From 1890 to 1930, the small town of Meridian, Mississippi, was a bustling stop along the Mobile and Ohio Railroad. Meridian’s main attraction was the former McLemore Plantation, a destination railroad workers took note of while traveling the route for the first time.
Nestled in rural Mississippi, the plantation was set against a forest of pine dotted with giant, moss-laden oak trees. Vast fields of corn and cotton surrounded the property. When the railroad was built, the historic plantation became the Sowashee Station.
People from nearby towns flocked to it, mailing off packages and picking up deliveries. Among the railroad crew working the in-demand route was Meridian native Jimmie Rodgers, a brakeman who had a penchant for singing the blues….