This old church was built in 1850, but hasn’t held a service in ages. It’s one of the last few original buildings left in the town once known as Rodney. It’s what one would call a ghost town and for good reason. There’s not much left in this little town.
It was established in 1763, but wasn’t incorporated until 1828. It was a growing shipping port located on the Mississippi River. However, the town suffered several tragedies over the years that led to its eventual desolation. Yellow fever hit the townsfolk pretty hard in the 1840s leading to the deaths of many residents. Much of the town was engulfed in a major fire in the late 1860s and a year later, the Mississippi River changed course about 2 miles west and left the town high and dry. The town population by this time had significantly declined.
As if the town hadn’t had enough hardships over the years, the river started to shift again and caused significant flooding in 1927, 2011, and 2019.
This church was originally formed as Rodney Baptist Church and later became Mt. Zion. The Rodney History and Preservation Society is working to save what they can of this town. You can learn about their efforts and more about Rodney at rodneyhistory.org.
