Avalon, Mississippi

Avalon, Mississippi
Unincorporated community
Avalon, Mississippi
Avalon, Mississippi
Coordinates: 33°39′18″N 90°05′08″W / 33.65500°N 90.08556°W / 33.65500; -90.08556Coordinates: 33°39′18″N 90°05′08″W / 33.65500°N 90.08556°W / 33.65500; -90.08556
Country United States
State Mississippi
County Carroll
Elevation 132 ft (40 m)
Time zone UTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
GNIS feature ID 666432[1]

Avalon is an unincorporated community in Carroll County, Mississippi.[1]

Avalon is a former settlement on Mississippi Highway 7, about 12 miles north of Greenwood. By the early 1960s, it was largely abandoned and no longer marked on maps. A church, a former store, and a few houses survive.

Mississippi John Hurt, an African-American blues musician, was raised and lived here most of his life. His shotgun house is preserved as a museum to honor him. It occasionally hosts blues and gospel festivals on the adjacent land.[2]

Avalon is part of the Greenwood, Mississippi micropolitan area.

In his later years, Hurt lived for two years in Washington, DC. After he returned to nearby Grenada, he died a year later. His song "Avalon Blues" describes his homesickness while recording in New York City in 1928.

Carroll County has placed a highway marker at Avalon to commemorate Hurt and his music. It is part of the Mississippi Blues Trail.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Avalon
  2. ↑ http://www.msjohnhurtmuseum.com/
  3. ↑ O'Neal, Jim. "Stackhouse & BluEsoterica (Jim O'Neal): The Mississippi Blues Trail marker project". stackhouse-bluesoterica.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2008-05-29.


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