Living history in every sense

By Anna Guizerix

With its fighting spirit, thanks to highs and lows as numerous as the hills that blanket it, the River City holds more than just the “Key to the South,” as Lincoln famously said.

It holds the key to the past as well, thanks to decades of people who committed their lives to the preservation of its history. While Vicksburg is known for its economic prowess with the booming port complex, a thriving merchant scene and more than a few career researchers with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the bread and butter of this town hinges on its history.

People travel from across the world to stand along the banks of the Mississippi River. They stand solemnly in the rotunda of the Illinois monument, peering out at the Vicksburg National Military Park and imagining the valiant bloodshed.

They relish in the hospitality of its people, desiring to stay in our worldclass historic mansions. They delight in our cuisine, hearing tales of the birth of the Mint Julep and the secret to a perfect Vicksburg Tomato Sandwich.

And possibly, they envy those of us who are blessed enough to call our fair city home, for we are the ones who get to live in and amongst all of this life-giving culture.

We drink coffee in a building that once financed freed men’s dreams. We sup in the Confederate President’s brother’s home. We live and work in buildings that are scarred from years of manmade and natural disasters — and we preserve those scars, every mortar shell, every craggy brick.

All of this makes up the charm of our city, and we are truly blessed to share it with others.

Doing so 160 years after our darkest hour shatters preconceived notions and highlights the many ways we carry — or try to move beyond — the sins and triumphs of our forefathers.

As you read the 2023 edition of PROFILE, our cornerstone publication, it’s our hope that you will see the beauty and the tenacity of our city and its people. Vicksburg is truly a place suspended between the past and present, but in finding that balance, we can look toward its future.

MANAGEMENT

Catherine Boone Hadaway President / Publisher 601-636-4545 Ext. 1300 catherine.hadaway@vicksburgpost.com

Anna Guizerix Managing Editor 601-636-4545 Ext. 1307 anna.guizerix@vicksburgpost.com

ADVERTISING

Raegan Pope 601-636-4545 Ext. 1122 raegan.pope@vicksburgpost.com

Mallory Hoffman 601-636-4545 ext. 1309 mallory.hoffman@vicksburgpost.com

NEWSROOM

Ernest Bowker, Sports Editor 601-636-4545 Ext. 1304 ernest.bowker@vicksburgpost.com

Terri Cowart Frazier, Reporter 601-636-4545 Ext. 1303 terri.frazier@vicksburgpost.com

Ben Martin, Reporter 601-636-4545 Ext. 1308 ben.martin@vicksburgpost.com

John Surratt, Reporter 601-636-4545 Ext. 1302 john.surratt@vicksburgpost.com

BUSINESS OFFICE

Shandale Goodman, Bookkeeper 601-636-4545 shandale.goodman@vicksburgpost.com

Vera Ann Fedell, Office & Newsroom Assistant 601-636-4545 vera.fedell@vicksburgpost.com

Profile 2023 is a product of The Vicksburg Post, produced by Vicksburg Newsmedia, LLC.

SPECIAL THANKS

Profile 2023 would not be possible without the help of the following:

The Old Court House Museum

Charles Pendleton and the Vicksburg Civil War Museum

Tommy Presson

The Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation Vicksburg National Military Park