After a packed morning at the Vicksburg National Park we finally got on the road again. We love the Blue Ridge Parkway which runs through North Carolina and Virginia. Since we love it so much we decided to try the Natchez Trace Parkway which runs through Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee. We drove from Vicksburg, MS to Port Gibson, MS along the Natchez Trace Parkway. We took an awesome detour and picked it up again a few miles down and drove along it the rest of the way into Natchez, MS.
Look at those cornfields. We didn't expect to see them.
Mangum Mound is a small burial mound located at milepost 45.7 and it is fenced off to public access. A farmer named Spurgeon Mangum first investigated it back in 1936. This burial mound is believed to be from the Plaquemine people who lived in this region from 1350 to 1500 AD.
Port Gibson is located off milepost 33. It is a very small rural town with a population of only 1,567 people. We actually saw people riding horses bareback into town. We stopped here to check out two unusual churches.
The First Presbyterian Church in Port Gibson, MS is quite unique. Atop its steeple is a 12-foot high gold-leafed hand pointing to heaven. The church was built in 1859. It stands 165 feet above the prettiest light pink church.
Temple Gemiluth Chessed is a complete gem! This beautiful Moorish Revival style synagogue was built in 1892 by a community of Jewish immigrants from the German states and Alsace-Lorraine. Back in the early 1900s there were about 50-60 Jewish families in Port Gibson. Sadly, the Jewish population slowly declined and the congregation closed in 1986. Today Temple Gemiluth Chessed is the oldest surviving synagogue in Mississippi. I wish we could have gone inside to better appreciate its beauty.
We hardly had enough time to investigate Port Gibson, but plan to check out the rest of the churches and the Jewish cemetery next time we visit. Port Gibson is worth a side trip. When we headed back out along the Natchez Trace Parkway there was lovely Spanish Moss hanging from the trees.
I love this tree! It was standing alone in the middle of this field.
Look how grand it is! I could have stood there forever!
If you ever drive the Natchez Trace Parkway you must stop in Port Gibson.
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