Footloose around Vicksburg with Black and White Film

Abandoned cement silos, Redwood, Mississippi

Dear Readers, Vicksburg is an interesting town topographically and historically. When the light is diffused, which means winter when there is rain or mist, I can't resist driving around and looking for interesting scenes. The following will be a semi-random set of film photographs. We will start in the north in Redwood on Hwy 3 and work our way south to U.S. 61 and then on into town. The silos in the photograph above have been empty since the 1970s. If you are interested in more views near Redwood:  https://worldofdecay.blogspot.com/2017/06/the-mississippi-delta-19-into-woods-in.html

Chimney, U.S. 61 north of Vicksburg near Redwood, Mississippi

This chimney sits all by itself just west of the southbound lane of 61. Most people drive by quickly and ignore it.

Road leading from gravel quarry, North Washington Street, Vicksburg (Update March 2019: the house on the left has been demolished)

Kings Point ferry boat landing, Chicasaw Road (Mamiya C220, 50mm lens)

Drive west on Chicasaw Road, and eventually you reach the ramp for the Kings Point Ferry. The ferry is operated by the Warren County Board of Supervisors and provides access to Kings Point Island. Most of the traffic consists of logging trucks and hunters, but if the weather has been dry for a few weeks, a 2-wheel drive car can pass on the roads.

Beulah Cemetery is a historic burial ground at the end of Martin Luther King, Jr., Blvd. The cemetery was overgrown and neglected for many years but has been cleaned and put on city maintenance during the last 5 years. It is a peaceful spot.

Empty house at 2228 MLK, Jr., Blvd, directly next to Beulah Cemetery

1904 MLK, Jr., Blvd., Vicksburg

Condemned house, 1844 MLK, Jr., Blvd, Vicksburg

Georgia Ave., Vicksburg

Head back downtown, and you pass empty or condemned houses on MLK, Jr. Blvd. Georgia Ave. drops steeply down to the south. There were once many more houses in this valley (and I may have some pictures of them from decades ago), but today, the City could cease maintenance of this road with no obvious inconvenience to anyone.

2212 Grove St., Vicksburg

We have lost many early-20th century houses and cottages. There just is not an economic incentive to fix up a house that has been neglected too long. This little asbestos-shingled cottage on  grove Street is an example.

61 Coffeehouse, Vicksburg

By now, it is time for a coffee. Vicksburg's best espresso or other java beverage can be found at 61 Coffeehouse at 1101 Washington Street, right at the corner of Grove Street. Decades ago, this building housed Velchoff's Restaurant. The always interesting Attic Gallery is upstairs.

Morgan Lane, east of Washington St. and south of Bowmar Ave.

2008 Pearl Street, Vicksburg

Pearl Street parallels the railroad tracks. Decades ago, Pearl Street was lined with modest cottages and shotgun houses. But residents and the operators of bed and breakfast homes complained of the noise from the locomotive horns. Over the years, the railroad bought properties and tore down the houses. And the city closed the grade crossing, after which the train engineers no longer needed to sound the warning horns. Click the link for photographs of many of these houses: https://worldofdecay.blogspot.com/2014/03/more-pearl-street-cottages-vicksburg.html

2511 Cedar Street, Vicksburg

We head east to Military Avenue, another historic part of town. Here, too, many of the early 20th century houses have been neglected or torn down.

Copeland's Bar & Grill, 2618 Halls Ferry Road, Marcus Bottom. As of 2018, the establishment looks closed.  

Marcus Bottom, Halls Ferry Road, Vicksburg

We can end our short tour at Marcus Bottom, an old neighborhood at the junction of Marcus Street and Halls Ferry Road. A new convenience store has been built on the site of this toilet.

The square frames are from a Rolleiflex 3.5E 6×6 camera with 75mm f/3.5 Xenotar lens, using Panatomic-X film. Most of the horizontal frames are from a Fuji GW690II 6×9 camera with Fuji 90mm f/3.5 lens on Panatomic-X or Tri-X film. The grainier horizontal frames are from a Leica IIIC 35mm camera with Kodak TMax 100 film.