Gillsburg, Mississippi

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Gillsburg, Mississippi
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Gillsburg, Mississippi
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Gillsburg, Mississippi
Coordinates: 31°01′31″N90°39′21″W / 31.02528°N 90.65583°W / 31.02528; -90.65583
Country United States
State Mississippi
County Amite
Elevation
302 ft (92 m)
Time zone UTC-6 (Central (CST))
  Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
GNIS feature ID690914 [1]

Gillsburg, also spelled as Gillsburgh, is an unincorporated community in Amite County, Mississippi, United States. [1] The community is part of the McComb, Mississippi Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Contents

History

Gillsburg was the location of the October 20, 1977 plane crash that killed three members of the band Lynyrd Skynyrd. A rental plane carrying the band between shows from Greenville, South Carolina, to LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was low on fuel and crashed in a swamp in Gillsburg. [2] The crash killed singer/songwriter Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, vocalist Cassie Gaines, assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, pilot Walter McCreary, and co-pilot William Gray. The other band members were seriously injured in the crash.

Gillsburg was home to the Wall family, one of the last black families to be held in peonage in the United States. [3]

A post office operated under the name Gillsburgh from 1879 to 1892 and under the name Gillsburg from 1892 to 1915. [4]

Tornadoes

Gillsburg has been struck by two tornadoes rated F3/EF3 in intensity. The first of these (possibly a tornado family) tracked from Gloster and into parts of Gillsburg on April 6, 1935, killing 14 and injuring 220. [5] The second struck on December 13, 1977, injuring two, though this tornado was rated F2 by Grazulis. [6]

Notable persons

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lynyrd Skynyrd</span> American rock band

Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1964. The group originally formed as My Backyard and comprised Ronnie Van Zant (vocals), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Junstrom (bass), and Bob Burns (drums). The band spent four years touring small venues under various names and with several lineup changes before deciding on "Lynyrd Skynyrd" in 1968. The band released its first album, (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd), in 1973. By then, they had settled on a lineup that included bassist Leon Wilkeson, keyboardist Billy Powell, and guitarist Ed King. Burns left and was replaced by Artimus Pyle in 1974. King left in 1975 and was replaced by Steve Gaines in 1976. At the height of their fame in the 1970s, the band popularized the Southern rock genre with songs such as "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Free Bird". After releasing five studio albums and one live album, the band's career was abruptly halted on October 20, 1977, when their chartered airplane crashed, killing Van Zant, Steve Gaines, and backup singer Cassie Gaines, and seriously injuring the rest of the band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amite County, Mississippi</span> County in Mississippi, United States

Amite County is a county located in the state of Mississippi on its southern border with Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,720. Its county seat is Liberty. The county is named after the Amite River, which runs through the county.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronnie Van Zant</span> American singer (1948–1977)

Ronald Wayne Van Zant was an American singer, best known as the founding lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. He was the older brother of Johnny Van Zant, the current lead vocalist of Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Donnie Van Zant, the founder and vocalist of the rock band .38 Special.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ed King</span> American rock musician (1949–2018)

Edward Calhoun King was an American musician. He was a guitarist for the psychedelic rock band Strawberry Alarm Clock and guitarist and bassist for the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1972 to 1975, and again from 1987 to 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Gaines</span> American guitarist (1949–1977)

Steven Earl Gaines was an American musician. He is best known as a guitarist and backing vocalist with rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1976 until his death in the October 1977 airplane crash that claimed other band members and crew. His older sister Cassie Gaines, a backup vocalist with the band, also died in the crash.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allen Collins</span> American guitarist (1952–1990)

Larkin Allen Collins Jr. was an American guitarist, and one of the founding members of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. He co-wrote many of the band's songs with frontman and original lead singer Ronnie Van Zant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Rossington</span> American guitarist (1951–2023)

Gary Robert Rossington was an American musician best known as a founding guitarist of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, with whom he performed until his death. Rossington was also a founding member of the Rossington Collins Band, along with former bandmate Allen Collins. Rossington was the last surviving founding member of Lynyrd Skynyrd and the only original member left in the band at the time of his death.

Cassie LaRue Gaines was an American singer, best known for her work with Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Powell</span> American keyboardist (1952–2009)

William Norris Powell was an American musician and the keyboardist of southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1972 until his death in 2009.

<i>Street Survivors</i> 1977 studio album by Lynyrd Skynyrd

Street Survivors is the fifth studio album by the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, released on October 17, 1977. The LP is the last Skynyrd album recorded by original members Ronnie Van Zant and Allen Collins, and is the sole Skynyrd studio recording by guitarist Steve Gaines. Three days after the album's release, the band's chartered airplane crashed en route to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, killing the pilot, co-pilot, the group's assistant road-manager and three band members, and severely injuring most who survived the crash.

<i>Lynyrd Skynyrd 1991</i> 1991 studio album by Lynyrd Skynyrd

Lynyrd Skynyrd 1991 is the sixth studio album by American Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. It was the band's first new studio album since 1977's Street Survivors and the first following a 1977 plane crash that claimed the lives of three members of the band.

The Rossington Collins Band was an American Southern rock band founded in 1979 by guitarists Gary Rossington and Allen Collins following the 1977 plane crash which killed three members of Lynyrd Skynyrd, of which both had been members. The band included two other surviving members of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Billy Powell and Leon Wilkeson. The band wished to develop their own sound rather than being regarded as a reformed Lynyrd Skynyrd, and toward that objective they hired a female lead vocalist, Dale Krantz, who later married Rossington. The Jacksonville-based band released two albums before disbanding in 1982. Their biggest hit, "Don't Misunderstand Me," charted in late 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tornado outbreak of April 1977</span> Tornado outbreak in the United States

A violent severe weather outbreak struck the Southeast on April 4–5, 1977. A total of 22 tornadoes touched down with the strongest ones occurring in Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. The strongest was a catastrophic F5 tornado that struck the northern Birmingham, Alabama, suburbs during the afternoon of Monday, April 4. In addition to this tornado, several other tornadoes were reported from the same system in the Midwest, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and North Carolina. One tornado in Floyd County, Georgia, killed one person, and another fatality was reported east of Birmingham in St. Clair County. In the end, the entire outbreak directly caused 24 deaths and 158 injuries. The storm system also caused the crash of Southern Airways Flight 242, which killed 72 and injured 22.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Artimus Pyle</span> American drummer

Thomas Delmer "Artimus" Pyle is an American musician who played drums with the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1974 to 1977 and from 1987 to 1991. He and his bandmates were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.

On April 23–25, 1908, a destructive tornado outbreak affected portions of the Midwestern and Southern United States, including the Great Plains. The outbreak produced at least 31 tornadoes in 13 states, with a total of at least 324 tornado-related deaths. Of these deaths, most were caused by three long-tracked, violent tornadoes—each rated F4 on the Fujita scale and considered to be a tornado family—that occurred on April 24. Most of the deaths were in rural areas, often consisted of African Americans, and consequently may have been undercounted. One of the tornadoes killed 143 people along its path, 73 of them in the U.S. state of Mississippi, making the tornado the third deadliest in Mississippi history, following the 1936 Tupelo F5, with 216 deaths, and the 1840 Natchez tornado, with 317 deaths.

Deborah Jo Billingsley was an American singer, songwriter and recording artist. She was best known for her work with the Honkettes, backing vocalists for Lynyrd Skynyrd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash</span> 1977 aviation accident in Mississippi, USA

On October 20, 1977, a Convair CV-240 passenger aircraft ran out of fuel and crashed in a wooded area near Gillsburg, Mississippi, United States. Chartered by the rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd from L & J Company of Addison, Texas, it was flying from Greenville, South Carolina, to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, crashing near its destination.

<i>Street Survivors: The True Story of the Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash</i> American musical survival drama film directed by Jared Cohn

Street Survivors: The True Story of the Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash is a 2020 American musical survival drama film directed by Jared Cohn and written by Cohn and Brian Perera. The film stars Ian Shultis, Taylor Clift, Samuel Kay Forrest, Rich Dally III, Neill Byrnes, Anthony Rocco Bovo and Mark Dippolito.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tornadoes of 1954</span>

This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1954, primarily in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S., although some events may take place internationally. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes.

This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1946, primarily in the United States. Most recorded tornadoes form in the U.S., although some events may take place internationally. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes.

References

  1. 1 2 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Gillsburg
  2. Check-Six.com - The 'Lynyrd Skynyrd' Crash
  3. Meadows, Bob (March 26, 2007). "The Last Slaves of Mississippi?". People. 67 (12). Time Inc. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  4. "Amite County". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  5. Grazulis, Thomas. Significant Tornadoes: A chronology of events. p. 254.
  6. Grazulis, Thomas. Significant Tornadoes: A chronology of events. p. 593.
  7. Mississippi Department of Archives and History (1917). The Official and Statistical Register of the State of Mississippi. Department of Archives and History. p. 830.
  8. Mississippi. Secretary of State (1964). Mississippi Official and Statistical Register. Secretary of State. p. 103.