History of Jackson, Mississippi, USA

Jackson, a thriving town of Hinds co., and capital of the state of Mississippi, is situated on the right bank of Pearl river, and on the Vicksburg and Brandon railroad, 45 miles E. from Vicksburg, and 1010 miles from Washington. Lat. 82° 23' N., Lon. 90° 8' W. The site of the town is level and the plan is regular. It contains a handsome state house, the executive mansion, the state lunatic asylum, the penitentiary, a United States land- office, several churches, and 4 newspaper offices. About 30,000 bales of cotton are annually shipped here. Jackson is one of the principal points on the New Orleans, Jackson, and Northern railroad, now in progress. Population in 1853, about 3500.

1863-05-14 - American Civil War: The Battle of Jackson, MS takes place.
1863-07-05 - Battle of Jackson, MS & Battle of Birdsong Ferry, MS
1863-07-10 - Battle of Jackson, MS - captured by federals
1864-02-05 - Federals occupy Jackson, Mississippi

told him they were escaped convicts from the Jackson Penitentiary, gave themselves up, and were taken home without the expenditure of a cent. The Sheriff's feelings, on realizing the joke, may be imagined.

Jackson, Miss., Aug 27. - The following particulars were received here to-day of a frightful accident on the narrow gauge known at the Little J., which runs from Natchez to Jackson:

The mail and passenger express which left Jackson at 6:30 A.M. went through the bridge over the Pierre Bayou, which is 38 miles east of Natchez. The bridge gave way as the passenger train was on it, and the engine dropped to the bottom of the bayou, a distance of 60 feet. The mail, express, and smoking car were piled up on top of it. The ladies' coach was left on the edge of the bridge, partly off.

Three persons were killed instantly and a large number injured. The engineer, MR. POWELL, of Water Valley; the fireman, JOHN McCLUTCHY, of Natchez, and a brakeman, MR. ROBERT PERRY, of Learned, were killed. J. W. LANE, express messanger, was seriously injured. The mail agent, a colored man named OWEN ANDERSON, was seriously injured. R. W. CAMPBELL, of Fayette, received a severe and dangerous contusion...

Jackson, a city of Mississippi, the capital of the state, is in Hinds co., on the W. bank of the Pearl River, 183 miles N. of New Orleans, 45 miles E. of Vicksburg, and 96 miles W. of Meridian. Lat. 32° 18' N.; lon. 90° 6' W. It is on the Illinois Central Railroad where it crosses the Wicks burg & Meridian Railroad. It is built on level ground, and is regularly planned. It contains the state-house, the penitentiary, a lunatic asylum, institutions for the blind, the deaf, and the dumb, public schools, an industrial seminary, the state law library, the third largest in the Union, 8 churches, a national and 2 other banks, 3 iron-foundries, a sash-, door-, and blind-factory, and numerous smaller industries. A semi-monthly, a quarterly, 2 daily, and 4 weekly newspapers are published here. The city is lighted by electricity. Many thousand bales of cotton are annually shipped at this place. Pop, in 1890, 5920.

Jackson, Miss., Feb. 16. - The four-story main building of the State Asylum for the Insane was set on fire about 5 o'clock this morning by J. D. BROWN, an inmate of the institution. BROWN had recently escaped and was only returned yesterday. He stated to his attendants that it would be all the worse for him and them if he was again confined. His threat was soon put into execution, and he himself, unable to escape from the building, was burned to death, a victim of his insane deed.
There were 600 inmates in the building, most of whom were asleep when the flames were discovered. Through the most superhuman exertions of the Superintendent, DR. MITCHELL, and his subordinates all were saved and safety transferred to the wings disconnected from the burning pile.

After performing this extraordinary feat, Superintendent MITCHELL, just up from a sick bed, staggered and fell, and was conveyed to his home. Assistant NOLAND STEWART, after heroic and successful endeavors, also succumbed....