With its fighting spirit, thanks to highs and lows as numerous as the hills that blanket it, the River City holds more than just the “Key to the South,” as Lincoln famously said.

It holds the key to the past as well, thanks to decades of people who committed their lives to the preservation of its history. While Vicksburg is known for its economic prowess with the booming port complex, a thriving merchant scene and more than a few career researchers with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the bread and butter of this town hinges on its history.

People travel from across the world to stand along the banks of the Mississippi River. They stand solemnly in the rotunda of the Illinois monument, peering out at the Vicksburg National Military Park and imagining the valiant bloodshed. 

They relish in the hospitality of its people, desiring to stay in our world-class historic mansions. They delight in our cuisine, hearing tales of the birth of the Mint Julep and the secret to a perfect Vicksburg Tomato Sandwich. 

And possibly, they envy those of us who are blessed enough to call our fair city home, for we are the ones who get to live in and amongst all of this life-giving culture.

We drink coffee in a building that once financed freed men’s dreams. We sup in the Confederate President’s brother’s home. We live and work in buildings that are scarred from years of manmade and natural disasters — and we preserve those scars, every mortar shell, every craggy brick.

All of this makes up the charm of our city, and we are truly blessed to share it with others. 

Doing so 160 years after our darkest hour shatters preconceived notions and highlights the many ways we carry — or try to move beyond — the sins and triumphs of our forefathers.

In the Feb. 25-26 Weekend E-Edition of The Post, subscribers received a special treat: Early access to the full PROFILE 2023 publication in digital form. The stories are available early online for subscribers as well.

To access the PROFILE 2023 landing page, where all stories are housed, click here.

The hard copy edition of PROFILE 2023 will be inserted in the Wednesday, March 1 edition of The Post. Limited copies will also be available for purchase at our office, 1106 Washington St.

As you read the 2023 edition of PROFILE, our cornerstone publication, it’s our hope that you will see the beauty and the tenacity of our city and its people. Vicksburg is truly a place suspended between the past and present, but in finding that balance, we can look toward its future.

SPECIAL THANKS

Profile 2023 would not be possible without the help of the following:

• The Old Court House Museum 
• Charles Pendleton and the Vicksburg Civil War Museum
• Tommy Presson
• The Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation
• Vicksburg National Military Park
• Our dedicated staff and readers

Thank you all for the work you do to make Vicksburg a great place.