The Daily Citizen

The Daily Citizen. . , Indoor Plumbing , Steele Cottage was constructed on this hillside with an indoor cistern in 1829. The brick cistern (still in place today) stored rain that fell on the roof that was used to supply running water for the house. During the Civil War the home was owned by J.M. Swords, the publisher/editor of The Daily Citizen newspaper. Because of the Siege of Vicksburg, Swords ran out of newsprint for his paper but continued to print daily on the back of wallpaper. , Vicksburg Pierced Columns , "Pierced Columns", first used around the 1870s, appear throughout Vicksburg. Although the exact origin has never been determined, there is speculation that they were designed by a steamboat carpenter. Gambling was very prevalent on steam-boats and many of the columns bear designs from playing cards - spades, clubs, hearts and diamonds., Unlike the typical large, single-post columns that were most common, the "pierced columns" were constructed from two smaller posts with a design cut into a board mounted between them. The mystery still exists as to the origins of the "pierced columns", but it has been proven that of all of the Southern cities, they were most prevalent in Vicksburg.