When the guys met Delmar Dennis out in the woods, what was that location supposed to be? I don't know how else to ask it..? The columns that were kind of a ruin of an old building or something... What the heck was that?
I was hoping I could find it under "filming locations" but no such luck!
Hope someone can satisfy my curiosity!
Hey there. I am a native Mississippian and have been to the location. It is called the Ruins of Windsor and it is about 20 minutes outside of Port Gibson, Mississippi, in Claiborne County. It is pretty far out in the woods, but the movie exaggerated how isolated it is.
From what I can remember, a wealthy planter built it for his family shortly before the Civil War. It survived the war, but later burned from a carelessly tossed cigarette, leaving only the columns. I think originally it was fairly close to the Mississippi River, but the river has since changed course.
The site is maintained by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and is considered structurally unstable. It is open to the public, though. You are not really supposed to walk among the ruins as the people did in the movie for fear of falling plaster, but my friends and I did with no bad results. It really does look as it did in the movie.
If you are ever in Mississippi, the ladies at the Port Gibson tourist center can tell you how to get there. It's a nice side trip from Natchez or Vicksburg.
This is GREAT. Thank you so much for replying!
I am a history fanatic, esp. Southern history (I'm a Texan), and esp. architectural history, etc.
Thanks so much for this. I am going to look it up further and see if I can find out anything additional!
[deleted]
Thanks for the info. I figured it was the remains of some sort of plantation-era house, but I wasn't sure.
shareThe filming of this scene at the Windsor Ruins near Port Gibson is described in some detail in the book 'The Ghosts of Medgar Evers: A Tale of Race, Murder, Mississippi, and Hollywood' by Willie Morris.
The book is a interesting look at the making of the film and has some fascinating behind the scenes stories.
Frank: Just a man.
Harmonica: An ancient race.