History of Steamboats page 1 Before trains, cars, trucks and airplanes existed, rivers were used for travel. They carried people and goods from one place to another. River travel was often slow because speed of travel depended on the river current and manpower. That all changed with the introduction of steampowered boats in the late…
Author: jackikellum
Strange True Stories of Louisia by George Washington Cable – Published in 1890
by George Washington Cable Published in 1890 A Novel about a flatboat ride from New Orleans in 1795 Map of New Orleans in 1726 – Image Credit: Wikimedia A Ride on a Flatboat on the Mississippi River and into the Louisiana Bayous in 1795 – Described by George Washington Cable Although George Washington Cable wrote…
How to Naturally Dye Fabric with Goldenrod
For many years, I have wanted to have access to a large stand of goldenrod, and finally, I have that this year–standing at the back of my yard. I must confess that this delightful patch of goldenrod is not actually mine, Rather, it is at the back of a vacant lot next to my yard….
How to Make Goldenrod Salve
Goldenrod has long been considered as a medicinal herb. Since I have moved to a house in Mississippi with a field of goldenrod growing behind it, I have decided that this fall, I’ll try making goldenrod salve. Following is a recipe for making herbal salves: How to Make Goldenrod Salve “Goldenrod is such a lovely…
Septembers, School Days, and Coming Back Home
It is September, and schools across the USA are back in session now. Fifty-five Septembers ago, I left my rural farmland to attend college at the University of Mississippi. In terms of the seasons of the year, that was early autumn. In terms of the seasons of my life, it was early summer. You see,…
Prentiss House in Vicksburg, MS & the Famous Innkeeper Thomas Cherry McMackin
I am researching a couple of stories that seem to link Water Valley, MS, in Yalobusha County, and Vicksburg, a town east of Water Valley and on the Mississippi River, several miles southward. I have discovered that the railroad that ran through Water Valley was a prime target for the federal troops, as they marched…
The Great South by Edward King – Published in 1875
THE GREAT SOUTH: A RECORD OF JOURNEYS IN LOUISIANA, TEXAS, THE INDIAN TERRITORY, MISSOURI, ARKANSAS, MISSISSIPPI, ALABAMA, GEORGIA, FLORIDA, SOUTH CAROLINA, NORTH CAROLINA, KENTUCKY, TENNESSEE, VIRGINIA, WEST VIRGINIA, AND MARYLAND. BY EDWARD KING. PROFUSELY ILLUSTRATED FROM ORIGINAL SKETCHES BY J WELLS CHAMPNEY. AMERICAN PUBLISHING COMPANY, HARTFORD, CONN. 1875. https://docsouth.unc.edu/nc/king/king.html ON THE OCLAWAHA FLORIDA. Page i…
Early Railroad History in Mississippi – When Water Valley Was a Hub
I moved to Water Valley, MS, about 4 months ago, and since I came here, I have been busy creating some of the content for my upcoming memoir book: Churches in the Wildwood. Churches in the Wildwood As the title might suggest, my research for that book has taken me not only to the rural…
6 Words: Memoir Challenge – Exercise 2 – Write to Beat Writer’s Block
Ok. Yesterday, you should have listed 6 concrete words that signify yourself in some way. Today, we have a short writing exercise. 6 Words: Memoir Challenge – Exercise 2: For each of the 6 words that you listed, write one simple paragraph to express the way the word is significant to you. Write is an…
6 Words: Memoir Challenge – Exercise 1 – Beat Writer’s Block
For many years, autumn has been the time of year that I do most of my writing, and during the month of October, I am hosting a Memoir Writing Challenge: Harvest Your Past. I have decided to throw in an extra memoir-writing challenge before October, to help you prime your writing pump. Bottom Line: The…