Yazoo City in Yazoo County, Mississippi — The American South (East South Central)

Willie Morris

— Mississippi Writers Trail —

Photographed by James Hulse, January 14, 2023

1. Willie Morris Marker

Inscription. Born in Jackson in 1934, Willie Morris spent a magical Yazoo boyhood playing pranks and baseball with his dog and his friends or playing "Taps" on his trumpet for military funerals. His writing talent was evident early on in pieces he wrote for the local and school newspapers. As a student at the University of Texas, he was editor for the Daily Texan and won a Rhodes scholarship to Oxford University in England. He was editor for the Texas Observer and later became editor-in-chief of Harper's Magazine in New York. In 1980. Morris returned to Mississippi to become writer-in-residence at Ole Miss and later lived in Jackson. Notable among his twenty-three award-winning books are North Toward Home, Yazoo, and My Dog Skip. When he died on August 2, 1999, his body lay in state at the Old Capitol. Perhaps the South's best ambassador, this beloved native son is buried in Glenwood Cemetery.

Erected 2022 by Mississippi Writers Trail.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Communications. In addition, it is included in the Mississippi Writers Trail series list. A significant historical date for this entry is August 2, 1999.

Location. 32° 51′ N, 90° 24.715′ W. Marker is in

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Yazoo City, Mississippi, in Yazoo County. It is on North Main Street 0.1 miles East Powell Street, on the left when traveling south. The marker is located in front of the building. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 332 N Main St, Yazoo City MS 39194, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Mississippi and in Greater Jackson.

It is also 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 walking distance of this marker: Yazoo County Civil War Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); B.S. Ricks Memorial Library (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Yazoo Expedition (about 800 feet away); Bank of Yazoo City (approx. 0.2 miles away); Yazoo County War Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); Tommy McClennan (approx. ¼ mile away); Bethel A.M.E. Church (approx. 0.3 miles away); Town Creek (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Yazoo City.

Also see . . . Willie Morris (1934–1999) Author and Editor. Mississippi Encyclopedia

Although Willie Morris’s reputation rests largely on his nonfiction works, particularly his first autobiography, North toward Home (1967), he also achieved widespread recognition as an editor, newspaper journalist, children’s author, essayist, and editorial writer. Commentators and critics have often singled out his perceptive understanding of and deep affection for the South as well as his passionate convictions about the importance of race relations in America.

Photographed by James Hulse, January 14, 2023

2. Willie Morris Marker

(Submitted on January 15, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

The view of the Willie Morris Marker along the street image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, January 14, 2023

3. The view of the Willie Morris Marker along the street

Willie Morris's Gravestone in Glenwood Cemetery image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, January 14, 2023

4. Willie Morris's Gravestone in Glenwood Cemetery

Credits. This page was last revised on October 28, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 14, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 649 times since then and 38 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on January 15, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.