Louis LeFleur, a French-Canadian explorer, established a trading post called  LeFleur's Bluff on the banks of the Pearl River in the late 1700s. After Mississippi gained statehood, the State Legislature decided that the seat of government should be moved out of Natchez to a more central location. A team of three men commissioned to find a site for the capital proceeded along the Pearl River until they came upon LeFleur's Bluff. They decided that it was the ideal location for the capital. The State Legislature accepted their recommendation and ordered that the capital be named Jackson in honour of Major General Andrew Jackson (later the 7th US President).  There were several attempts to move the capital from the central wilderness to an established city, but Jackson survived. During the Civil War the city was ravaged and burned three times by Union troops. 

The Oaks, Jefferson Street

The Oaks is a five room house built in 1853 and occupied by the same family until 1960. It was built for James Hervey Boyd and his wife Eliza Ellis Boyd. James Boyd arrived in Jackson in 1834 where he ran several businesses mainly in merchandising. He also served in a number of civic posts including Deputy US Marshal, Justice of the Peace, Alderman and Mayor. After he died in 1877 daughter Mary and her husband Richard F. McGill moved into the house to live with widow Eliza. Mary Boyd McGill died in 1939 but her daughter Mary McGill lived in the house until 1960. The Colonial Dames of America in the State of Mississippi took over the house and they have opened it to the public as The Oaks House Museum.

'A Wing and a Prayer', Mynelle Gardens

Mediterranean Revival style Westbrook House was completed in 1924 for William Wall Westbrook. His wife Alice loved flowers so a private garden and green house were added. Daughter Mynelle Green and her husband also moved into the house and she opened a shop in the grounds selling flowers grown in the garden. Greenbrook House was completed in 1930 for Mynelle and her husband and the gardens expanded.  In 1942 Mynelle remarried and moved to Illinois, so the gardens fell into disrepair. She returned in 1952 with her second husband, and set about restoring the gardens, adding rare plants, and from 1953 she opened them to the public. The City of Jackson acquired Mynelle Gardens in 1973. The gardens have been enhanced by the addition of sculptures  such as ‘A Wing and a Prayer’

Old State Capitol from Capitol Street

The Greek Revival style 1839 State Capitol is still going strong despite being replaced by the current capitol on 1903. It was in disrepair when the current Capitol opened and attempts were made to demolish it. Women's preservation groups campaigned to save it and as a result in 1917 it was turned into State offices. In 1959 the last government agency moved out and Governor James Plemon Coleman initiated the complete restoration of the building to house the State Historical Museum, which opened in 1961. In addition to recreating the history of the building the Old Capitol Museum has displays on prehistoric Mississippi, the Civil War, the cotton industry, and the civil rights movement. Admission to the museum is free. Click Tab 2 to see the former Senate Chamber.

Eudora Welty House, 1119 Pinehurst Street

Eudora Welty was born in Jackson in 1909. She became famous for her short stories and novels about life in the heart of the American South. She began in 1936 with short stories that were published in magazines. As her work gained popularity she published collections of her short stories and then in 1942 she began publishing novels. She won many awards for her writing including the Pulitzer Prize for ‘The Optimist’s Daughter’. The house that she lived in from 1925 until her death in 2001 is now a National Historic Landmark. The Eudora Welty House is open to the pubic for pre-reserved tours. Interesting fact: the e-mail program Eudora was named after Eudora Welty

Jackson

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St. Andrews Episcopal Cathedral & Standard Life Building, Capitol Street

Being located in the middle of nowhere, Jackson grew very slowly through the 19th century and at the end of the century its population was below 8,000. The early 20th century saw rapid growth in the population and new buildings in the downtown area. In the centre of the picture with a flag flying from its tower is the Standard Life Building which was completed in 1929. At the time it was the largest reinforced concrete building in the world and the tallest building in Jackson. To the right is the gothic style St. Andrews Episcopal Cathedral, completed in 1903. Click Tab 2 to see a sight round the corner in Congress Street - one that is much more familiar in the streets of London.

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