Ever heard of Edwards, MS? Well, unless you had a reason to go there- you probably just passed thru without notice. It’s one of those“if you blink, you may miss it” kind of towns. However, the town is far from‘missed’ in terms of its history. Sitting in close proximity to Vicksburg, Edwards may not have the‘well known’ factor today, but back in the mid 1800’s this little town played a big part in not only Mississippi’s history, but the history of the US as well. Around 1859, a man named Duklet Askew and his brother stumbled across this beautiful land while searching for a place to build a plantation. The area, which is located close to the Big Black River was perfect and he began work. Shortly after beginning life on the plantation, Askew’s had cleared around 500 acres for cotton growing, built a cotton gin, a general store, and even built and operated a ferry to cross the river. In just a few short years work came to a hault when the Civil War began and Askew’s property was used by the Confederate soldiers to flee the area. Names like General Sherman and General Grant are a part of Edwards’ history. A few small battles even took place on the plantation. The ferry was destroyed and rebuilt until a permanent bridge was finally constructed. Sadly, the structure was past the point of repair and was closed down, however some of the locals will still reminisce about the‘good ole days’ whenever given the chance. A few generations of Askews later, Sidney Knox‘Knocky’ Askew’s decided to raise his family in Edwards and although the cotton plantation was a thing of the past and as a result of the Great Depression there wasn’t as much land as before. However, Knocky had a love for the great outdoors and began raising cattle on the property as well as running a local grocery store. Some of the buildings left standing were rented out and Knocky even bartered to get the old pond expanded into a 15 acre lake. In the 70’s, Knocky and his wife Roma along with their children sold that grocery store and decided to live out their dreams and the plantation slowly turned into a campground, inviting their friends and neighbors to visit the area and enjoy the charming landscape and the beautiful new lake. By 1983, members started building tent/rv sites and in 1994, Knocky’s son Dan returned back home after attending college and working a few jobs. He purchased the land and worked to develop the campground even more to turn it into what we know today as Askew’s Landing RV Campground! In early 2023, Craig Alsup and his business partner, Luke learned of the campground being for sale and quickly turned their business plan into a reality. They purchased the park and opened under their belts on July 4th weekend of 2023. If you know anything about campgrounds, you know this is one of the biggest, if not THE biggest holiday for campers! They were either crazy or determined, but from the looks of it I’d say they did just what the place and patrons alike needed! Today, Askew’s boasts 40 acres of beautiful landscape, the same 15 acre lake, close to 100 sites, and room for close to 50 primitive tent sites. Full Hook-Up sites and Partial Hook-Up sites are available plus they have already added a beautiful rustic cabin for lodging if you don’t own an RV or tent, or if you’re more of the glamping type camper! When you arrive, you’ll see an old barn donning a big Askew’s Landing RV Campground sign. That barn is one of the original remaining buildings from days gone by. Traveling down the well maintained gravel road to the campground is unaltered landscape- just the pine trees and you. Quickly transforming you to the‘good ole days’ of relaxing and putting your worries behind if only for a weekend. Craig and his team have worked days on end cleaning up, maintaining and repairing, and giving the park a face lift- and it shows. On site, there are 2 dog parks for your furry friends to run free, a full service laundry, 2 bathhouses, a swimming pool, a large open grassy area for anything your heart can imagine, another original building serves as the registration office and store to purchase those essentials you forgot to pack, a community fire pit, and a covered pavilion for all the fun waiting to happen! Craig and his family are homeschoolers and he’s already made plans for a big home-school event at the park! He also is hosting a Halloween event full of spooky spectacular activities and family-friendly fun! Keep watch on the Askew’s Landing RV Campground Facebook page for more events he’s got up his sleeve as well! He’s definitely not lacking of ideas to create those memory making experiences you and your friends and family will be talking about for years to come! His future plans are slowly coming for fruition with every reservation that’s made to visit his place! Additions are in the plans, and he’s always seen on Facebook Camping groups asking people for their ideas of how to make Askew’s Landing better! We took a drive thru the park and stopped and spoke with some guests who just happened to find the park due to its close proximity to I20. They were eager to discuss how well they were enjoying their visit. Even tho closely situated to a busy interstate, the noise is non-existent at the park. It’s peaceful and serene. They said“we just showed up and the campground host was so amazing to work with and we got set up with reservations in no time, and now we are out here enjoying the beauty of nature while cooling off in the pool. We will definitely be back.” They said they travel in their Motorhome all over and Askew’s Landing RV Campground was surely one they’d recommend to anyone looking for the beauty of nature, peaceful laid-back atmosphere, and the convenience of being close to the highway. They were also eager to see what weekends full of fun looked like and hoped to return during one of the many events planned. Craig, his family, and business partner Luke aren’t some big name company just counting every guest as just a reservation in the books. They are a small owned park with the intentions of creating wow moments for anyone who enters their park and their goal is for when guests depart from their stay, they are already planning or booking their next trip to Askew’s. Visit their Facebook page at Askew's Landing RV Campground for ways to make reservations and to see their upcoming events! Plus, stay in the know for future plans of this beautiful park! Enjoy these pictures I took on our day trip to visit, but better yet, make plans to take your own trip to visit and see this beautiful place in person. Pictures just can’t depict all there is to take in while visiting this beautiful historic location filled with so much to offer. The future of Askew’s Landing RV Campground is bright and I can’t wait to see what Craig’s team has in store!
