A Holiday Tradition in Mississippi
The holiday season is in full swing. During this festive time, people and families love to visit exhibits of all kinds. One of these that tends to be very popular is trains. For over 40 years, the Possum Ridge train exhibit in Jackson, Mississippi, has received a lot of attention.
For many people in the state of Mississippi, it has become a holiday tradition to see the trains of the Possum Ridge make their rounds. In addition, out-of-towners have been in awe upon their first viewing. Formerly held at the state’s Old Capitol Museum, the train exhibit now resides at the Two Mississippi Museums during the whole month of December.
The Creation of Possum Ridge
Lucky Osbourne of Clinton, Mississippi, is the man who built Possum Ridge back in the 1970s. He has added on to it over the years. Speaking to Presence News, Osbourne spoke of how he got chosen to construct such a historic scene with trains.
“Back in the early 70s, a Doctor left his train set at the Archives that he had run around a Christmas tree for several years,” he said. “The Director of the Old Capitol Museum at the time called me about doing some buildings for the train set.”
A Fictional Town with Real History
Possum Ridge is a fictional town that was built around a train set. It’s set in the 1940s Mississippi Delta, which is an area of the state that contains much history. Osbourne also spoke of the significance of the buildings he built for the fictional village.
“Every one of them is a scale model of a building that is or was in the state of Mississippi,” he said.
Trains of the 1940s Delta
There are three train tracks that travel around the village of Possum Ridge. One of the trains is a replica of the Illinois Central/City of New Orleans, an actual train that still runs through the Mississippi Delta today. The others are freight trains, worker trains, and even a replica of a postal service train. This postal train would pick up mail along the train routes during the 1940s.
Credit (MDAH)
Visiting the Exhibit
People can experience Mississippi history at the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. In addition, they can brighten up their day with a legendary train exhibit that brings both history and holiday cheer.
The Possum Ridge model train exhibit is open through December 31st. You can view it Tuesdays-Saturdays 9:00 am-5:00 p.m. and Sundays 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. For more information, call 601-576-6850 or email info@mdah.ms.gov.
Sources:
Presence News’ William Barbers’ Interview with Lucky Osbourne December 13th, 2025
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Editor’s Disclaimer
Editor’s Note: Information in this article is accurate at the time of publication. Please check with the museum for current hours or exhibit details.
