Rodney Ghost Town Reviews

This place has a very interesting part of American history and is worth the drive to find, explore and learn. Be sure to also visit the nearby Windsor Ruins.

If you look.....there is still a civil war cannonball lodged in the church above the top middle window/shutter. (I borrowed this pic from this page). This was a very interesting trip....if you walk behind this church, all the way to the top of the hill, you'll come upon the cemetery which is way overgrown. Would love to assemble a group with chainsaws, mowers n weedeaters to try to give these people their due respect. Its definitely a step back in time.

This place was very nice. It was hard to get to. The roads aren't in the best shape. It is beautiful, but was partially flooded when we went. We saw an alligator in the flood waters, which added to the fun of the trip. Cell signal is hit or miss here, load GPS before getting too far out.

Rodney was a booming town until after the Civil War when the River moved away from the town. Rodney has a beautiful Presbyterian Church wherein the crew of a Union Gunboat worshiped. When Confederate Calvary chased them away, the Gunboat crew fired on the Church and a cannonball remains embedded in the Church. The Church is well maintained and has historic markers explaining the incident and the town's history. The Baptist Church is also beautiful, but not restored. The town also has some other old buildings standing. There are a handful of people living in the hamlet now which is at the bottom of a bluff. It a pretty drive.

Directions: From Hwy 61, take the Alcorn State University exit to hwy 552 West. Go about 3 miles until you see a turning lane to turn left. Take that turn, then the next left on firetower rd. There will be a water tank at the turn. When that road ends, take a right. Travel about 6 miles and it will bring you into Rodney. The road will turn to gravel before you get there. Don't give up though! It will go back to pavement at the top of the hill leading into the old town.

This is a must see location for paranormal investigators, The church is very active and beautiful...The wood work is amazing and well kept up..There's an older gentleman that watches over the two church's, Yes there's two of them ..Becareful during the summer. The snakes are bad..The best time to go is during the winter..Don't miss the graveyard in the back of the church..Take the trail that's to the right of the red brick church and you can't miss it..To see a video of the place go to.. EXPLORING DARKNESS Ghost Media..Youtube.

Interesting little gem in the middle of nowhere. Nice old buildings and ruins. There are many more ruins and pieces than the two churches. Go look in the woods just around the roads inside the town.
It was a bit unclear how many of the ruins of houses that actually still may be used as homes for hermits. Some of the houses had a lot of newer trash in the “garden”.

We were going by in the area and thought it would be a cool exploration. You can tell that it's a popular place. The grass is worn down and we met a few cars along the road ( rodney road is not a road that really goes anywhere and you just KNOW when you see people exploring like you)
It is a little erie. The cemetery is HUGE. I kept finding more and more. It must be at least 1 acre. It is quite a climb up the hill behind the church. It is in need of help. Trees fallen and stones broken and fallen. But a good experience. The churches were awesome. I can only imagine the area in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It's not a quick side trip. You have to set aside a bit of time to just get there and then you need to take your time and take it all in. Go. I can't wait until I can take some friends.

My Mother was born and raised in Rodney. My grandparent lived there until the early 1990’s. I spent my summers in Rodney. It is basically a ghost town. Maybe two or three families still live there. I don’t find it creepy at all. I have lots of great memories. I go back and visit as often as I can. Not a lot to see but a lot of history to feel.

My wife and I love to visit ghost towns. It's part of our fascination for all things historic. In our travels, we have visited old mining camps in Colorado, Montana, Arizona, California and Nevada. But Rodney, Mississippi, is a whole different experience. Once a bustling city on the banks of the Mississippi River, it was the busiest port on the Mississippi River between New Orleans and St. Louis with almost 1,000 residents, two banks, two newspapers, a large hotel with a ballroom, the state's first opera house and several churches. It numbered almost 4,000 residents by 1860, more than Jackson. Graves in Rodney Cemetery date to 1828, the year Rodney was incorporated as a town. In fact, Rodney was the state capitol after Mississippi achieved statehood in 1817. So what happened? In 1870, the Mississippi River changed course, moved two miles west and Rodney lost its port. Loss of river trade caused many residents to move to more progressive towns. By 1930, Rodney was no longer considered an official town. The 2011 flood washed away most of the residents and buildings that were left. But Rodney still remains a time capsule of a past we seldom see today. Rodney is located 32 miles northeast of Natchez. From Lorman, home of Alcorn State University, take Route 552 west to Rodney. It isn't as easy as it sounds. Locate Old Country Store on Highway 61 in Lorman. Behind the store, make a turn onto a road that doesn't look like a road and travel northwest, passing the Cane Ridge Cemetery. Go 12 miles of blacktop and dirt road until you reach Rodney. Today, it is a one-road town with only remnants of the past. Drive down muddy but once bustling Commerce Street. See the Baptist Church with its stunning Greek Gothic architecture and silver dome rising into the sky. See the Presbyterian Church with its grand bell tower, the finest example of Federalist architecture in Mississippi. Founded in 1828, the red-brick structure still stands as a symbol of the community. The Masonic Lodge and Alston's Grocery Store still stand. Church Street, Cypress Street and Magnolia Street, once busy thoroughfares, are no longer visible. Commerce Street used to be two blocks from the Mississippi River. Now it is four miles away. But Rodney still beckons to visitors who harken for a glimpse of the past. Did you know that Rodney is the only ghost town with its own newspaper? The Rodney Telegraph is a quarterly online publication that keeps old-timers and historians and travelers abreast of current events in the town.

Backwoods weird like setting,freaky,cool,town of way back.Not much left but,the drive to find it is a cool trip.

I absolutely love exploring old buildings! This was really cool. I read reviews that said it was hard to find. We didn't have an issue, except Hwy 552 is closed 1 mile from Windsor Ruins so we had to detour. There are other homes in the area that are lived in, so we just obeyed the "No Trespassing" signs. I didn't get a heebie jeebie or spooky feeling, but if you live to explore old buildings, you will not be disappointed! I sure wasn't!

The drive here is longer than you’ll probably stay to check out the old church and area. Don’t miss the cannonball lodged in the church’s front. We saw what looked like a driveway, but according to the map was a loop road. We took on the adventure, driving down an overgrown street. We just barely made out a house through weeds and bushes…I doubt it’s inhabited. But…the road had a HUGE muddy pothole (if you can call it that?) and the only way was going through it or driving in reverse all the way to the main road. Probably best to stick to the main roads. Also, I was told not to walk to the cemetery without closed shoes and long pants because of lots of snakes. According to a local, someone gets bitten here just about every year.

Two churches that were vibrant and life-giving at one time are now disintegrating. A beautiful, but somewhat isolated location. I didn't see much else of the town except the churches. Sad to see these churches deteriorate.

We carefully printed out directions and loaded up the GPS in advance. We still got lost. Halfway there, my husband mentioned we were low on gas. So follow the GPS carefully and get a full tank before heading out there. It was a little scary, but it's an adventure! You arrive in Rodney, and you hardly know where you are. The first thing we saw was the brick church. We bravely waded through the somewhat tall grass to read the signs. We didn't attempt the cemetery. Grass was really high, and I'm not fond of ticks or snakes. I wish there were more signs to explain the various buildings. We stuck to the dirt road and wandered down to the old store. Then we turned around and there was the wooden church. It was just magical. Suddenly this wasn't just a dirt road with abandoned buildings but the grid of a town now lost in the wilds of the Mississippi woods. This is something to be preserved.

To be honest I would have never found Rodney if I hadn't run into a local at the Windsor Ruins. He pointed me in the right direction. You go from paved road to gravel road and back again. Once you get there the story of the cannonball in the wall of the Church is fascinating. You won't have too worry about crowds. I've been there twice and never seen another living soul although there are some houses that appear to be lived in. Basically there are two abandoned churches and some other abandoned buildings. If you want something more exciting go somewhere else.

Take time to hike around and see the cemetery. Love the old churches. Much to explore but hidden by growth.

If you like back road drives, go here. We saw 3 people in this forgotten town. Ghost town for sure. Cool picture place.

Rodney, MS, as other reviewer said, is truly a creepy place. However, it is not really a ghost town in the truest sense of the word, because there are a number of people living there. Getting there is a challenge. You have to go through backwoods, gravel and dirt roads, some nearly overgrown with vegetation. The few buildings that are left are spread out here and there. If you are physically able, you can hike around the old church and a couple of other places. When we got out of the car at the old boarded-up church the dog from the trailer home next door came over and started barking at us. We took this as a sign that we weren’t supposed to be there and left. There are some good photo ops for photographers. The day we went there had been a hard rain the night before and the dirt roads were muddy and rutted. We almost got stuck a couple of times. Thank goodness for all-wheel drive. The condition of the ground, not to mention the weeds, bugs and barking dogs, prevented us from doing much exploring. We found out that once you are there, GPS or Google Maps isn’t much help getting out. They sent us down a couple of dead-ins that required us to back out a good distance because there was no place to turn around. We even had to back across a very narrow rickety bridge. Our car got all scratched up from low-hanging branches. There was one building that looked like a municipal building that was being restored. Going there is for the adventurous but be aware of the potential obstacles.

Two churches are abandoned and other buildings! The buildings are few left and others are in ruins and falling down slowly! Grass was high n watch for active snake!
We missed the cemetary because we could not find it !
Be sure you have full tank gas! Direction isn't good and no sign on the roads! No cellphone service and be sure you have friends or family with you for safe side!
If you get lost, stop local and they will tell you where to go right direction to Rodney! There are few people living in Rodney!

A little bit of a chalange to get there, but once there you can still see the beauty of the buildings that is left, be respectful to the Few handful of people that live there and to the buildings, it was nice to be in a place and walk in the same spot where people who you read about in books once was and to see it for your self is no words to say but amazing.
I've been trying to get there a few years now and had a chance, unfortunately we arrived to late due to getting Turned around so many times and harsh roads.
As we entered the church with so much history and peace and comfort. To know it was built in the 1800's and been many day saw a lot, floods,fires,wars,a thriving city and a forgotten city... It's so sad to see the town the way it is and to know it was once 3 votes away from becoming the state Capitol of Mississippi, and than the yellow fever and than fires and than the railroad changing direction and everything else, I pray the funding gets started to save this history that in my mind is more important than some unneeded spending on things and create a tour and charge a fee to enter.

Rodney is an abandoned town on the Mississippi that is worth a visit. A little difficult to get to as most roads are no longer paved heading there - a small compact car may have trouble if the weather is raining. The town is interesting as you you can see some buildings that have Union gunboat fire and go inside a church that still looks ready for service. The key is on the door and lockup up when you are done.

If you are passing through, I would recommend taking a short while to visit this intriguing place, but be considerate of those who still live in Rodney.

This is it, this is travel. Why leave home to look for other things farter away? Because we all have a longing to find that comfort place we can hold in our heart. Not in our mind, mind you, facts are forgotten. A place in the heart lasts forever and is always available as a spiritual retreat. Well here it is, Rodney, Miss. Once Rodney was due to be the State Capitol. Then came the War and the River course moved a mile. Rodney was high, dry and soon forgotten.

Ah but not by dedicated travelers. These are the places that make vacation trials worth the cost and the effort. Here is peace of mind and freedom from self, if even for only a little while. The drive in is fantastic if you like arbor roads. Its like a tunnel through time. Get a map and read up a bit then drive in. Do it son as the wooden church is about to be moved. It cant last much longer in its present location any way. Flooding was above the door a few years ago. The cemetery is behind and uphill behind the Methodist Church. It is a must visit. Notice the civil war cannon ball above the middle window.
Do come, you will learn much on many levels. Peace.

I have to add, a few will drive in just to see some tumbled down buildings and a couple abandoned churches and a badly neglected cemetery. I speak for the intrepid and the willing. This place is fantastic, if you allow it.

There are no facilities

Finding Rodney may be your biggest challenge. We drove many miles on seemingly abandoned dirt roads, and found a number of lonely, unoccupied houses, churches, and cemeteries before we arrived at our planned destination. Rodney doesn't really qualify as a true ghost town, because there are still a few folks who live there, so be polite and aware of them. The majority of the buildings and property have been abandoned over the years, and driving the narrow dirt streets reveals many crumbling buildings being covered with vegetation. The two churches are probably the main attractions, with the Baptist Church suffering more from the repeated floods and neglect. This is even though it was still in use more recently than the much better preserved Presbyterian Church. The Baptist church sits lower and drainage is obviously a problem. The day of our visit, there was about 6" of standing water surrounding the wooden sanctuary, which made access somewhat difficult. The Presbyterian church sits higher on the next street, and even though the concrete of the steps is crumbling, it is in overall better repair. There are a number of historical plaques around this building which recount much of the area's history.

We traveled on AWFUL roads that were almost impassible and completely grown over ( would be impossible for a car to go through) when GPS took us out and ended up on Alcorn state university campus. we actually didn’t get out of the car because we were so isolated and weirded out by the one person we did see. We took pictures and dint actually go in the places because it was super backwoods creepy and we’re usually not that intimidated. I’m guessing it was the Masonic lodge that as looked like it was being repaired or rebuilt?

There is a road to go down to get to Rodney. Unfortunately it has a road closed sign. My husband didn't want to go further, so I left on foot. As I walked I started to feel uneasy. I got to the town and it is not a ghost town. It is very much occupied. Several mobile homes were on stilts. I started thinking about the movie Wrong Turn. I did go inside one church and I took some pictures. My husband found a alternate route to come get me. By this time I was hiding in some tall grass by the other church. The whole time I was walking around I had the feeling as if I was being watched.

A forgotten town in the woods of MS. One access road in and the same one out. As you begin in to Rodney you can see it had paved roads then you see a town of old empty buildings and homes. A few families still live in town but few is the key word. The old churches and a few other buildings are about all that is left. Hard to believe at one time there was an opera house here. I enjoyed seeing this part of history but not so sure I would visit at night.

Not exactly a ghost town, but there are a few abandoned buildings from back in the day. A visit lasts less than one hour. The best road to it is from just north of the Lorman store. The one from Alcorn Univ is more dodgy.

Well the drive was beautiful , but the ghost town was disappointing , directions not real good no signs on part of the drive. Have a full tank of gas ! No cell service don't go by yourself! The church was cool but looks like it's being taken apart? However it was worth the trip !

My wife and I set out to discover the ghost town of Rodney, Mississippi, after visiting Port Gibson, then driving southwest on Highway 552 to Windsor Ruins, Bethel Church, A.K. Shaifer House and Canemount Plantation. Canemount is two miles north of Alcorn, home of Alcorn State University. At Alcorn, turn left on Fellowship road, then take Firewater Road to Rodney Road. Drive west for 10 miles to Rodney, a one-time river town that was settled by the French in 1763, came within three votes of becoming the capital of the Mississippi Territory in 1817 and was incorporated as a city in 1828. It began to decline when the Mississippi River changed its course. Today, Rodney lies two miles inland from the river, mostly abandoned and listed as a ghost town. The most interesting building still standing is the two-story red brick Presbyterian Church, built in 1832 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A Union cannonball is embedded above the middle window. Be sure to walk behind the church to see the old cemetery. Across the street from the Presbyterian Church is Alston's Grocery Store, which closed many years ago. In the northwest corner of the town is a small park which hosted band concerts. Other abandoned buildings include a drugstore, the two-story Masonic Hall and the Mount Zion No. 1 Baptist Church, a white frame structure that was built in 1850. The town was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

A bit hard to find with the directions we had, but once you are on Rodney Rd just keep following it to the end, if you get lost just ask a local, everyone knows where it is. Good for the history buffs, great to see the old church with the canon ball still embedded in the wall, worth a visit if you are into ghost towns

Super cool history. Will warn you to be very cognizant of ticks!! It’s a tick metropolis - my boyfriend had about 40 very small ticks from top to toe. They have mastered teleportation. Worth it for how cool it is, but please be aware.

Awesome. Unexpected jewel. Great old buildings and plenty of historical markers to enlighten traveler about the history of this area.

Interesting bit of Mississippi history. Makes you wonder what would have happened if the river hadn't changed course.

This was a fascinating town with rich history. We loved it. Check out Rev's CountryTours for an incredible adventure. The Rev took us places we never would have found and we learned so much from his well prepared and so comfortable tour. Worth every penny!