Vicksburg Visit - Texas Monument Work? Park Condition.

[rebracer]

Took my family to Vicksburg this weekend so my girls could see where their Grandfathers were along the 42nd and 40th Alabama lines, great trip but hot of course.

We noticed the work going on around the Texas Monument near the RR Redoubt, does anyone know what they are doing in this area? Is this work to stop erosion near the rail road?

I was also sort of disappointed with how high the grass was in many areas. While everyone had a great visit, I sort of thought the Park looked a bit worn and unkempt.

I know that the Battlefield Trust bought the land behind the RR Redoubt where the CS camps were and along the road where the 42nd AL was. This included the homes there which are now abandoned. Does anyone know what the plans are for this area, will they be demolishing these houses?

We visited the Old Couthouse Museum and I thought it was a great museum, we highly enjoyed it.

 

[Rusk County Avengers]

They got to work to stop the erosion by the RR a couple years ago, I'd have thought they would be done by now.

 

[bdtex]

I was also sort of disappointed with how high the grass was in many areas. While everyone had a great visit, I sort of thought the Park looked a bit worn and unkempt.

Might have been just a matter of timing. First time I went it had just been mowed and clear-cut in the low areas. 2.5 years later on my second visit, it needed mowing.

 

[Bonny Blue Flag]

Mom and I visited Vicksburg several years ago. The entrance to the town and the battlefield were well designed and welcoming. Good visitor's center. Beyond those places and even into town, boulevards had tall grasses and weeds, only the downtown areas and specialty shops had patriotic symbols. Only a handful of direction signs throughout town showing the way to the battlefield itself. The Vick House was badly overgrown; the postcards available for sale pictured a beautiful house and lawn. What we saw on the grounds was barely visible. Only the 2nd story of the house was showing above the bushes and weeds.

Got the feeling the people of the town felt saddled with a battlefield, did the minimum to keep folks coming back to the battlefield, but that was it.

The slow-down on repairs as mentioned above is not surprising.

--BBF

 

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I was there in February as well and due to the season the grass was low of course. I just had the feeling this weekend that the care I observed growing up there does not still exist.

The section of road that was closed in February was still closed 6 months later.

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

Took my family to Vicksburg this weekend so my girls could see where their Grandfathers were along the 42nd and 40th Alabama lines, great trip but hot of course.

We noticed the work going on around the Texas Monument near the RR Redoubt, does anyone know what they are doing in this area? Is this work to stop erosion near the rail road?

I was also sort of disappointed with how high the grass was in many areas. While everyone had a great visit, I sort of thought the Park looked a bit worn and unkempt.

I know that the Battlefield Trust bought the land behind the RR Redoubt where the CS camps were and along the road where the 42nd AL was. This included the homes there which are now abandoned. Does anyone know what the plans are for this area, will they be demolishing these houses?

We visited the Old Couthouse Museum and I thought it was a great museum, we highly enjoyed it.

While I know nothing about work on the Texas monument, erosion has been the biggest issue throughout the park for a while now.

And while sad, it was a good call by the National Park Service to close some areas within VNMP.
( for everyone's safety)

But in my opinion, there is no excuse for lack of basic landscape maintenance for the areas that remain open.

The NPS "moans" about lack of funds, but it's not a three million dollar expense to at least keep the grass cut.

 

[Tompre]

I was there in February as well and due to the season the grass was low of course. I just had the feeling this weekend that the care I observed growing up there does not still exist.

The section of road that was closed in February was still closed 6 months later.

Unfortunately the people who cared about the Park have retired or moved to other parks. Recently the park has suffered with an administration that that was shortsighted when it came to preventive maintenance . Roadways were allowed to deteriorate, grass went unmoved. The employees who cared got fed up and quit, or moved on.The people of Vicksburg have gotten fed up with the situation.

 

[Tompre]

Mom and I visited Vicksburg several years ago. The entrance to the town and the battlefield were well designed and welcoming. Good visitor's center. Beyond those places and even into town, boulevards had tall grasses and weeds, only the downtown areas and specialty shops had patriotic symbols. Only a handful of direction signs throughout town showing the way to the battlefield itself. The Vick House was badly overgrown; the postcards available for sale pictured a beautiful house and lawn. What we saw on the grounds was barely visible. Only the 2nd story of the house was showing above the bushes and weeds.

Got the feeling the people of the town felt saddled with a battlefield, did the minimum to keep folks coming back to the battlefield, but that was it.

The slow-down on repairs as mentioned above is not surprising.

--BBF

Where is the Vick House.

 

[Bonny Blue Flag]

1300 Grove St in Vicksburg, MS

--BBF

 

[Vicksburger]

Took my family to Vicksburg this weekend so my girls could see where their Grandfathers were along the 42nd and 40th Alabama lines, great trip but hot of course.

We noticed the work going on around the Texas Monument near the RR Redoubt, does anyone know what they are doing in this area? Is this work to stop erosion near the rail road?

I was also sort of disappointed with how high the grass was in many areas. While everyone had a great visit, I sort of thought the Park looked a bit worn and unkempt.

I know that the Battlefield Trust bought the land behind the RR Redoubt where the CS camps were and along the road where the 42nd AL was. This included the homes there which are now abandoned. Does anyone know what the plans are for this area, will they be demolishing these houses?

We visited the Old Couthouse Museum and I thought it was a great museum, we highly enjoyed it.

I just hope they don't let the trees grow up there in front of the Railroad Redoubt, like it was prior to 2012!
As an occasional tourist to Vicksburg I know what you mean. It was so exciting there about 2011-2012 when they cleared some of the battlefield to restore it somewhat.
I talked to Terry Winschell at that time, he was retiring and was very apprehensive about any further battlefield clearing and that what had been accomplished was itself a miracle.

 

[Bonny Blue Flag]

The town had a bad time of it during the CW. The townsfolk refused to celebrate the 4th of July until the 1950's when the holiday celebrations were forced upon them via Eisenhower.

Could this attitude of the town from the CW still be prevalent in 2022? I think there was a thread about political and emotional frustrations being visited upon generations down the line.

Vicksburg is a perfect example of this.

--BBF

 

[Rusk County Avengers]

Unfortunately the people who cared about the Park have retired or moved to other parks. Recently the park has suffered with an administration that that was shortsighted when it came to preventive maintenance . Roadways were allowed to deteriorate, grass went unmoved. The employees who cared got fed up and quit, or moved on.The people of Vicksburg have gotten fed up with the situation.

I think this is a problem at most NMP sites, even happens with a lot of State Parks nowadays which tend to have more dedicated people with more open mindsets to get folks interested. I would personally call this a problem related to how folks have become culturally speaking when it comes to old things or places all over the country period though along with laziness of folks.

This however is NOT an indictment on my part towards the folks in the NPS who are dedicated to preserving history, and or even knowing it. Some of them are even here on CWT. Those few are exceptional people, the fact they are even here on CWT is an example that they love history and are dedicated to it. The seemingly good-for-nothings within and all over the NPS at battlefields pining for transfers to places like Yellowstone or other places make them stand out and shine with their value and make me wish there were more of them.

 

[Rusk County Avengers]

The town had a bad time of it during the CW. The townsfolk refused to celebrate the 4th of July until the 1950's when the holiday celebrations were forced upon them via Eisenhower.

Could this attitude of the town from the CW still be prevalent in 2022? I think there was a thread about political and emotional frustrations being visited upon generations down the line.

Could Vicksburg be a perfect example of this?

--BBF

Trust me, there are folks in Vicksburg who have no idea there was ever a siege, or just know something happened in the CW and nothing more.

Not just a Vicksburg problem, but an everywhere problem. You'll probably find a lot of folks in Nashville who know nothing of its battle, or in Richmond who never even known of the Peninsula Campaign. I blame the school system, and also stuff like video games and iPhones.

Most folks don't know or care about history. I know one Hispanic woman who has never heard of Pancho Villa, and many others who have never heard of the Confederacy. (But have heard of the CW oddly enough...)

 

[Tompre]

1300 Grove St in Vicksburg, MS

--BBF

One of the owners died a few years ago, and the other one has gotten old. I don't believe he is able to maintain it any longer.

 

[Tompre]

I think this is a problem at most NMP sites, even happens with a lot of State Parks nowadays which tend to have more dedicated people with more open mindsets to get folks interested. I would personally call this a problem related to how folks have become culturally speaking when it comes to old things or places all over the country period though along with laziness of folks.

This however is NOT an indictment on my part towards the folks in the NPS who are dedicated to preserving history, and or even knowing it. Some of them are even here on CWT. Those few are exceptional people, the fact they are even here on CWT is an example that they love history and are dedicated to it. The seemingly good-for-nothings within and all over the NPS at battlefields pining for transfers to places like Yellowstone or other places make them stand out and shine with their value and make me wish there were more of them.

I am the former manager of Grand Gulf and the Port Gibson battlefields. It is a State Park. Grand Gulf has been closed for well over a month now because straight line winds blew down some trees. When I was manager, among other things, Hurricane Andrew blew through the Park, causing considerable damage, but not nearly as much as when a tornado hit a few years later. Needless to say, I didn't close the park, we cut the trees out of the roads and drug them off with tractors. If I had tried to close the park the commissioners would have had me on the carpet. The commissioners over the park now, apparently aren't concerned with what is happening to the park. It is truly a sad state of affairs.

 

[rebracer]

I agree with what many of you are saying and from visiting many different, parks, museums, etc. recently I would say this is a common observation, little maintenance and an overall feeling of neglect. It is very disconcerting to me. I know we should all be helping to chip in when we can for these places, but seriously when many of these places are receiving federal and state funding it is really inexcusable.

 

[Johnny Shafto]

Generating and nurturing an interest in history is a delicate process. How do educators convince someone understandably focused on the future to examine the past if only superficially? Ironically as we age time compress. What seems like ancient history to a 15 year old is only yesterday to a senior. Fortunate we are if during our formative years we encountered an educator who taught that learning is the reward of a lifetime and that "work" is the magic word. I'll wager that most reading this can name a teacher or parent that instilled this excitement in their bones. Pick your poison. The American Civil War, Antarctic exploration, Lewis and Clark, Space exploration, World Wars I & II, The Revolutionary War, opportunities abound. But we must support our educators. The continued existence of these battlefields is at stake.

 

[tony_gunter]

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