The story is told of a small-town rube who was finally convinced to travel abroad, specifically a tour of Italy. When he arrived back home he was asked what he thought about the Roman Colosseum. “It’s pretty big,” he said. “But, man, have they let the place go.”
Some historical sites are preserved as ruins, others are nurtured and enhanced.
It would not be too much of a stretch to consider Plymouth Bluff as a Colosseum of The Golden Triangle. Any discussion of the region’s history begins in the area of the bluff, including the archeological records of the indigenous people who lived in the area dating to 1,000 B.C. Its archeological record is treasure: The chalk bluff is home to the remains of a 77 million-year-old Cretaceous sea floor where the fossils of shells, fish, marine reptiles and even a hadrosaur (duck-billed dinosaur) have been found. On top of the chalk is a soil bed, which dates to the Pleistocene or Ice Age. Fossils of mammoths, horses and giant ground sloths have been found there.
Today Plymouth Bluff is property of Mississippi University For Women. The 190-acre educational and recreational facility features nearly five miles of nature trails, 23 well-appointed cabins, a tennis court and an 11,700-square-foot conference building.
The W isn’t letting the place go, either.
On Thursday, Aug. 8, from 4:30-6:30 p.m., MUW will hold a grand reopening and open house to show off $200,000 worth of renovations that have been four years in the making. Those renovations include a new wrap-around back deck on the conference building; new roofs, paint, flooring, toilets and Wi-Fi in all of the cabins; and many other cosmetic and structural improvements. The nature trails have been spruced up, too, with many of the wooden walk-ways repaired or replaced.
Additional improvements are under way, including new trail signs, advertising banners and booklets and new sidewalks.
The combination of all Plymouth Bluff has to offer has few rivals. Its appeal to archaeologists, historians and nature-lovers is something worthy of our support.
We may not know exactly why the first humans in this area gravitated to this remarkable setting on the Tombigbee River. Likely, there were practical reasons, but we also believe the natural beauty of Plymouth Bluff was irresistible. It remains so today.
The grand reopening provides us all a chance to get reacquainted with this remarkable site while providing excellent facilities for meetings, conferences and educational programs.
We commend MUW for its efforts to make sure Plymouth Bluff gets the attention it deserves and encourage people to take advantage of all it has to offer.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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