River towns
Natchez and Vicksburg sit on bluffs above the Mississippi River, and both were photographed throughout the postcard era. Natchez is known for its antebellum mansions, which were printed heavily, while Vicksburg's national military park and its many monuments appear on card after card. Real photos of the river landings, steamboats, levees and street life of these towns are more interesting than the common printed views. Greenville, Rosedale and other Delta river towns also appear on cards.
The Delta
The Yazoo-Mississippi Delta was one of the richest cotton-growing regions in the world. Postcards show cotton fields, pickers, gins, compresses, warehouses and wagons lined up in towns such as Clarksdale, Greenwood, Cleveland and Greenville. Real photos of cotton work and Delta towns are historically significant and collected.
The 1927 flood
The great Mississippi River flood of 1927 broke the levees and flooded much of the Delta. Real photo postcards of flooded towns, refugee camps on the levees and relief work record one of the most important events in the region's history, and they are collected.
Sawmills and the piney woods
Southern Mississippi's longleaf pine forests supported enormous sawmills and company towns in the early twentieth century, at places such as Laurel, Hattiesburg, Brookhaven and many smaller mill towns. Logging railroads, camps and crews appear on real photo cards that are popular with occupational and regional collectors.
The Gulf Coast
Biloxi, Gulfport, Pass Christian, Bay St. Louis and Ocean Springs had resort hotels, beaches, piers and seafood canneries. Biloxi was a major oyster and shrimp packing center, and real photos of canneries, schooners and workers are collected. Gulfport's harbor shipped lumber. Hurricanes struck the coast repeatedly, and storm damage cards are historically significant.
Courthouse squares
Mississippi's county seats were built around courthouses, many on squares lined with stores. Real photos of squares on busy trading days, with wagons and crowds, are popular with collectors of these towns. Oxford, Holly Springs, Columbus and many smaller county seats appear on cards.
Places and subjects to look for
- Natchez and Vicksburg: river landings, steamboats, streets and monuments.
- The Delta: Clarksdale, Greenwood, Greenville and cotton towns.
- The piney woods: Laurel, Hattiesburg and sawmill towns.
- The Gulf Coast: Biloxi, Gulfport, Pass Christian and Bay St. Louis.
- Jackson: the capitols and city streets.
- North Mississippi: Oxford, Tupelo, Corinth and Holly Springs.
- Courthouse squares in county seats across the state.
Railroads
The Illinois Central ran north and south through Mississippi, and other lines crossed the state. Depots in small towns were the center of community life, and depot real photos with trains and people are popular with town and railroad collectors.
Colleges
The University of Mississippi, Mississippi A&M (now Mississippi State), Alcorn, Tougaloo and other colleges appear on cards. Major campus views are common, but real photos of student life and early buildings are more interesting.
Real photos versus printed views
Natchez mansions, Vicksburg monuments and Gulf Coast hotels were printed heavily. Real photos of small towns, cotton work, sawmills, canneries and the 1927 flood carry most of the value in a Mississippi collection.
What is common
Printed views of Natchez houses, Vicksburg park monuments, the capitol and later chrome Gulf Coast beach cards are plentiful.
Why small Mississippi towns matter
Mississippi was a rural state, and many of its small towns were photographed for postcards only by local or traveling photographers, in small numbers. Some of those towns have since shrunk as farms mechanized and sawmills closed. A real photo of a busy main street, a gin or a depot may be among the only images of that place as it was, which is why collectors and local historians look for them so carefully.
Questions about Mississippi postcards
Are Delta cotton postcards valuable? Real photos of gins, wagons and pickers are collected and historically significant.
Are 1927 flood postcards collectible? Yes, real photos of the flood and refugee camps are important historical records.
Are Biloxi cannery postcards worth anything? Real photos of canneries, schooners and workers are collected.
Do you buy Mississippi collections? Yes, complete collections from anywhere in the state, by mail.