Saturday, August 27, 2022

We woke around 8:00 a.m. and packed up.  We actually pulled away at around 10 am and headed back down through Memphis and North East towards St. Louis.

I had a bad headache so we pulled over at a rest area for lunch and to take a break.  Clay hooked up the generator and I took about a 30 minute nap.

We passed through the little town of Henning, TN and I saw a sign that said Henning was home to James Lucius Hickman and Alex Haley.

 

James Lucius Hickman, nicknamed "Gentleman Jim", was an American professional baseball outfielder and first baseman. He played 13 seasons in Major League Baseball for the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, and St. Louis Cardinals. Born: May 10, 1937, Henning, TN     Died: June 25, 2016, Henning, TN

Alex Haley was born in Ithaca, New York, on August 11, 1921, and was the eldest of three brothers (the other two being George and Julius) and a half-sister (from his father's second marriage). Haley lived with his family in Henning, Tennessee, before returning to Ithaca with his family when he was five years old.

We found a small park in Henning, TN called Fort Pillow State Historic Park that looked like an interesting place to stay for the night.  

According to Wikipedia:

Fort Pillow State Historic Park is a state park in western Tennessee that preserves the American Civil War site of the Battle of Fort Pillow. The 1,642 acre (6.6 km²) Fort Pillow, located in Lauderdale County on the Chickasaw Bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River, is rich in both historic and archaeological significance. In 1861, the Confederate army built extensive fortifications and named the site for General Gideon Johnson Pillow of Maury County. It was attacked and held by the Union Army for most of the American Civil War period except immediately after the Battle of Fort Pillow, when it was retaken by the Confederate Army. The battle ended with a massacre of African-American Union troops and their white officers attempting to surrender, by soldiers under the command of Confederate Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest. Interpretive sites are part of the park. Because of its strategic location controlling traffic on the Mississippi River, the fort was attacked and captured by the Union Army, which controlled it during most of the war. On June 4, 1862, Confederate troops evacuated Fort Pillow, enabling Union troops to take Memphis, Tennessee. 

We arrived here around 4:30 p.m. and were able to enjoy a little walk around the park.  The museum is closed for the day.  There is also a butterfly sanctuary on the grounds.

After dinner we were able to walk around the park a bit.  It's a tiny park but very clean, wooded and hilly.  Our spot was very spacious with water and a 50 amp connection.