Abandoned South Mississippi
After my Mississippi journey and completion of the Abandoned Mississippi title, I realized that I did not venture into South Mississippi. I thought I'd dedicate a trip to exploring the South Mississippi region, and give myself plenty of time to do so. The day after Christmas, 2019, I packed a cooler, clothes. and camera and began my journey. Much like the previous journey, I had no prior knowledge of any locations or course of my trip, except my first destination. Once I reached Central Mississippi, I cut across to take old 61 (blues highway) down to Natchez. Throughout the desolate fields and whistling wind on an overcast day, I took note of my surroundings and even stopped to photograph an abandoned church, country general store, and an antique roadside truck on my journey to Natchez. Day retired to night, and I looked for food and lodging so I could be on my way early the next morning.
As the day was dawning, I eagerly explored the old Arlington House in Natchez, which was the only pre-planned destination. The cool, misty morning and walk to the mansion created the perfect mood; as did the brood of vultures perched on the roof looking directly at me. The Doric pillars and grand features were remarkable. The decay and cries fr help within the walls made the trip worth it already. From there, it was "pick a direction and go with it" which I do well, thankfully.
In the following days, I traveled over and up, over and down, and back up again in a C shape, until I felt I had eaten, lived, and breathed South Mississippi. It was a fun filled trip as I explored places like Liberty, McComb, Hattiesburg, Pearl River, Bassfield, Monticello, and a plethora of other places. I had little human contact the whole time, ironically before Covid-19 became the hot topic. It was fun however to try small independent restaurants to get a local feel, including a catfish cabin near Hattiesburg. Four days and 2000 miles later, I returned home in rainy dark conditions, with all the ingredients I needed to start putting Abandoned South Mississippi together. This was perhaps my most diverse content range; abandoned houses, some grand. general stores, churches, a bakery, freight depot, train station, concrete batching plant, and a no-tell motel to name a few.
