Rodney, Mississippi - Time Stands Still

Once upon a time there was a town called "Rodney, Mississippi". Located in Jefferson County about 32 miles from Natchez, Rodney was once only three votes away from being the capital of the Mississippi territory. A bustling river town, commerce and trade made Rodney the center of attention in this region. According to Wikipedia, Rodney was noted for its high level of culture, county fairs and business activity. Rodney once contained a bank, a newspaper, 500 people and 35 stores, artists, theater, lecture hall, schools, debating society, churches, jockey club and thespian groups.

Among the businesses fronting on Commerce and Magnolia Streets were a bank, wagon makers, tinsmiths, barbers, doctors, dentists, general mercantile stores, hotels, saloons, and pastry shops. Also, Mississippi Lodge # 56, Free and Accepted Masons was located in Rodney from the 1850's to the 1920's. it was not unusual for traveling thespians on the show boats to play at Rodney and use the Masonic Hall for their performances.

Cottonseed development, riverboat landings, taverns and high literacy made Rodney a leading river town.

There was only one problem with Rodney, you see the entire economy was based on the Mississippi River. And one day the river just... went away. The Mississippi River moved westward a mile or two because the Mississippi River is very unstable in this area and it moves around a lot. When this happened the population of Rodney basically went to zero.

Also, there was / is a huge Rodney Town Cemetery. It is now abandoned and very heavily overgrown. Many people from across the Mississippi River brought their dead to Rodney and buried them above the overflow line.

Well that's all I have to say about Rodney today, but if you get the chance I highly encourage you to find your way there. Here are a few more photos from my journey to Rodney, Mississippi.




An old gas pump from the corner drug store



The old Court House



A broom propped in the corner of the Baptist church



The old Masonic Lodge

The Color of Rust

The days of old are rusting away. The deep reds and oranges of the collapsing metals will soon be gone. New corrosion resistant metals and new shiny credit card gas pumps have taken over the landscape, replacing the full service gas stations of old where your greeted with a smile and a handshake as they raise the hood to check your oil. As I've traveled through the delta, I wanted to capture the few old rusty things that I came across. Before long they too will be gone, and in a few decades the word rust will only be known as a paint color.



A old Greenville, Mississippi gas pump with a price of 65 cents.




This old tractor has served its Leland, MS owner well. When I took this photo the owner told me that he still used it everyday.




An old tugboat steam engine stack. Steam engines were replaced with diesel engines almost 50 years ago. The Fayettville steamboat was on display in a Greenville, MS park