Battle of Okolona

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Battle of Okolona

Okolona, Mississippi 38860, United States

Created By: City of Okolona

Tour Information

Okolona has the charm and pace of a small Mississippi town with a rich history. The surrounding prairie remains unspoiled. In town, the streets are lined with antebellum and Victorian structures. Thanks to the Friends of the Battle of Okolona, Inc., a great deal remains to be seen from the Battle of Okolona.

We would like to thank and give credit to Dr. Brandon Beck. Dr. Beck wrote the book, The Battle of Okolona: Defending the Mississippi Prairie. This book is where we got the tour and permission to create this tour.

About the Author

Dr. Brandon H. Beck is director emeritus of the McCormick Civil War Institute at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia. He is the author of ten books. Since retiring and moving to Columbus, Mississippi, he has written Defending the Mississippi Prairie: The Battle of Okolona and Holly Springs: Van Dorn, the CSS Arkansas, and the Raid That Saved Vicksburg. He teaches part-time at East Mississippi Community College


Tour Map

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What You'll See on the Tour

Battle of Okolona Tour-Begin at Carnegie Library, 321 West Main Street Okolona has the charm and pace of a small Mississippi town with a rich history. The surrounding prairie remains unspoiled In town, the streets are lined with antebellum ... Read more
Bank of Okolona, 227 Main Street Leave the library, going east on Main Street (out the front door and to the right), to: Site 1—THE BANK OF OKOLONA, on the right, at the corner of Main and Silver Streets. The decorative clock was given to... Read more
Continue on Main Street to: Site 2—CONTEDERATE MONUMENT and the newly installed historical marker. The monument unveiling took place on April 26, 1905. There was a huge crowd on hand to hear Okolona's Mr. Henry Lacey give the dedication s... Read more
Overhead Bridge, East Main Follow Main Street, and bear left at the monument. You will soon come to: Site 3—the foot of the OVERHEAD BRIDGE over the railroad tracks. The first Overhead Bridge was built in 1905 over the right of way of the... Read more
Gilliam-Carouthers House, 201 School Street For the next stop, go north, parallel to the railroad tracks (away from Main Street) on Fleming Street, until you reach a four-way stop.Turn left on Jefferson Street. At the intersection of Jeffer... Read more
Oaklawn-School Street/Jefferson
Battle of Okolona Historical Marker Continue along Jefferson Street to its end at Church Street (Route 245). Turn right and proceed until you see: Site 5—BATTLE OF OKOLONA HISTORICAL MARKER on the left, set back from the road. Just beyond... Read more
For the next stop, go back the way you came on Church Street, but turn right, almost immediately, onto a gravel road. The road leads to a small baseball grandstand. Site 6—At any point along the road you can stop to look out to the right ... Read more
Elliott-Donaldson House, 109 Church Street You can turn around at the ballpark. Return to Church Street and turn right. Pass the sign for Okolona High School. On the left, at the top of the rise, turn into the parking lot of the Dollar Gene... Read more
Knox-Fitzgerald-Brannic house, 316 West Washington Next, leave the Dollar General store and stay on Church Street (heading  away  from  Main  Street).  Take  the  first  right,  onto Washington Street. Turn left from Washington Str... Read more
Odd Fellows Cemetery, Washington/Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive Continue on to the first entrance of the Odd Fellows Cemetery at M.L. King and Winter Avenue. Turn in here, rather than at the main entrance, and stop at the edge of trees on th... Read more
Okolona Confederate Hospital, Wheeler/North Olive Street Continue around the cemetery and turn left onto M.L. King. At the intersection of M.L. King and Wheeler Street, turn left onto Wheeler. Take Wheeler to its intersection with Olive Str... Read more
Liggin-Boatman House, 104 Prairie Street Make a U-turn and come back to M.L. King (one block) and then turn left. Next, turn right onto Main Street and then take the first left onto Prairie Street. Site 11—The LIGGIN-BOATMAN HOUSE (1896 o... Read more
Okolona Confederate Cemetery, 211 South Church At Monroe Avenue (Route 41), turn right Then turn left onto Church Street (Route 245 South). Site 12—The OKOLONA CONFEDERATE CEMETERY is ahead on the left. The best entrance is the gravel roa... Read more
You should begin this tour by reviewing the information given by the historical marker on Church Street at the site of Forrest's charge (Site 5 in Part I of the tour). You will also need to set your trip odometer at that location. To get t... Read more
Go back the way you came on Church Street, headed toward Main Street. At 0.8 miles, turn right onto Main Street at the four-way stop sign. At 1.1 miles, turn right onto McDonnell Street. You are now on Route 41—the Pontotoc Road. You'll s... Read more
Site 2—At 6.7-6.8 miles, stop at a metal gate on the right. This is the site of the old BRAMLETT HOUSE. Depending on the season, you may be able to make out the ruins of the house. Colonel Forrest's body was carried here en route to Okolo... Read more
Continue north on Route 41. Site 3—At 9.2 miles, on the right but invisible from the road, are the GRAVES of two Union soldiers. They are not easy to find, and they are virtually inaccessible most of the year. ...
Continue north on Route 41. Site 4—At 10.7 miles, north of the Natchez Trace overpass, look out on the right for two small brown signs at a small paved pull-over place just as you round the curve. There is more room to pull over just up t... Read more
Continue north on Route 41. Site 5—At 11.5 miles, you will see two wooden gateposts on the right, on a rise very near the road. The rise is a slope of Ivy's Hill. You may pull over there and drive up. This is the site of the GILBERT IVY L... Read more
This tour allows the visitor to see the wide-open expanse of the Prairie, an old Prairie town, Egypt, the Ellis Bridge monument near West Point, Waverly Plantation on the Tombigbee River and, in Columbus, the Stephen D. Lee House and Friend... Read more
Return to Alternate Route 45, turn left and continue south. In West Point, there is a sign for Route 50 just before the second stoplight. Turn right at that stoplight and reset your odometer. At 4.0 miles you will come to the ELLIS BRIDGE M... Read more
Make a  U-turn and head back toward West  Point.  At the  Route 50 intersection (stoplight), reset your odometer again. Keep going straight.  At 9.0  miles, you will see a brown sign on the right for WAVERLY PLANTATION (1852). Turn ri... Read more
Leave the plantation and go back the way you came. Turn right at the second stop sign (Route 50). Then later turn right onto Route 45 and follow it into Columbus. To get to the COLUMBUS WELCOME CENTER, follow Route 45 through town and then ... Read more
The STEPHEN D. LEE HOUSE (1847) is at 305  Seventh Street North (662-327-8888). Go back down Main Street the way you came and continue until you see Seventh Street North on your left. Turn left onto  Seventh  Street.  It is open to the ... Read more
You may also want to visit the FRIENDSHIP CEMETERY (662-328-2565) in Columbus, where Lee and other Confederate generals are buried along with more than one thousand Confederate soldiers. The cemetery is at the end of Fourth Street South, ne... Read more

 

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