Mississippi River Trip - Part 4 Vicksburg Architecture

Scenes and anecdotes from Vicksburg MS

The historic downtown area of Vicksburg is both quaint and somewhat rundown with many storefronts empty like so many small towns we have seen in our travels.  The Casinos have come to town in a big way and that is likely the lifeblood of the region today.  Interstate 20 passes the edge of town and sports a "new" bridge parallel to the former bridge which carried US 80 traffic.

So the old bridge is on the right (that truck is maintenance, not traffic!) and the new I-20 bridge on left.  Note the extensive "beach" on the far side of the river.  Water levels still seem low to us.

Ameristar Casino is our host for this stay as we are parked in their campground across the street from the casino.  We are not casino people and so have not been inside at all.  It is built to resemble a river boat, but is firmly anchored to concrete pilings and is in no danger of floating down river.

This is an interesting landmark to Coca-Cola history as it is the site where Coca-Cola  was first bottled and sold in 1894.  Today it is largely a museum of Coke artifacts and advertising, but still offers ice cream, fountain Cokes, Coke floats and a wide selection of Coke souvenirs.  The building is in the downtown section.

We, frankly, were a little underwhelmed by the historic homes listed for either tours or as bed and breakfast inns.  The origins are old, but the architecture doesn't impress.  Below is the Anchuca Historic Mansion built in 1830 as a wood frame house.  In 1847 it was remade in this Greek Revival style.  It is said, in 1869,  Jefferson Davis greeted neighbors and friends from the balcony over the entry when he visited his brother who died in the house a year later in 1870.

Below is the Duff-Green Mansion from 1858 originally constructed by skilled slave labor.  It served as a hospital for wounded soldiers of both armies during the Civil War. 

The George Washington Ball House, circa 1822, was built by a distant cousin of President George Washington.  After years of neglect, it was restored in 2004 and is a B&B today.

And finally is the Baer House from 1849 which is also a B&B today.