Of course, this is Instead of Doing Dishes...we didn't stop there :)
On the way down Hwy 567 we found several older homes. One of which I have read stories about.
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| Winston Wilkinson House |
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| George Webb Home |
We were headed to McComb from here for some groceries...yeah yeah...that is how we always end up in trouble...grocery trips. I heard of a road to McComb that we had never taken, so we took it. On our way down Jackson/Liberty Rd. we found Lea Hall.
Turns out, the road we took didn't end up in McComb, rather in Smithdale, MS. We were very close to Mars Hill, so it being Memorial Day weekend, stopped off to take pictures of Heather's husbands great grandfather (did you keep up with all of that?). This man fought in WWI and was buried in Mars Hill in 1920.
We then took another detour, still on the way to McComb, and ended up just north of our destination in a place called Summit, MS. Summit is probably most well known for being the home of the Southwest Mississippi Community College Bears. I am here to let you know that Summit should be known for it's super adorable main street! Heather caught of glimpse of an old building as we passed and we had to make the block. I would like to point out at this time that my two boys are asleep in the backseat...
As we stop at a stop sign making our way back to Main Street Summit, we here a train whistle (tracks run right past downtown). My oldest jumps up hollering "Train, Train, Where is it?!". No more napping for that kid! I would also like to point out that at the sound of the whistle Heather grabbed her camera and exited the vehicle in record time (thank goodness I had stopped!).
This train was carrying lots
The train would next have to roll through downtown McComb, our next destination, so we headed there straight away. (Yes, occasionally we do head straight to a place...I know what you were thinking.)
We got downtown just in time for Heather to grab some more shots of the coal laden train. Then, because I was on a one way street under a bridge, we did a loop to get back to the Depot. McComb has turned one end of the old Depot into a museum. This museum is dedicated to the history of railroading in McComb. To get to the entrance, you walk through the Amtrak station. They close at 4pm on Saturday's, it 3:45, we promised the nice lady we would hurry. I have to admit, I was impressed by the memorabilia they have collected here! Bells and whistles, uniforms and pictures, it was truly wonderful! There was a display where Luke got to pull a cord and make a trail whistle blow!
As we exited the museum the lady in the Amtrak office was announcing the arrival of the 4 o'clock train. She told us to take the boys outside on the platform...this made their day! Luke has now seen two trains in one day. The Amtrak came fully equipped with a quick stop, a conductor in full uniform, and people hopping on and off the train. He is begging to take a trip now via train.
Once the AmTrak hit the rails, we headed over to the display train that is outside the museum.
Now that we are sufficiently detoured, it is time to get groceries! (Yes, that is right, once again we actually did get groceries. This quite possibly could be a new record!) We got what we needed and headed home.
"Or did we?!?" - My nephew Sean says this all the time.
Ok...we got sidetracked...AGAIN!
Smithdale, MS got us. The old Gin Machinery building, and the buildings around it, caught our eye. While we were taking pictures, Heather noticed some locals on their front porch across the street. We stopped in and Heather had a nice chat with Mrs. Betty Young. Mrs. Betty gave us some great information! Smithdale was once known as Williamsburg. The Williams' ran a Gin, Gin Machinery, and several buildings having to do with a railroad that ran through the area on it's way to Gloster, MS.
Mrs. Betty sent us to talk to her neighbor who was a Williams' relative, but he wasn't home. We will definitely be revisiting this location at a later date for more information and pictures!
While Googling (because you know that's how I roll) I found out there was a Civil War cemetery in Smithdale. I mentioned this to Heather...and away we went. We were unable to find it on any maps, but in our wander around did find a cemetery where several Civil War soldiers were interred.
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| Nunnery Cemetery |
This may be the Smithdale cemetery that I read about...but I think we were to far from Smithdale. In fact, a few minutes more down the road and we found ourselves in Liberty!
We have now come full circle, or figure eight if you have a map and have been keeping up with our travels. At this juncture
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| Homochitto River crossing Hwy 33 |
Until next time!
-Rosemary
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