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The Star of the West: A Decidedly Unromantic Fate in the Mississippi Delta

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

(Greenwood, MS) Mary Carol Miller will present a lecture on the Star of the West, Tuesday, March 26 at 6:30 p.m. at the Museum of the Mississippi Delta.  Star of the West - Lecture Series - War Comes to the Mississippi Delta - Museum of the Mississippi Delta - Greenwood, MS

Mary Carol Miller, noted historian, author and immediate past president of the Mississippi Historical Society delves deeply into the history behind the Star of the West. Considered the first ship fired upon in the Civil War, the ship was not a warship but a merchant vessel originally owned by Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt. While attempting to supply Federal forces at Ft. Sumter on January 9, 1861, cadets from the Citadel fired upon her in Charleston Harbor. She then was taken to the Gulf of Mexico near Galveston where she was captured by Confederate cavalry officers. The ship was brought upriver to Vicksburg, then to Yazoo City and finally to Greenwood where she was scuttled in the Tallahatchie River in 1863 during the Battle of Fort Pemberton.

The lecture is in conjunction with the exhibition War Comes to the Mississippi Delta, commemorating the sesquicentennial of the Civil War in the Delta. The exhibit is up through August 31, 2013. The exhibition tells the story of the Union forces’ attempt to navigate the intricate rivers of the Mississippi Delta during the winter of 1863. Known as the Yazoo Pass Expedition, the attempt ultimately ended in failure, as Confederate forces held strong at a hastily built outpost near Greenwood known as Fort Pemberton.

The Museum of the Mississippi Delta was founded in 1969 as Cottonlandia Museum. The collection consists of historical items related to the cotton industry, agriculture and military history (with emphasis on the Civil War), a regional art collection including works by Theora Hamblett, Marie Hull, Saul Hammons, Maude Schuyler Clay, Langford Clay, Wallace Malette and Streater Odom Spencer. The collection Spanish Colonial trade beads is one of the largest in the Southeast. The Native America Gallery houses the most extensive collection in the South of “Avenue Polychrome” ceramic vessels manufactured by Amerindians living in the Yazoo-Mississippi River Valley during the Mississippian period, some 700 years ago. The Museum is home to the remains of a 12,000 year-old mastodon skeleton and a 70 million year-old vertebrae from a Mosasaurus.

Museum of the Mississippi Delta    1608 Highway 82 West    Greenwood, MS 38930       662-453-0925 P       www.museumofthemississippidelta.com Hours: Mon-Friday   9:00-5:00           Saturday     10:00-4:00

Contact:

Cheryl Taylor

Museum of the Mississippi Delta

662-453-0925 Phone

662-4555- 7556 Fax

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www.museumofthemississippidelta.com

Encampment of Civil War Re-enactors at Fort Pemberton near Greenwood, Mississippi March 8-9, 2013

(Greenwood, MS) In commemoration of the Battle of Fort Pemberton that took place in March of 1863, the Museum of the Mississippi Delta, in collaboration with Company K, 30th Mississippi Infantry, will present an Encampment. On the evening of March 8, re-enactors will camp at the site of the Re-enactors Encampment Sponsored by the Museum of the MS Delta 030813original fort, located on Highway 82 West, just 2 miles west of the Museum of the Mississippi Delta. On Saturday, March 9, beginning at 9:00 a.m., Company K will be in camp portraying the daily life of troops garrisoned at Fort Pemberton with drills, musket demonstrations and cooking. Don’t be surprised if you see some Union soldiers show up and force the Rebels into a skirmish. The “Lady Polk”, a restored Blakely Patent no. 34 cannon, will be fired at 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 3: 00 p.m. The cannon was manufactured by Fawcett Preston & Co. in Liverpool, England and is one of only 17 examples of the Civil War-era cannon left in existence today, and the only one that has been restored for firing. Visitors may view the exhibition “War Comes to the Mississippi Delta” at the Museum for FREE all day from 10:00 until 5:00.

The Encampment is a program in conjunction with the new exhibition, War Comes to the Mississippi Delta, which tells the story of the Yazoo Pass Expedition and the Union forces attempt to approach Vicksburg via the Yazoo River near Greenwood. The attempt ultimately ended in failure, as Confederate forces held strong at a hastily built outpost near Greenwood known as Fort Pemberton. The most noted aspect of the Confederate defenses was the ocean steamer Star of the West, originally a Union transport ship, listed as the first ship fired upon during the Civil War at Fort Sumter. After being captured by Rebel forces, the ship met her demise when it was sunk next to Fort Pemberton to block the passage of Union ships through the channel as they headed toward their destination: Vicksburg. Artifacts from the Star of the West and the U.S.S. Cairo as well many other original pieces will be on display at the Museum through August 31, 2013.

Museum of the Mississippi Delta    1608 Highway 82 West    Greenwood, MS 38930

662-453-0925 P       662-455-7556 F

www.museumofthemississippidelta.com

Hours: Mon-Friday 9:00-5:00           Saturday     10:00-4:00

Holt Collier: His Life, His Roosevelt Hunts and the Origin of the Teddy Bear

(Greenwood, MS) In conjunction with the exhibition, War Comes to the Mississippi Delta, Minor Ferris Buchanan will present a lecture from his book Holt Collier, His Life, His Roosevelt Hunts, and the Origin of the Teddy Bear, Tuesday, February 19 at 6:30 p.m. at the Museum of the Mississippi Delta. Program is sponsored by the Mississippi Humanities Council and is free to the public.
Probably the most famous African-American of Civil War-era Mississippi was Holt Collier, who fought for the South. Collier was born a slave on the plantation of Cameron Howell Hinds in Jefferson County, Mississippi. His sons Howell and Thomas Hinds used the teenage Collier as a servant while they fought for the Confederacy. Collier was later allowed to join Company “I” of the 9th Texas Cavalry after the battle of Shiloh in April 1862. Collier distinguished himself with the Texas Cavalry as a scout, sniper and spy. After the fall of Vicksburg, Collier’s unit became part of the “Delta Rangers” against Union forces in the Mississippi Delta until the war’s end. Collier then returned with the Hinds to Greenville and saw the war’s harsh effect: Union troops had burned down much of Greenville, while other parts had been claimed by the
In Reconstruction-era Mississippi, Collier was acquitted of the murder of Captain James King, a Union officer who fought in the Delta and then worked in the Freedmen’s Bureau in Greenville. King’s body was found near the Hinds plantation after an argument between King and the Hinds family over a business deal. Acquitted with the help of Howell Hinds and prominent Greenville attorney William A. Percy, Collier moved to Texas, working as a cowboy for many years after.
Perhaps Collier’s most famous chapter came in 1902, when he served as President Theodore Roosevelt’s tracker during a bear hunt in the Mississippi Delta. As a youth, Collier became a skilled hunter: it was his job to provide meat for Plum Ridge Plantation slaves. On Roosevelt’s bear hunt, Collier tracked, caught, and tied a bear to a tree before Roosevelt reached the scene. Roosevelt famously refused to shoot the bear, an action that brought “TR” greater popularity and coined the term “Teddy bear.”

 

Cheryl A. Taylor
Executive Director
Museum of the Mississippi Delta
1608 Highway 82 West
Greenwood, MS 38930
662-453-0925 Office
662-385-6911 Cell

War Comes to the Mississippi Delta: An exhibition commemorating the sesquicentennial of the Battle of Fort Pemberton and the sinking of the Star of the West in 1863. Exhibition dates: January 26-August 31, 2013.
 
 
 
"Much of what is profoundly American--what people love about America--has come from the Delta, which is often called the "Cradle of American Culture.'" --National Park Service, Stories of the Delta, 1996

 
Holt Collier: His Life, His Roosevelt Hunts and the Origin of the Teddy Bear

(Greenwood, MS) In conjunction with the exhibition, War Comes to the Mississippi Delta, Minor Ferris Buchanan will present a lecture from his book Holt Collier, His Life, His Roosevelt Hunts, and the Origin of the Teddy Bear, Tuesday, February 19 at 6:30 p.m. at the Museum of the Mississippi Delta. Program is sponsored by the Mississippi Humanities Council and is free to the public.

Probably the most famous African-American of Civil War-era Mississippi was Holt Collier, who fought for the South. Collier was born a slave on the plantation of Cameron Howell Hinds in Jefferson County, Mississippi. His sons Howell and Thomas Hinds used the teenage Collier as a servant while they fought for the Confederacy. Collier was later allowed to join Company “I” of the 9th Texas Cavalry after the battle of Shiloh in April 1862. Collier distinguished himself with the Texas Cavalry as a scout, sniper and spy. After the fall of Vicksburg, Collier’s unit became part of the “Delta Rangers” against Union forces in the Mississippi Delta until the war’s end. Collier then returned with the Hinds to Greenville and saw the war’s harsh effect: Union troops had burned down much of Greenville, while other parts had been claimed by the Mississippi.
In Reconstruction-era Mississippi, Collier was acquitted of the murder of Captain James King, a Union officer who fought in the Delta and then worked in the Freedmen’s Bureau in Greenville. King’s body was found near the Hinds plantation after an argument between King and the Hinds family over a business deal. Acquitted with the help of Howell Hinds and prominent Greenville attorney William A. Percy, Collier moved to Texas, working as a cowboy for many years after.
Perhaps Collier’s most famous chapter came in 1902, when he served as President Theodore Roosevelt’s tracker during a bear hunt in the Mississippi Delta. As a youth, Collier became a skilled hunter: it was his job to provide meat for Plum Ridge Plantation slaves. On Roosevelt’s bear hunt, Collier tracked, caught, and tied a bear to a tree before Roosevelt reached the scene. Roosevelt famously refused to shoot the bear, an action that brought “TR” greater popularity and coined the term “Teddy bear.”

 

Cheryl A. Taylor
Executive Director
Museum of the Mississippi Delta
1608 Highway 82 West
Greenwood, MS 38930
662-453-0925 Office
662-385-6911 Cell
War Comes to the Mississippi Delta: An exhibition commemorating the sesquicentennial of the Battle of Fort Pemberton and the sinking of the Star of the West in 1863. Exhibition dates: January 26-August 31, 2013.
"Much of what is profoundly American--what people love about America--has come from the Delta, which is often called the "Cradle of American Culture.'" --National Park Service, Stories of the Delta, 1996

War Comes to the Mississippi Delta

October 30, 2012

The Museum of the Mississippi Delta commemorates the sesquicentennial of the Civil War in the Delta with the exhibition War Comes to the Mississippi Delta, opening January 26, 2013 and running through August 31, 2013.  The Museum of the Mississippi Delta presents "War Comes to the Mississippi Delta"

The exhibition tells the story of the Union forces’ attempt to navigate the intricate rivers of the Mississippi Delta during the winter of 1863. Known as the Yazoo Pass Expedition, the attempt ultimately ended in failure, as Confederate forces held strong at a hastily built outpost near Greenwood known as Fort Pemberton.

The most noted aspect of the Confederate defenses was the ocean steamer Star of the West, originally a Union transport ship, listed as the first ship fired upon during the Civil War at Fort Sumter. After being captured by Rebel forces, the ship met her demise when it was sunk next to Fort Pemberton to block the passage of Union ships through the channel as they headed toward their destination: Vicksburg.

Following Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, the lives of African Americans in Mississippi and the Delta changed. Black troops began to be organized and trained by the summer of 1863 for the Union. The best example of their brave service came near Milliken’s Bend, outside of Vicksburg.

The Museum will display Civil War artifacts from its collection including a partial steering wheel from the Star of West. The Lady Polk, a cannon used in the Battle of Fort Pemberton, is on permanent view at the Museum. There are only 17 examples of the Civil War-era cannon left in existence today, and the Lady Polk is the only one that has been restored for firing. Vicksburg National Military Park will loan items recovered from the Union ironclad, U.S.S. Cairo.

Stellar examples of period clothing including a butternut officer’s frock worn by Cpt. T. Otis Baker is on loan from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, along with an officer’s sword, muzzle-loading pistol, a British import carbine and a forage cap worn by Maj. Gen. William Walthall. A rare 1860s homespun dress and a child’s outfit will help tell the story of women and children on the home front.

The exhibition opens Saturday, January 26 in a special free event which includes portrayals of General Ulysses S. Grant, Confederate and Union re-enactors and period music.

The exhibition is funded in part by grants received from the Mississippi Humanities Council and the Greenwood Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Star of the West” sponsors are: Entergy, Staplcotn, Wade, Inc., WABG-TV, MAX 99 WYMX, Jean Cadney, Marion Howard and John Lucas III.

The Optimist's Book Club

Join us at the Museum of the Mississippi Delta as we partner with Turnrow Books for a study of some of the characters who have made Eudora Welty an endearing Mississippi writer.  Eudora Welty

September 4
12:00-1:00 pm
Kelly Kornegay
Delta Wedding

October 2
12:00-1:00 pm
Maude Schuyler Clay
"Why I Live at the P.O."

Please also see the event October 2, 2012.

You can call in your lunch order before 11:00 am to the Turnrow Cafe at (662) 453-5995 and it will be delivered for you at the Museum.

Check out their menu here.

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Adults: $5.00
Seniors ages 65 and over: $3.50
College students (valid ID required): $3.00
Children ages 3-18: $2.00

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