The Henry Herschel Birckell Memorial Yazoo Literary Walkway is situated between the Triangle Cultural Center and the Ricks Memorial Library on Main Street in Yazoo City, Mississippi
Henry Herschel Brickell, 1889 – 1952, was born in Senatobia, Mississippi on September 13, 1889. He grew up in Yazoo City attending the local schools, and no doubt visiting the historic Ricks Memorial Library. He went on to attend the University of Mississippi, where he began his career as an editor, writer and literary critic. He served as editor and critic in cities across the US – Montgomery, Alabama; Pensacola, Florida; Jackson, Mississippi; New York City, New York. Writers such as Arthur Palmer Hudson, Stark Young and Eudora Welty were encouraged by Brickell at different times during his career.
In 2010 the Yazoo Historical Society, the Brickell Family Foundation, and the Ricks Memorial Library joined efforts to create the Henry Herschel Brickell Memorial Yazoo Literary Walkway. Joining the old Main Street School (now the Triangle Cultural Center) once attended by Brickell to the Ricks Memorial Library, this walkway now honors the memory of over 100 Yazooans who have gone on to contribute to the literary world. Ranging from local history, fiction, biography, literary criticism and photography and beyond, many of these published Yazoo authors’ works can be found in the Ricks Memorial Library today.
List of honored authors:
- N.S. Adams, 1894-1966, Local history
- Frances Andrews, Diarist
- Dr. Curtis Austin, Black history studies
- Gov. Haley Barbour, 1947- , Political analysis
- Ethelbert Barksdale, 1824-1893, Newspaper editor
- Hermand Bennette, Jr., Poetry
- Frank Birdsall, 1859-1930, Newspaper editor, publisher
- Judge Robert Bowman, 1827-1915, Civil War and Reconstruction history
- Henry M. Brickell, Educational development
- Melvertia Brookins, Juvenile fiction
- Frances DeBra Brown, W.A.C. memoirs
- Marion Brown, Photograpy
- Paul T. Brown, 1949- , Natural history photography
- Viola Campbell, 1909-1995, Poetry
- Rev. Beverly Carradine, 1848-1931, Religion
- Henrine Carter, 1914-1996, Education
- Paul C. Cartwright, 1964- , Local history
- Rev. Robert Certain, Local church history
- Charles Chiplin, Black social studies
- Jerry Clower, 1926-1998, Humor
- Michael Cochran, Fiction
- Linda Coleman, Poetry
- Robert Coleman, Poetry
- Owen Cooper, 1908-1986, Finance, Religion
- James L. Cox, Mississippi almanac
- Linda Crawford Culberson, Archaeology, Catfish
- Helen Dick Davis, Literary editor
- Reuben Davis, 1889-1966, Novels, Short stories
- Harris Dickson, 1868-1946, Novels, Biographies
- Adelaide S. Dimitry, 1843-1911, Civil war history
- John E. Ellzey, 1947- , Genealogy and local history research
- James Ewing, Tennessee lore
- William Ewing, Newspaper editor (Hawaii)
- Jon Foose, Musicology
- Martha Foose, Cuisine
- Barbara Ann Garrett, Geriatric nursing
- Spivey Guion, Firearms
- William C. Hall, 1840s, Local short stories
- Jack Harper, Dog breeding, training
- “L.C.H.” (Laure C. Hill), 1850s, Autobiography
- Gerard Helferich, 1954- , Book editor, non-fiction
- Dorothy Hogue, Lyricist
- Dr. William F. Holmes, Jr., Biography, Georgia history
- Arthur James, Business, Black bankers
- William L. Jenkins, Local stories
- Barbara Johnson, Biography
- Ronald Johnson, Black poetry
- May Jones, Education
- Mary Jones, Editor, journalist
- Massena Jones, Casey Jones story
- Allyssa Killebrew, Children’s fiction
- Keath Killebrew, Children’s ficiton
- Harriet DeCell Kuykendall, Local history
- Caroline Langston, Short stories
- John A. Langston, Jr., 1954- , Book design and production
- Sharon Leigh, Poetry
- Henry Clay Lewis, 1823-1890, Humorous sketches, poetry
- Leo N. Lewis, Poetry
- Dr. Sim C. Liddon, 1935-2006, Religious psychology
- Sherry Lucas, Newspaper feature stories
- Major J. McGuire, 1868-1951, Newspaper editor, publisher
- Rev. Albert Martin, Local church history
- Carolyn Martin, Historical novels
- Lenda F. Matthews, Poetry
- Judge Robert B. Mayes, 1820-1884, Religion, poetry
- J.S. Michie, 1820s, Early newspaper reporting
- Albert T. Morgan, 1843-1922, Local history, Reconstruction
- Willie Morris, 1934-1999, Fiction, non-fiction
- JoAnne Prichard Morris, Local history, book editor
- Sarah Lear Morrisette, 1919- , Journalism
- Norman A. Mott, 1856-1920, Newspaper editor, publisher
- Susanna E. Mott, 1866-1956, Newspaper editor, publisher
- N.A. Mott, 1893-1955, Newspaper editor, publisher
- Mary L. Mott, 1896-1969, Newspaper editor, publisher
- Norman A. Mott, 1924- , Newspaper editor, publisher
- Melany Neilson, 1958- , Biography
- Elma F. Nelson, 1904-1979, Local history
- Teresa Nicholas, 1954- , Memoirs, journalism
- Sam Olden, 1919- , Travel for children, local history
- Andrew Patterson, History
- Sue Patterson, History
- Harriet Prewitt, Newspaper editor, publisher
- Jo G. Prichard, Local history
- Evelyn Purvis, Poetry
- R. M. Rice, Finance
- Charlemae Hill Rollins, 1897-1979, African-American children’s books
- Lamar Selby, Yazoo County short stories
- Maggie Shaw-Fullilove, Alcoholism
- Dorothy Smith, Education, religion
- Dr. Charles Summer, 1924-1974, Industrial management
- Paul Stewart, Newspaper editor, publisher
- Nathan Swayze, Guns, gun collecting
- Joseph C. Thomas, African-American local history
- Mollie Kinkead Turnage, Newspaper owner and editor
- Demothenes Walker, 1800s, Newspaper editor, novels
- Dr. Wilse B. Webb, Scientific studies of sleep
- Jennie N. Wheless, poetry
- U.S. Senator John Sharp Williams, 1854-1932, Politics, history
- Ruth Tuttle Williams, Autobiography
- Zig Ziglar, 1926-2012, Motivational and religious books
2012 Additions to the walkway:
- Gary Andrews, Newspaper editor
- Ted Adkinson, Literary criticism
- Rev. Ceasar Felton, Religion
- Harold Fisher, Civil War history
- Mary Beth Gokee, Yazoo weddings
- Nina Pepper, local history
- Omie Wall Parker, Brickell biographer
- W. Charles Parker, African-American issues
- Brenda Waters, Fiction
- Rev. James F. Yates, Biography