Yazoo County Historic Sites & Events

The largest county in Mississippi has a vast abundance of historical sites. Ante-bellum homes and sacred Indian mounds, Wildlife and agriculture, Civil War History and the Yazoo River… All can be found where the Delta meets the rolling hills in colorful Yazoo County.

With the proximity to Vicksburg, much of Yazoo County’s Civil War history includes skirmishes and brigade strikes. Many were fought in the Mechanicsburg/Satartia area comprising the unique civil war history of this area.

Known as the “largest single area” to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places, comprising both residential and commercial areas, the Yazoo City Town Center District can be viewed on the Walking Tour.

The second largest tributary east of the mighty Mississippi, the Yazoo River, gained its name from the Yazoo Indians who originally populated the area. This river was also the primary route into the delta region, bringing in the unique people and culture that thrived here.

The Yazoo county town of Vaughan was the scene of the famous wreck of the Illinois Central Railroad’s track “Cannonball” express, which killed the fabled engineer, Casey Jones, on April 30, 1900. An historic marker now marks the spot.

The Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad, begun in1882 between Jackson and Yazoo City, was later expanded in branches through the Delta to Memphis. This system, often used by the famous W.C Handy to bring his band down into the Delta, was instrumental in the development of its Blues artists and types, including Yazoo County’s Bentonia Blues.

the scenic drive Bell Road, located just south of Yazoo City, is part of the original road that stretched from Yazoo City to Vicksburg and was used by travelers in the 1830’s. The road is a winding narrow path with high banks. Bells were once hung on each end. Wagons rang these bells to signal that a passenger was approaching from one end. At the point that the road overlooks the Delta, one can envision the site of the Yazoo Confederate Navy Yard where the CSS Arkansas was built.

The name Yazoo comes from a group of Native Americans called the Yazoo. Mysteriously, the Yazoo Native Americans became extinct about 1740, and the meaning of Yazoo has remained a puzzle. Some say it means River of Death, others suggest that it means hunting ground (Yashu). Between Satartia and Holly Bluff are fascinating and rare Native American mounds dating as early as 1500 BC.

Click through the slider below to learn more about Yazoo County’s Historic Sites.

Bank of Yazoo City

Bank of Yazoo City mortgages The bank was formed in 1876 by Yazoo County businessmen to aid in recovery of the area's cotton planters after the Civil War.  It is the oldest financial institution in Yazoo County.  

Glenwood Cemetery

Glenwood Cemetery, located in Yazoo City, dates back to at least 1856.  A stone marker notes the cemetery property was given to the city by Capt. John Willis and his wife Annie.  A simple marker is placed before a large plot near the creek where the bodies of many...

Bethel A.M.E. Church

Bethel A.M.E. Church 214 S. Monroe St. Yazoo City, Mississippi Organized in 1868, Bethel is the oldest African American congregation in Yazoo City.  After affiliating with the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the congregation moved to this site in 1890.  Designed...

B.S. Ricks Memorial Library

B.S. Ricks Memorial Library 310 N. Main Street Yazoo City, Mississippi 662-746-5557 Visit Ricks Memorial Library (Yazoo Library Association) on Facebook  Built in 1900 and given to the Yazoo Library Association by Mrs. Fannie Ricks in memory of her husband, this...

Civil Rights March

Civil Rights March In front of Oak Grove A.M.E. Church, Hwy 16 East beyond Benton, Mississippi In June 1966 a march for voting rights, en route from Yazoo City to Jackson, camped here while passing through Benton.  The marchers, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,...

C.S.S. Arkansas

C.S.S. Arkansas West Broadway Yazoo City, Mississippi Launched on July 14, 1862 from the Navy Yard in Yazoo City, the ironclad ram "Arkansas" commanded by Lt. Isaac N. Brown successfully engaged the combined Union fleets on the Yazoo and Mississippi rivers.  She met...

Starling-Wilburn House

Starling-Wilburn House 1416 Bell Road Yazoo City, Mississippi inaccurate creditgreenwoods personal credit Historically known as the Mosely-Woods house, this house was built ca. 1860 and purchased by William Mosely in 1880.  It is one of the oldest African American...

Tinsley Oil Field

Tinsley Oil Field On Hwy. 49 at Little Yazoo, 5 miles east of Tinsley Oil Field Oil was first discovered in Mississippi in 1939 just west of here on the Mississippi River in the Gulf Coast region.  The discovery of oil at Tinsley Field in Yazoo County marked the...

The Bull Homestead

The Bull Homestead and Cemetery Hwy. 16 near the Big Black River The Bull Homestead consists of an early vernacular hall-and-parlor galleried cottage, built circa 1835 and enlarged about 1848, several adjacent outbuildings and barns, and a family cemetery.  Situated...

Dalton House

Dalton House 10000 bad credit loans 214 South Monroe Street Yazoo City, Mississippi Possibly the oldest remaining house in Yazoo City, the Dalton House is much altered in its present form.  This house is recorded as having been sold with the property in 1837. The...