Port Gibson, Mississippi
Port Gibson is a city of 1,261 people in Claiborne County, Mississippi.
Why visit Port Gibson
Townapedia lists 11 museums and landmarks, 2 parks and trails, 4 places to eat and 1 attraction in and around town.
Highlights include Chamberlain-Hunt Academy and Claremont.
August is the warmest month, with average highs of 93°F; January lows average 36°F.
Weather in Port Gibson
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Port Gibson
Port Gibson is a city and the county seat of Claiborne County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2020 census, Port Gibson had a population of 1,269. It is bordered on the west by the Mississippi River.
From the Wikipedia article Port Gibson, Mississippi (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do1
Museums and landmarks11
Chamberlain-Hunt Academy
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.7 mi
Former boarding school in Port Gibson, Mississippi, USA
Claremont
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.7 mi
Historic house in Mississippi, United States
Idlewild
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.5 mi
House in Port Gibson, Mississippi
Jewish Cemetery
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places
Cemetery in Port Gibson, Mississippi, United States
McGregor
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.0 mi
Building in Mississippi, United States
Port Gibson Oil Works Mill Building
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.8 mi
Historic industrial building in Port Gibson, Mississippi, USA
Van Dorn House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.4 mi
Historic hilltop residence in Port Gibson, Mississippi built circa 1830 for Peter Aaron Van Dorn
Wintergreen Cemetery
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.4 mi
Cemetery in Port Gibson, Mississippi
Port Gibson Battle Site
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.1 mi
Port Gibson Battlefield
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.1 mi
Parks, trails and playgrounds2
Restaurants and cafes4
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History
Port Gibson is the third-oldest European-American settlement in Mississippi. Its development began in 1729 by French colonists and was then within French-claimed territory known as La Louisiane. The British acquired this area after the French ceded their colonies east of the Mississippi River in 1763, following their defeat in the Seven Years' War.
Following the U.S. acquisition of former French territory through the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, more Americans entered the area. Port Gibson was chartered as a town that year on March 12, 1803. The federal government carried out Indian Removal in the 1830s, pushing the Five Civilized Tribes, including the Choctaw and Chickasaw peoples, west of the Mississippi River to Indian Territory. It took over their lands in the Southeast for sale and development by European Americans.
Planters developed cotton plantations in the fertile river lowlands of the Mississippi Delta and other riverfront areas, dependent on the labor of enslaved Africans, initially brought from the Upper South. The African Americans comprised a majority in the county before the Civil War, and this continued.
From the History section of Port Gibson, Mississippi on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship14
Saint Joseph Catholic Church
Church · Roman Catholic
411 Coffee Street, Port Gibson
Shopping2
Gas and EV charging3
Schools, colleges and libraries6
Healthcare1
Map of Port Gibson
44 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 60°F | 36°F | 6.1 in | 0.2 in |
| Feb | 64°F | 38°F | 5.1 in | 0.2 in |
| Mar | 71°F | 46°F | 6.0 in | 0.1 in |
| Apr | 78°F | 52°F | 5.5 in | 0.0 in |
| May | 85°F | 62°F | 4.5 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 90°F | 69°F | 4.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 93°F | 72°F | 3.9 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 93°F | 71°F | 3.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 89°F | 65°F | 3.8 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 80°F | 53°F | 4.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Nov | 69°F | 43°F | 4.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Dec | 62°F | 38°F | 5.3 in | 0.0 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Port Gibson 1 Ne Hcn (2 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Claiborne County has had 21 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for hurricanes.
- 2026-02-06: Severe Winter Storm (Winter Storm)
- 2026-01-24: Severe Winter Storm (Winter Storm)
- 2023-08-12: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes. (Severe Storm)
- 2021-10-22: Hurricane Ida (Hurricane)
- 2021-08-28: Hurricane Ida (Hurricane)
- 2021-05-04: Severe Winter Storms (Severe Ice Storm)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Vicksburg Municipal Airport (VKS) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 20 miles away.
- Fayette 17 mi south, about 28 min by car
- Vicksburg 26 mi north, about 42 min by car
- Beechwood 28 mi north, about 45 min by car
- Tallulah 33 mi north, about 54 min by car
- Morgantown 34 mi southwest, about 55 min by car
- Hazlehurst 35 mi east, about 57 min by car
- Natchez 37 mi southwest, about 1 h by car
- Crystal Springs 37 mi east, about 59 min by car
- Vidalia 38 mi southwest, about 1 h by car
- Brookhaven 41 mi southeast, about 1 h by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Claiborne County Courthouse and Confederate monument, Port Gibson, Mississippi 2008, Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Chamberlain-Hunt Academy Presidents House, Mthunter58, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Jewish cemetery, Port Gibson, Mississippi, Nataliemaynor, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Wintergreen Cemetery, Nataliemaynor, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Van Dorn House, Van Dorn Drive, Port Gibson (Claiborne County, Mississippi), Jack Boucher, Public domain
- Idlewild (Port Gibson, Mississippi), Idlewild, CC BY-SA 3.0
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