Davis Bend, Mississippi facts for kids

A map from 1864 showing the Davis Bend area, including the farms of the Davis brothers.

Davis Bend, Mississippi (now called Davis Island), was once a piece of land almost completely surrounded by the Mississippi River. It was named after a man named Joseph Emory Davis, who owned most of the land there. He created a huge farm, called Hurricane Plantation, which was about 5,000 acres. Joseph Davis tried to create a special kind of community for the enslaved people who lived and worked on his farm. Davis Bend was located about 15 miles south of Vicksburg, Mississippi. Joseph Davis also gave a nearby farm, called Brierfield Plantation, to his younger brother, Jefferson Davis.

A Unique Community

Joseph Davis was inspired by the ideas of Robert Owen, who believed in creating perfect communities where everyone worked together. Davis met Owen in the 1820s and wanted to try out some of these ideas on his own farm.

He aimed to show that a farm could be more successful and profitable if the enslaved people were treated better. He allowed the 350 enslaved people on his farm to have some say in how things were run. They also received better food, health care, and dental care. He tried to create a sense of community among them.

Davis worked closely with a very smart and educated African American man named Ben Montgomery. Montgomery was enslaved by Davis, but he was allowed to open a store on the property. He also helped manage the sales of the farm's crops.

From Peninsula to Island

After the American Civil War, it was difficult for Joseph Davis to get his land back. The land had been taken over by the Freedmen's Bureau, an organization that helped formerly enslaved people.

In 1867, something big happened: the Mississippi River flooded and cut a new path across the narrow neck of land that connected Davis Bend to the mainland. This turned the peninsula into a true island!

Later, Joseph Davis sold the property to his former slave, Ben Montgomery, who was now a free man. The community continued to operate as a cooperative, meaning people worked together and shared resources.

The End of an Era

The cooperative community at Davis Bend lasted until the 1880s. However, it faced many challenges. The price of cotton, which was their main crop, kept falling. It was also expensive to transport goods by water to the mainland. An economic downturn and unfriendly attitudes from the white community also made things harder.

Eventually, the community could no longer continue. Isaiah Montgomery, Ben Montgomery's son, led many of the residents to a new place. They founded a new community for African Americans called Mound Bayou, Mississippi in northwest Mississippi.