Jackson History

Originally known as Parker'ville, the city of Jackson was founded for the sole purpose of creating a centrally located capital for the state of Mississippi. In 1821, the Mississippi General Assembly dispatched three men to search for a site. After surveying the area, they finally reached LeFleur's Bluff, the site of a French-Canadian trading post built in 1792. They reported to the General Assembly that the location boasted beautiful and healthy surroundings, plenty of fresh water, and abundant timber. As an added bonus, the nearby Pearl River was quite navigable, and the site was located near the Natchez Trace (a major trade route). Satisfied with the location, the Assembly passed a legislative act on November 28, 1821 to designate the area as the permanent seat of the Mississippi state government. The city was named for war hero Andrew Jackson (who would later become president), and the state legislature convened there in December of 1822.

Jackson was a strategic manufacturing center for the Confederate States during the Civil War, due in large part to the junction of two major railroad lines in the city. It was captured by Union troops in the Battle of Jackson in May of 1863. General Sherman burned and looted key facilities in the city, and then moved his troops on to engage the defenders of nearby Vicksburg. The Confederate soldiers reassembled in Jackson and set out to rescue Vicksburg. Unfortunately for them, Vicksburg had already surrendered. General Sherman and his men met the Confederate soldiers, chasing them back to Jackson and laying siege to the city. The Confederates slipped away during the night and retreated across the Pearl River. This time, Sherman ordered the city burned to the ground, earning it the facetious nickname "Chimneyville."

There are very few antebellum structures left standing in Jackson today. The Governor's Mansion survived because it served as Sherman's headquarters during the Union occupation. The Old Capitol building, from which the Mississippi passed the order of secession in 1861, survived relatively intact as well. Jackson City Hall was left untouched at the order of General Sherman. Popular legend has it that Sherman, a Mason, spared the building because it housed a Masonic Lodge. However, a more likely explanation is that it served as an army hospital.

Jackson has since rebuilt and, thanks to the proliferation of railroad lines and the discovery of natural gas fields in the 1930s, has seen its share of prosperity. The Ross R. Barnett Reservoir, created by damming the Pearl River, provides a number of tourist and recreational areas. The Mississippi Coliseum and Fairgrounds hosts the Dixie National Livestock Show and Rodeo each February, and the National Cutting Horse Association Show each March.