Walking the Delta River Towns: Vicksburg and Natchez

These two major river towns in the Delta have been on the list of places to walk for a while.  Vicksburg and Natchez were the commerce centers of the Delta when cotton was king and slave labor fueled its economic engine.

Before our AVA America's Walking Club event in Vicksburg, we stopped to get our Mississippi Tamale fix. Mississippi is famous for there Tamales stands throughout the state. It is thought that tamales arrived in the Mississippi Delta in the early twentieth century when migrant laborers from Mexico arrived to work the cotton harvest.

Vicksburg probably most famous for the Civil War siege here, which decimated the city. Surrendering on 4 July 1863. The day before Lee was defeated at Gettysburg marked the turning of the civil war against the Confederacy. Vicksburg did not celebrate 4 of July again until 1947. We had been to the military park a few years ago, so we wanted to walk downtown, which is in the midst of a revival. Much of the downtown was destroyed during the siege and then a tornado that went through the downtown in 1953.

Still, the town has that antebellum feel and still has plenty of civil war buildings. What dominates the riverfront is the Lower Mississippi river museum with an actual river tug boat that is part of the museum. This turned out to be a great walk full of history and wonderful architecture. It is a hilly walk; you start next to the Mississippi and ascend the bluff as you walk up Washington Street, where most of the downtown sits.

Our next walk was a few miles to the south in Natchez. It is the oldest city on the Lower Mississippi River, established in 1716. Older than New Orleans. During its history, it has seen Spanish, French, English, and now American Ownership. It was the state capital until 1822 until it was centralized in Jackson, MS. We did the AVA America's Walking Club event here. The city sits on a bluff with a fantastic overlook of the Mississippi River. We had a great meal at a Thai restaurant downtown about halfway through the walk.

Untouched by the Civil War, all of its antebellum character is fully intact. It remains a stately city made rich through Cotton and Sugar Cane. At one time, this was the richest area globally; not paying for labor was a big advantage. Plantation owners from the surrounding area would build their city houses here. As you can see, keeping up with the Jones was on steroids. The walk along the river bluff is spectacular, with commanding views of the Mississippi River.

These two river towns in the Delta are in a special place. You can feel it down to the core of your soul. You can’t understand it until you’ve been here. When I travel thru the Delta, I like to stop at one of the music heritage sites. If you listen to American music, your listening to the Blues. All American music and the British rock of the ’60s were influenced directly by these cotton fields in Mississippi. This is one upside to these river towns. That the tragedy of slavery has been turned into a triumph that is this music.

Beaufort and Bluffton South Carolina : Two Towns in the Low Country

South Carolina's low country has some of the most diverse cultures and geography in the country.  It reminds me a lot of the low country of Lousiana without the french influence.  It is—pure southern antebellum.     

We did America's Walking Club (AVA) 6K walk in Beaufort, South Carolina, and the 5K walk in Bluffton, South Carolina.   Both towns contained marvelous 16th and 17th Century Architecture.  Georgian, Federal, and Greek revival are all present in the low country.  Both these towns look like much smaller versions of Charleston and New Orleans.

Fascinating graveyard at the Anglican Church in Beaufort.  The British Stabled their horses there during the Revolutionary War.  So the graveyard has British Soldiers, confederate soldiers, Union soldiers, and a soldier from every war in American history.  We also walked through the National Cemetery just on the outskirts of the old town of Beaufort.  It was very odd that there were patches of unkempt graves and headstones outside the National Cemetery walls.  We found these unkept graveyards throughout the town; it seemed to be very strange.  A record from September 1711 notes the area had “been depopulated by the late Indian War and Massacre.”  It seems a lot of the stories from these graveyards are lost to history. 

The next day we did the walk-in Bluffton, SC, a small town on the way to Hilton Head Island.  It says it sits on a bluff, short by western standards. Lots of neat shops and homes.  It was near Beaufort, so we decided to get it done.  Bluffton really is nothing more than a crossroads with a single city block of upscale shops and restaurants.   The real draw here is the oyster shucking factory, which you can tour.  The day we were here, it was closed, so I guess we'll have to save that for another day.

So on your next trip to Charleston or down  I95, get out and see some of these smaller towns.  They will not disappoint. Remember, this is where the good stuff is. 

Montgomery Alabama: A Civil Rights Mecca

Union Train Station

Great American Volkssport Association (AVA) walk in Montgomery, Alabama.  We did the 8K route.   This being the capital of Alabama and ground zero for the fight for civil rights in the 1960s, to say there is a lot to digest here is an understatement.  My original reason for going here was to visit The National Memorial for Peace and Justice.  The museum was closed but we still got to see the memorial.  Which is a memorial for the lynching victims of the old Jim Crow south.  

Peace & Justice Memorial 

The memorial has 805 coffins suspended from the ceiling of the building.  They represent every county in America where a lynching by white supremacist mob violence occurred.  Over 4400 people were lynched in America from 1877 to 1950.  The names of those lynched from each county are engraved on each coffin.  It was a very moving experience that especially resonates in today's times.  How people can be motivated to do the most awful things through Mob violence. 

Rosa Parks

Although the memorial dominates my memory there is so much more here in Montgomery.  This is also home to the Rosa Parks bus boycott, MLKs church, the Poverty Law Center, union train station, old town Montgomery, and so much more.  By the time of the civil war, Montgomery had 4 slave markets.  

MLK Church

During the walk, we also saw the Hank Williams statue who grew up here.  I forgot to mention the murals, some great artwork on some of the city buildings.  Because of COVID, the streets were mostly empty, but you could see a transformation of the downtown of the city.  Dexter Avenue that leads to the capital has several buildings that are undergoing renovations. 

Alabama Capital

I love walks like this.  You learn so much, but more than that you get a feel for the city. The history of places like this makes up the collective history of America.  Because of the pandemic we took a pass on the museums which will require a return trip.