Post by byuphoto on May 12, 2007 17:54:26 GMT -5
I took another little adventure today. I was looking for the old town of Rodney, Ms. It is not the easiest of places to find. The roads are very confusing. Finally after talking to the Alcorn university police I only made two wrong turns before coming in to town
You would never guess it now but, in its day, Rodney was a very important port and, in fact, only missed becoming the capital of Mississippi by 3 votes! There are maps as far back as 1715, identifying the location, where it's said the Indians used to cross the Mississippi River. By the 1840's, it was a thriving town and the busiest port between New Orleans and St. Louis, and a main port of call for the famous riverboats of the time. Rodney was home to the first opera house in the state and its citizens saw plays usually seen only in Philadelphia and New York. However, Rodney's prosperity was betrayed by its biggest asset. The Mississippi River would eventually abandon Rodney, when it changed its course, and this, in combination with the economy of the post-Civil War south, doomed Rodney's future.
During the Civil War, the town was involved in a skirmish that the US gunboat, Rattler, found it hard to live down. The Rattler was protecting the MS River after the Battle of Vicksburg and, docked at Rodney, the crew had orders that no one was to go ashore. But some of the men found it difficult to resist the charms of the young ladies passing by on their way to church one Sunday morning and joined the congregation for service. At which point, CSA Cavalry Lt. Allen, announced that the sailors were surrounded and should consider themselves captured. Gunfire ensued, with frightened parishioners diving under the pews and one Yankee sailor seeking refuge in the skirts of his southern girlfriend. The ruckus caused the remaining Rattler crew to start firing into the church. When the dust cleared, the Rebels had taken 17 prisoners, including the captain and a lieutenant. The poor Rattler became quite a laughingstock, the first time in history that a small squad of cavalry had ever captured the crew of an ironclad gunboat.
The first thing coming into town.
link to larger
farm1.static.flickr.com/205/495351919_37a6e25251_o.jpg
That is the old Natchez road you see in front
Across the road is the old Baptist church
Larger
farm1.static.flickr.com/191/495315418_5cf71e08df_o.jpg
I think this was the old courthouse or maybe the opry house
The church, you can see the cannonball above the upper middle window
farm1.static.flickr.com/208/495352045_694df0f316_o.jpg
www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=495352045&size=o
and a closeup
farm1.static.flickr.com/228/495315598_a087ed7042_o.jpg
I had a blast shot these with the Canon A2 and a Canon 35-105 and a Tokina 20-35 on Kodak B&W then sepia toned them I have some more shot with the C220 but qwill be Mon before they are developed
You would never guess it now but, in its day, Rodney was a very important port and, in fact, only missed becoming the capital of Mississippi by 3 votes! There are maps as far back as 1715, identifying the location, where it's said the Indians used to cross the Mississippi River. By the 1840's, it was a thriving town and the busiest port between New Orleans and St. Louis, and a main port of call for the famous riverboats of the time. Rodney was home to the first opera house in the state and its citizens saw plays usually seen only in Philadelphia and New York. However, Rodney's prosperity was betrayed by its biggest asset. The Mississippi River would eventually abandon Rodney, when it changed its course, and this, in combination with the economy of the post-Civil War south, doomed Rodney's future.
During the Civil War, the town was involved in a skirmish that the US gunboat, Rattler, found it hard to live down. The Rattler was protecting the MS River after the Battle of Vicksburg and, docked at Rodney, the crew had orders that no one was to go ashore. But some of the men found it difficult to resist the charms of the young ladies passing by on their way to church one Sunday morning and joined the congregation for service. At which point, CSA Cavalry Lt. Allen, announced that the sailors were surrounded and should consider themselves captured. Gunfire ensued, with frightened parishioners diving under the pews and one Yankee sailor seeking refuge in the skirts of his southern girlfriend. The ruckus caused the remaining Rattler crew to start firing into the church. When the dust cleared, the Rebels had taken 17 prisoners, including the captain and a lieutenant. The poor Rattler became quite a laughingstock, the first time in history that a small squad of cavalry had ever captured the crew of an ironclad gunboat.
The first thing coming into town.
link to larger
farm1.static.flickr.com/205/495351919_37a6e25251_o.jpg
That is the old Natchez road you see in front
Across the road is the old Baptist church
Larger
farm1.static.flickr.com/191/495315418_5cf71e08df_o.jpg
I think this was the old courthouse or maybe the opry house
The church, you can see the cannonball above the upper middle window
farm1.static.flickr.com/208/495352045_694df0f316_o.jpg
www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=495352045&size=o
and a closeup
farm1.static.flickr.com/228/495315598_a087ed7042_o.jpg
I had a blast shot these with the Canon A2 and a Canon 35-105 and a Tokina 20-35 on Kodak B&W then sepia toned them I have some more shot with the C220 but qwill be Mon before they are developed
