Rockport, Mississippi | |
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Coordinates: 31°47′42″N 90°09′23″W / 31.79500°N 90.15639°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Mississippi |
County | Copiah |
Elevation | 270 ft (80 m) |
Time zone | UTC-6 ( Central (CST)) |
• Summer ( DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
GNIS feature ID | 676770 [1] |
Rockport is an unincorporated community in Copiah County, Mississippi. [1]
Located a short distance west of the Pearl River, Rockport was once a thriving railway town, though little remains of the original settlement.
Indigenous people first occupied the area. Archeological remnants located near Rockport include pottery, copper beads, a sharpened point of a stake, skeletons, and mounds. [2]
The Galilee Baptist Church established west of the settlement in 1825, and is still located there. [3] [4]
Rockport established in 1849. [3]
From 1856 to 1956, Rockport had a post Office. [5]
A company of the Confederate States Army was organized in Rockport in July 1861. Known as the "Rockport Steel Blades", they were part of the 6th Mississippi Infantry Regiment. [6]
In 1870, a bill was introduced in the Mississippi State Senate to establish a ferry across the Pearl River at Rockport. [7]
The early settlement had a drug store, barber shop, stores, Masonic lodge, and hotel called the Rockport Hotel. [3] [8]
The New Orleans, Jackson and Great Northern Railroad was built through the settlement in 1909, and Rockport was a flag stop. [3] [9] Trains like The Rebel once passed through Rockport. [10] The line is now abandoned. [11]
By 1937, Rockport contained only a small store, gas station, post office and church. [3]