Vicksburg in Warren County, Mississippi — The American South (East South Central)

Tommie Lee Williams, Sr.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, March 11, 2024

1. Tommie Lee Williams, Sr. Marker

Inscription. A corporal in the signal corps of the “Buffalo Division” in WWII, Williams (1926-2014)was a 1948 graduate of Alcorn College. He became Vicksburg's first black independent Licensed Master Plumber and trained other African Americans as Apprentice and Journeyman plumbers. After losing his sight in 1967, he founded We Care Community Services Inc., providing food, clothing and other social services for over thirty years and was recognized for his humanitarianism by three U.S. presidents and the Caring Institute.

Erected 2019 by Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Charity & Public Work • Education • War, World II. In addition, it is included in the Mississippi State Historical Marker Program series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1926.

Location. 32° 21.175′ N, 90° 52.82′ W. Marker is in Vicksburg, Mississippi, in Warren County. It is at the intersection of Jackson Street and Walnut Street, in the median on Jackson Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address:

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1001 Walnut St, Vicksburg MS 39183, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Natchez Trace Corridor

and in Greater Jackson.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

in the Mississippi Delta,

and in the Great River Road Region.

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 New Spain,

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: 61 Highway (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Women of Influence (about 400 feet away); Remarkable Orator (about 400 feet away); Planters' Hall (about 500 feet away); Men of Kindness (about 500 feet away); William R. Ferris (about 500 feet away); Motor Vessel Mississippi IV (about 500 feet away); Mississippi River Commission (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Vicksburg.

Also see . . . City of Vicksburg to honor Tommie Lee Williams, Sr. with historic marker.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, March 11, 2024

2. Tommie Lee Williams, Sr. Marker

View from Walnut Street.

Tommie Lee Williams Sr. lost his sight in 1967, but his vision of a better life for his community never left him. (By Ronni Mott, Vicksburg Daily News, March 9, 2020) (Submitted on April 5, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Credits. This page was last revised on April 5, 2024. It was originally submitted on April 5, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 209 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 5, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.