Thursday, July 24, 2008

My Mississippi Manifest Destiny: Clarksdale's Old Greyhound Station

Like many towns of its size, Clarksdale, Mississippi, circa 1940, had several common focal points that residents of other cities would recognize in a second. A movie theater, a train station (more on that in my next post), a courthouse, and a bus station.

Clarksdale has a beautiful Greyhound station, although years ago buses stopped using the station. Several blogs, including this one, have reported that Greyhound has abandoned Clarksdale, but Greyhound's web site lists the Delta town on its site. Maybe a subcontractor?

At one time the building hosted the Clarksdale visitor's center--but it appears this beauty, although well-maintained, is unused. That's a shame.

Sociologically, the station is important. Because without a doubt it was where thousands of Mississippians who took part in the black diaspora bought their one-way tickets to a better life in the North.

Next post: Clarkdale, Home of the Delta Blues

Earlier Clarksdale post: Robert Johnson's Crossroads

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3 comments:

Levois said...

If you're going into these small towns by bus in Mississippi especially in the Delta, chances are you might be taking Delta Bus Lines.

Anonymous said...

Good Job! :)

Anonymous said...

Not unused. It houses the Clarksdale Visitor's Bureau, where you can go learn valuable information about the city of Clarksdale. Also, various non-profits host events there throughout the year.