A Journey to Mound Bayou, MS: An Inside Look at a Self-Founded Black Town {Part 2}

Just a 4.5 hour drive from us lies a truly remarkable place: Mound Bayou, Mississippi. This isn’t just any town; it’s a testament to resilience and self-determination, founded over a century ago by a community of formerly enslaved people. Because I took so many pictures, this will will be a three-part series.

The Hubs and I are always on the hunt for historic towns that are within a few hours drive from our house, while we don’t mind staying overnight, sometimes we prefer shorter trips. I’m not sure how we heard about Mound Bayou, but the decision to visit was an easy one. The drive to Mound Bayou was nice and uneventful, we listened to music and talked about life, what we were expecting to find once we arrived…

As always when visiting historic towns, The Hubs and I did a bit of research to identify the best ways to see all the historic sites. Mound Bayou made it pretty easy by providing QR codes next to the historic markers to assist visitors with identifying buildings and locations. At each stop, I hopped out of the car and snapped a few pictures. What you can tell is that many of these places are either far back from the road surrounded by fences or overgrown grass, so it’s not easy to get up close to the buildings {however, I did get as close as possible to capture details}.

 

 

 

A little park in the center of town.

ABOUT MOUND BAYOU, MISSISSIPPI

Mound Bayou was founded as an independent Black community in 1887 by formerly enslaved people led by Isaiah Montgomery. Mound Bayou was one of the first independent Black settlements established during the Post-Reconstruction period. Mound Bayou’s Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

For more information about Mound Bayou, visit their website or read this brief article from NPR.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FINAL THOUGHTS

The one thing that made my breath catch was the realization that every person we saw was a direct descendant of a formerly enslaved person who helped to settle this community. It made me think back to my father’s funeral when I sat in a church that was built by my grandfather. I wanted to run my fingers across every floor board, feel every groove, I wanted to feel the connection to my family. I wonder if the people who still live in Mound Bayou feel that need as well?

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