Exiting off I-55 North drivers will have an unobstructed view of a welcome mural as they enter into downtown
You can see a trio of flags flanking the building behind the mural. The topmost one is obviously the US flag.
In the middle you have the state flag:
Wait what? I thought Mississippi flag featured the Confederate emblem in its image?
Not anymore! After a 126-year battle and the 2020 uprising in response to the murder of George Floyd, the state legislature finally gave way. Now it features a white magnolia blossom surrounded by the words “In God We Trust” and 21 stars.
Last but not least you have the flag for the city of Jackson.
I’d say its a cool looking flag and its eerily similar to the flag adopted by the city of Indianapolis:
What’s this Greek Revival building over here, is it the capitol?
Nope. It is currently a museum but once upon a time it was the 2nd site of the capitol from 1840 until 1900. How about the 1st site? there is no trace of it anymore!!
Ok then what’s the current site? it is this Beaux Arts style building and was completed in 1903.
We might as well mention another building associated with the governor. Below has been the residence of Mississippi governors and their families since 1842. It is the second-oldest continuously occupied gubernatorial residence in the United States and designed by the architect who also designed the old state capitol, William Nichols.
While we are still in the theme of government buildings, Hinds County Courthouse, an excellent example of Art Deco style art and architecture. It was designed by Claude H. Lindsley, a very prolific architect from the area.
Atop the building is this statue of Moses, giver of the Law
Speaking of works by Claude H. Lindsley below is the Central High School. Writer Eudora Welty was one of its famous alumni.
Eudora Welty is definitely a celebrated icon of the city. Below is a black and white mural honoring her:
This 1904 building was Jackson’s first fire department. The building was restored in 1978 and now serves as home to the Jackson Chamber of Commerce.
Below is the old Gulf, Mobile, & Ohio Railroad Depot. Passenger service linked New Orleans through Jackson to St. Louis. The design incorporated four major rooms arranged in a row separating a “white waiting room”, from a “colored waiting room.” with restrooms and a ticket office in between. Rail passenger service to this depot was discontinued in 1954
Right across the station we have what they call the Merci Train. This is the second sighting of one since my visit to Ogden UT. It is one of 49 boxcars shipped by France as a heart-felt thank you to America for its aid during WWII. They were adorned with coats of arms of the provinces of France and filled with offerings from the French people:
Onto impressive commercial buildings, first up Lamar Life building. It was constructed in 1924–1925 as Jackson’s “first skyscraper”. The neo-Gothic structure features clock tower (called “The Singing Tower” since it housed a radio station). Gargoyles peek over the upper edges of the building and once upon a time upside-down alligator gargoyles perched at street level.
In the Art Deco style, Jackson’s skyline features 2 skyscrapers. First of which is the Plaza building:
The second Art Deco skyscraper Standard Life Building was built by Claude H. Lindsley. It has been transformed into 76 luxury upscale apartments that fetch as little as $1100 a month rent, quite a bargain compared to if this kind of building existed in another more popular city.
Onto hotels, Robert E. Lee Building though initially started out as one didn’t succeed since 1930 was a rough year. Also around the time segregation became outlawed 1964, the owners instead of admitting African American patrons decided to sell the property to the state and it thus became office space.
Hotel King Edward constructed in 1923 served as the temporary studios of Blues artists. Today it is part of the Hilton collection of hotels.
Within that strip aptly named the West Capitol Street Historic District there is a lot of interesting establishments. The below Mayflower cafe which opened in 1935 lays claim as the oldest operating restaurant in the city
Below you can see a ghost sign for A.J. Orkin Jeweler & Collateral Bank that used to occupy the building. It is today a drinks and hookah establishment, named the Daiquiri bar. The bar was mired in controversy because ownership garnered a seedy reputation from the strip clubs they also ran within city limits. Luckily zoning laws prevent this establishment from going that route.
Below is a vintage sign from a bygone era. Lott Furniture was family-owned and operated since 1941. They still operate but not from this location, all that remains is the sign.
Cohen Brothers here used to be a suit store
The last structure in this block I present is completed shuttered. You could only make out the ground tiles which say “Bon-Ton Cafe” and there is also a fleur-de-lis display. This used to be a dining establishment famous for their bread pudding.
As we leave the West Capitol Street Historic District, we come across the Old Greyhound Bus Station. It was the site of many arrests during the May 1961 Freedom Rides of the Civil Rights Movement. The Freedom Riders challenged racial segregation in Jackson’s bus and train stations and airport.
Next Stop I take you is within Farish St, in its heyday it was dubbed Mississippi’s Harlem. As the epicenter of Jackson’s Black community, the street represented a self-sufficient economic island during the Jim Crow days of segregation. Sadly the businesses faded over more than a half-century and with them the number of shoppers and visitors. What we see today is plenty of abandoned, dilapidated and decaying buildings.
The Alamo served as a performing arts theater featuring Black Vaudeville acts, stage bands, and performing artists such as B.B King, Nat King Cole and other top African-American performers.
There is only a single surviving restaurant from Farish Street’s heyday, the Big Apple Inn. It is fourth generation family owned since 1939 and known for their smoked sausage and pig ear sandwiches. Me being the connoisseur of interesting foods I had to give it a try:
Pig ears are usually destined to the trash heap by butchers. Owners of Big Apple Inn after experimenting with deep-frying, baking, and simmering, came up with a method to make them tender as thick slices of ham by boiling for two days.
Beyond the tasty food the Big Apple Inn was an outpost for Black activists: Freedom Riders planned events over sandwiches, NAACP Mississippi field secretary Medgar Evers had an office on the floor above.
That covers it from my time in Jackson, of course there are neighborhoods beyond better know for restaurants like the Fondren district but as far as history, you cannot beat the richness of what you find downtown.
