Vicksburg's Best Kept Secret

I remember a lot of woods behind it and toward the river. Out front there were a bunch of small fast food joints, Long John Silver's is the one I recall. And somewhere close a circle of memorial Stones, one with the name McNulta I believe on it. And out across the highway was the fronting of the confederate line. That was pretty well wooded also.
Lubliner.
You have a pretty good memory.
There were so many camps in there. Herron’s Division occupied that ground you were describing toward the end of the siege. The hill was called “mortar ball hill” by local relic hunters.
 
A number of years (more than I like to remember), wife #1 and I were having a romantic weekend in Vicksburg and while taking a tour of one of the historic houses; the gardener came in and told the lady of the house that they had found "another one" while planting bushes in the garden. The lady made a phone call and a short time later a fire engine drove up, two firefighters walked around back and came back with a spherical shell. I struck up a conversation with them and asked them how often that they came out to collect ordnance and what they did with it. I was told that they were called out fairly often, they stored them until they had a load and then they took them out and dumped them off of the bridge into the Mississippi River. Well, that's one way to handle the problem I guess.
Those shells are now 10’ deep under river sand and silt now.
 
You have a pretty good memory.
There were so many camps in there. Herron’s Division occupied that ground you were describing toward the end of the siege. The hill was called “mortar ball hill” by local relic hunters.
Back then in the spring of 1990, I wandered down somewhere close to a schoolground. Behind the school was an oval track, and off to my right, facing away from the school behind me, was some woods and hills and dales. I remember walking over to woods and seeing a magnificent tree of great girth and many long branches. It wasn't super tall, just gigantic in it's spread. I was thinking at the time it would be such a shame to destroy such a magnificent tree, and the words of Nebuchadnezzar's dream in the Book of Daniel came to me. This moments in life are reverant.
Lubliner.
 
I have a 500lb industrial magnet on heavy US Army cargo para-shoot cord so all I need @redbob to do is talk to the Vicksburg FD and find where they dump them and hold my Sam Adams. :sneaky:
Can you trust him not to drop Ole Sam oversie when a shell rises from the deep!
Regards
David
 
I have a 500lb industrial magnet on heavy US Army cargo para-shoot cord so all I need @redbob to do is talk to the Vicksburg FD and find where they dump them and hold my Sam Adams. :sneaky:

Yeah I'd like to be there, I'll even bring a case of Sam Adams and couple packs of cigs.

Mainly to encourage you to be thoroughly inebriated and watch the fireworks.:D
 
Can you trust him not to drop Ole Sam oversie when a shell rises from the deep!
Regards


Rule#1 in the relic world is, It's a dog eat dog world and you're wearing milkbone underwear; which means; if it's something really good; ole Richard and Sam will be treading water together...:byebye:
 
I'm sure our Vicksburg members know more about the details than myself, but the current park is roughly 1/2 it's original size.

During the 50's or 60's the National Park Service sold half the park to the City of Vicksburg.

Naturally the City developed their new found land into residential subdivisions along with new areas zoned for business.

Even today, there are many residential homes from that era that have some kind of monument in the backyard.

( good conversation piece for a backyard BBQ)

Anyway, I think relics will be uncovered in the Vicksburg area for many years to come.
 
I'm sure our Vicksburg members know more about the details than myself, but the current park is roughly 1/2 it's original size.

During the 50's or 60's the National Park Service sold half the park to the City of Vicksburg.

Naturally the City developed their new found land into residential subdivisions along with new areas zoned for business.

Even today, there are many residential homes from that era that have some kind of monument in the backyard.

( good conversation piece for a backyard BBQ)

Anyway, I think relics will be uncovered in the Vicksburg area for many years to come.
I agree. Many of us relic relic hunters have been blessed with that opportunity to hunt those residential yards. Plus homeowners are always finding stuff in their gardens, etc. You gotta love Vicksburg!!
 
@Haskerblitz and @Alanpolk, I was wrong about the Parrott shell. Apparently the shell fragment from Chickasaw Bayou battlefield is to a 7 inch. Dyer shell, fired from a 42 pounder gun. The shell weighed 84 pounds when intact.
 
Love that museum, and Pray to Almighty God it NEVER changes.

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Greatest museum in hundred miles, no where else I've seen in Mississippi and North Louisiana can compare. Only one I ever seen that had an antique/relic shop in it.

When there for the 2019 CWT Muster, my friend Tom and I were looking over the artillery shell display and he pointed out something that convinced me to get across the Mississippi River as fast as I can if that place ever, (Heaven forbid) catches fire.
Love that museum, and Pray to Almighty God it NEVER changes.

View attachment 386175

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View attachment 386177

View attachment 386178

Greatest museum in hundred miles, no where else I've seen in Mississippi and North Louisiana can compare. Only one I ever seen that had an antique/relic shop in it.

When there for the 2019 CWT Muster, my friend Tom and I were looking over the artillery shell display and he pointed out something that convinced me to get across the Mississippi River as fast as I can if that place ever, (Heaven forbid) catches fire.
HOW did the building escape damage during bombardment from Union gun boats or forces? How far is it from the river ?
 
This is a very interesting thread. I especially enjoyed the photos of the court house museum. Thanks to all who have contributed.
 
There was also a drug store that looked like an ordnance museum-Would you like a Parrott shell with that bottle of aspirin? and If I remember correctly, it was also where Coca Cola was invented. There was also a Columbiad cannon mounted nearby.
I believe you mean THIS one (note the drugstore in the background):

Vicksburg 025.jpg
 
I'm going to mention the Old Depot Museum as a good little place to visit. Of course, it has the Vicksburg diorama currently displayed.

Wonder if the old man working there ever got started on his Chickasaw Bayou diorama. He said he didn't have a lot of funding for it but was going to do it anyway. We had a nice long chat there.
Said museum exterior (with the American Queen riverboat in the left background):

Vicksburg 026.jpg


For the diorama and some of the models:

Miniatures - Vicksburg Civil War Museum, Vicksburg, Mississippi | The Civil War in Games & Miniatures (civilwartalk.com)

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I remember a lot of woods behind it and toward the river. Out front there were a bunch of small fast food joints, Long John Silver's is the one I recall. And somewhere close a circle of memorial Stones, one with the name McNulta I believe on it. And out across the highway was the fronting of the confederate line. That was pretty well wooded also.
Lubliner.
That sounds like about where I was told this 20lb. Parrott shell was found - I purchased it in a downtown Vicksburg antique shop that still sells such things while I was attending the CWT annual Gathering held there in 2019.

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