9/9/2009 6:00:00 PM VICKERS/Historic photographs of Mississippi
By OVID VICKERS
We all know about coffee table books. These oversized tomes usually carry such titles as Hiking in the Blue Ridge or Skyscrapers of the World. The pictures are beautiful, and the text is scant. Once the book has been thumbed through, there it sits on the coffee table, or it is relegated to a bookcase until something more interesting comes along.
To my delight, I recently came across a new book of significant photographs with a well-written text compiled by Anne B. McKee, a woman with Newton and Neshoba County connections. Anne lives in Meridian where she includes storytelling, play writing, and a weekly column for the Meridian Star among her literary activities.
McKee decided there was an audience for a book composed of historic photographs of Mississippi with a special emphasis on the East Central area of the state. There seemed to be a number of such books dealing with the Gulf Coast and the Delta, and although this book includes pictures from all around the state, there are a number of interesting and noteworthy photographs from the central section of the state.
I recently attended a book signing for McKee held at historic Boler's Inn in Union. (And by the way there is a fine photograph of Boler's Inn included in the book.)
I was struck by how appropriate it was to have the book signing in a building that had seen so much of the history of East Central Mississippi unfold. What better place to hold such an occasion than among furniture put together with wooden pegs, chairs with cowhide bottoms, some excellent examples of East Lake furniture, and a dining table flanked by two pine benches.
The book's dust jacket invites the reader aboard, for on the jacket is a sharp photography of the river steamer "The Falls City" tied up at the Vicksburg wharf. One can almost hear William Warfield singing "Old Man River" or Gaylord Ravenall paying court to the beautiful Miss Julie.
McKee, in her introduction, quotes William Faulkner. Faulkner wrote "To understand the world, you must first understand a place like Mississippi." This collection of photographs certainly gives a greater insight into what life was like in Mississippi before electric lines were strung like spider webs across the state, before paved roads began to run like ribbons of concrete north and south, east and west, before television and cell phones.
It has often been said that to understand the future one must look to the past. This book, which is a window on the past, certainly records for posterity where we have been and how the past has influenced the Mississippi of this 21st century.
Historic Photos of Mississippi is divided into four sect ions. They include: The Civil War and Survival, 1860-1899, The Joy of the Golden Age, 1900-1919, Depression Years and Singing the Blues, 1920-1939, War In Europe and Struggles at Home, 1940-1970. The photographs in each section are well balanced and give an accurate account in pictures what was taking place in the state during each period. These are not just pictures; the author has written succinct and cogent captions for each picture. The captions do not waste words, and the comments are specific.
While perusing the book, the reader will find a photograph of Capitol Street in Jackson when all the buildings were only two stories high. In the middle of the unpaved street is a public conveyance (street car) pulled by a horse. There are pictures of cotton gins and cotton pickers, saw mills and tram roads taken during a time when cotton was king and timber cutting was a major industry in the state.
For the curious who wonder how the Riley Center in Meridian appeared when it was known as the Grand Opera House, there are some excellent photographs which must have been used by the architects and restorers when this historic theater was returned to its former glory just a few years ago.
McKee has been careful to include pictures of most of the historic events which have transpired in the past and which have affected the lives and landmarks of Mississippi. The Delta floods are there along with the wars in which Mississippians have served, the destructive hurricanes, and the disastrous events are show in old but sharp photographs.
This book should be of interest to anyMississippian. The photographs certainly prove that Mississippi is not like any other place. These pictures stand as a testimony to the rich history of the state, to the dreams that were dreamed and then fulfilled, to the determination and fortitude that has made Mississippi the great state it is today.
Let me recommend Historic Photographs of Mississippi to you and also applaud Anne McKee, its author, for providing us with an opportunity to see and read about these state's triumph and tragedy, accomplishments and rewards.
