Gillsburg, also spelled as Gillsburgh, is an
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
in
Amite County, Mississippi
Amite County is a county located in the state of Mississippi on its southern border with Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,720. Its county seat is Liberty. The county is named after the Amite River, which runs through ...
, United States.
The community is part of the
McComb, Mississippi
McComb is a city in Pike County, Mississippi, United States. The city is approximately south of Jackson. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 12,790. It is the principal city of the McComb, Mississippi Micropolitan Statist ...
Micropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Gillsburg was the location of the October 20, 1977 plane crash that killed three members of the band
Lynyrd Skynyrd. A rental plane carrying the band between shows from
Greenville, South Carolina, to
LSU
Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...
in
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana's most populous parish—the equivalent of counties ...
, was low on fuel and
crashed in a swamp in Gillsburg. The crash killed singer/songwriter
Ronnie Van Zant
Ronald Wayne Van Zant (January 15, 1948 – October 20, 1977) was an American singer, best known as the original lead vocalist, primary lyricist and a founding member of the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. He is the older brother of current ...
, guitarist
Steve Gaines, vocalist
Cassie Gaines
Cassie LaRue Gaines (January 9, 1948 – October 20, 1977) was an American singer, best known for her work with Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Biography
Gaines was invited by JoJo Billingsley and Ronnie Van Zant to join Lynyrd Skynyrd as a ...
, 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
A wall is a structure and a surface that defines an area; carries a load; provides security, shelter, or soundproofing; or, is decorative. There are many kinds of walls, including:
* Walls in buildings that form a fundamental part of the sup ...
family, one of the last black families to be held in
peonage in the United States.
A post office operated under the name Gillsburgh from 1879 to 1892 and under the name Gillsburg from 1892 to 1915.
Notable persons
*
Drury Wall, member of the
Mississippi House of Representatives from 1916 to 1920
*
Frank Wall, member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1952 to 1960
References
Unincorporated communities in Amite County, Mississippi
Unincorporated communities in Mississippi
McComb micropolitan area
{{AmiteCountyMS-geo-stub