The Ghost Town
of
Rocky Springs
Claiborne County
Mississippi
The pictures on this page were taken by my son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter on a
recent trip to Claiborne, Jefferson and Adams Counties.  They visited historic churches,
cemeteries and a synagogue in Port Gibson.  They strolled through the haunting ghost
towns of Rocky Springs and Rodney and visited their ancient cemeteries.

They took photos in cemeteries that author Eudora Welty photographed in the 1930's, when
they had already been abandoned by towns that had all but ceased to be.  And they wondered
at the fragile nature of the monuments we build, believing that they will last forever.

-- Nancy (May, 2019)
Rocky Springs is a ghost town located in Claiborne County, between Old Port Gibson
Road and the Natchez Trace Parkway.  The Methodist church, which was built in 1837, is
the only remaining structure.  Some remnants of the town can be viewed along a short
trail, including a post office safe and a cistern.  Placards placed by the National Park
Service offer historical information about the town.  Some of the original settlers are
buried in the cemetery next to the church.
Rocky Springs was first settled around 1790 and was a thriving community on the
Old Natchez Trace for the next century.  The decline of Rocky Springs began during
the Civil War.  Then, in 1878, the town was struck by a yellow fever epidemic.  
Additionally, a hundred years of poor farm management contributed significantly to
the demise of Rocky Springs.  One by one, the citizens began to move away.  Finally,
in the 1930’s, the last store closed.
Safe and Cistern
During the mid-1800's the existence of a church, post office, a Masonic Lodge, two or
more stores, several artisan's shops and possibly a school made it desirable to live
within a mile of the spring.  Perhaps Drexler's Store was located at this site.
This church was built in 1837 by the Methodist Congregation of Rocky
Springs.  Earlier, the town had been a station for a circuit-riding preacher
who stopped by once or twice a month.  The church remains as it was in 1837,
except that in 1901, the old belfry was removed.

In 2010, the ownership of the church building and property was transferred
from the Methodist Conference to the Friends of Rocky Springs Church and
that group maintains the the church and the cemetery.  Each spring a
homecoming service is held at the church.