Prentiss, Bolivar County, Mississippi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Prentiss, Mississippi
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 Prentiss, Bolivar County, Mississippi
Location in Mississippi
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| Country | United States |
| State | Mississippi |
| County | Bolivar |
| Elevation | 121 ft (37 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| GNIS feature ID | 710138 |
Prentiss is a ghost town in Bolivar County, Mississippi, United States. It was also known by other names like "Wellington", "Indian Point Landing", and "Indian Town".
Prentiss was once a busy river port and the main government town, called the county seat, for Bolivar County. Sadly, it was destroyed during the American Civil War and later completely covered by the Mississippi River in the 1870s. There is another town named Prentiss in southwest Mississippi, which is the county seat of Jefferson Davis County.
Contents
The Story of Prentiss
Early Days as Wellington
Official records for Wellington, the original name for Prentiss, started just after 1800. A few families decided to settle there along the banks of the Mississippi River. After the War of 1812, some soldiers returning home by boat from New Orleans stopped at Wellington and chose to stay.
Wellington could only be reached by boat. Settlers built their homes along the river and no more than a mile inland. There were no roads leading east because of the thick forests, known as bottomlands.
Becoming the County Seat
In 1838, Judge Joseph McGuire, an early settler who owned a plantation nearby, was given a job to build a road. A house was bought for $500 to serve as the first courthouse. By 1840, a new courthouse and a jail were built.
Wellington was a very lively riverport. It had many places for gambling and saloons, which were common at the time.
In 1851, three acres of land were bought from Judge McGuire for $1000. This included a path to the river that was about 60 ft (18 m) wide. In 1852, the county's official records were moved to Wellington, making it the new county seat. This meant it was the most important town for the county's government.
Renamed Prentiss
The town was officially planned out in 1856. It was then renamed "Prentiss" to honor Seargent Smith Prentiss. He was a famous speaker and a Congressman who represented Mississippi.
Just before the Civil War began, Prentiss had several buildings, a racetrack, a good hotel, and its own newspaper, the Bolivar Times. It also had the only ferry crossing on the Mississippi River between Vicksburg and Memphis.
War Comes to Prentiss
North of Prentiss, the river made a sharp curve east into Mississippi. This area was called the "Beulah Bend" (now Lake Beulah). During the Civil War, Confederate soldiers would walk from Napoleon, Arkansas. They would hide in the woods near the bend and fire at Union ships passing by. The bend was so tight that the same cannon could be used to attack ships as they entered and then left the bend.
After one of these attacks in 1863, a Union gunship led by William Tecumseh Sherman landed at Prentiss. They burned the town completely to the ground. Only one small building on the edge of town was saved. People immediately started trying to rebuild.
To stop the ambushes at Beulah Bend, Union commander Thomas Oliver Selfridge ordered a channel to be dug. This channel would cut across the land around the bend. The ground was soft, and the river's strong current helped. The "Napoleon Channel" was dug in just one day! This new channel made the Mississippi River better for shipping because it cut off about 10 mi (16 km) from the travel route.
However, the new channel caused a big problem. The river's changed currents caused both Prentiss and the town of Napoleon to be completely covered by water within a few years.
Prentiss Reappears Briefly
After many years underwater, Prentiss briefly showed itself again in 1954. Two hunters saw chimneys and part of a brick wall when the Mississippi River's water level was very low. Soon, other buildings covered in mud were found. Thousands of visitors came to see the ruined town. But not long after, the river's water level rose again, and the town was submerged once more.
