April 4-5, 2024
Sometimes our travels give us the opportunity to reconnect with friends. A college friend of Ed’s lives in Mississippi and works at Mississippi State University, so off we went to Starkville, MS – locally known as “StarkVegas!” We met Bob in the Student Bookstore where we had a beverage and they reminisced about Miami U days and caught up on the last 40+ years of their lives. From there, we left for a brief tour of campus which led us to a surprising treasure.
Bob works in the University Library. He asked us if we were interested in seeing the Grant Presidential Library. Well SURE – we didn’t even know it was here. The story goes that the University acquired a multitude of Grant’s writings and memorabilia, primarily because of the interest of one of the staff members at the university who had tracked this collection for years. When it became available, a proposal was made to bring everything to Mississippi State University where they would build a suitable place in the library to house it. They have the collection in their main library, but plans are now underway to build a separate Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library adjacent to the University where it will be more easily accessible to the public. We wished we had more time to view everything – we only had time for a brief run through. There is also a hallway of Lincoln Memorabilia. Across the hall from these Presidential libraries is a Music Library that houses a collection of historical phonographs and sheet music.
Would have loved to have stayed longer, but reservations at Legion State Park had been made. We said our goodbyes and traveled a short 29 miles away. Turns out we hadn’t needed to be in a hurry, we were the ONLY campers staying in the park that night – not even any staff people there when we arrived!
The next morning we traveled down to Jackson, MS to Le Fleur State Park. On the grounds there is the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, a Children’s Museum and a giant playground. We skipped the latter two, but enjoyed the Natural Science Museum. There was a special exhibit about Bloodsuckers – AKA mosquitoes! Kathy’s nemesis every time she walks outside! After looking inside, we took advantage of the walking paths behind the museum to discover a beautiful swamp. Stayed that night at the park.
