Cotton Gin Port, Mississippi
Encyclopedia
Cotton Gin Port is a ghost town
in Monroe County
, Mississippi
, United States
.
. It was located on the east bank of the Tombigbee River
at a crossing of vital Indian trails. It was a base of expeditions of Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville in 1736 and Vaudreuil
in 1752. The Kansas City, Memphis & Birmingham Railroad caused extinction as the townfolk moved to the new town of Amory
.
The early U.S. government built a cotton gin
in 1801 at Cotton Gin Port as part of a "plan of civilization" for the local Chickasaw
Indians. A road, Gaines Trace
, was built to the town in 1811 and 1812. This road ran from close to Muscle Shoals
on the Tennessee River
to Cotton Gin Port, where it crossed the Tombigbee; it then proceeded south to Fort Stoddert
.
The ruins of the old town can still be found between the Tenn-Tom Waterway and the Tombigbee River
, and relics from the old settlement can be seen at the Amory Municipal Museum.
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
in Monroe County
Monroe County, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,014 people, 14,603 households, and 10,660 families residing in the county. The population density was 50 people per square mile . There were 16,236 housing units at an average density of 21 per square mile...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Geography
Cotton Gin Port was located at 33°58′15"N 88°32′35"W on the east bank of the Tombigbee river.History
Cotton Gin Port was the first town in north MississippiMississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. It was located on the east bank of the Tombigbee River
Tombigbee River
The Tombigbee River is a tributary of the Mobile River, approximately 200 mi long, in the U.S. states of Mississippi and Alabama. It is one of two major rivers, along with the Alabama River, that unite to form the short Mobile River before it empties into Mobile Bay on the Gulf of Mexico...
at a crossing of vital Indian trails. It was a base of expeditions of Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville in 1736 and Vaudreuil
Pierre François de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnal
Pierre François de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnal was a Canadian-born French colonial governor in North America...
in 1752. The Kansas City, Memphis & Birmingham Railroad caused extinction as the townfolk moved to the new town of Amory
Amory, Mississippi
Amory is a city in Monroe County, Mississippi, United States. The population is 6,956 as of the 2000 census.-History:Amory was the first planned city in Mississippi. The Kansas City, Memphis & Birmingham Railroad needed a mid-point between Memphis, Tennessee and Birmingham, Alabama for their...
.
The early U.S. government built a cotton gin
Cotton gin
A cotton gin is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, a job formerly performed painstakingly by hand...
in 1801 at Cotton Gin Port as part of a "plan of civilization" for the local Chickasaw
Chickasaw
The Chickasaw are Native American people originally from the region that would become the Southeastern United States...
Indians. A road, Gaines Trace
Gaines Trace
The Gaines Trace was a road in the Mississippi Territory. It was constructed in 1811 and 1812 from the Tennessee River to Cotton Gin Port on the upper Tombigbee River and on to Fort Stoddert on the lower Tombigbee. The portion from the Tennessee River to Cotton Gin Port was surveyed in 1807 and...
, was built to the town in 1811 and 1812. This road ran from close to Muscle Shoals
Muscle Shoals, Alabama
Muscle Shoals is a city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. As of 2007, the United States Census Bureau estimated the population of the city to be 12,846. The city is included in The Shoals MSA. It is famous for its contributions to American popular music.-Geography:Muscle Shoals is located...
on the Tennessee River
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...
to Cotton Gin Port, where it crossed the Tombigbee; it then proceeded south to Fort Stoddert
Fort Stoddert
Fort Stoddert was a stockade fort in the Mississippi Territory, in what is today Alabama. It was located on a bluff of the Mobile River, near modern Mount Vernon, close to the confluence of the Tombigbee and Alabama Rivers. It served as the western terminus of the Federal Road which ran through...
.
The ruins of the old town can still be found between the Tenn-Tom Waterway and the Tombigbee River
Tombigbee River
The Tombigbee River is a tributary of the Mobile River, approximately 200 mi long, in the U.S. states of Mississippi and Alabama. It is one of two major rivers, along with the Alabama River, that unite to form the short Mobile River before it empties into Mobile Bay on the Gulf of Mexico...
, and relics from the old settlement can be seen at the Amory Municipal Museum.
External links
- http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~cmamcrk4/pkt14.html
- http://files.usgwarchives.org/ms/monroe/history/cottongp.txt