Gillsburg, Mississippi

Gillsburg is an unincorporated community in Amite County, Mississippi. The community is part of the McComb, Mississippi Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Gillsburg was the location of the October 20, 1977 plane crash that killed several members of the band Lynyrd Skynyrd. A rental plane carrying the band between shows from Greenville, South Carolina, to Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was low on fuel and crashed in a swamp in Gillsburg.^[1] The crash killed singer/songwriter Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, vocalist Cassie Gaines, assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, pilot Walter McCreary, and co-pilot William Gray. The other band members were seriously injured in the crash.

Gillsburg was home to the Wall family, one of the last black families to be held in peonage in the United States.^[2]

Coordinates: 31°01′31″N 90°39′21″W / 31.02528°N 90.65583°W / 31.02528; -90.65583

Municipalities and communities of Amite County, Mississippi, United States County seat: Liberty Towns Centreville ‡ Crosby ‡ Gloster Liberty Unincorporated communities Coles Gillsburg Homochitto Smithdale Ghost town Elysian Fields Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

References