Vicksburg in Warren County, Mississippi — The American South (East South Central)
President McKinley Visits the "Land of Cotton"
Photographed By Mark Hilton, May 25, 2017
1. President McKinley Visits the "Land of Cotton" Marker
Inscription.
President McKinley Visits the "Land of Cotton". . When William McKinley, the 25th president of the United States (1897-1901), visited Vicksburg on May 1, 1901, cotton was “king” in Vicksburg and Warren County, as is evidenced by this arch of cotton bales (each weighing about 450 pounds) that greeted him and his wife. Vicksburg had at the time a world-wide reputation for the quality of her cotton, being located in the center of the long stapled cotton district, whose product, technically known as Bender’s cotton, commanded the highest market price. Not only were Vicksburg’s fields fertile, but her development as a transportation hub, on the Mississippi River with easy access to the railroad, made the city a “cotton center.” The cotton trade was divided into two sharply defined branches - cotton factors who represented the producer and cotton brokers who represented the manufacturer. In 1888, Vicksburg’s cotton receipts were 60,000 bales valued at $3,000,000. The Vicksburg Cotton Exchange, an organization founded in 1874, received all cotton market reports during the regular season and performed the functions of the city’s board of trade. Other businesses associated with the cotton trade were cotton compresses and three cottonseed oil mills - the Refuge, the Vicksburg , and the Hill City Cottonseed Oil Company. ,
Sponsored by , Jacque and Larry Nicola , In Honor of their parents, Lillie and Fouad Nicola and Dixie Justice.
When William McKinley, the 25th president of the United States (1897-1901), visited Vicksburg on May 1, 1901, cotton was “king” in Vicksburg and Warren County, as is evidenced by this arch of cotton bales (each weighing about 450 pounds) that greeted him and his wife.
Vicksburg had at the time a world-wide reputation for the quality of her cotton, being located in the center of the long stapled cotton district, whose product, technically known as Bender’s cotton, commanded the highest market price.
Not only were Vicksburg’s fields fertile, but her development as a transportation hub, on the Mississippi River with easy access to the railroad, made the city a “cotton center.” The cotton trade was divided into two sharply defined branches - cotton factors who represented the producer and cotton brokers who represented the manufacturer.
In 1888, Vicksburg’s cotton receipts were 60,000 bales valued at $3,000,000. The Vicksburg Cotton Exchange, an organization founded in 1874, received all cotton market reports during the regular season and performed the functions of the city’s board of trade.
Other businesses associated with the cotton trade were cotton compresses and three cottonseed oil mills - the Refuge, the Vicksburg , and the Hill City Cottonseed Oil Company.
Sponsored by
Jacque and Larry Nicola
In
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Honor of their parents, Lillie and Fouad Nicola and Dixie Justice
Erected 2007 by the City of Vicksburg Riverfront Mural Committee.
Location. 32° 21.098′ N, 90° 53.017′ W. Marker is in Vicksburg, Mississippi, in Warren County. Marker can be reached from Levee Street south of Grove Street. The Vicksburg Riverfront Murals are located on the Yazoo Diversion Canal levee wall. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Levee Street, Vicksburg MS 39183, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 25, 2022. It was originally submitted on June 6, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 284 times since then and 19 times this year. Last updated on January 24, 2022, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on June 6, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.