Located in Jefferson County, about 32 miles northeast of Natchez, Mississippi, Rodney was once such an important city that it very nearly became the capital of Mississippi. Today, it is a ghost town with only a handful of area residents. Long before a settlement was ever formed here, the location was a popular Mississippi River crossing for many Native Americans. It was also an early crossing place for travelers along the El Camino Real, the old Spanish “Royal Road.” Today, the old townsite isn’t on the Mississippi River anymore; but, rather, about two miles inland.
Though the area was controlled by Great Britain as a result of the French and Indian War, it was first settled by the French in January 1763 and called Petit Gulf, to distinguish it from the larger port of Grand Gulf. In 1774, General Phineus Lyman from New England, led an expedition through the area to organize a settlement on the Big Black River. Captain Matthew Phelps, a member of the expedition, described the area — Firm rock lies on the east side of the Mississippi River for about a mile. The land near the river is high, very broken, very rich, and several plantations have been established.

The Spanish took control of West Florida from the British in 1781. Spain would hold the site until 1791 when a Spanish land grant deeded the site to Thomas Calvit, a prominent territorial Mississippi landholder. As settlements along the Mississippi River grew, so did the importance of the port of Petit Gulf. In 1814, the name of the town was changed to honor Judge Thomas Rodney, the territorial magistrate who presided at the Aaron Burr hearing.

When Mississippi was admitted as a state in 1817, Petit Gulf very nearly became the state’s first capitol, missing out to old Washington, near Natchez, by only three votes. In 1818, the Mississippi Legislature granted a charter of incorporation to the Presbyterian Church. In the beginning, the congregation would meet wherever they could, including at a local barroom

A sketch of Rodney, in 1828, by French naturalist and painter, Charles Lesueur, revealed about 20 buildings leading from the river to the prominent bluff behind the town. That same year, the Town of Rodney was incorporated. By 1830, as river transportation continued to increase, Rodney had grown to a population of about 200, plus numerous area residents in the outlying area. It then sported some 20 stores, a church, a newspaper, and the state’s first opera house.. That same year, nearby Oakland College was established by Dr. Jeremiah Chamberlain. The Presbyterians also began to build their church in Rodney, which still stands today, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The two-story red brick building was dedicated on January 1, 1832. The dedication sermon was preached by Reverend Dr. Jerimiah Chamberlain, founder and president of Oakland College (now Alcorn University). The two-story red brick church was constructed in a Federal architectural style, with stepped-parapets on the gable ends. The church bell was said to have been partially cast with 1,000 Silver dollars that had been donated by church members. Before long, the city was known for its county fairs, a jockey club, a lecture hall, thespian groups, and its own quality schools. On a number of occasions, traveling actors and musicians on the passing steamboats provided entertainment for Rodney residents at the Masonic Hall.