This Mississippi Department of Archives and History marker about River Stages At Greenville is located on the Levee on the east bank of the Mississippi River in Greenville, Mississippi. It was placed here in 2012, following the Mississippi River floods of 2011.

Mississippi Department of Archives & History marker for River Stages At Greenville, on the levee at Greenville, Mississippi.
Mississippi Department of Archives & History marker for River Stages At Greenville, on the levee at Greenville, Mississippi.

The marker reads:

“RIVER STAGES AT GREENVILLE – The Greenville Gage on the Mississippi River is located near the U.S. Highway 82 Mississippi River Bridge. In 1927, when the levee broke near Mound Landing, the Greenville Gage would have reached 65.4 feet. During the 2011 flood, the Mississippi River crested at 64.2 feet. Even though the 2011 Flood did not break the calculated 1927 stage record, it carried 26% more water than the 1927 Flood. The lower stage was due to the cut-offs that were built on the river in the 1930s and 1940s.”

For a photo gallery of the 1927 Flood, click here.

The 1927 Flood inundated an area of about 27,000 square miles. It displaced 700,000 people in Mississippi and killed 246. Property damage was estimated at $400 million (1927 dollars).

Here is Part 1 a video about the 1927 Mississippi River flood:

Here is Part 2:

Here is a video about the effects of the 2011 flood on Mississippi agriculture.

Memphis Minnie‘s song “When The Levee Breaks” and Charley Patton‘s recordings “High Water Everywhere, Pt.1″ and High Water Everywhere, Pt. 2” are about the 1927 Mississippi Flood.

Here’s a YouTube video of Memphis Minnie’s When The Levee Breaks.

Here’s a YouTube video of Led Zeppelin’s cover of Memphis Minnie’s original:

The photo below was taken near the River Stages At Greenville marker and gives an indication of the height of the levee in Greenville, Mississippi.

The top of the Mississippi River levee at Greenville, Mississippi. The cars on the right of the photo give an indication of the height of the levee at Greenville.
The top of the Mississippi River levee at Greenville, Mississippi. The cars on the right of the photo give an indication of the height of the levee at Greenville.

There is another Mississippi Department of Archives and History marker nearby, which describes the Mississippi River Levee.

Mississippi Department of Archives & History marker on the levee at Greenville, Mississippi.
Mississippi Department of Archives & History marker on the levee at Greenville, Mississippi.

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