Friars Point

History

Friars Point is one of two hypothesized locations where Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto may have crossed the Mississippi River (the other is Commerce, Mississippi). The town was founded in 1836 and originally called "Farrar's Point". When the town incorporated in 1852, its name was changed to "Friar's Point" to honor Robert Friar, an early settler, legislator, and businessman who sold fuel to passing steamboats. In 1850, the county seat was moved from the nearby town of Delta to Friars Point. Strategically situated at a bend in the Mississippi River, Friars Point flourished before the Civil War as the largest shipping center for cotton south of Memphis. During the Civil War, Union troops occupied and burned portions of the town. The Robinson-Slack-Marinelli House (now the Minie Ball House), which still stands and bears the mark of shelling from gunboats, was used as a headquarters by Union General Napoleon Bonaparte Buford. General William Tecumseh Sherman and Admiral David Dixon Porter used Friars Point as a rendezvous for 45 transport ships in December 1862, prior to attacking Vicksburg. Friars Point was also home to Confederate Brigadier General James L. Alcorn, whose grave and former plantation, Eagles Nest, are located a short distance east of the town. Alcorn turned from Whig to Republican after the war, and went on to become governor with the support of the large number of “carpetbaggers” who had settled in Friars Point. The famous gunman and train robber Jesse James came to Friars Point one evening during the 1880s. He visited with the Methodist minister, then played poker and had some drinks at the local saloon. The next morning he was gone. On April 26, 2011, a tornado—part of the 2011 Super Outbreak—hit Friars Point. The tornado was rated…

Geography

Friars Point is located in northern Coahoma County, close to the Mississippi River, though the river's channel has moved north over time, away from the town. The town is west of highways 49 and 61, and north of Clarksdale, the county seat. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which , or 2.10%, is water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  164
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  124
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  113
• Killdeer

  Charadrius vociferus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  98
• Red-tailed Hawk

  Buteo jamaicensis (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  95
• Indigo Bunting

  Passerina cyanea (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  86
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  86
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  84

Most recent

• M 3.9 — 2012-10-29
  8 km SW of Parkin, Arkansas
• M 2.7 — 2008-08-21
  13 km E of Haynes, Arkansas
• M 3.1 — 2002-10-26
  3 km SE of Alligator, Mississippi
• M 2.8 — 2002-08-11
  8 km ESE of Darling, Mississippi