Near Chunky in Newton County, Mississippi — The American South (East South Central)

MISSING

SEE LOCATION SECTION

Chunky River Train Wreck

Photographed by Mark Hilton, December 3, 2017

1. Chunky River Train Wreck Marker

Inscription. On February 19, 1863, a train carrying Confederate soldiers and civilians left Meridian heading west. Near Hickory, the locomotive ran off the trestle and submerged the train in the Chunky River. A rescue effort was led by the First Battalion of Choctaw Indians, organized just days earlier at a nearby Confederate training camp. Many passengers were rescued by the Choctaw troops, under the command of Major S.G. Spann.

Erected 2009 by Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Disasters • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Railroads & Streetcars • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Mississippi State Historical Marker Program series list. A significant historical date for this entry is February 19, 1863.

Location. Marker is missing. It was located near 32° 19.38′ N, 88° 59.109′ W. Marker was near Chunky, Mississippi, in Newton County. It was at the intersection of U.S. 80 and Buckley Road, on the right when traveling east on U.S. 80. Touch for map. Marker was in this post office area: Hickory MS 39332, United States of America.

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Regionally, this marker was in Central Mississippi. It was also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it was in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it found 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 11 miles of this location, measured as the crow flies: Hickory (approx. 2.3 miles away); Lynching in America / Lynching in Newton County (approx. 5.8 miles away); Doolittle C.S.A. Cemetery (approx. 10.1 miles away); McElroy-Hoye House (approx. 10.2 miles away); Grierson's Raid (approx. 10.4 miles away); Newton County Blues (approx. 10.4 miles away); Confederate Hospital (approx. 10.4 miles away); Sherman at Decatur (approx. 10.7 miles away).

More about this marker. The railroad tracks are approximately 2100 feet south of this marker and then the trestle and Chunky River is about 2500 feet east down the tracks.

Also see . . .
1. Wikipedia article on the Chunky River Train Wreck.

Site of the Chunky Creek Train Wreck. image. Click for full size.

By Robert Bruce Ferguson - (CC BY-SA 4.0), September 26, 2015

2. Site of the Chunky Creek Train Wreck.

The site where the engine Hercules and its cars crashed on February 19th of 1863. Link to photo license

(Submitted on December 4, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)
2. Newton County Historical Society article on the Chunky Creek Train Wreck of 1863. (Submitted on December 4, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)

Additional commentary.
1. Marker replaced?
Google streetview for Feb & Oct 2024 show marker is there.

— Submitted October 25, 2025, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.

Chunky River Train Wreck Marker looking west on U.S. Highway 80 towards Hickory. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, December 3, 2017

3. Chunky River Train Wreck Marker looking west on U.S. Highway 80 towards Hickory.

Chunky River Train Wreck Marker pole, looking east on US-80 towards Chunky. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Shawn Doughtie, January 17, 2023

4. Chunky River Train Wreck Marker pole, looking east on US-80 towards Chunky.

Marker is missing. Was present in Google Maps street view in November, 2021, but missing in Google Maps street view in July, 2022.

Credits. This page was last revised on October 25, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 4, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 1,664 times since then and 110 times this year. Last updated on January 30, 2023, by Shawn Doughtie of Alpharetta, Georgia. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 4, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. 4. submitted on January 30, 2023, by Shawn Doughtie of Alpharetta, Georgia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.

Editor’s want-list for this marker. Photo of marker & wide shot showing replaced marker. • Can you help?