A thousand more decks of playing cards showing historic scenes of Vicksburg are coming this year.

“People like to see and gather comfort in their environment,” said Nancy Bell, director of Vicksburg Foundation for Historic Preservation, which is funding the printing of the cards with financial help from sponsors.

This year’s decks, due before Christmas, will be decked out in photos of monuments in the Vicksburg National Military Park. Photos from the Old Court House Museum and the Biedenharn Coca-Cola Museum were featured in 2006 and 2007.

The cards

The Vicksburg National Military Park playing cards are expected to be available by Christmas at a cost of $10. They will be sold at local stores and museums. To be a sponsor, call the Vicksburg Foundation for Historic Preservation at 601-636-5010.

The new decks will “be so much fun in color rather than black and white photos,” Bell said. The photos are from old color post cards of the arched entrance and beautiful monuments inside the park. Bell feels the cards will have a broader appeal to tourists who come by the thousands every year to visit the park, although the first two sets sold very well.

Terry Winschel, VNMP historian, has worked with Bell finding the postcard art.

Vicksburgers send the cards to friends to let them see what their community looks like and collect them themselves because of the memories they provide, she said.

Bell said parents have sent decks off to college with their children and heard stories of games that turned into conversations about the happy times they had visiting the sites on the cards.

Anyone who would like to sponsor a card can contact Bell by calling 601-636-5010. Twelve of 54 needed sponsorships have been sold. Those interested can pick the monument from a list they would like to sponsor. The sponsor’s name will appear on the card.

Some decks featuring the Old Court House remain available at Paper Plus but the Coca-Cola deck has sold out, Bell said. The military park deck will sell for $10, the same price as the previous decks, at the VNMP and in local businesses.

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Contact Suzanne Feliciano at sfeliciano@vicksburgpost.com