Museums in Vicksburg

We decided to visit a couple of museums before we move from Vicksburg.

First we stopped off at the Lower Mississippi River Museum which is run by the Corps of Engineers.  The M/V Mississippi IV is on site and almost the entire ship is available to be toured.  From the Pilot house to the engine room, we were able to visit the entire ship.

The IV did two jobs.  First, it was both used to move large equipment. This was one of 5 ships used for this purpose. This was the first of those type of ships that was not a paddle wheeler. Second, the ship was used for official public meetings of the Mississippi Regulatory Commission.  The ship moved up and down the river to bring the commissioners to the local communities for their input. This ship retired after 30 years of service and was replaced with a new more modern ship.

The office for the commissioners was frozen in time in the mid 80's.  This was a $1800 computer in its day.

The museum is about the work the Corps does to control, as much as is possible, the Mississippi river.  Many of the exhibits were interactive.

After that, we moved just down the road to the Depot Museum.  Along with several extensive model railroad displays the had a huge number of incredibly accurate ship models.  Most were from the civil war era but a few were modern.

What we found fascinating was the docurama of the battle of Vicksburg.  In 1/2 inch scale men, equipment, and the battle site itself.  Really incredible detail work was done to create the display.