Woke up at the shacks and ready to hit the road. Luckily we didn't encounter any hauntings... (I'm convinced they are haunted and was a little uneasy to turn the lights out)
Somewhere along the way in Mississippi we saw this place and stopped...
The story goes, in 1902 President Theodore Roosevelt came to the town to hunt, but then refused to shoot a captive bear. Cartoons of the event are thought to have led to the creation of the "teddy bear".
The run-down photo stand-in outside is an indication of the interior of the shop. It was also very run-down. Don't expect to find a nice shelf full of teddy bears... there was one old one in a case, a couple of bags of chips, a few drinks, and an old pack of cupcakes on the shelf. This situation was common in our travels through MS. Most of the roadside convenient stores we stopped in didn't really have anything in them. At one, a few exterior rusted tin signs caught our eye and we were hoping for a snack and maybe something exciting inside. Instead, there were two men playing dominoes, and again, almost bare shelves with the exception of a few items that looked to be past their prime.
Originally known as Margaret's Grocery, the structure is the work of Reverend H.D. Dennis, Margaret's husband, who promised her years ago, "If you marry me, I'll turn your store into a palace." It's over 100 feet long and full of folk art, religious phrases, and pink, red, white and yellow masonry. After "renovations" it was dubbed "The Double Headed Eagle". The old school bus was supposedly used as a church chapel.
Most of our drive through MS consisted of looking at nothing but corn and soy bean fields. The highlight during this time was watching the crop dusting planes fly low and high and quickly turn to do it again.
On our way to Vicksburg, we stopped for this roadside treasure...
... another abandoned structure.
Originally known as Margaret's Grocery, the structure is the work of Reverend H.D. Dennis, Margaret's husband, who promised her years ago, "If you marry me, I'll turn your store into a palace." It's over 100 feet long and full of folk art, religious phrases, and pink, red, white and yellow masonry. After "renovations" it was dubbed "The Double Headed Eagle". The old school bus was supposedly used as a church chapel. In Vicksburg-
The Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad Station (also no longer in operation)
an oh so cute delta hot dog stand
And on the way out of Vicksburg...
A roadside produce stand called The Tomato Place, with locally grown and handmade items
I purchased a delicious watermelon smoothie for the road. Very refreshing on such a hot day.
Our next stop was Port Gibson...
Where we spotted a giant golden hand "pointed to heaven". The hand is on the tip of the steeple and the First Presbyterian Church.
Next: Day 2 continued; From Port Gibson to Rodney, to Natchez, Mississippi.
