Name: A Guide to Mississippi Museums
Brand: Richelle Putnam
SKU: 9781467141840
Price: 24.99 USD
Availability: InStock

A Guide to Mississippi Museums

9781467141840

$24.99

Museums not only preserve history--their mere presence shows what a community values and celebrates. And from the incredible variety of museums that dot the Mississippi landscape, it's abundantly clear that Mississippians celebrate everything from the quirky to the grand. From the Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson to the Grammy Museum in Cleveland, the state boasts museums celebrating aprons, motorcycles, the game of bridge and the fight against the yellow fever epidemic. Join authors Diane Williams and Richelle Putnam on a tour through the Mississippi institutions that celebrate a little bit of everything from the state's rich, diverse history.

University of Michigan Basketball,1960–1989

9781467155359

$24.99

Building the Tradition

Most University of Michigan basketball fans know about the school's success during the Cazzie Russell era, and how the Wolverines built on that foundation, rising ever higher until they reached the pinnacle with their 1989 NCAA championship. But few know the stories behind the headlines. For example, how did Michigan coach Dave Strack, who admitted that U-M basketball was 'bad' when he became the coach, land a player of Russell's caliber? And how did Michigan find Russell's perfect complement, a future All-American who was virtually unknown ?

Using fresh interviews with dozens of coaches and players – including Russell, Rudy Tomjanovich, Johnny Orr, Bill Frieder, Glen Rice and many others – author Mike Rosenbaum digs behind the scenes to reveal the fascinating stories behind Michigan’s basketball successes from 1960 to 1989.

University of Michigan Basketball,1960–1989

Pirates, Raiders & Invaders of the Gulf Coast

9781467153232

$24.99

Authors Ryan Starrett and Josh Foreman chart a Gulf Coast odyssey with French adventurers, English colonists, Spanish Dons, American filibusters, Indian warriors, African Maroons, and pirate outlaws .

For centuries, the shoreline between Galveston and Tallahassee was marked by the desperate deeds of men who fought for God, gold, and glory, as well as those who simply wanted to be left alone. Regardless of motive, the Gulf Coast has seen its share of seafaring warriors and miscreants, from the Tattooed Serpent and Osceola to Iberville and Davy Crockett. It harbored privateers and pirates such as William Augustus Bowles and the Brothers Laffite .

Pirates, Raiders & Invaders of the Gulf Coast

Mississippi Bear Hunter Holt Collier

9781467154581

$24.99

Author Mark Neaves guides readers on an incredible tale through the life of one of America's greatest adventurers.

Born into slavery in the Mississippi Delta in 1847, Holt Collier was taught to hunt at an early age, killing his first bear at age 10, the first of 3,000 bears he killed during his lifetime, more than Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone combined. The number sounds impossible, until considered in the context of a life that reads like the stuff of fiction. When war erupted in the South, he remained loyal to the Confederacy, a teenager off to war. By the turn of the century, he'd become such a legendary hunter he was tapped to lead Teddy Roosevelt on a hunt that gave birth to the "Teddy Bear." As a former slave, Confederate soldier, and professional hunting guide, Holt goes down as an American legend.

Mississippi and the Great Depression

9781467118767

$24.99

Join author Richelle Putnam as she recounts how Mississippian's resolve and fortitude brought the state through one of the hardest economic times in American history.

When the Great Depression erupted, Mississippi had not yet recovered from the boll weevil or the Flood of 1927. Its land suffered from depleted forests and soil. Plus, the state had yet to confront the racial caste systems imprisoning poor whites, African Americans and other minorities. Nevertheless, innovative Mississippians managed to keep their businesses and services open. Meanwhile, President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal programs fostered economic stimulation within the state. Author Richelle Putnam also highlights the state's spiritual and cultural giants, who rose from the nation's poorest state to create a lasting footprint of determination, pride and hope during the Depression era.

The Yazoo Pass Expedition: A Union Thrust into the Delta

9781625858399

$21.99

After six failed attempts to reach Vicksburg, General Ulysses S. Grant developed a plan. The Yazoo Pass Expedition was a Union army/navy operation meant to bypass Vicksburg by using the backwaters of the Mississippi Delta. Operations began on February 3, 1863, with a levee breach on the Mississippi River. The expedition was delayed as a result of natural obstacles and Confederate resistance, which allowed the Confederate army under Lieutenant General John Pemberton to block passage of the Federal fleet. The Confederates continued to rebuff the fleet and finally defeated it in the spring. Larry McCluney examines the expedition from start to finish in never-before-seen detail.

The Yazoo Pass Expedition: A Union Thrust into the Delta

The Parchman Ordeal

9781467140645

$21.99

In October 1965, nearly 800 young people attempted to march from their churches in Natchez to protest segregation, discrimination and mistreatment by white leaders and elements of the Ku Klux Klan. As they exited the churches, local authorities forced the would-be marchers onto buses and charged them with "parading without a permit," a local ordinance later ruled unconstitutional. For approximately 150 of these young men and women, this was only the beginning. They were taken to the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman, where prison authorities subjected them to days of abuse, humiliation and punishment under horrific conditions. Most were African Americans in their teens and early twenties. Authors G. Mark LaFrancis, Robert Morgan and Darrell White reveal the injustice of this overlooked dramatic episode in civil rights history.

Mississippi Bishop William Henry Elder and the Civil War

9781467143806

$24.99

Conquest. War. Famine. Death. During the Civil War, all Four Horsemen circled the flock of William Henry Elder, the third bishop of Natchez. Elder was a hopeful unionist turned secessionist whose diocese encompassed the entirety of Mississippi. Consequently, he witnessed many of the pivotal moments of the Civil War--the capitulation of Natchez, the Siege of Vicksburg, the destruction of Jackson and the overall desolation of a state. And in the midst of the conflict, Bishop Elder went about his daily duties of baptizing, teaching, praying, preaching, performing marriages, confirming, comforting and burying the dead. Join author Ryan Starrett on this moving account of Elder and the heroics of this wartime bishop.

Mississippi Bishop William Henry Elder and the Civil War

Growing Up in Gulfport

9781467144087

$21.99

During the '50s and into the '60s, Gulfport's booming downtown was unmatched in the state, while its vibrant waterfront nightlife kept the coast rocking long after other small towns were fast asleep. Those who lived in Gulfport during that golden age have warm memories of high school bonfires on the beach, submarine races at the Rock Pile and parties at the Fiesta. After a day splashing in the Gulf, there were Wheel Burgers at Spiders, ice cream cones at Stone's, cold beers at Elsie's and snowballs at the Pop Corn King. This nostalgic look at boomer-era Gulfport is the surest way to step on back to the glory years.

North Mississippi Murder & Mayhem

9781467139366

$21.99

North Mississippi's idyllic rolling hills and deep forests hide a history steeped in blood. America's first serial killers, the Harpe brothers, brutally murdered as many as fifty people at the end of the 1700s before finally meeting their end on the Natchez Trace. During Reconstruction, politician William Clark Falkner, great-grandfather of the author William Faulkner, was shot in the streets of Ripley by a former business partner after being elected to the state legislature. In the 1960s, Samuel Bowers and the Mississippi Klan tried to start a national race war by orchestrating the Freedom Summer murders and the Ole Miss Riot. Kristina Stancil details the shadowy side of North Mississippi.

Haunted Mississippi Gulf Coast

9781609496395

$21.99

Mississippi's gorgeous Gulf Coast is known for its sandy beaches, sunny weather and welcoming people. Not so welcoming, however, are the spirits that haunt the shores, lighthouses, canneries and historic sites in towns along the coast. Join author and ghost hunter Bud Steed as he leads a haunted journey with stops in Pascagoula, Biloxi, Gulfport, Waveland and all points in between. From the apparition seen lingering in the Bay St. Louis Train Depot, still waiting for his train to come, to the forceful spirits haunting the Old Biloxi Cemetery that refuse to be ignored, this collection offers the complete take on the haunted hot spots that add a touch of darkness and a hint of menace to Mississippi's sunny Gulf Coast.

Haunted Meridian, Mississippi

9781609491239

$21.99

Meridian once echoed with the high and lonesome sound of early country music pioneer Jimmie Rodgers. With the right ears, that lonely wail may still be heard from the spirits that haunt this historic east Mississippi community. Now, for the first time, Meridian ghost expert and local author, Alan Brown, surveys the city's many sites of ghostly activity and recounts chilling tales of spirits past. From the Gypsy Queen's grave at the Rose Hill Cemetery to the phantom that haunts Stuckey's Bridge, this frightening collection offers adventurous readers a view into a side of Meridian's history that is rarely seen.

The Battle of Brice's Crossroads

9781609495022

$21.99

Told through a collection of first-person soldier accounts, the history of this Civil War battle and how the South's dubious chances of victory were overcome with grit and determination.

Hidden History of Jackson

9781467138970

$21.99

The history of Jackson is filled with gripping tales of horrors and heroism. Join Ryan Starrett and Josh Foreman as they reveal the hidden past of the City with Soul.

A recording company founded in the mid-1960s with the expectation of competing with New Orleans and Memphis was a national success, outlasting its better-funded rivals. Known as the "Devil's Backbone," the Natchez Trace is the graveyard for countless travelers slain by the road's numerous serial killers, brigands and land pirates. Yet one mass grave stands above the others: the Boyd Mounds, which hold the remains of thirty-one Choctaws. Although legend has it that the father of Jackson, Louis LeFleur, was a Canadian trapper famous in high society for his dancing, the truth is even stranger.

Mississippi Legends and Lore

9781467145176

$21.99

The battle for Vicksburg roils still, the outcome of the Union siege undecided as specters reload and carry on. The Pascagoula River sings out in grief, and a three-legged lady stalks a country lane outside Columbus. The Magnolia State is more than antebellum homes, fish camps and the blues. This is a land worthy of its matchless storytellers. Even after being passed back and forth between the Spanish, French and British, the ancient energy of the original inhabitants still reverberates through the region. From forgotten tales of African slaves, once the majority population, to yarns of bloodthirsty backwoodsmen on the Natchez Trace, author Alan Brown goes beyond the bullet points of Mississippi history. The legends often tell a clearer story than anything else.

Hidden History of Natchez

9781467148207

$21.99

Since prehistory, the bluffs of Natchez have called to the bold, the cruel and the quietly determined. The diverse opportunists who heeded that call have left behind more than three hundred years of colorful and tragic stories. The Natchez Indians, who inhabited the bluffs at the time of European contact, made a calculated but ultimately catastrophic decision to massacre the French who had settled nearby. William Johnson, a Black man who occupied a tenuous position between two worlds, found wealth and status in antebellum Natchez. In the wake of Union occupation, thousands of the formerly enslaved became the city's protective garrison. Join authors Ryan Starrett and Josh Foreman and rediscover the people who toiled and bled to make Natchez one of the most unique and interesting cities in America.

Secrets of the Old Biloxi Cemetery

9781467150156

$21.99

The countryside between Mobile and New Orleans teems with memorials, but few historic spots occasion pause for reflection like the Old Biloxi Cemetery. Burials go back to the eighteenth-century French settlement, when Biloxi was the planned capital of the Louisiana territory. Secrets abound in the old cemetery--not exactly buried, since many prominent inhabitants sealed unsolved mysteries with their final remains in the aboveground tombs developed here. Author John Cuevas explores the fascinating history of the cemetery, including the massive restoration of the iconic resting place of his ancestor Juan de Cuevas, great-grandfather to more than nine thousand Gulf Coast families.

Hidden History of the Mississippi Sound

9781467143219

$21.99

Inside are thirteen little-known tales from the Gulf Coast from Lake Borgne to Mobile.

Sail into the Mississippi Sound with Bienville, the Frenchman covered in serpentine tattoos. Meet the heroes of the Sound: fearless Father LeDuc, who faced down Yankee pillagers; the wild woman of Horn Island, who could shoot as well as any man; and Ray Nosaka, who fed his body to the dogs of war, all in service of his country. Glimpse a school of the Sound's own patron fish, the striped mullet, Biloxi's bacon. But don't get too comfortable on the beach - a hurricane is always on the horizon. Join authors Josh Foreman and Ryan Starrett on this journey into the hidden history of the Mississippi Sound.

Hidden History of the Mississippi Delta

9781467152211

$23.99

Unearth bounty from the Mississippi Delta The conquistadors staggered through the Delta half-starved, mostly naked, dripping with swamp water. They became the first Europeans to walk in the shade of the Delta's ancient cypress trees, hear the howl of the red wolf, and eat the maize that would give the Delta its signature dish: the hot tamale. Over the centuries, the bountiful soil of the Delta would beckon to those from all over the world. Others came because they had no choice, tilling the land while they gave rise to a new and haunting music. Learn what the Delta was and what it became, and meet the characters who created what James C. Cobb called "the most southern place on earth." In this collection of the nearly forgotten, authors Ryan Starrett and Josh Foreman explore one of the most complicated and culturally rich areas in the country.

Hattiesburg, Mississippi

9781626192003

$24.99

This narrative history of Hattiesburg, MS illustrates the people, places, and events that have shaped its cultural and natural history.

Founded by William Hardy at the confluence of rivers and rail lines, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, is today a capital of education, healthcare, commerce and the armed forces in the Gulf South. In this new biography of the Hub City, experience its story as you never have before. Hunt and forage alongside Native American tribes centuries before European settlement. Build a cabin with pioneer lumbermen on the edge of the forest, jostling for profit in the cavernous Piney Woods. Train with soldiers at Camp Shelby on the eve of deployment in World War II, and march alongside civil rights activists during Freedom Summer in 1964. In this narrative history, author and Hattiesburg native Benjamin Morris offers a captivating account of the Hub City from its prehistory to the present day, from its darkest hours to its brightest futures.

Lost Gulfport

9781467140225

$23.99

The second largest city in the state, Gulfport is the business center of south Mississippi. Many of the city's cherished landmarks and businesses have been lost to Hurricanes Camille and Katrina, the development of shopping malls and Interstate 10. Gulfport's answer to the quintessential '50s malt shop, Stone's Ice Cream, became a favorite hangout for students, families and businessmen throughout its long history. The Paramount Theatre was famous for its annual Christmas raffle during the '50s. Known as the "Hosts of the Gulf Coast," the Friendship House Restaurant served up a great cup of coffee along with its celebrated Hospitality Menu. Historian John Cuevas takes a look back at Gulfport's shops, restaurants, nightclubs, cinemas and more from a bygone age.

The Life and Legacy of B.B. King

9781467142403

$23.99

Blues legend B.B. King spent his life sharing the music of his soul, which shone relentlessly through hardship and triumph alike.

Born on a cotton plantation in 1925, the man born Riley B. King would grow up to be one of the most influential blues musicians of all time, being crowned "The King of the Blues." He never wavered from his vocation, even as he gathered up other musicians in his wake and melded them into the harmony of his animating passion. In this intimate portrait of King, author Diane Williams offers a brief account of the monumental blues man's life before settling in for a series of interviews with his bandmates and beloved family members, offering readers an invaluable opportunity to feel like they know King too.

Studio Jackson:

9781626197183

$24.99

In the capital city of Jackson, visual artists and craftsmen have historically found a place where their work is cherished as part of the local economy. The works span nearly all mediums from sculpting to painting. Beginning in the 1920s with the formation of Wolfe Studios and spanning decades of change and development, Jackson studios have emerged and reigned as the preeminent strongholds of economic development and creative culture in the capital city. Author Nell Linton Knox and photographer Ellen Rodgers Johnson capture the compelling narratives behind some of the well-known craftsmen whose studios are mainstays in Jackson's oldest neighborhoods.

The Tombigbee River Steamboats: Rollodores, Dead Heads and Side-Wheelers

9781596292857

$24.99

The Tombigbee River flows through the history of Alabama and Mississippi, connecting the Black Prairie cotton belt of northeast Mississippi and west Alabama to Mobile and the Gulf of Mexico. In the early 1800s, it became the regional artery of commerce and trade, with steamboats carrying cotton to the port of Mobile and then returning upriver with farm supplies and consumer goods. Today, the "rollodores," who rolled cotton bales down slides to the decks of boats; the sunken logs, or "dead heads," that could sink a boat if struck; and the "side-wheeler" model steamboats have all but vanished. The Tombigbee River Steamboats brings this forgotten era back to life through accounts of the steamboats, their crews and their trials, such as the haunting story of the steamer Eliza Battle, which burned and sank on a freezing, flooded river.

The Tombigbee River Steamboats: Rollodores, Dead Heads and Side-Wheelers

Professional Wrestling in Mississippi

9781467154284

$23.99

Bounce off the ropes for a high-flying jaunt through the history of Magnolia State professional wrestling. At its peak, professional wrestling was arguably the most popular sport in Mississippi. The pageantry and colorful personalities appealed to grandparents and grandchildren alike. Author Jeffrey Martin invites readers to step inside the squared circle and revisit everything from the carnival wrestling days of the late 1800s to the chiseled melodrama of modern wrestling. Along the way, readers will learn about Billy Romanoff, the old-school wrestler turned promoter who made wrestling a weekly staple at the Jackson City Auditorium; Jerry Lawler and Bill Dundee, who brought down the house on Friday nights at the Tupelo Sports Arena; and George and Gil Culkin, the father-and-son duo who split with "Cowboy" Bill Watts to create their own Mississippi territory, kickstarting the careers of Kamala, Terry Gordy, Michael Hayes and many other pivotal figures.

Mississippi Folk and the Tales They Tell

9781609499327

$23.99

From the hills to the coast, the people of Mississippi have stories to tell. Most would never guess that Raleigh, Mississippi, once played host to the National Tobacco Spitting Contest. Over in Okolona, children are told of the man who lived--and died--deep down in a hole and scared passersby. From the gandy dancers who built the first train tracks in Mississippi to the eight-foot-tall man who lived in the woods of Columbia, read tales that range from common myth to a good bit of righteous gossip. Author and storyteller Diane Williams traveled across the Magnolia State to gather these local legends and has compiled them into an inquisitive, laugh-out-loud collection.

Mississippi Folk and the Tales They Tell

Rebels in Repose

9781467144001

$24.99

The South's high command traveled dramatically divergent paths after the dissolution of the Confederacy.

Their professional reputations were often rewritten accordingly, as the rise of the Lost Cause ideology codified the deification of Lee and the vilification of James Longstreet. The irascible Jubal A. Early, Robert E. Lee's "bad old man," went to Canada after the war and remained an unreconstructed Rebel until his death. Lee became president of Washington College and urged reconciliation with the North. Braxton Bragg never found solid economic footing and remained mournful of slavery's demise until his own, when a heart attack took him in Galveston. Allie Povall shares the stories of nineteen of these former generals, touching briefly on their antebellum and wartime experiences before richly detailing their attempts to salvage livelihoods from the wreckage of America's defining cataclysm.

Delta Hot Tamales

9781467135757

$21.99

Several theories surround the traditional Delta tamale. Some trace it back to Mexican and Italian immigrants, while others say the Delta version of the hand-held meal is a spin on the old African American food called "cush." One thing not disputed is the popularity. From hot tamale legends Joe Pope, Shine Thornton and the Scott family to current chefs, the traditions and the secret recipes live on. Writer and historian Anne Martin showcases the stories behind the traditional Delta hot tamale, as well as the countless variations of the delicacy found within the region.

The Civil War Siege of Jackson, Mississippi

9781626197299

$21.99

Even after a grueling forty-seven-day siege at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Grant could not rest on his laurels. Just fifty miles away in Jackson, Confederate general Joseph E. Johnston and the "Army of Relief" still posed a threat to Grant's hard-won victory. General William Tecumseh Sherman countered by marching Union troops to Jackson. After a weeklong siege under a hot Mississippi sun, Johnston's army abandoned the city, leaving the fate of Jackson in the hands of Sherman's troops. Historian Jim Woodrick recounts the Civil War devastation and rebirth of Mississippi's capital.

The Civil War Siege of Jackson, Mississippi

Death Along the Natchez Trace

9781467149778

$21.99

The Natchez Trace is the "Path of Nations,'? a 450-mile-long game trail stamped into the earth by primeval bison. Once the domain of the Natchez, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek and Cherokee tribes, the Trace nurtured these groups, but it was also watered with the blood of tribesmen long before any white man trod on it. European settlers eventually used the path to navigate between the backwoods Cumberland settlements and the cosmopolitan city of Natchez, with Spanish gold clinking in the seams of their clothes and wads of tough jerky turning in their cheeks. Today, the Natchez Trace stands as one of the prettiest and most history-soaked pathways in the United States. Join authors Ryan Starrett and Josh Foreman as they look at the myriad ways people have lived and died along it.

Lost Biloxi

9781467118828

$21.99

Biloxi's beaches and casinos make the city a haven for Gulf Coast tourists. And since it's one of America's oldest communities, local residents have seen many iconic treasures come and go. Before Hurricane Katrina, more than 150 historical structures dotted the area. Of those, 60 were lost to the devastating storm, including the Father Ryan House, built in the early 1840s. In 1969, Hurricane Camille flattened the Baldwin Wood Lighthouse. Other structures like Biloxi City Hall on Main Street faded away with the passage of time, having stood resolute for decades. Author Edmond Boudreaux recalls Biloxi's most significant and cherished landmarks.

The Juke Joint King of the Mississippi Hills: The Raucous Reign of Tillman Branch

9781626194366

$21.99

In the swamps and juke joints of Holmes County, Mississippi, Edward Tillman Branch built his empire. Tillman's clubs were legendary. Moonshine flowed as patrons enjoyed craps games and well-known blues acts. Across from his Goodman establishment, prostitutes in a trysting trailer entertained men, including the married Tillman himself. A threat to law enforcement and anyone who crossed his path, Branch rose from modest beginnings to become the ruler of a treacherous kingdom in the hills that became his own end. Author Janice Branch Tracy reveals the man behind the story and the path that led him to become what Honeyboy Edwards referred to in his autobiography as the "baddest white man in Mississippi."

The Juke Joint King of the Mississippi Hills: The Raucous Reign of Tillman Branch

Lauderdale County, Mississippi:

9781609490218

$21.99

Originally home to the native Choctaw tribe, Lauderdale County was settled and established in 1833 at a prime spot on the eastern border of the Magnolia state. The county flourished as a vital and vibrant hub of railroad commerce until the Civil War brought destruction and devastation. But its resilient citizens rose from the ashes and soon an area once ravaged by war became a home for industry and innovators. Join author and Meridian local Richelle Putnam as she provides the first-ever history of Lauderdale County, from founding to present, recounting the people and events that helped shaped the community into the beloved home it is today.

Church Street

9781626191112

$21.99

The 1930s and 1940s saw unprecedented prosperity for the African Americans of Jackson's Church Street. From the first black millionaire in the United States to defenders of civil rights, nearly all of Jackson's black professionals lived on Church Street. It was one of the most popular places to see and be seen, whether that meant spotting Louis Armstrong strolling out of the Crystal Palace Club or Martin Luther King Jr. organizing an NAACP meeting at his field office on nearby Farish Street. Join authors and veterans of Church Street Grace Sweet and Benjamin Bradley as they explore the astounding history and legacy of Church Street.

Champions For Change

9781609496081

$21.99

Mississippi State dominated Southeastern Conference basketball in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Starting in 1959, the team won four conference titles over five seasons. Yet despite earning their way, the Bulldogs remained routinely absent from NCAA tournaments. Amid a climate of fierce segregation, Mississippi refused to allow its collegiate teams to compete with integrated programs. In 1963, one team determined to compete on the national stage made state history. Led by beloved coach Babe McCarthy and supported by university students and administration, the Bulldogs made a daring and furtive trip to play Loyola's integrated team in the national tournament. Now, sports journalist Kyle Veazey vividly recounts the amazing journey of a team that refused to be hindered by the status quo.