St. Alban's Episcopal Church, Bovina

St. Alban's Episcopal Church in Bovina, Miss., is such a beautiful church. Here the setting sun is peeking out behind the roof just the other day.

Two of the graves are marked by a cross provided by the United Daughters of the Confederacy. These markers are becoming rarer and rarer to find. Several are in Cedar Hill Cemetery and there are a few in the Natchez Cemetery as well. I document every one I see. They certainly stand the test of time.

The Church on Freetown Road

If you want to pique my interest, just sit near me at a ballgame and talk about visiting a "haunted" church. That got my attention a couple of weeks ago! Apparently, it's a place that teenagers go to for a good scare. Anyway, I got directions to the church and it is pretty much at the end of Freetown Road in Warren County. It's an unusual church in that it seems to be sitting sideways on the property. There is no door facing the road. The two doors that do exist are on the back. One is visible in the top photo and the other is obscured by brush and trees on the other end. All the windows are gone, but pews, the pulpit and piano are still inside. The floors are rotting on about half the building and I had to make sure I walked on the crossbeams to get a couple of these shots. There is a cemetery out back with about a dozen graves, all pretty much placed there in the last few decades. No sign is visible to tell what church it is.

My mama didn't raise a fool, so I can't tell you whether it is haunted or not. I visited in the daytime and have no inclination to go back at night. But the place would suit the purposes just right. And that hum you hear when you get close to the church? No, it's probably not a ghost, but thousands of bees that have a beehive in the wall at the front entrance of the church.

The soldier of Soldiers' Rest

The soldier of Soldiers' Rest in Cedar Hill Cemetery has been guarding the graves of the fallen for decades and decades. I have shot photos of Soldiers' Rest numerous times over the year, but never focused on the monument at the center of the site. And I have never seen such sad eyes on a statue before. They may not be sad, however, but tired. Maybe a little of both.

Jordan Chapel

Jordan Chapel in Campbell Swamp, built by Gordon Cotton and the late Hobbs Freeman, is an absolutely stunning structure. Gordon and Hobbs gave me a tour of the place a few weeks ago and I so appreciate it. The sun was streaming through the stained glass windows of the little chapel and cast some wonderful colors. Everything in the chapel has a story and it is a very reverent place.

Sunset at the bridges

I was so blessed to be able to see the sun set on June 29 at the Mississippi River Overlook next to the Welcome Center. The sun is setting right behind the bridges at this time of the year and offering spectacular photographic opportunities. And even if you don't take photos, the view itself is worth seeing. The cloud formations always make for a great sunset, but I have never seen a bad sunset! God makes them all a wonderful experience! Life getting you down? Feeling overwhelmed? Go watch a sunset. And know that the creator of that glorious sight is watching out for you each day...every day.....today....

Moon over Vicksburg

An astronomical anomaly had the moon in the western sky the other day, making for some beautiful photos at dusk. These were taken at City Front, the Old Court House Museum and the Mississippi River bridges. What colors! It doesn't get any better than this!

In honor of Independence Day

In honor of the celebration of our nation's Independence Day tomorrow, I present to you fireworks in Vicksburg from 2005 and 2006. The top three photos were shot in front of the Old Court House Museum and the bottom four photos were shot from the clocktower of the Old Court House Museum in 2006. My thanks to Bubba Bolm and his staff for affording me such a view. God bless America!

St. Phillip Cemetery?

I don't know the name of this cemetery that is on Hwy. 548 south of Hermanville. There is no sign identifying it on the road, but there have been some recent burials in it. It is just up the road from St. Phillip Church which I posted about the other day (scroll down to read it, if you would like). The grave with a chair sitting in front of it is what caught my eye as I went by the cemetery. There's a story there. I can just imagine someone coming and sitting among their loved ones and having a chat.

This cemetery has a feature that I have not seen elsewhere. Many of the graves have a curved cement slab on top of them. The third photo shows several of them and the fourth photo shows four of the graves with the unusual top, but they are covered over by leaves and such.

Photos around Vicksburg

OK, here are some random photographs around Vicksburg that I have shot in the last couple of weeks.

• The top photo is a sunset at City Front I shot the other day while the water was still relatively high there. I love the clouds.

• The Hotel Vicksburg sign is intriguing. I wonder why they had to put a window in right on the word "Hotel"; but even more than that, who was it who tried to turn the L into an E? If you didn't know any better, you would think it read "Home Vicksburg." Interesting.

• I have always loved the carriage doors on Dr. Lindley's place downtown. The circular windows just add to the building's uniqueness.

• I also like the photo of the old compress building down in the railyard. Specifically, what is that funnel used for that runs into the building? See it right under the window? Plus, old water towers like the one in the background are fast becoming a relic. I will document every one I see in my travels, for there are not that many left.

• The Fairground Street bridge will one day find a new home down with the MV Mississippi complex. I will shoot several photos of it from different angles over the coming months before it is dismantled or something else happens to it.

• This last picture is a remnant from my previous post about Mill D. Out in all the debris of the place is this water pipe happily pumping out water. Well, I thought it was neat. Made me think of the Sons of the Pioneers song, "Cool Water."