Vicksburg, Mississippi: Miracle Baby Bullet and Sash of Presidents
A unique item in the Old Court House Museum is a Yankee bullet that impregnated a Southern maiden without compromising her honor. Also here: the Inauguration Sash worn by two Presidents -- Washington and Jeff Davis -- and a Teddy Bear a local kid was given by Teddy Roosevelt.
Old Court House Museum
- Address:
- 1008 Cherry St., Vicksburg, MS
- Directions:
- I-20 exit 4 west into Vicksburg. Stay on US Hwy 80/Village St./Clay St. past all of the numbered cross streets. Then right (north) onto Cherry St. two blocks to the Old Court House Museum.
- Hours:
- M-Sa 8:30 am - 4:30 pm; Su 1:30-4:30 pm. (Call to verify) Local health policies may affect hours and access.
- Phone:
- 601-636-0741
- RA Rates:
- Worth a Detour
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On a cross country trip we just couldn't resist the "quirky" Old Courthouse Museum, home of the fabled "pregnancy Minnie Ball". What we expected to be a quick 15-30 minute stop evolved into two hours of fascination at some of the exhibits. It was actually a very well done museum with amazing pieces, definitely worth the stop. Included was the sash that GEORGE WASHINGTON wore at his inauguration (well, OK, Jefferson Davis wore it as well). Nowhere to be found was the KKK exhibit and the famous "Pregnancy Minie Ball" was just a curious aside (Besides, it wasn't the REAL minie ball that did the damage). All in all it was a refreshing surprise.
[Brent F. Winston, 01/21/2001]Pregnancy Minie Ball
You loonies have seen so much, you may well have already put this one on the radar screen: the Pregnancy Minie Ball at the Old Courthouse Museum in Vicksburg, Mississippi. The museum is worth a 500 mile detour just for the display formats and captions alone -- all seemingly hand written by an unregenerate Confederate zealot who seems to be the 'curator'. The minie ball is displayed with a long caption describing what happened. In battle, it whizzed right through a young Confederate soldier who was standing next (probably REALLY closely next) to a flower of Southern maidenhood. It (the minie ball) went through his private parts and kept going, right into the flower of Southern womanhood. Miraculously (miracle one), he lived. Miracle two (considering heat of a bullet in flight), she became pregnant. He, honorable southern gentleman that he was, married her. This is but one of the highlights of the Old Courthouse Museum. Another is the room of Ku Klux Klan memorabilia.
[Mary Means, 05/03/1997]
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Nearby Offbeat Places
Where Coca-Cola Was First Bottled, Vicksburg, MS - < 1 mi.
Cannonball Lodged in Interior Wall, Vicksburg, MS - < 1 mi.
Grave of the Confederate Camel, Vicksburg, MS - 1 mi.In the region:
Abandoned World's Largest Mississippi River Model, Jackson, MS - 33 mi.
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The Pregnancy Minie Ball has been a longtime favorite exhibit at the museum. We spoke with curator George "Bubba" Bolm in December 2013 and he assured us that it was still on display.