Native Americans, Mother Mississippi and the Pioneers. In the Senate floor, the mosaic tiles are "interlocking L's bidding luck, light, life and love to visitors" according to the walking tour information sheet. Also, there are glass cylinders in the floors on the fourth floor that allow light to pass through to the third floor and illuminate the stained glass panels in the ceiling of the third floor. It's really cool! It is a gorgeous building with fabulous details inside and out.

LeFleur's Bluff State Park

We ate lunch and then drove around the downtown a bit more and within mere blocks of the big hotels and office buildings, we again found burned out homes. In fact, we found several blocks where the houses were all burned, but remained standing. It was sad to see so many houses in such disrepair.

We retired to the RV for the rest of the afternoon to enjoy the Pearl River and its wildlife...a couple of snowy egrets, a blue heron, a bunch of big snapping turtles and an owl that has taken up residence in a tree above the neighboring campsite. Such a picturesque area, but Ken quickly became the evening snack for all the mosquitoes again.