Picayune & Meridian, MS

Heading further inland now, we spent two nights in Picayune, MS at the Sun Roamers RV Resort ... a nice level, FHU, pull-through for $35/night. And, no trains, airplanes or freeway noise. 

Next day, after a hearty breakfast at a Waffle House, we spent a half day roaming as the Park's name suggested we should be doing. Unfortunately, NASA's Stennis Space Center rocket engine test facility was closed to the public, and the Science Museum was also closed for another week due to the pandemic. The waitress at Waffle House told us the ground shook when rocket engines were being tested ... 5 miles away! 

So, we decided to spend the afternoon just relaxing in the RV, reading and napping. A few pix from Picayune follow:

After a day of rest in Picayune, we pulled anchor and headed 150 miles North towards are final Alabama destination, and further away from the flooding in the South.

Meridian, MS: The next stop was Benchmark RV Park in Meridian. Another beautiful Good Sam park with FHU, level concrete and no noise for $33/night. Since we arrived about 1pm, we decided to head into town to one of the planned excursions for this stop, the Industrial Heritage Museum.

First, a little history ... During the civil war, Meridian played a key link in support of the Confederacy being at the junction of two railroads, an important part of the Confederate supply line. On February 14, 1864, General Sherman and a Union force of 20,000 entered Meridian with the intent to destroy it. 

Believing Sherman's true target was Mobile, Alabama, Confederate Lt. General Polk had evacuated Meridian leaving it defenseless. Sherman's forces spent a week destroying railroads, burning buildings and homes, and confiscating anything of value. After their departure, Sherman declared, "Meridian no long exists". Despite this destruction, the rail lines were rebuilt in 26 working days and the city continued to grow.

The Mississippi Industrial Heritage Museum was truly a step back in time to the early 1900's and the industrial revolution. The steam-feed and belt-powered works, machine shop, blacksmith shop, steel forge and supporting elements, encompasses one full city block. The wooden flooring is stained with a century of oil and grease, and still has that smell of hard working machines and manly men ...  ARRRRRGH!! 

Truly a journeyman machinist's dream, this facility helped to catapult Meridian into the largest and one of the fastest growing cities in Mississippi (now slipped to the 7th largest).

The self-guided tour is full of  well-written placards explaining the history or purpose of each machine, some of which were operating by electric motor (still belt driven, however). A fascinating place to walk through, Louise was thrilled to be there ... well, maybe the gift shop anyway.

A few pix of downtown gives you a sense of what this city once was, now slowly declining. The museum community is making an effort to revitalize the downtown ... The railroad museum had yet to open, but promises to be a must-see stop for a future visit, maybe?

Of course, any excursion wouldn't be complete without something to eat, right? On museum staff recommendation, we stopped at La Pinata a few blocks away and were not disappointed. The food and service was excellent! Booths and chairs were all 3-D carved wood and hand painted works of art ... truly remarkable.

Tomorrow we visit the Dentzel Antique Carousel and Dunn's Falls, that formerly powered a Gristmill (open for tour) and the manufacture of Stetsen hats. More pix to follow ...