Articles by Rufus Ward
Ask Rufus: Bottle trees, silver coins and fly-speck blue
Our culture abounds in folk beliefs whose physical presence survive even after their meanings have been forgotten. Things we use for decoration or wear as jewelry often have their roots in olden beliefs in magic and evil spirits.
Ask Rufus: Celebrating the Fourth
When we think of the Fourth of July, all too many people think of a holiday with family gatherings, fireworks and backyard barbecues. Somehow over the years we have lost much of the sense of gratitude for our country’s forefathers, what they accomplished and the timeless documents they created.
Ask Rufus: The origin of ‘Mississippi’
With Mississippi celebrating its bicentennial next year, it’s interesting to look at the origin of the word “Mississippi.”
Ask Rufus: Ancient villages, ancient plants
The Chickasaw Nation has returned to the Golden Triangle area.
Ask Rufus: The separation of church and state’s deep roots in Mississippi
Prayer in schools, prayer at public events and the public display of religious scenes all too often seem under attack by the courts. The courts base their rulings on more than 200 years of legal precedents that there must be a separation — a wall — between church and state.
Ask Rufus: 197 years of hotel history
Last year’s announced plans for a Columbus children’s museum in the old Elks Club Building and the city’s demolition of the Gilmer Inn focuses attention on one of Columbus’ most historic city blocks.
Ask Rufus: Down the Tombigbee
The three of us had started school together at Demonstration School more years ago than we would care to admit. This was a journey we had always wanted to make.
Ask Rufus: Huck Finn meets Kubla Khan
“In Xanadu did Kubla Khan A stately pleasure-dome decree: Where Alph, the sacred river, ran Through caverns measureless to man Down to a sunless sea.
Ask Rufus: Earthquakes, volcanoes and fossils
A couple of days ago I was trying to decide what to write about in today’s column when I received an email from Peter Imes asking if I had seen the new book on the Geology of Mississippi.
Ask Rufus: De Soto’s cross
I have written several times about the expedition of Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto’s travels through our area 475 years ago and his encounters with the Chickasaws and other Indian nations.
Ask Rufus: The mint juleps of Columbus
Spring has arrived in all its floral glory and it is time to again ponder that traditional Southern libation, the Mint Julep.
Ask Rufus: A walk through history
The South Side Historic District in Columbus is a real gem. It provides a place where in a less than an hour walk you are carried through almost 200 years of architectural history.
Ask Rufus: There must have been something in the water
Along the east-facing crest of Pleasant Ridge and the 800 block of Sixth Avenue North in Columbus is one unbelievable neighborhood.
Ask Rufus: The POWs of Camp Aliceville
It must have been an amazing sight to behold on the day during World War II when columns of German soldiers — including members of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel’s famed Africa Corps — marched through Aliceville, Alabama.
Ask Rufus: Ancient bones and an old museum
A couple of weeks ago I did a column on a bull shark being caught in the Tombigbee River in Alabama. In the column I mentioned fossil sharks teeth that are commonly found in the Upper Tombigbee River Valley.
Ask Rufus: Fact or fiction? The Bride of the Eliza Battle
The first of March and unsettled weather always brings to my mind the horrific story of the Eliza Battle.
Ask Rufus: Riverwalk offers a walk through history
As the weather warms and spring approaches, traffic on the Riverwalk picks up. Recently I have been walking there, not only enjoying the touch of natural beauty at the edge of downtown, but seeing old friends and making new ones. It is a place where almost everyone speaks as they pass, and, too, it is a place steeped in history.
Ask Rufus: Old Pickensville
One of the oldest towns along the Upper Tombigbee River is the little, though once not so small, community of Pickensville, Alabama.
Ask Rufus: The toughest and the greatest
With all the coverage of last week’s college signing day, the discussion of whether LSU can unseat Alabama in the SEC West next year, what Hugh Freeze will do to top this past year, and of course today’s Super Bowl, thoughts turn to great football teams.
Jelly Roll to perform at Jeffery Simmons Community Fun Day
July 3, 2025
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