Grand Gulf Demo

Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities - Grand Gulf, Mississippi

Additional Resources

Grand Gulf, located in the northwest corner of Claiborne County, was once a bustling port in the 1800s. Located nine miles northwest of Port Gibson, the town was named for the whirlpools formed in the Mississippi River by the current from the Big Black, a dangerous current known to many early voyagers. Originating as a British settlement, the town was incorporated in 1833 and soon grew to be an important river landing. Cotton arrived in Grand Gulf from towns as far away as Jackson. Between September, 1834 and May, 1835, 37,770 bales of cotton were shipped from Grand Gulf. In a typical week, over twenty steamboats would stop in this Mississippi town to trade and to restock. These boats carried not only goods but also new arrivals such as young Jewish merchants.

Early Settlers:

Jewish peddlers likely settled in Grand Gulf after travels on the Mississippi River, motivated by the desire for new homes away from the bustling larger port of New Orleans. Members of the Levy family were early examples of the Jewish merchants who became prominent in the Grand Gulf economy. In the 1830s, J.L. and H.P. Levy ran the Levy house, a warehouse for the passing steamboat trader. According to the 1840 census, H.P. owned 5 slaves although by 1850, he had none. Several other members of the Levy family followed H.P. to Grand Gulf, but eventually all of them settled and were buried in Port Gibson. Mayer Levy was in Gulf Port until the late 1850s. By 1860, his whole net worth totaled $4000, a fairly hefty sum for that time. Reynolds, Abraham, and Company was another Jewish businesses specializing in dry goods and groceries in Grand Gulf included stores. Like the Levys, they involved themselves in the Jewish communities of Port Gibson, including marrying into the families of Fayette and helping to start Congregation Gemiluth Chassed in Port Gibson in 1859.

The rise and fall of the Grand Gulf Jewish community:

Grand Gulf reached a pinnacle of success in the middle years of the 1800s. By 1860, it boasted a population of 1000. Multiple events eventually led to its demise. Between 1840 and 1860, several bouts of yellow fever spread throughout the Claiborne County area and decimated much of Grand Gulf’s population. In the 1850s, a tornado destroyed some of the town. After the Mississippi River had begun to change course and cut into the bluff, much of the port’s business district was destroyed. The final blow to Grand Gulf came during the Civil War. The bulk of the town was destroyed by fire in 1862, when Federal gunboats were running the batteries in the successive campaigns against Vicksburg. Union forces under General Grant were eventually able to cross the Mississippi farther south and overpower the Confederates, thus ending the siege of Vicksburg on July 4, 1863. Samuel L. Benjamin, a Jewish Confederate soldier, was captured in Grand Gulf.

Attempts were made after the war to revive the town but to no avail. Today, the Grand Gulf Military Monument Park stands on the land that once possessed one of the most prosperous ports along the Mississippi. In 1988, scholars found nine gravestones inscribed in Hebrew, which date back as early as 1853. These nine graves serve as a reminder of the short but consequential presence of Jews in Grand Gulf.

Sources:

“Grand Gulf, Mississippi.” Grand gulf Military Monument Brochure. Grand gulf Mississippi file, Institute of Sothern Jewish Life archives.

“Mississippi Legends: Grand Gulf - A Bustling Port Along the River.” http://www.legendsofamerica.com/ms-grandgulf.html. accessed November, 10, 2014.

Turitz, Leo E. and Evelyn Turitz. Jews in Early Mississippi. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1995.