Tombigbee Tales

Tombigbee Tales

A Podcast about Columbus, Mississippi - Its scandals, eccentric people, and our version of Southern Hospitality...which ain’t always so hospitable. Pull up and let me tell you about Mama and them. Bring you some tea because we are going to sit here a spell and catch up.

Episodes

April 29, 2025 79 mins

Columbus Mayoral Candidate Darren Leach answered questions generated by Tombigbee Tales followers living or owning businesses in Columbus, MS, city limits.

Mark as Played

 This episode is a continuation of my series about the Columbus Housing Authority and my pursuit of public information.

Let me give you a little context about public accountability. In an era of increasing demand for governmental transparency, the pursuit of public information represents a really critical aspect of civic engagement. The narrative of this podcast explores the complex interactions between me and the Columbus Housing ...

Mark as Played

The Columbus Housing Authority (CHA), a critical public service organization responsible for managing affordable housing and community development, is at the center of a potentially significant procurement scandal. This investigation delves into a truck purchase's intricate details that expose potential systemic vulnerabilities in public sector financial management. Don't Worry! Tombigbee Tales is ON the Case!

Mark as Played

The post-Reconstruction era in Mississippi represented a complex tapestry of economic manipulation and racial subjugation. Sharecropping emerged not as an opportunity for economic mobility, but as a sophisticated system of continued economic bondage for recently freed African Americans.

In this environment, labor agent D. H. Smith began recruiting farm laborers to move to Arkansas. Smith, a Black man from Forrest City, Arkansas, is...

Mark as Played

In a departure from history and current events, I interviewed my friend Mario Ruiz, a competitive sport fisherman. Come learn about his sport and how he is using it to shift the mindset of fishing in the Pacific waters of Mexico!  Follow them on Facebook Team Tex Mex 

Follow them on Instagram at Team Tex Mex 

 

Mark as Played

Our story centers on Nancy Carpenter, CEO of the CCHF, and a web of financial allegations that raise serious questions about grant management and public accountability based on a recent Memorandum of Agreement between the city of Columbus and the Columbus Cultural Heritage Foundation.

Mark as Played

By 1884, Artesia was a boomtown. It sat on the M&O Railroad and was a busy center for business. Mississippi was a bit of a wild frontier in many ways, and Artesia embraced that image fully. It was known for all its saloons and the blind eye the town fathers appeared to turn to the rules of Prohibition. The Prohibition Presidential Platform was ignored, and the Anti-Saloon League and the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union were n...

Mark as Played

 Jake Doss was an African American living in the Black Belt prairie about six miles from Artesia, Mississippi. Doss and his wife, Anne, were listed as sharing a household with their three children in the Lowndes County, 1880 Census. Doss is listed as roughly 27 years old with three children living at home with him and his wife. 

 

Mark as Played

In the heart of Columbus, Mississippi, stands a testament to the grandeur and complexity of antebellum architecture. The Colonnade, built circa 1860, offers a unique glimpse into the rich tapestry of Southern history and architectural innovation. This magnificent structure serves as a living museum, bridging the gap between the Old South and the present day, inviting visitors to step back in time and experience the opulence and cra...

Mark as Played

In the tumultuous spring of 1862, the entire town of Columbus, Mississippi, found itself unexpectedly thrust into a pivotal role during the American Civil War. As the devastating battles of Shiloh and Corinth raged nearby, Columbus transformed practically overnight into an impromptu hospital town. Its citizens, both white and black, free and enslaved, rose to meet the monumental challenge of caring for thousands of wounded and dyin...

Mark as Played

I sat down with my friend Keith Johnson, the grand nephew of famed Blues musician Muddy Waters. Keith is a talented musician, a teacher, a composer, and a published author.

He plays at the Columbus, MS Catfish in the Alley Festival Friday April 11th from 12:00-2:00 . He will play Muddy Waters tribute songs and some of Keith's originals. 

 

 

Mark as Played

In literature, sermons, and in news articles before and after Reconstruction, Black males were portrayed as over-sexualized predatory men who lived to prey on innocent white girls and women. Whites feared a loss of racial purity and miscegenation of their women. It was not an issue for the white man to father children with Black women, but white females were only to produce white children.

During the Reconstruction Era, Mississippi...

Mark as Played

In the decades following the American Civil War, a disturbing phenomenon gripped the Deep South - the practice of lynching. This extrajudicial killing of individuals, predominantly African Americans, served as a brutal method of racial control and intimidation. This narrative explores this dark chapter in Southern history, examining its causes, patterns, and lasting impact on American society.

Mark as Played
March 24, 2025 9 mins

 The story of James Williams Sykes CSA and his family is more than just a tale of one man or one family. It's a microcosm of the Antebellum South. And it captures the complexities, the contradictions, and the ultimate tragedy of a society on the brink of monumental change. 

Mark as Played

Leon Cicero Ellis, was the first in his family to complete high school, after which he packed his bags and headed to Chicago to enter college and then to attend and graduate from medical school at what is now Rush University. Chicago is about an eight-hour train ride north of Possum Town and over his collegiate years, I am sure Doc made that trip many a time. During one of those visits home, Leon proposed to his high school sweethe...

Mark as Played

Nestled at 901 7th Avenue North Aldan Hall, is a structure rich with history dating back to the antebellum era. Originally known as the Topp-Sykes Home, this frontier-style residence was constructed around 1839. The initial design featured a simple two-over-two layout, typical of homes built during this period in the American South. 

Aldan Hall is on this year’s Columbus, MS spring pilgrimage. Miss Betty Bryan has said it is her la...

Mark as Played

Hamilton Hall (now Baskerville Manor), built in the Italianate style popular in the antebellum South, was constructed in the late 1850s by the Whitfield family. The house featured characteristic elements of the style, such as columns, a symmetrical shape, a tower, and a wide entryway. The Whitfield's wedding present sold the home to the Hatch's. Marcellus Hatch lost the home to Richard Moore in a poker game. Moore's descendants s...

Mark as Played

In the annals of American history, individual stories often intertwine with broader historical narratives, creating a tapestry that illuminates our understanding of the past. The Morton family, particularly siblings Whitfield "Whit" Morton and Martha "Matt" Elizabeth Morton, exemplify this intersection between personal and national history during the tumultuous period of the American Civil War and its aftermath.

Mark as Played

...And in 1981 her daughter, a college student at one of the finer institutions of the South became one of the Girls of the Southeastern Conference part 1 in Playboy's September issue at a photoshoot held in White Arches in Columbus, Mississippi. 

Yep, in all their glory lovely ladies from all over the SEC converged on Columbus, Mississippi to show as my daddy would say, “their name, address, and phone number” in various provocativ...

Mark as Played

The legacy of Twelve Gables and Miss Matt Morton, like the holiday it helped inspire, has become a cherished part of American heritage—a testament to the power of compassion to heal even the deepest of wounds. It stood not just as a beautiful example of antebellum architecture but as a monument to the human spirit's capacity for forgiveness and the enduring strength of a nation united in remembrance.

Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    Dateline NBC

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

    On Purpose with Jay Shetty

    I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!

    The Bobby Bones Show

    Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.