Cistern and Safe at Rocky Springs, Mississippi
Precious memories, how they linger How they ever flood my soul In the stillness of the midnight Precious, sacred scenes unfold.
- “Precious Memories,” J.B.F. Wright.
November 13, 2018 is a cold, wet, Mississippi Tuesday and I am driving south on the Natchez Trace Parkway, near Port Gibson. At mile marker 54.8 a turn to visit the ghost town of Rocky Springs – the last vestiges are two safes, two cisterns, one foundation, a church and cemetery.
An eerie stillness hovers as I walk the trail towards the ghost town. Not a scary eerie but a resigned and hopeful eerie. I am being propelled forward, not backward.
Walking the small trail loop, I come upon a post office safe and a cistern. Farther along, I walk into the church, built in 1837, and observe the dark wooden pews and stark furnishings. Services are held last Sunday of each month.
I realize what propels me forward. The cistern is my heart where a lifetime of memories are collected. Memories of people and places I did or did not know that well. Memories that connect two places – family in Mississippi and growing up in Maryland.
The safe is my mind, memories are drawn from the cistern in times of joy, tribulation and reflection. A safe where memories are protected as precious possessions should be.
The church is a beacon. So many have passed, so many memories have faded. But the ones that remain are a spiritual epicenter. A source of strength and a reservoir of resolve. A recognition of life’s tenuous balance.
Yes, memories are precious and each is a story - open the safe, draw them from the cistern, and share them as a beacon. After all, even at Rocky Springs, the cistern and safe remain and the church still has services.
As I travel on life's pathway Know not what the years may hold As I ponder, hope grows fonder Precious memories flood my soul.
- “Precious Memories,” J.B.F. Wright.
How about you? Where do you keep your memories? Share a story!
Blog Notes:
On November 10, I embarked on a week-long driving pilgrimage to Mississippi to visit family and reclaim a significant portion of my childhood and adolescence. Growing up, my parents and I would drive to Vicksburg, Mississippi every year to visit family. My last trip was 1984 when my maternal grandmother passed.
Natchez Trace Parkway - a National Parkway from Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville, Tennessee (444 miles)
Old Natchez Trace - the original forest trail from Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville, Tennessee.
Rock Springs, Mississippi - Originally a waterhole on the Old Natchez Trace, a town blossomed in the 1790s and grew to a town of 4,616 covering 25 square miles by 1860. The town eventually was abandoned as the Civil war, poor soil conservation, yellow fever, and boll weevil infestation took their toll
Precious Memories - traditional gospel hymn, cover version by Patty Loveless
