Itta Bena in Leflore County, Mississippi — The American South (East South Central)

The "Caboose"

Photographed by Mark Hilton, April 5, 2021

1. The "Caboose" Marker

Inscription. During the Civil Rights Movement, mass meetings were held at Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church in Itta Bena to register voters, distribute food and teach citizens how to read and write. On June 18, 1963, more than seventy men, women and children were arrested and taken to the Itta Bena jail, known locally as “the Caboose," while assembling for a meeting. Charged with disturbing the peace and disorderly conduct, forty-five black citizens were arrested and sent to the county farm for 58 days and fined.

Erected 2021 by Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Law Enforcement. In addition, it is included in the Mississippi State Historical Marker Program series list. A significant historical date for this entry is June 18, 1963.

Location. 33° 29.652′ N, 90° 19.157′ W. Marker is in Itta Bena, Mississippi, in Leflore County. It is on Front Street east of Basket Street (State Route 7), on the right when traveling east. Located on an unpaved, unmarked road named Front Street behind 107 Basket

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Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Itta Bena MS 38941, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

and in the Mississippi Delta.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Itta Bena (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); "March Against Fear" (approx. 0.4 miles away); Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church (approx. 0.6 miles away); In Memory of the Brave Marines and Navy Corpsman (approx. 1.4 miles away); B.B. King Birthplace (approx. 4.9 miles away); Fort Pemberton Park (approx. 5½ miles away); Guitar Slim (approx. 6½ miles away); Hubert Sumlin (approx. 6.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Itta Bena.

Another marker is no longer nearby.

View inside of some of the jail bars. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, April 5, 2021

2. View inside of some of the jail bars.

Fort Pemberton (was approx. 5½ miles away but has been confirmed missing).

The "Caboose" Marker and former jail. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, April 5, 2021

3. The "Caboose" Marker and former jail.

Credits. This page was last revised on April 5, 2021. It was originally submitted on April 5, 2021, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 750 times since then and 35 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 5, 2021, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.