Mound Bayou was once known as the Jewel of the Delta - that vast, flat expanse of cotton fields that spread east of Old Man River, the Mississippi. It has a special place in Black American history, the first town established and governed by freed slaves back in the late 19th century. With 9,000 citizens and 50 thriving businesses, including cotton mills, a bank, a public hospital and a newspaper, it became a proud sanctuary and symbol for former slaves in a segregated nation. Today it has a sad, dilapidated look. Most of the businesses have closed, dozens of properties are boarded up, and just 2,000 residents remain. It is the second poorest district in the US. Nearly half live in poverty, there is high unemployment, and the highest teenage pregnancy rate in the country.