Yazoo City, MS (YAZ)

Located where rolling hills meet fertile delta flatlands, Yazoo City was founded in 1824. It is well-known the world over for its appearances in numerous films.

West Broadway (SR149) & North Water Street
Yazoo City, MS 39194

Annual Ticket Revenue (FY 2023): $299,208
Annual Station Ridership (FY 2023): 3,164

Ownerships
Routes Served
Contact
Local Community Links

Facility Ownership: Amtrak
Parking Lot Ownership: Canadian National Railway Company (CN) Illinois Central (IC) (A subsidiary of CN)
Platform Ownership: Canadian National Railway Company (CN) Illinois Central (IC) (A subsidiary of CN)
Track Ownership: Canadian National Railway Company (CN) Illinois Central (IC) (A subsidiary of CN)

City of New Orleans

Todd Stennis
Regional Contact
governmentaffairsnol@amtrak.com
For information about Amtrak fares and schedules, please visit Amtrak.com or call 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245).

Passengers at Yazoo City use a shelter on the platform. Amtrak began serving Yazoo City and Greenwood in 1995, when the City of New Orleans was rerouted westward between Jackson and Memphis. In fall 2023, Amtrak completed a $3.4 million accessibility enhancement project at the Yazoo City station. Amtrak, working with the city, made improvements that included the construction of a new 300-foot-long concrete platform meeting the specifications of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Other upgrades included the installation of a new passenger shelter, new lighting, railings and upgrades to the parking lot.

The community was named by the French explorer Robert La Salle. “Yazoo” is said to be a Native American word meaning “River of Death.” In Yazoo City, rolling hills meet fertile delta flatlands. The city was founded in 1824 and was originally named Hannan’s Bluff. It was later renamed Manchester, then Yazoo City in 1839. In 1849, it became the Yazoo County seat.

During the Civil War, a makeshift shipyard was established on the Yazoo River in Yazoo City after the Confederate loss in New Orleans. The shipyard was destroyed by Union forces in 1863, and shortly after the city fell back into Confederate hands. In 1864, Union forces took Yazoo City and burned the majority of the buildings.

A fire ravaged the city in 1904 when a boy set a house ablaze while playing with matches. Local lore blames the fire on the “Witch of Yazoo,” who was avenging her death. Three fourths of the city was destroyed, but the courthouse and 10 antebellum homes were spared.

A train collision that killed Illinois Central Railroad engineer Casey Jones took place in Yazoo County near Vaughan on April 30, 1900. Jones died while trying to stop his passenger train from colliding with a stopped freight train. He was the only fatality of the collision. His heroic effort made him a folk hero, and he is immortalized in a well known ballad by his friend Wallace Saunders.

Yazoo City is mentioned in a wide array of movies. Parts of the Coen Brothers’ film, O Brother, Where Art Thou? were filmed in Yazoo City. The city is referenced in the 1986 movie, Crossroads, and was the setting of the book and film, My Dog Skip. Miss Firecracker, starring Holly Hunter and Tim Robbins, was filmed on location in Yazoo City in the 1980s.

Attractions in Yazoo City include the Oakes African American Cultural Center, the Triangle Cultural Center, Glenwood Cemetery and the B.S. Ricks Memorial Library. Comedian Jerry Clower spent much of his life in Yazoo City. Other notable residents include actress Stella Stevens, authors Willie Morris and Zig Ziglar, and blues singers Gatemouth Moore and Jack Owens.