Kitchen in the two room house where Elvis was born
If you find yourself with several days off work and desire to vacate the familiar scenery of our area, northern Mississippi might be calling your name. On a recent June weekend travelled north and discovered untapped gems of local color and history in previously unviewed locales.
Our good friends Bruce and Cathy graciously allowed us to stay with them and soon the four of us were touring the area.
After spending the night in the charming town of Tishomingo, Mississippi and a stop at a local restaurant called Jekyll and Hyde's, we prepared for our explorations. Jekyll and Hyde's may have the best pizza in northern Mississippi according to this writer. Tishomingo is well known for its state park and is located in Northeast Mississippi.
The first stop was the Shiloh Battlefield which is located near the state lines of Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee.
The battle, which occurred in Tennessee, was unlike any battle which had occurred previously in North America. The losses incurred by Confederate and Union forces here totaled more than all previous American wars to date when it occurred in April 1862.
The battle carries special significance to those with ancestors from the South Alabama area because many men and boys from Monroe County fought in regiments which deployed to the hardwood forests and the river bank fighting of the area.
Among these regiments was the 1st Alabama Cavalry under James Holt Clanton. If Clanton's name sounds familiar it's because two years after this battle he arrived in the Southwest Alabama/Northwest Florida area as a general and led Confederate forces against General Steele in the last days of the war.
A marker documents the location of the 1st Alabama during the battle and their withdrawal to the Indian mounds near the river. It creates a great feeling of continuity with the past to stand in the steps of my great great grandfather, John William McKinley and to see the same Indian mounds he saw.
Lodging near the battlefield is easily found at Pickwick Landing State Park where a large, modern lodge rises from the banks of the Tennessee River. The park and adjacent Pickwick Dam, was constructed during the Great Depression.
A short drive to Florence, Alabama from Shiloh yielded previously untapped travel gems as well. The Alabama Music Hall of Fame holds a wealth of interesting information on Alabama musicians ranging from Hank Williams to Clarence Carter and beyond. A tour bus used by the band Alabama is available for walk throughs, as is a very unusual car owned by Web Pierce. You can even cut a record at the facility if you feel inspired.
The trip to Florence would not have been complete without a visit to the Marriot Hotel. A restaurant, similar to Seattle's Space Needle, rises from the hotel and rotates continuously, giving visitors a view of the area and the massive Wilson Dam below. The down stairs restaurant, Swampers, provides a daily serving of local music, which is of special interest due to the musical heritage and recording scene at nearby Muscle Shoals.
The next day we took the Natchez Trace to the Tupelo area. The Trace, as it is called locally, was an old buffalo and Indian trail from hundreds of years ago, Indian mounds whisper a silent homage to their builders as they set in silent repose along the roadside at Pharr Mounds. The mounds date from the Middle Woodland Period and are located at milepost 286.7. The Natchez Trace was a WPA project during the Great Depression.
Further along our route we came to the seldom studied battlefield of Brices Cross Roads. In 1864, the odds were long that the Confederacy would win the War Between the States. As Sherman prepared for his March to the Sea, General Nathan Bedford Forrest and his horse soldiers began a desperate struggle to cut Sherman's supply lines to Georgia.
Meanwhile, Sherman dispatched troops from Memphis to deal with "that devil Forrest," as Sherman called him. It was against this backdrop that Forrest won his masterpiece battle and cemented his place in history as the best cavalry commander in history.
West Pointer Samuel Sturgis sallied out from Memphis with his men on what he was sure would be a routine patrol to punish the hungry and ill equipped Confederate forces of the region.
Yet it might be said that it was down at the Crossroads where Sturgis sold his soul to "that devil Forrest" in that his career met its fate as the men of Forrest's Cavalry overwhelmed his superior numbers with rapid movement, in some cases pushing their artillery pieces by hand some 3 miles across the muddy field to rain fire down upon the retreating Federals who sought to cross the swollen Tishomingo Creek following the routing of their forces by Forrest.
Forrest could be seen atop his mount, coat folded neatly across his saddle, his white sleeved shirt rolled up in the humid Mississippi sun, as his six shooters waved in the air ushering his men forward. As the rebel yell rose above the sun baked hills and echoed along the swollen creek, the blue-clad troopers couldn't cross the tiny wooden bridge along the swollen creek fast enough and soon panic set in as Confederate troops charged forward.
Shells ripped apart the flesh of men and horses bottled up on the tiny bridge below his men, Sturgis is reported to have stated, "If Mr. Forrest will leave me alone, I would be content to leave him alone as well." Following the victory, 18 of 20 Union artillery pieces were lost, most of the wagon train was in Confederate hands and a rag tag compilation of Union soldiers rapidly retreated towards Memphis, no doubt concerned Forrest's men were behind every tree or around every curve in the road laying in ambush.
Walking a battlefield has a way of making one hungry. Perhaps it's the walking over their hallowed fields and considering the deeds of our ancestors and the courage of both sides in that horrific war more than 150 years ago. Regardless we soon found ourselves at The Grill in Tupelo. There are several locations for this restaurant in the area but this one had extremely good service and good food.
From here we travelled a short distance to the birthplace of Elvis Presley. The well maintained grounds showcased the humble beginnings of Elvis from the two room house his father built for the family to the small wood framed Assembly of God church where the world first heard his voice applied to song. I was unaware Elvis had a twin which died still-born before his birth.
From here we had supper at the Blue Canoe in Tupelo, where according to Jerimiah from Jasper, Alabama, the Smash Burger will change your life. From here we returned to our base of operations at Tishomingo. Our day ended back at Jekyll and Hyde's where we listened to the band "Last Leg" which performed rock hits from the 60s-80s. Early the next morning we started our drive back to Alabama.
Should you find yourself with a day or two to spare, it is well the drive to make this inexpensive trip to see some truly fascinating history.
The book Shadows and Dust III: Legacies is now available for purchase. The hidden history of our area is documented through ten years of All Things Southern articles. Shadows and Dust III is available online at Lulu publishing.com or by sending $35 (this includes shipping-the book cost without shipping is $30) to Kevin McKinley at PO Box 579 Atmore, AL 36054. Also available: Shadows and Dust I and II and Canoe: History of A Southern Town. Shadows and Dust I and II and the Canoe book are available for $20 each.
A yard sale, with a portion of the proceeds to benefit the Canoe Civic Center, will be held Saturday July 13, 2019 from 8am-1pm at the Canoe Civic Center on Highway 31 in Canoe. The Canoe Civic Center is also selling smoked chicken plates for $7.50 to be picked up on July 13, 2019. See a member for details or call 251 294 0293.
