MISSISSIPI

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Mississippi’s former state capitol building in Jackson was in use as the State House from 1839 through 1903, when the present capitol building was opened.  Vicksburg’s  Old Courthouse Museum and its contents have a long and sometimes unpleasant history, beginning with the building’s 1858 construction by slave labor.  The USS Cairo, on display at Vicksburg National Military Park, was sunk the same year it was commissioned  and sat under the mud for nearly 100 years.  Vicksburg National Cemetery contains the graves of 17.000 Union soldiers on its rolling grounds.  This large estate overlooking the Mississippi Sound was given the French name of Beauvoir in honor of the beautiful view.  It was built in 1852 and became the home of Confederate State of America’s only president, Jefferson Davis.  The town of Ocean Springs has become a haven for artists and craftspeople.  The little white house where Elvis Presley was born and spent most of his youth stands in Tupelo.  Also in Tupelo, the Automobile Museum has a collection of 150 vehicles, including the Lincoln once owned by the King.  Natchez takes pride in preserving some 500 stunning historic homes which have survived the Civil War.  The Natchez Trace Parkway follows a route once used by Native Americans, stretching for 710 km from Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville, Tennessee : it is now very popular for sightseeing.