National Register of Historic Places

Town of Palo Alto

Palo Alto, Clay County, Mississippi
Listed
August 19, 1987
Type
Site
Period
Listed
Ref No.
87000473

About this property

Palo Alto (also Savannah) is a ghost town in Clay County, Mississippi, United States. Established c. 1846, it has an elevation of 279 feet (85 m). Palo Alto was named in honor of the Battle of Palo Alto. The Palo Alto Academy was once located in Palo Alto. A carriage factory, general store, and the Palo Alto Inn were formerly in operation in Palo Alto. The community was prosperous prior to the Civil War, but was absorbed into the nearby community of Abbott after the Civil War. A post office operated under the name Palo Alto from 1846 to 1898. Company F of the 44th Mississippi Infantry was known as The Palo Alto Confederates and was mustered into service on July 27, 1861 in Palo Alto. Soldiers from this company served with the Army of Tennessee in many battles, including Shiloh, Munfordville, Murfreesboro, and Chickamauga. During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought in Palo Alto on April 21 and 22, 1863 between the 2nd/22nd Tennessee Cavalry (Barteau's) and the 2nd Iowa Volunteer Cavalry Regiment. The Iowa soldiers, under the command of Edward Hatch, were part of Grierson's Raid and were being used to distract Confederate soldiers from Grierson's main column. After the skirmish Hatch's soldiers marched to Okolona, burning down barracks, a cotton warehouse, and ammunition stores. Six Union Army soldiers were declared missing after the skirmish. In 1876, Palo Alto was the site of an incident in which a group of heavily armed white men brought a piece of field artillery and broke up a meeting of the Republican Club in order to suppress black voters. In 1987, the townsite was listed on the National Register of Historic Places under the name of "Town of Palo Alto." Nearly 200 acres (81 ha) were listed on the Register as part of the community.

Location

Palo Alto, Clay County, Mississippi

Categories

HISTORIC - NON-ABORIGINAL
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
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Spotlight
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Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
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Questions about this property

When was Town of Palo Alto listed on the National Register?

Town of Palo Alto was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 19, 1987.

What type of historic resource is Town of Palo Alto?

Town of Palo Alto is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Town of Palo Alto?

The period of significance for Town of Palo Alto is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Town of Palo Alto?

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