Articles by Rufus Ward
Ask Rufus: Civil War tunnels in Columbus?
Several times during Pilgrimage and again last week I have had people ask me about the Civil War tunnels under Columbus.
Ask Rufus: In The Tornado’s Aftermath
Last week, a friend was in Rolling Fork helping her family and friends deal with the horrible devastation of a deadly tornado.
Ask Rufus: The Devastating Freshets of the Tombigbee
In Thursday’s Dispatch, Jessica Lindsey wrote of the 50th anniversary of the devastating Tombigbee flood of 1973. The Tombigbee Valley has a long history of high water and floods.
Ask Rufus: They Also Served: Women in World War II
In all the many references to the greatest generation, it is almost always only the men who are mentioned. Those men could not have accomplished what they did without an awful lot of support and assistance.
Ask Rufus: Peter Pitchlynn’s Prairie
The construction of the huge aluminum mill in the prairie midway between Columbus, Starkville and West Point brings to mind the old Black Prairie, which stretches in a crescent across northeast Mississippi and central Alabama.
Ask Rufus: Crossing the Tombigbee
Last Saturday there was a public program in Columbus by leading archaeologists working on two sites dating to the mid 1500s. One of the sites is located near Demopolis, Alabama, and the other near Starkville.
Ask Rufus: The Natural Beauty of our Woods and Prairies
So often when we think of the grand beauty of nature, we think of impressive sights such as Niagara Falls or the Grand Canyon.
Ask Rufus: The Footprints of de Soto
The Hernando de Soto expedition of 1539-43 was the first European excursion into the upper Tombigbee River Valley.
Ask Rufus: Recalling a pathway to freedom along the Columbus Riverwalk
The Columbus Riverwalk is not only a touch of natural beauty at the edge of downtown Columbus but also a place steeped in history. It provides a walk through 483 years of the African American history of Columbus.
Ask Rufus: The Architectural Legacy of James Lull
James Lull was a Vermont-born, Philadelphia-trained architect who was responsible for many of the most impressive buildings in mid-19th century Columbus.
Ask Rufus: The Coming of the Greek Revival Style
When people think of antebellum homes in the South it is generally an image of a large Greek Revival style house that comes to mind. The term Greek Revival refers to the attempt to design a house to have the flavor of an ancient Greek temple.
Ask Rufus: Columbus’ Federal Style houses
During the first years of Columbus’ growth and expansion, some early settlers tried to bring a little of the refinement of the East Coast to the new town.
Ask Rufus: Columbus’ raised cottages reflect the town’s early role as a cultural crossroad
In examining the historic architecture of Columbus, the earliest houses other than log construction are the vernacular frame and brick raised cottages and the late Federal style houses. Stylistically the oldest surviving houses in Columbus are raised cottages and today’s column will take a look at them.
Ask Rufus: Columbus’ early log houses
As might be expected, the earliest houses constructed in Columbus and the upper Tombigbee River Valley were mostly of log.
Ask Rufus: Walking through history
During Christmas I had many inquiries from visitors asking about the history of Columbus and if there was a guide for a walking tour of historic homes. The Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau has put together a trifold walking tour guide to the oldest part of the Southside Historic District.
Ask Rufus: 200 years ago steamboats arrived in Columbus
The new year marks the 200th anniversary of the first steamboat to arrive at Columbus.
Ask Rufus:The Story of a Biplane Photograph, and a Christmas Card
For Christmas this year I gave some out-of-town friends a copy of Berkley Hudson’s both delightful and thought provoking book, “O.N. Pruitt’s Possum Town: Photographing Trouble and Resilience in the American South.” I recall talking to Berkley as he was working on it and had high expectations. He exceeded them.
Ask Rufus: A 482 year old Christmas Tradition: pork BBQ
With Christmas fast approaching, it is interesting to consider the first Christmas celebrated in Mississippi by Europeans.
Ask Rufus: A Vienna Excursion
The Vienna was a 176-ton, 155-by-26-by-4.5-foot stern-wheeler built in 1898.
Ask Rufus: Plymouth Bluff: A Treasure
Friday, I attended the open house at MUW’s Plymouth Bluff Center.
Jelly Roll to perform at Jeffery Simmons Community Fun Day
July 3, 2025
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