Who knew this about Mississippi? I sure didn't.
Here's another bit of luck of the draw, because I am far from thorough when I research where to go and what to see on my road trips. I suppose the moral of the story is that there is likely to be interesting stuff just about anywhere. For me, the interesting thing in Meridian, Mississippi is the Mississippi Industrial History Museum. For others it might be the Dentzel carousel or the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience (more country music stuff), but I really enjoy a good factory tour, and this museum strongly resembled a factory tour. It is located in a building that used to be a steam engine factory and a lot of the original equipment is still there.
At this time of year, there is one guided tour per day at 10:00 a.m., and they also open at 10:00 a.m. On the Wednesday in January when I visited, I was the only person on the tour. This made it really easy to hear the tour guide, easy to take photos without other people in them, and easy to get all my questions answered.
One big reason there's so much industrial heritage in Meridian is that a very prolific inventor fell in love with a local woman on his way South looking for a gentler climate. He married her and they made their life there. He held a few really valuable patents and was unusual in that he had the skill not only to invent but to run a company that manufactured his inventions. Building a profitable factory was a big deal during Reconstruction in the South, so he was a very big deal.
As I toured the factory, one of the things that caught my eye was the locker room:
The men who worked in this factory were well-paid skilled professionals, but they had a dirty job. To present themselves to their families and the community as the professionals they were, they dressed nicely in the morning, then changed clothes when they got to work so that they didn't get their nice things dirty. After work, they cleaned up and put on their good clothes before returning home at the end of the day. Each one had their own assigned sink and locker. The sinks have an open drain that empties into a trough below, and the water passes through a strainer before going down the drain.
Showers were installed after World War 2, because soldiers got used to taking showers during the war.
But what about the factory, you ask? They have lots and lots of steam engines there. All kinds of sizes for all kinds of purposes. It's expensive to fire them up with steam, so they only do that a couple of times a year (sadly, not on Wednesday mornings in January when only one person is there... 😀) and the rest of the time they use small electric motors to illustrate the slow-motion operation of the steam engines. This video shows how one steam engine can power an entire machine shop using a series of belt pulleys that are attached to a single wheel that's over 100 feet long (it resembles a long metal pole more than a wheel, but all the definitions of belt pulleys that I found refer to the things that turn and power them as a "wheel"). https://youtu.be/upSv0ODiErY
In addition to the steam engine factory, other aspects of Mississippi's industrial heritage are showcased at the museum. I learned about mattress tufting and how before tufting, making one's bed in the morning was primarily about evenly redistributing the stuffing before sleeping the next night. Who wanted to have to do all that work at bedtime? So it became a morning ritual to "make" the bed.
I got to see how a linotype works, and to hear the story about how its previous owner was the only fatality in the county from Hurricane Katrina. I got to see some of the items produced in the onsite blacksmith shop.
There was also a sock-knitting machine, but no one still living in the town knows how to use it. I've put out a query to the person I know who is into spinning yarn and knitting socks to see if anyone she knows has a clue, and I haven't heard anything yet.
I also had lunch at a restaurant that has been in operation since shortly after the Civil War. I ordered the fried green tomatoes in hopes that all fried green tomatoes in Mississippi were on par with the ones in Tupelo, but I was disappointed. These were more like what I was used to eating Up North. Not bad, but basically just another fried thing, so mushrooms or zucchini or pickles would have been just as good or better.
At this time of year, there is one guided tour per day at 10:00 a.m., and they also open at 10:00 a.m. On the Wednesday in January when I visited, I was the only person on the tour. This made it really easy to hear the tour guide, easy to take photos without other people in them, and easy to get all my questions answered.
One big reason there's so much industrial heritage in Meridian is that a very prolific inventor fell in love with a local woman on his way South looking for a gentler climate. He married her and they made their life there. He held a few really valuable patents and was unusual in that he had the skill not only to invent but to run a company that manufactured his inventions. Building a profitable factory was a big deal during Reconstruction in the South, so he was a very big deal.
As I toured the factory, one of the things that caught my eye was the locker room:
The men who worked in this factory were well-paid skilled professionals, but they had a dirty job. To present themselves to their families and the community as the professionals they were, they dressed nicely in the morning, then changed clothes when they got to work so that they didn't get their nice things dirty. After work, they cleaned up and put on their good clothes before returning home at the end of the day. Each one had their own assigned sink and locker. The sinks have an open drain that empties into a trough below, and the water passes through a strainer before going down the drain.
The lockers that held their clothes are huge compared to modern gym lockers.
Showers were installed after World War 2, because soldiers got used to taking showers during the war.
But what about the factory, you ask? They have lots and lots of steam engines there. All kinds of sizes for all kinds of purposes. It's expensive to fire them up with steam, so they only do that a couple of times a year (sadly, not on Wednesday mornings in January when only one person is there... 😀) and the rest of the time they use small electric motors to illustrate the slow-motion operation of the steam engines. This video shows how one steam engine can power an entire machine shop using a series of belt pulleys that are attached to a single wheel that's over 100 feet long (it resembles a long metal pole more than a wheel, but all the definitions of belt pulleys that I found refer to the things that turn and power them as a "wheel"). https://youtu.be/upSv0ODiErY
In addition to the steam engine factory, other aspects of Mississippi's industrial heritage are showcased at the museum. I learned about mattress tufting and how before tufting, making one's bed in the morning was primarily about evenly redistributing the stuffing before sleeping the next night. Who wanted to have to do all that work at bedtime? So it became a morning ritual to "make" the bed.
I got to see how a linotype works, and to hear the story about how its previous owner was the only fatality in the county from Hurricane Katrina. I got to see some of the items produced in the onsite blacksmith shop.
Any guesses about what this horse-headed thing does? I didn't ask so I can't answer. The thing below that looks like it was made from a bicycle chain appears to be a knife.
There was also a sock-knitting machine, but no one still living in the town knows how to use it. I've put out a query to the person I know who is into spinning yarn and knitting socks to see if anyone she knows has a clue, and I haven't heard anything yet.
I also had lunch at a restaurant that has been in operation since shortly after the Civil War. I ordered the fried green tomatoes in hopes that all fried green tomatoes in Mississippi were on par with the ones in Tupelo, but I was disappointed. These were more like what I was used to eating Up North. Not bad, but basically just another fried thing, so mushrooms or zucchini or pickles would have been just as good or better.
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