Vicksburg History
‘The good, old fashion’ of New Year’s Eve concerts at the clock tower
Have any plans for celebrating New Year’s Eve?
Our Vicksburg ancestors braved the cold night air to listen to the music of the Silver Cornet Band whose members gathered at the clock tower at the Old Court House and bade goodbye to the old year and greeted the new with a concert.
The first such event was on the last day of December in 1879. The Daily Herald called it “a new tradition.” That new tradition lasted each New Year’s Eve for ten years. In 1889, the Commercial Herald reported: “The Volunteer Southrons Silver Cornet Band will maintain their old custom of playing the requiem for the old year on the summit of the courthouse and will also welcome the New Year in. Thousands of persons listen annually for the sweet notes of the splendid band as they ring out in the frosty air at midnight. When the good, old fashion falls into disuse, it will be regretted.”
That was their last New Year’s concert, but it wasn’t finals for other bands who continued to give Court Square concerts—just not on cold nights.
In the last half of the 19th century, Vicksburg was home to a number of bands. Most successful was the Silver Cornet Band that began in 1871 as the Firemen’s Band and went by several names in its 30-year history. All the fire departments, which were each manned by volunteers, played for a variety of events but mainly for the annual Firemen’s Parade, a grand gala held in April.
The pomp and circumstance of the parades was spectacular, as described by a Herald reporter in 1885: “The polished fire wagons, the combed and decorated horses, the uniformed firemen, all advanced along the parade route in a jubilant procession of merry makers, stopping occasionally for a ‘bit of refreshment.’”
The first such parade was held in 1871 by 12 members of the Constitution Fire House. The next year, they gave their first concert, an April event for the benefit of the Methodist Sunday School. Later that year, they played for a masquerade ball, so evidently, they were not restricted to only one type of music.
The members also sported colorful uniforms—red shirts, black trousers, and straw hats—and were described by a Herald reporter as “looking decidedly cool.” They practiced in the Constitution Fire House, now the home of the Vicksburg Art Association, and sometimes parties and dances were held there.
In 1878, the band members got new uniforms, and the Herald described the finery: a scarlet cap trimmed with gold lace, and a white and scarlet plume; a red shirt trimmed with white silk and gold-plated buttons emblazoned with the monogram of the band; and black pantaloons with gold lace stripes. They had headlamps on their caps so they could play at night.
The Silver Cornet Band went through several transitions, from performing primarily outdoors for parades until 1884, then mainly for military drills and in 1893, they began playing for public concerts.
The concerts were planned for Court Square, mainly in the evenings. Public reaction was enthusiastic, and local merchants helped underwrite the expense. Donations were also made by the public, and crowds of over 2,000 attended the bi-weekly events.
The concerts continued for several years with several bands participating, but interest began to wane. In 1899, the only performance was by the B’nai B’rith Literary Association Band.
In May 1900, the Herald noted that it was “almost time for the concerts” and that Court Square had “ample shade, a delightful breeze, and was one of the prettiest spots in the city.” The next year the bandstand was removed and the lawn re-sodded where crowds had trampled the grass.
The editor of The Evening Post wrote: “Nothing of a public nature has ever been more pleasure to the entire people than the Court Square concerts.” Around the turn of the 20th century, the Silver Cornet Band and several others became history. As the reporter for the Herald said, it was regretted when “the good, old fashion” fell into disuse and the tradition of playing out the old year and greeting the new with a concert from the Court House clock tower ended.
That’s just as well, for I’m not a cold-weather person. I lived for a year in Alaska and promised God if He let me go home to Mississippi, I would never complain about Southern heat.
So, on New Year’s Eve, if it is cold, I’ll be sitting before a fire, a cat on my lap and a glass of wine in my hand, enjoying some of my favorite music on CDs. I’ll be sound asleep long before the silver ball falls at Times Square. It will probably take me several days before I write 2020 on checks and letters.
Happy New Year!
Gordon Cotton is the curator emeritus of the Old Court House Museum. He is the author of several books and is a renowned historian.
See a typo? Report it here.
