Historical Marker

Richard Ford

Historical marker location:
114 Delta Avenue, Clarksdale, Mississippi
( At library in downtown.)
Marker installed: 2021
Marker provided by: Mississippi Blues Commission.

Born in Jackson in 1944, Richard Ford won critical acclaim with his first two novels, A Piece of My Heart (1976), and The Ultimate Good Luck (1981). While he and his wife, Kristina Ford, lived in rural Coahoma County, Ford wrote The Sportswriter, which brought him international acclaim: the book was named one of Time magazine's top 100 novels published since the magazine's inception. The Sportswriter's protagonist, Frank Bascombe, later appears in Independence Day (1995), The Lay of the Land (2006), and the story collection, Let Me Be Frank With You (2014). Independence Day won the Pulitzer Prize and PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction in 1996. In 2017, Ford wrote the memoir, Between Them, Remembering My Parents. He is an internationally-respected story-writer and cultural essayist. About his work, he says, “As a writer, I have the urge to meld the Southern experience into the larger American one."

The Mississippi Writers Trail is a program by the Mississippi Arts Commission. It pays tribute to the state’s most acclaimed and influential writers through a series of historical markers that recognize the importance of place in an author’s life while educating the public about the history and legacy of Mississippi writers. This statewide community improvement activity connects historical preservation, tourism and transportation. The cast aluminum markers, shaped like an open book inform travelers and highlight information about local authors including their birthplace, home, gravesite, museum, or literary locale. These markers will eventually span the entirety of the state from the Gulf Coast to the Hills. Mississippians such as Natasha Trethewey, Richard Wright, Eudora Welty, Walker Percy, Larry Brown, Jesmyn Ward, and many more will be honored with a Mississippi Writers Trail marker.

For more information visit arts.ms.gov.

Writers Trail
The state bird of Mississippi is the Northern Mockingbird, and the state flower is the Magnolia.
Mississippi random facts
Coahoma County, located in the northwest corner of Mississippi, has a rich history that spans centuries. The area was originally inhabited by various Native American tribes, including the Chickasaw and Choctaw. European explorers, such as Hernando de Soto, ventured through the region in the 16th century, but it was not until the early 19th century that permanent settlement began.

The county was officially established in 1836 and was named after a Native American word meaning "red panther." In the decades that followed, Coahoma County saw a significant influx of settlers, mainly from the southern states, who were drawn to the fertile agricultural lands along the Mississippi Delta.

The economy of the county was heavily dependent on agriculture, with cotton being the primary cash crop. Plantations dominated the landscape, and the county's population grew rapidly due to the demand for labor. However, this growth came at the expense of the enslaved African Americans, who were forcibly brought to the region to work on the plantations.

Coahoma County played a significant role in the Civil Rights Movement of the 20th century. It was the birthplace of influential figures like Aaron Henry, who fought for racial equality and was a prominent leader in the Mississippi State Conference of the NAACP. The county also witnessed the efforts of civil rights activists like Medgar Evers and Fannie Lou Hamer, who organized voter registration drives and challenged segregation.

Today, Coahoma County continues to reflect its rich history through its cultural heritage and music. The city of Clarksdale, located in the county, is known as the birthplace of the blues. It has been home to influential musicians such as Muddy Waters, Sam Cooke, and Ike Turner. The county also houses the Delta Blues Museum, providing visitors with a glimpse into the region's musical heritage and its impact on American culture.

This timeline provides a concise overview of the key events in the history of Coahoma County, Mississippi.

  • 1836 - Coahoma County is established as a county in the state of Mississippi.
  • 1839 - The city of Friars Point is incorporated.
  • 1841 - The town of Clarksdale is founded.
  • 1882 - The Yazoo-Mississippi Delta Levee District is formed to control flooding.
  • 1888 - The Yazoo-Mississippi Delta Levee Board is established to oversee levee construction.
  • 1903 - The first railroad arrives in Clarksdale, boosting economic development.
  • 1920s - Coahoma County becomes a major center for blues music.
  • 1930s - The Great Depression and the boll weevil infestation severely impact Coahoma County's economy.
  • 1942 - The Coahoma County Fair is first held.
  • 1954 - The "Coahoma County Project" is initiated to promote economic development.
  • 1980s - Coahoma County experiences a decline in population and economic activity.
  • 2002 - The Delta Blues Museum is designated as a Mississippi Landmark.
  • 2011 - The Mississippi Development Authority designates Coahoma County as a "Gulf Opportunity Zone," aimed at stimulating recovery after Hurricane Katrina.