It is well-known that Mississippi John Hurt was from Avalon, Mississippi in Carroll County, and lived there most of his life, but for most people who travel Highway 7 between Grenada and Greenwood, Avalon is just a set of signs on the road, a crossroads, and a historic marker to Hurt. I had passed through the area a number of times, but I finally decided to venture off into what is left of the little town, which wasn’t all that much. But there were signs of a store, a gin, and perhaps a couple of large commercial buildings of some sort, along what appears to have been an older iteration of Highway 7, now closed off and little more than a track through the wilderness. Signs warn that the former town is basically private property, but I succeeded in grabbing some pictures of the place. Supposedly, there is a Mississippi John Hurt Museum in Avalon, but I saw no trace of it. Just some ruins of buildings, tall grass, mud puddles, birds and insects.
His house/museum is east of there, in the foothills–you need to turn right onto Avalon Rd (if you’re headed north on Hwy 7, right across from these buildings) and follow it until it forks right in a big curve, then continue on that road for a bit. You’d need to call the family to arrange a tour. 🙂
You should have checked out his grave. It’s a wild cemetery way up on a gravel road ridge.