Southern Mississippi

Overlooking the Mississippi, Natchez, MS

7/12/11 – Natchez is charming and one of the jewels of the South. The Judge George W. Armstrong library was damaged by a hurricane a few years back and had a faded grandeur on the outside. The librarians were very excited about our project. They took our photograph and later post a story about us on Facebook and on the library web site. Nick and Walker did an excellent interview of one of the librarians that is only slightly marred by the sound of the fans running in the background. She explained that the AC goes off a few times a week during this heat wave because of the power outages. The library then has to close. The heat wave has been going on since early June. As usual, the library is packed today. We drove north to the tiny town of Fayette. The Jefferson County library is located in one of the blackest counties in the US and one of the poorest places in the country. It has the highest illiteracy rates in Mississippi. It would rank below Nigeria and slightly above the Congo for its illiteracy. The library is one of the only places in town that gives people access to another world. We decided to use the rest of today to slow the trip down and work on editing. We check in to our motel in Jackson and Walker and Nick quickly go to work on their vlogs. I decided to check out four branch libraries named after civil rights pioneers. As I drive up to the Fannie Lou Haner library the sky opens. Thunder, lighting and Biblical floods are everywhere. It was even too wet to open the car window for a quick shot, let alone to run inside the library. I drove to the Medgar Evers branch library but it was still pounding rain and I couldn’t find the library. At that point I gave up and headed back to the motel. The rest of the afternoon and evening were spent editing and blogging. We took a break at night to run downtown to another great meal at a classic Southern Cafe. It was a chilly and humid 79 degrees outside and far cooler inside. For the first time on the trip we feel cold.

Group portrait, Natchez, MS