Uniontown, Mississippi

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Uniontown, Mississippi
Coles Creek Ford Natchez Trace Jefferson County Mississippi circa 1938.jpg
Coles Creek Ford, Uniontown, Natchez Trace Jefferson County Mississippi c.1938
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Uniontown
Usa edcp location map.svg
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Uniontown
Coordinates: 31°45′31″N91°10′22″W / 31.75861°N 91.17278°W / 31.75861; -91.17278
Country United States
State Mississippi
County Jefferson
Elevation
187 ft (57 m)
Time zone UTC-6 (Central (CST))
  Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
GNIS feature ID686442 [1]

Uniontown is a ghost town in Jefferson County, Mississippi, United States.

Contents

Established along the Natchez Trace (also called the "Old Natchez Road") in the late 18th century, the settlement is now extinct, though "the main street is still visible running parallel to the trace". [2]

History

Uniontown was located south of Coles Creek, approximately 22 mi (35 km) northeast of Natchez.

William Ferguson, an early settler, acquired land in the area in the late 18th century and established Uniontown. [2]

1823 map of Jefferson County, Mississippi (David Rumsey Map Collection 5388.022) 1823 map of Jefferson County Mississippi.jpg
1823 map of Jefferson County, Mississippi (David Rumsey Map Collection 5388.022)

Uniontown was platted into streets, and a cotton gin manufacturer established there about 1797. Other businesses included a tannery, public gin, wagon and plow maker, weaver, cabinet maker, boot maker, bull-whip maker, and coonskin cap maker. [3] The tanyard and shoe factory were owned by "Warner and Shackleford." [4] The Bethel Presbyterian Church was established in Uniontown in 1804. [5] There were three or four buildings in various states of disrepair in Uniontown in 1808. [6]

Decline

Factors contributing the Uniontown's decline include not being selected as the county seat, and the death of William Ferguson in 1801. [2] By 1810, a traveler noted that "Uniontown is a small village of three or four houses in decay". [7]

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References

  1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Uniontown (historical)
  2. 1 2 3 Bachleda, F. Lynne (2013). Guide to the Natchez Trace Parkway. Menasha Ridge. p. 80. ISBN   9780897329255.
  3. Rowland, Dunbar (1907). Mississippi: Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form. Vol. 2. Southern Historical Publishing Association. p. 836.
  4. Jones, E. R. (1904). "News & Newspapers of Jefferson County, Mississippi". www.msgw.org. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
  5. Johnson, Sylvester (2013). Pasquier, Michael (ed.). Religion and American Empire in Mississippi. Indiana University Press. p. 32. ISBN   978-0253008084.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  6. "Natchez trace parkway survey. Letter of the secretary of the interior transmitting in response to Senate resolution no. 222, a report of a survey of the old ..." HathiTrust. p. 124. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  7. Cuming, Fortescue (1810). Cuming's Tour to the Western Country. Applewood. p. 317. ISBN   9781429000406.