Tag: Mississippi Delta

  • Rich Saturday Night

    Rich Saturday Night

    Rich, Mississippi is a small community in northern Coahoma county with a population of less than fifty souls. There isn’t a store or post office and really not much of a town.  It lies on the banks of the Yazoo Pass which was made famous during the Civil War in one of Grant’s failed attempts…

  • Tomato Gravy

    Tomato Gravy

    Although chocolate gravy is more associated with Arkansas, many people who grew up in the Delta know about another favorite topping, tomato gravy. Tomato gravy can trace its origins back to Appalachia, but was introduced into the Mississippi and Arkansas Delta as families moved west. This isn’t the kind of gravy used over pasta though.…

  • Charley Pride

    Charley Pride

    Charley Frank Pride was born in Sledge, Mississippi on March 18, 1938. His parents were Mack Pride and Tessie B. Stewart.  As a child he grew up picking cotton on a small farm outside town. Life wasn’t easy and he was part of a big family. He remembered being told “You’re so skinny, you ain’t…

  • Friars Point: A Prosperous Little Town 1889

    Friars Point: A Prosperous Little Town 1889

    On May 28, 1889 the Memphis Daily Appeal published a story about the county seat of Coahoma County. This snapshot from history survives today but most people have never had a chance to read it. Hopefully you will enjoy this little story of Delta history. Friars Point, Mississippi May 29, 1889 This prosperous little town…

  • Story of a Delta Merchant Family

    Story of a Delta Merchant Family

    My family came to Lula around 1940 and started a farm on Flea Harbor Road.  The Mississippi Delta offered only a few pathways to having a better life in those days.  You either farmed or became a merchant. My Grandfather, James “Jimmie” Dean farmed and  my Grandmother, Ialeen Martin Dean opened a small grocery store.…

  • Tidbit 3

    Tidbit 3

    Blowing horns for hunting dogs Hunting horns arrived in America during colonial times.  Although not used as much today, some hunters still practice this tradition.  Dogs help hunters find their game or bring game back to them. Whether rabbit, deer, fox or coon hunting, the unique sound of theses horns alerted the dogs.  They were…

  • Ground Zero Blues Club

    Ground Zero Blues Club

    Any blues fan or just a fan of good food has to come see Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale, Mississippi.  Opened in 2001 next to the Delta Blues Museum, it is a must stop for any trip through the Delta and the Mid South.  The club is owned by Morgan Freeman, Bill Luckett and…

  • Archibald Dobbins on the Run

    Archibald Dobbins on the Run

    On November 5, 1855 a dastardly incident took place in the small town of Friars Point in Coahoma County, Mississippi.  Archibald Dobbins stabbed to death Littleton Tennill while the two men were in a fight and he then escaped. According to witnesses the incident was in regard to the state election taking place on November…

  • “The Red Headed Bandit” Ira G. Allen

    “The Red Headed Bandit” Ira G. Allen

    Masked gunman from the 1920s. On February 24, 1927 two masked men entered the central office of Standard Oil Company in Memphis, Tennessee armed with revolvers. Their intent was robbery and cashier J.P. Tucker was their target.  The dutiful employee had just finished preparing the receipts for transfer to the bank when he was startled…

  • Duncan “Dusty” Bullock: Baseball and the Rendezvous Lodge

    Duncan “Dusty” Bullock: Baseball and the Rendezvous Lodge

    Road Cop Doing his job.  This is not a picture of Dusty Bullock, but gives you an idea of what he did for a living. Baseball and Road Policeman are usually two jobs not related, but Duncan Percy Bullock became well known as both. Duncan Bullock was born October 11, 1893 in either Ontario, Canada…