Changing Courses, Changing Fortunes: An Historical And Archaeological Exploration Of A Mississippi River Boomtown
Author(s): Meghan Weaver; Virgil Beasley; Hunter B. Johnson; Keith Little
Year: 2018
Summary
The nineteenth-century community of Warrenton, Mississippi, and its fortunes were inextricably linked to the changing courses of the Mississippi River. The town's position, only slightly higher than the river, provided an excellent steamboat landing for the import and export of goods, people, and ideas, but also made the town prone to flooding and disease. During Warrenton's vibrant occupation it was home to prominent residents including CSA President Jefferson Davis, shipped more cotton than any other Mississippi Territory port, thrived as a hub of entertainment and recreation, was used as a supply entrepot by the Union Army during their siege of Vicksburg, and burned to the ground and was rebuilt completely. Ultimately, the 1890 westward migration of the riverbed left a wide sandbar between the water and Warrenton, cutting off easy access to the river and sealing the town’s fate. This paper examines Warrenton's global connections and its changing historical landscape.
Cite this Record
Changing Courses, Changing Fortunes: An Historical And Archaeological Exploration Of A Mississippi River Boomtown. Meghan Weaver, Virgil Beasley, Hunter B. Johnson, Keith Little. Presented at Society for Historical Archaeology, New Orleans, Louisiana. 2018 ( tDAR id: 441638)
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Keywords
General
Landscape
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Waterways
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World Systems
Geographic Keywords
North America
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United States of America
Temporal Keywords
Nineteenth Century
Spatial Coverage
min long: -129.199; min lat: 24.495 ; max long: -66.973; max lat: 49.359 ;
Individual & Institutional Roles
Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology
Record Identifiers
PaperId(s): 221