III
119THCONGRESS
1
STSESSION S. RES. 177
Recognizing the 200th anniversary of the incorporation of the city of
Vicksburg, Mississippi, and the historical significance of the city.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
APRIL10, 2025
Mrs. H
YDE-SMITH(for herself and Mr. WICKER) submitted the following
resolution; which was considered and agreed to
RESOLUTION
Recognizing the 200th anniversary of the incorporation of
the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi, and the historical sig-
nificance of the city.
Whereas, prior to 1719, the Vicksburg and Warren County
region in the State of Mississippi was the home of several
Indian Tribes, including—
(1) the Tunica;
(2) the Yazoo;
(3) the Koroa;
(4) the Ofo; and
(5) the Tioux;
Whereas, in 1719, the first European settlement in the Vicks-
burg and Warren County region, Fort St. Pierre, was es-
tablished by French settlers as a trading place;
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Whereas, in 1791, the Spanish briefly established a military
post in the Vicksburg and Warren County region after
Native American uprisings displaced the French;
Whereas Vicksburg and Warren County was recognized as
part of the United States following the American Revolu-
tion;
Whereas, in 1811, early settlers of the United States began
a community in the Vicksburg area on the east bank of
the Mississippi River;
Whereas, in 1816, a Methodist minister, Newitt Vick, estab-
lished a mission on the land that became Vicksburg, Mis-
sissippi (referred to in this preamble as ‘‘Vicksburg’’),
which is named his honor;
Whereas, on January 29, 1825, Vicksburg was incorporated
and quickly grew as a center for commerce and agri-
culture;
Whereas, during the Civil War, Vicksburg was the location of
the historic 47-day Siege of Vicksburg, from May 18 to
July 4, 1863;
Whereas the surrender of Vicksburg on July 4, 1863, along
with the Battle of Gettysburg the day prior, marked the
historic turning point of the Civil War;
Whereas, in 1866, the Vicksburg National Cemetery was es-
tablished by the War Department pursuant to the Joint
Resolution entitled ‘‘A Resolution respecting the Burial
of Soldiers who died in the military Service of the United
States during the Rebellion’’, approved April 13, 1866
(14 Stat. 353);
Whereas, as of 2025, Vicksburg National Cemetery is the
second largest national cemetery in the United States;
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Whereas, on February 21, 1899, President William McKinley
signed into law an Act entitled ‘‘An Act to establish a na-
tional military park to commemorate the campaign, siege,
and defense of Vicksburg’’ (16 U.S.C. 430h), establishing
the Vicksburg National Military Park;
Whereas, in 1901, President McKinley became the first
President to visit Vicksburg;
Whereas the Vicksburg Military Park preserves the site of
the Battle of Vicksburg, spanning 20 miles of original
and reconstructed trenches, and boasts over 1,300 monu-
ments, making it 1 of the largest collections of com-
memorative military art in the United States;
Whereas, in 1873, a Vicksburg office of the Corps of Engi-
neers was established to coordinate Federal and local
river management and flood control efforts;
Whereas, in 1894, the first bottling of Coca-Cola occurred at
the Biedenharn Candy Company in Vicksburg, which now
serves as a Coca-Cola Museum;
Whereas, in 1865, the first Black-owned bank in the United
States, The Freedman’s Bank, was established in Vicks-
burg;
Whereas shoes were sold as a pair for the first time in 1884
by Phil Gilbert’s Shoe Parlor in Vicksburg;
Whereas Vicksburg has a rich history rooted in riverboats,
and the Sprague, recognized as the largest and most
powerful stern wheel towboat, set an all-time world
record in 1907 for towing 60 barges of coal, weighing
67,307 tons, covering an area of 6
1
⁄2acres, and meas-
uring 925 feet by 312 feet;
Whereas during the Great Flood of 1927, Vicksburg was sig-
nificantly impacted and experienced 56.2 feet of flooding;
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Whereas, in 1937, the Blue Room opened in Vicksburg,
which became a legendary venue with notable perform-
ances by artists like Ray Charles, B.B. King, Louis Arm-
strong, and others;
Whereas, in 1975, Hinds Community College opened a Vicks-
burg branch as a high school vocational program, offering
career and technical education programs that provided
important job and skills training;
Whereas, in 2002, the Vicksburg branch of Hinds Commu-
nity College became the Vicksburg campus, offering col-
lege-level programs and degrees and officially cementing
the presence of an accredited academic institution in
Warren County;
Whereas, in 2009, the Southeast Regional Campus of the
AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps opened
in Vicksburg;
Whereas Vicksburg proudly hosts Corps of Engineers instal-
lations, including—
(1) the Engineer Research and Development Center;
(2) the Mississippi Valley Division headquarters; and
(3) the Vicksburg District headquarters;
Whereas Vicksburg is home to the community of Marcus Bot-
tom and became a key area for the development of blues,
jazz, and gospel music in the first half of the 20th cen-
tury;
Whereas Vicksburg has been home to several notable individ-
uals, including activist Dr. Myrlie Evers-Williams, educa-
tor Ida Louise Jackson, and President Ulysses S. Grant;
Whereas Vicksburg has a deep-rooted tradition in faith and
religious diversity, exemplified by—
(1) the establishment of Catholic education in 1860;
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(2) the founding of the oldest African American
Methodist Episcopal Church in Mississippi in 1864;
(3) the dedication of the first Jewish synagogue in
the State of Mississippi in 1870; and
(4) the establishment of the first Antiochian Ortho-
dox Church in the State of Mississippi in 1906;
Whereas modern-day Vicksburg and Warren County benefit
from a capable leadership that works to build on the po-
sition of Vicksburg as an historic, river-bound economic
crossroad to create new economic opportunities for its
residents;
Whereas, in 2024, Vicksburg was named Newsweek’s Best
Historical Small Town in America;
Whereas, in 2025, Main Street America named Vicksburg
Main Street as a 2025 Great American Main Street
Award Semifinalist;
Whereas the Thad Cochran Mississippi Center for Innovation
and Technology, established in 2024, drives innovation,
entrepreneurship, research, and technological advance-
ment in the community;
Whereas Vicksburg city events contribute to the cultural life
and historical understanding of the State of Mississippi,
including—
(1) the Annual Miss Mississippi Pageant and Pa-
rade;
(2) the Vicksburg Annual Mardi Gras Parade; and
(3) the Vicksburg Hipstoric Art Festival;
Whereas, as of 2025, the Vicksburg experiences roughly
2,000,000 visitors annually and is home to several attrac-
tions, including—
(1) 8 museums, including—
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(A) the Biedenharn Coca-Cola Museum;
(B) the Catfish Row Museum;
(C) the Jesse Brent Lower Mississippi River
Museum;
(D) the Old Court House Museum;
(E) the Old Depot Museum;
(F) the Southern Heritage Air Museum;
(G) the U.S.S. Cairo Museum; and
(H) the Vicksburg Civil War Museum; and
(2) 11 historic homes with elegantly designed struc-
tures that vary in age, the earliest of which was built in
the late 1700s, and the most recent of which was built
during the post-Civil War era, bearing design influences
from Victorian America;
Whereas, during 2025, Vicksburg is holding a year-long bi-
centennial celebration in honor of the history of Vicks-
burg and its incorporation on January 29, 1825; and
Whereas it is important for the people of the State of Mis-
sissippi and the United States to remember history in an
inclusive way that honors contributions from all back-
grounds: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate— 1
(1) designates the year 2025 as the ‘‘Vicksburg 2
Bicentennial’’; 3
(2) honors Vicksburg, Mississippi (referred to 4
in this resolution as ‘‘Vicksburg’’), and its rich and 5
pivotal contributions to the history of the State of 6
Mississippi and the United States; 7
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(3) encourages the people of the United States 1
to acknowledge Vicksburg as it commences a year- 2
long celebration of its bicentennial; and 3
(4) respectfully requests that the Secretary of 4
the Senate transmit an enrolled copy of this resolu-5
tion to Vicksburg in recognition of the respect and 6
admiration of the Senate for Vicksburg and its resi-7
dents. 8
Æ
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