Welcome back, Mr. Cotton

For many, many years the residents of Vicksburg were treated to the endless stories from a local icon, Gordon Cotton.

The Vicksburg Daily News is thrilled to announce that the legendary Mr. Cotton has agreed to pen a column for us at his leisure.

At 83, Cotton is just as active as ever and just as sharp. When we met at the Old Courthouse Museum to discuss his return to writing, he explained he had been cutting wood for the winter. We then talked about a recent spill he had taken at the grocery store. He said he was fine, just got his feet tangled up. But he used the story to spin another one about how, when he got home, several people called to check on him.

One of those people was local funeral-home director and long time friend, Charles Riles. Cotton said Riles barely hid his disappointment that Cotton had picked up the phone.

Gordon Cotton is a name synonymous with Vicksburg history and preservation. He was an educator for most of his adult life, and then he ran the Old Court House museum while penning many books including several in the “Images of America: Mississippi” series. His books can be found all around town and are constantly restocked at the Old Courthouse Museum.

We at the Vicksburg Daily News are over the moon that Mr. Cotton has once again agreed to share his vast knowledge and considerable wit with the citizens of our beautiful city.

We sincerely hope you enjoy reading his stories. We also hope you learn a bit more about why Vicksburg is such an important part of the history of our great country.

In the first installment today, Cotton relates how Johnny Cash would probably still be tending the fields in Arkansas if it wasn’t for a man from Vicksburg: the late Reid Cummins.