The Natchez Trace, Part 3.
122 miles north of Brandon, MS, Starkville is the home of Mississippi State University (go dawgs!). It’s also very close to another section of the Natchez Trace, so we’ve stopped for a few days to explore.
We have settled into site number 3 at the Starkville KOA, on Highway 82 about 8 miles west of Starkville.
The park is mostly empty this time of year, probably because of the heat, but the park manager, Randy, says that in the fall, during football season, a campsite is impossible to obtain. Football is King in the south!
We headed out on the third 100+ mile leg of the Natchez, picking it up near the town of Mathiston and driving north toward Tupelo. Again, the scenery was beautiful. For us westerners, the sheer amount of “green” is almost overwhelming.
Along the Trace, points of interest are identified. There are dozens of these POI’s and we stopped at all of them. Several places stick in our mind, however, including this maintained section of the Old Trace. Awesome.
The species of the trees in this area are unknown to me, but the bark is very interesting.
Mounds built by Native Americans of the Mississipian culture are scattered throughout the area. Their purpose remains unclear, but it’s interesting to speculate on the mounds’ uses.
At a group of four mounds, we ate a perfect picnic lunch and wondered what the site may have been like hundreds of years ago.
The landscape changed as we neared Tupelo, to large farms and cattle ranches. It was a sudden and abrupt change that caught us by surprise.
We drove north to the little burg of Dennis, MS, before turning south towards home. Without even a whimper, we suddenly found ourselves in Alabama!
Tammy Wynette grew up in this area, and we inadvertently found a public park dedicated to her memory while we were studying the map, trying to get out of Alabama!
We had another bucket list item to check, and it was in….
And the bucket list item is…..
Got it?
No?
Maybe this will help….
Now we’ve got it!
In a very nice, quiet park on Main Street, Tupelo, Elvis Presley’s birthplace is preserved for generations of fans. The home is roughly the size of a modern living room, but was home for an entire family. In 1939, most homes in the area had outhouses, and this was no exception.
On the grounds, Elvis’s early years are described with quotes from friends and playmates telling of after school baseball games, sneaking into tent revival meetings to listen to music, and the shy, self conscious 13 year old strumming a new guitar for friends in school.
Navigating the gift shop, with its displays of early Elvis souvenirs (read about the deal in the photo below)
And avoiding the battery operated, swivel hip Elvis clocks,
Then sneaking past the tour busses,
We escaped the Elvis shrine without mishap.
On our way to enjoy a BBQ lunch at Jim’s, we located the Tupelo Hardware store, where Elvis’s mother bought him his first guitar for seven bucks. That seven dollars changed the world of music forever.
A great lunch at BBQ by Jim got us into conversation with Jim’s daughter, and eventually, his wife, a graduate of Mississippi State in Starkville. After 36 years in business, Jim and his family are considering retirement, so if you want to own a business in Tupelo, MS, check it out….
Neon sign repair will be completed upon sale.
One last point of interest in eastern Mississippi was the largest Confederate graveyard in the state. Located in Okolona, 30 miles north of Starkville, it contains the remains of between 900 and 1000 Confederate Soldiers, many of which are unknown.
We explored Okolona a bit and discovered several remodeling projects needing some attention.
On the way home we came across another Mississippi home in need of some tender loving care.
See you at the jobsite. Seven am, sharp.
