Rodney, Mississippi

Rodney, Mississippi
Ghost town
Former First Presbyterian Church
Former First Presbyterian Church
Nickname(s): 
"Petite Gulf", "Little Gulf"[1]
Rodney, Mississippi is located in the United States
Rodney, Mississippi
Rodney, Mississippi
Rodney, Mississippi is located in Mississippi
Rodney, Mississippi
Rodney, Mississippi
Coordinates: 31°51′40.6″N 91°11′59.4″W / 31.861278°N 91.199833°W / 31.861278; -91.199833
CountryUnited States
StateMississippi
CountyJefferson
Founded1828
Elevation
82 ft (25 m)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
GNIS feature ID676809[1]

Rodney is a ghost town in Jefferson County, Mississippi, United States.[1] Most of the buildings are gone and the remaining structures are in various states of disrepair. The town regularly floods and buildings have extensive flood damage. The Rodney History And Preservation Society is restoring Rodney Presbyterian Church, whose damaged facade from the American Civil War that includes a replica cannonball embedded above its balcony windows, has been maintained as part of the historical preservation. The Rodney Center Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places.[2]

The town is approximately 32 miles (51 km) northeast of Natchez and is currently about two miles (3.2 km) inland from the Mississippi River. Wetlands between the town and the river include a lake that roughly follows the river's former course. Atop the loess bluffs behind Rodney are its cemetery and Confederate earthworks from the Civil War.

Petit Gulf in 1822; Rodney in 1884 and 1975

In the early 19th century, Rodney was a cultural center of the region. In 1817, it was three votes away from becoming the capital of Mississippi.[3] Rush Nutt, a resident of Rodney, developed an important hybrid strain of cotton called Petit Gulf cotton and innovations to the cotton gin. In 1828, Rodney was incorporated and became the primary port for the surrounding area, with a population in the thousands. By 1860, the town was home to businesses, newspapers, and Oakland College. During the Civil War, Confederate States Army cavalry captured the crew of a Union Army ship who were attending a service in Rodney Presbyterian Church, resulting in the shelling of the town. After the war, the Mississippi River changed course, the railroad bypassed the area, and nearly all of buildings burned down. The population declined, and the town was disincorporated in 1930.[4] By 2010, only "a hand full of people" were living in Rodney.[5]

  1. ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Rodney. Retrieved March 4, 2024. Archived from the original.
  2. ^ "Rodney Center Historic District". National Park Service. Archived from the original on March 2, 2024. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference PBS-2013 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Logan, Marie T. (1980). Mississippi–Louisiana Border Country (Revised 2nd ed.). Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Claitor's. LCCN 70-137737.
  5. ^ Grayson, Walt (August 26, 2010). "Rodney Presbyterian Church". WLBT3. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016.