On the way out to the park, we passed this field of yellow flowers that I thought looked kind of like a yellow carpet.
This is Scotia. This house was built in 1768 by Thomas Foster. It's a very cool house. There are two big rooms separated by a breezeway. Both rooms have a fireplace. Around the back is a steep set of stairs that leads to the upper floor. The upstairs is another large room with no windows.
Here's mom in her 'Yankee' uniform.
This is the Rodney Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church built in about 1890.
The inside of the church. It's still in pretty good shape.
The altar.
This would be mom praying that I would 'move it along'.
This was one of my favorite sites. The waterwheel was actually used to generate power.
This is Fort Wade. During the Civil War, this was where the Confederates made their ammunition. When the Union forces invaded, the Confederates took everything they could but what they weren't able to take, they blew up. That's why there's this huge hole in the ground.
Further into the park is the cemetery. Some of the headstones are so old that you can't even see the engraving.
Across the highway from the Grand Gulf park down a lonely road is the Mississippi River. This place is magnificent. There's a stone picnic table in a large open field that goes right up to the river. It's so quiet and peaceful that you can hear the river gurgle.
I wanted so badly to dip my toes in the water but the current was really strong. So much so that you could see the river moving. When I saw the Ohio River or the Missouri River, they both looked very still. The Mississippi River is moving and moving swiftly like it has some place to be.
My mom wanted to hang out there and listen to the river for the rest of the afternoon, which would have been fine by me except that we were at the end of a very lonely road in the middle of nowhere.
Mom enjoying the music of the river.
This whole experience made me think of Huck Finn. I wanted to get on a raft and float down the river just to see where I would go. I was also wondering about that bit of land on the other side of the river. What's over there?
The lonely stone bench waiting for someone to visit.
Earlier that morning, we were right by the bridge that crossed the river from Louisiana to Mississippi. There's the old bridge (which is the first one) and the new bridge (which is the one in the background).
This is a better angle to see the two bridges.
The last day of our visit we went to the Vicksburg battlefield park where several Civil War battles took place. As we drove around the park there were markers that designated which troops were fighting in a particular spot and who the commander was. All the blue markers represented Union troops and the red markers represented Confederate troops. We mostly saw blue markers.
There were several spots like this where the cannons were guarding the area. (This was a Union site).
I thought these were so cool. You see them all over the city. I'm not sure if they are props or if they are truly left over.
This is the Shirley House. It was owned by James and Adeline Shirley. During the war (you know which one I mean), the family was living there. In 1863 the Confederate rear guard fell back and the soldiers were ordered to burn all the buildings. All of the outbuildings were destroyed. The soldier that was ordered to burn the house was shot before he could light the torch. Mrs. Shirley and her son were inside the house huddled in a corner. They were there for three days before Mrs. Shirley tied a white sheet to a broom handle and placed it on the upper front porch. The occupants were given shelter by the Union forces.
This is a picture of what the house and the battlefield looked like during the war.
This is Thayer's approach. There's a tunnel that was started on the other side of the road that goes underneath the road. The sign was a little confusing to me but I thought the landscape was quite beautiful.
This is the military cemetery in the park. It's mostly Union soldiers buried here. The Confederate soldiers were buried at another Vicksburg cemetery. There are rows upon rows of headstones. 
On the way out of the park, we finally saw a red sign. One of the coolest things about this park is that you can actually get out and walk around. Unfortunately for us, it was raining so we pretty much stayed in the car. I would love to go back and really spend some quality time here.
After we left the battlefield park, we drove around Vicksburg proper. This is a cool little town that several old homes and buildings. Most are open to tour but on Sunday (which is when we were there) they don't open until 1:30 pm. So, we missed out. This gorgeous building is the Old Courthouse Museum circa 1860.
This is an old beat up house. It doesn't look like much from the street level. I sure would like to have taken a peek inside but you can see the the doors and windows are boarded up.
This is a view of that same house from the side. It's two stories and it goes way back. It doesn't really appear to be structurally sound but that didn't diminish my desire to go snooping around.
This is the Martha Vick house. Martha was the maiden daughter of the founder of Vicksburg. This house is right in the middle of a neighborhood. The house was built in 1830.
This is the Bazinsky House. It was built in 1861 and belonged to Joseph Bazinsky (he's actually in my tree!). Four generations of Bazinskys lived here. It would appear that the original structure has been added on to.
This is the Baer House Inn. The house was built in 1870 by Lazarus Baer. It boasts and outdoor privy that is two stories. I wish I had seen that! I sure wouldn't want to be on the lower level if someone else was on the top level.
This is an old firehouse. 
This place looked intriguing. Whoever their marketing director is, they are brilliant.
This is the George Washington Ball House. The guy who owned the house was related to...you guessed it, George Washington. It was built in 1822 before Vicksburg had incorporated. It was only recently restored (2004). It has two parlors, gardens, a veranda and the original slave quarters.
This is the Bethel AME Church. You can only go in by appointment. But on Sunday, it's a full house.
This appears to be an old abandoned storefront. The glass windows look like they are original. If I had a business, I would want to work out of a building like this.
This is the railroad depot that is opening up later this year as a museum. It's right on the Mississippi River.
This was kind of cool. It's a place to tie up your horse. They have these all over cowtown, I'm sure but this particular one also has a water trough. This is where you would lead your horse to water...
I love when I see these old signs. This one could use a touch up but I bet it's an original.
The National Biscuit Company must have been in this building at one time. I wonder if this is where they made the oreos.
Along the river front they have what they call the Vicksburg Waterfront Murals.
This is one of my favorite ones.
Here's mom trying to be part of the scene. This particular painting is of the Sisters of Mercy.
This was my biggest disappointment. This is the Coca Cola Museum. This is where Coca Cola was first bottled back in 1894. It was disappointing because we didn't get to go in. Next time.
In that same square, they had an old antique doll shop.
I'm sorry but these dolls are kind of creepy.
This is the Corner Drug Store. It's a privately owned collection of Civil War artifacts. Again, closed.
As we were driving along, I saw this building, which appears to be an apartment house but I bet when it was first built, it was somebody's house.
Check out the detailed design in the grill work.
Well, it was a really cool trip. We'll have to go back when we have more time to actually go into the houses and museums. This is a view of the way home as we are crossing the bridge into Louisiana.
