By: Mary Ellen Powell
DBJ Contributing Writer
In an effort to increase archaeological and historical awareness in the Mississippi
Delta, the Mississippi River Parkway Commission (MRPC) along with the Greenville/Washington
County CVB, recently presented the DSU Delta Center for Culture with a copy
of the Historic and Archaeological Inventory of Mississippi’s Great
River Road. This reference tool, funded by the Mississippi Department of Transportation
and produced by the Social Science Research Center at MSU, sites details all
of the historic and cultural site found along the Mississippi portion of the
Great River Road. This inventory was designed as a resource for communities
to use in developing their portion of the Great River Road in an effort to
preserve their local history and derive economic benefits from their preservation
efforts. The Great River Road, which falls under the auspices of the Mississippi
River Parkway Commission, passes through 12 counties and numerous towns along
the 350-mile corridor encompassing all of Highway 1 and portions of Highway
61.
The MRPC, formed in 1938, is a ten-state national organization that works
collectively to preserve, promote, and enhance the scenic, historic and recreational
resources of the Mississippi River, to foster economic growth along the Great
River Road and to develop and promote the Great River Road National Scenic
Byway. The Mississippi River States of the National MRPC are: Arkansas, Illinois,
Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.DBJ