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photo by Marcus Frazier
Pam Brister walks across a makeshift bridge she uses to reach her front porch on Main Street in Fort Adams Thursday morning.
Fort Adams submerged in river's waters
Published Friday, April 25, 2008
FORT ADAMS — At almost a mile away from the river, Myrtis Martin’s store in the small Wilkinson County community of Fort Adams was never even close to being waterfront property, at least until recently.
Standing on the porch from her temporary location, Martin pointed to a red building, half-submerged by floodwaters that crept into the town from the Mississippi River after a nearby levee blew.
With four feet of standing water in her store, Martin said she lost everything in it.
“Some of it is floated down the street, and what was jacked up in the store is gone,” she said.
Martin has seen floodwaters work their way into homes and across roads — the road into Fort Adams ends at the newly created, albeit unintended, lake — before, but these waters don’t worry her much, she said.
“The good Lord will take care of it one day,” she said. “It’s hurt a lot of people down here, but it’s hurt a lot of people worse.”
The flooding has attracted sightseers to the area, who bring their boats down to survey flooded buildings or just for the novelty of being able to fish in the center of town.
That causes its own share of problems, however, said resident Pam Brister, the floor of whose porch is approximately three inches above water.
“They put terrible wave wakes through here,” Brister said. “Those wakes can wash the things piled up on people’s porches right off.”
Sightseers aren’t the only ones making a pilgrimage to the otherwise quiet community, though.
“People think everyone is gone and everything is just open for grabs, so they try and come down here to steal as much as they can,” resident Wanda Lander said.
For Melvin Comeaux, whose submerged front yard rendered 158 pounds of fish in a single day recently, there’s an easy solution to would-be raiders — the four guns he has in his house.
While those guns haven’t been used to stop any burglars by boat, they have been used to kill an abundance of water snakes that have made their way to his property, he said.
Snakes aren’t the only thing fleeing or floating in the water, Lander said.
“The other day, we were out in the boat and saw a mama raccoon and her family trapped in a tree, and we had a catfish in the boat, so we cut it up and left it on a branch where she could get it,” Lander said. “We go back every day and leave something for them to eat.”
But Comeaux, who recently saved the floating picket fence for Fort Adams’ historic St. Patrick Catholic church, said he’s found a silver lining to the flooding.
“People would pay a million dollars to have waterfront property,” he said. “As long as it doesn’t get in the house, it’s OK.”
Comments
Posted by redusmfan (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 6:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)
At least they have an awesome attitude about it. They are not crying for someone to come bail them out .
Posted by drawpaintsing (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 8:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Exactly where is Fort Adams? I have never heard of it until the river flood came about. You are so correct, redusmfan.
Posted by lowdowndog (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 9:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)
GO 20 MILES WEST OF WOODVILLE ON HWY 24 AND YOU WILL COME TO THE WET COMMUNITY OF FT. ADAMS. IT WAS A BUSY RIVER TOWN BACK IN THE 1800'S. MOSTLY HUNTING AND FISHING CAMPS NOW.
Posted by meluvcookies (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 9:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)
That is sooo sweet of you, Mrs. Lander, to feed the family of racoons! I'm sure that if that mama coon could talk, she would say thank you!! To everyone else, my prayers are with you for the waters to recede real soon. :)
Posted by Hardcorps (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 9:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Sweet 'bout the coons. I like animals more than people usually. Sounds like these folks are doing ok. Strong people from good stock. Thumbs up for y'all.
Posted by ntzmom (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 10:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I'd like to see a picture of the racoon family! That is so sweet of the lady to feed them!
Posted by Negotiator (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 11:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Awesome.
We southerners know how to make lemonaid from lemons.
Prayers sent Ft Adams.
Posted by Swapmeet (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 12:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Actually, Ft. Adams was the southwestern-most corner of the United States until the Louisiana purchase. That is why there was a fort there. After the purchase it was not as significant. But the Natchez Trace actually went all the way to Ft. Adams from what I understand. French explorers actually held an Easter service at Ft. Adams in the late 1600's and the catholic church down there is old. Also, Clark's Creek Recreational Park with all the waterfalls is about 2-3 miles from Ft. Adams. Ask any hunter from Louisiana about Ft. Adams or Lake Mary. Tons of land down there is owned by hunters. It is a beautiful area.
Posted by justafloatin (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 1:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Love ya Mrs. Myrtis!
Posted by justafloatin (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 1:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)
When the water recedes everyone should go down and pay Mrs. Myrtis a visit. She carries everything from bug spray to homegrown tomatoes. She's as much of a "historical marker" in Fort Adams as the Catholic church.
Posted by drawpaintsing (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 1:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Did you say waterfalls? I love waterfalls, and I like finding them. I found one about 15-20 minutes on the Natchez Trace outside of Port Gibson. I guess I will have to try to find them also. I also want to see Fort Adams, since I never heard of it.
God Bless all the strong citizens of Fort Adams.
Posted by Swapmeet (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 3:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Yes drawpainting. It is a well known area. There are brown park signs that direct you. It is not for the faint of heart though. The climb in is easy. Getting out: not so easy!! LOL
Posted by OldGrandDad (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 5:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)
drawpaintsing, Take your walking shoes. The first 2 falls are easy to see from the trails. The others require walking downstream in the creek bed. Take the first branch to the left. After returning, go downstream more and then take the branch to the right. Follow up the flows of water and listen with your ears. You'll find 'em.
Don't miss the old country store at Pond near the trailhead.
Posted by freedom42 (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 8:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)
We found them last year. Thought I would never get back up the trail! We are in much better shape this year so I am looking forward to going again as soon as the water goes down enough to get in there. I am sure the landscape will have changed some by now.
Posted by sayitloud (anonymous) on April 26, 2008 at 1:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I want a baby otter!!!
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