Vicksburg Main Street History

The Birth of the Main Street Force

Thirty or forty years ago, downtown retailers didn’t have much competition.  Shopping malls had not made their mark on retailing and mail offer was limited primarily to a few big national companies.  When competition did emerge, downtowns were not organized to compete effectively.

Initially, many communities considered their downtown area’s mounting problems to be the sole responsibility of the retailers. Somehow, almost everyone overlooked the importance of the downtown itself as a major factor in the local economy.  Even now, with downtown’s overall role in the local economy somewhat diminished, most downtown areas rank among the top three local industries.

In 1977, the National Trust for Historic Preservation developed the concept of a “Main Street Town.”  Committed to saving historic buildings, the Trust knew that downtowns had to be successful economically in order for these structures to survive.  The program was launched in three Midwestern towns and three years later, that National Main Street Center was established to bring this revitalization strategy to the rest of the country.

The Main Street Program is a long-term, incremental, comprehensive approach to downtown revitalization for communities with a population of 5,000 to 50,000.  

Vicksburg… An Original Main Street Town

In 1983, the City of Vicksburg, The Vicksburg Warren County Chamber of Commerce, and the Vicksburg Foundation for Historical Preservation put together the application for the first round of Main Street town selection. 

In 1984, Vicksburg was chosen as one of the original six Mississippi Main Street towns.  The mayor and alderman selected the initial Main Street Board and hired a full-time manager to administer the program, establishing a public/private partnership that is still in place. 

The City of Vicksburg continues to provide financial support, in-kind services, and valuable technical assistance.

“Main Street” is Downtown…and Downtown is Vicksburg.