Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Vicksburg (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Illinois Memorial, Vicksburg National Military Park, and USS Cairo. Also, be sure to include McRaven House in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Vicksburg (Mississippi).
Table of Contents
Illinois Memorial
Sculpture by Charles Mulligan. The Illinois Memorial is a public memorial located at Vicksburg National Military Park in Vicksburg, Mississippi, United States. Dedicated in 1906, it honors the Union Army soldiers from Illinois who fought in the siege of Vicksburg during the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. It was designed by architect William Le Baron Jenney and sculptor Charles Mulligan. It is known to the locals as Echo Hall or the Hollar House.[1]
Vicksburg National Military Park
National park in Warren County, Mississippi. Vicksburg National Military Park preserves the site of the American Civil War Battle of Vicksburg, waged from March 29 to July 4, 1863. The park, located in Vicksburg, Mississippi, also commemorates the greater Vicksburg Campaign which led up to the battle. Reconstructed forts and trenches evoke memories of the 47-day siege that ended in the surrender of the city. Victory here and at Port Hudson, farther south in Louisiana, gave the Union control of the Mississippi River.[2]
Address: 3201 Clay St, 39183-3495 Vicksburg
USS Cairo
Site of a restored circa-1861 warship. USS Cairo was one of the first American ironclad warships built at the beginning of the U.S. Civil War.
Cairo was the lead ship of the City-class gunboats and named for Cairo, Illinois. In June 1862, she captured the Confederate garrison of Fort Pillow on the Mississippi, enabling Union forces to occupy Memphis. As part of the Yazoo Pass Expedition, she was sunk on 12 December 1862, while clearing mines for the attack on Haines Bluff. Cairo was the first ship ever to be sunk by a mine remotely detonated by hand.
The remains of Cairo can be viewed at Vicksburg National Military Park with a museum of its weapons and naval stores.[3]
Address: Vicksburg National Military Park, 39183-3495 Vicksburg
McRaven House
Archive in Vicksburg, Mississippi. McRaven was built c. 1797 by Andrew Glass in a town called Walnut Hills, which is now Vicksburg, Mississippi. In the Civil War era, it was known as the Bobb House, and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as such. McRaven got its current name from the street it is located on, which was formerly called McRaven Street, but is now Harrison Street. McRaven has been on the Mississippi Department of Archives and History's Historic Preservation list since January 8, 1978. It is also believed by many to be haunted, and has been called "the most haunted house in Mississippi."[4]
Address: 1445 Harrison St, 39180-3637 Vicksburg
Church of the Holy Trinity
Church building in Vicksburg, Mississippi. The Church of the Holy Trinity is a historic church building at South and Monroe Streets in Vicksburg, Mississippi.
It was designed by E.C. Jones, built in 1870 and added to the National Register in 1978.[5]
Address: 900 South St, 39180-3256 Vicksburg
Lower Mississippi River Museum
Museum in Vicksburg, Mississippi. The Lower Mississippi River Museum is a museum in Vicksburg, Mississippi.
The Water Resources Development Act of 1992 authorized the Lower Mississippi River Museum and Riverfront Interpretive Site. Consultation was directed with the Smithsonian Institution in the planning and design of the museum and site and with the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service in the planning, design, and implementation of interpretive programs. The museum is the first of its kind in the United States as it will be the first and only museum to maintain and house a fully restored, dry docked riverboat.[6]
Address: 910 Washington St, 39183-2562 Vicksburg
Old Vicksburg Bridge
Cantilever bridge in Vicksburg, Mississippi. The Old Vicksburg Bridge, also known as Mississippi River Bridge, is a cantilever bridge carrying one rail line across the Mississippi River between Delta, Louisiana and Vicksburg, Mississippi.[7]
Old Warren County Courthouse
The Old Courthouse, Warren County, also known as Warren County Courthouse, stands prominently on a hill in Vicksburg, Mississippi, and was a symbol of Confederate resistance during the Siege of Vicksburg. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1968 and a Mississippi Landmark in 1986. The landmarked area comprises the entire Courthouse Square, which includes the courthouse and four attached buildings that were originally cistern houses for catching rainwater to fight fires, but these were later converted into offices.
Atop one of the highest bluffs in Vicksburg, construction began in the summer of 1858. The property for the new building was donated to the city by its founder, Newitt Vick. The Weldon brothers from Rodney, Mississippi, were hired to build the courthouse, which was completed in 1860 at a cost of $100,000.
During the Civil War, the building was one of the main targets in Vicksburg. As hard as the Union tried, the building suffered only one major hit. After a 47-day siege, on July 4, 1863, the Stars and Bars were lowered and the Stars and Stripes were raised. Many historical figures have visited the courthouse over the years, including Jefferson Davis, Booker T. Washington, William McKinley, and Theodore Roosevelt.
Famous trials were conducted in the building's second-floor courtroom. One was of freed slave Holt Collier, who in 1867 was arrested and charged with the murder of a white police officer from North Mississippi. He was acquitted of all charges for defending his former owner's name.
The original iron doors and shutters are still on the building today.
On June 3, 1948 the museum opened its doors, thanks to Eva Whitaker Davis. Mrs. Davis is the founder of the Vicksburg and Warren County Historical Society.[8]
Address: 1008 Cherry St, Vicksburg
Cedar Hill Cemetery
Cemetery in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Cedar Hill Cemetery, also known as the City of Vicksburg Cemetery and Soldiers Rest Cemetery, is one of the "...oldest and largest cemeteries in the United States that is still in use". Establishment of Cedar Hill Cemetery predates the American Civil War.[9]
Address: 326 Lovers Ln, 39183-2051 Vicksburg
Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church
Church in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church is a historic African Methodist Episcopal church located at 805 Monroe Street in Vicksburg, Mississippi. The church's congregation was established in 1864, making it the first A.M.E. church in the state. Its first church was a preexisting church building built in 1828; this was demolished to make way for the present building, which was completed in 1912. The church has a Romanesque Revival design with an auditorium plan, a common style for church buildings built in Mississippi at the time. The building features a four-story tower on the north side topped by a crenellated pyramid roof, stained glass rose windows on three sides, and a cross gabled roof with a corbelled parapet.
The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 30, 1992.[10]
Address: 1115 Main St, 39183-2527 Vicksburg
The Old Depot Museum
Museum, Specialty museum
Address: 1010 Levee St, 39183-2569 Vicksburg