Bits and Pieces of Mississippi History Quiz

Answer: Hopi

The Mound Builders had come and gone, leaving behind only earthworks and evidence of their large civilization. When Europeans came, they met the tribes above, plus the Biloxi, Yazoo and Pascagoula, but not the Hopi, who were further west.

Answer: Vicksburg

The city of Vicksburg was on high ground and well fortified, but couldn't withstand a siege forever. After more than a month, the city surrendered July 4, 1863, giving Union troops unobstructed control of the Mississippi River. Meanwhile, Union soldiers defeat Confederates and turned them back south at the Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania.

The two losses, though far from each other geographically, were a combined crushing blow to the Confederacy.

Answer: B. B. King

How can you pick just one native Mississippian who made a mark on the world of music? I chose at random among the greats, because the state has produced so many. B. B. King (1925-2015) was born at Berclair, Mississippi, and though he traveled and lived many places, he is buried at the museum that bears his name in Indianola, Mississippi. Among countless honors, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, was ranked 6 on "Rolling Stone's" list of greatest guitarists of all time, and performed at the White House at age 86.

Answer: Columbus

Dozens of places claim to be where the first Decoration Day took place, the holiday which became modern Memorial Day. Some of the claims are stronger than others. Women in Columbus, Mississipi, which had been full of hospitals during the war, gathered in 1866 to decorate both Union and Confederate graves. Judge F. M. Finch, a northerner who happened to witness the ceremony, wrote a poem about it for the "Atlantic Monthly", and local historians point out that that spread information on the celebration far outside the local area.

Answer: Tupelo

The main tornado has been estimated to be an F5. The winds destroyed 200 homes in 48 city blocks, with a death toll of 233, which might actually be higher due to poor record-keeping in black neighborhoods, and of course many more people were injured. Elvis Presley had been born there the year before.

Answer: Eudora Welty

Eudora Welty, born April 13, 1909 in Jackson, Mississippi, lived there all her life and died there July 23, 2001. Her home has been made into a museum. Aside from her writing, she has been recognized for her talent as a photographer also.

Answer: Two cotton stalks

The coat of arms includes an eagle, a shield, banners with the word Mississippi and the state motto, and also "two branches of the cotton stalk," according to the original 1894 description. The Magnolia is the state flower and tree, but doesn't fit with the hint in the question, about making the state rich. Mississippi flourished economically when cotton was king.

The state motto on the banner is "Virtute et Armis," Latin for "By valor and arms."

Answer: Andrew Jackson

Pushmataha (1760s-1824) was also chief of one of the three branches of the Choctaws. He gained his brevet rank under General Jackson in the War of 1812, but in peacetime he was known as a skillful negotiator, and faced off against Jackson on the question of land treaties.

He died in Washington, D.C. where he was buried with military honors in the Congressional Cemetery. He was on another trip to take part in yet more negotiations, when he fell ill.

Answer: true

In its early years, Mississippi's population grew quickly. Between 1800 and 1810, 1810 and 1820, and 1830 and 1840, the population more than doubled. Some of the earlier growth may have been due to boundary changes, but boundaries were pretty well settled later, and people just wanted to settle in the state, in hopes of getting rich on the fertile soil, or because they were enslaved and had no choice.

Answer: Beauvoir

Beauvoir has been hammered by hurricanes, but still stands after much repairwork, and is open to the public as a museum and presidential library. It was built in 1850. Davis lived there from 1879 until his death ten years later, though his wife preferred city living and moved to New York City after her husband died.