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Local History
The Newsletter of the Federation of Mississippi Historical Societies
Volume 5, Issue 1
Spring 2008
From the Outgoing Chair—Betsey Hamilton
It has been my
pleasure to serve
as chairman of the
Federation of Mississippi Historical
Societies for the
past two years.
As always when trying to make
an organization more viable, new
things are tried and tested. Sometimes things work; sometimes they
don’t.
The federation advisory committee began meeting quarterly in
order to better serve member soci-
From the
Incoming Chair—
Paul Cartwright
I look forward to being your chairman for
the next two years. As
an active county archives person, librarian, and local historical society member in
Yazoo City, I salute all of those in
our state who strive to preserve the
past through artifacts and printed
matter.
We look forward to planning
regional workshops this year and
hope that you will let us know the
needs of your society and its member so that we may help.
eties. Regional workshops have
proven quite successful and with
your input and participation they
will continue to be so. However,
still elusive is that magic formula for a well-attended annual
meeting. This year’s meeting
on April 19 was planned so that
members could network and
learn more about MDAH, local government records, disaster
planning, and a number of other
issues. Regrettably, registration
just did not warrant the expense.
Perhaps with input from mem-
bers we can plan a successful
annual meeting.
At its March meeting, the
advisory committee adopted
several new initiatives. Your
incoming chairman, Paul Cartwright, is committed to unifying
local societies and furthering the
federation’s objectives. I know
he will do an outstanding job.
As we strive to strengthen our
local organizations, we encourage you to take advantage of all
that the federation offers so that
2008 will be our best year ever!
2008 Advisory Committee Members
Paul Cartwright, Yazoo City, chairman
Ann Simmons, Columbia, vice chairman
Ron Miller, Natchez, secretary
Jan Anglin, Iuka
Renee Gautier-Hague, Pascagoula
Mary Green, Starkville
Mary Collins Landin, Utica
Joyce Dixon-Lawson, Jackson
Cheryl Munyer, Natchez
Barnett Taylor, Jackson
Richard Taylor, Tunica
Carol West, Jackson
Ex-officio
Katie Blount, Department of Archives and History
Tracy Carr Seabold, Mississippi Library Commission
Gail Tomlinson, Mississippi Historical Society
Cindy Gardner, MDAH liason
Local History is published three times a year by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and the Mississippi Historical Society.
Editor: Cindy Gardner, Museum Division, P.O. Box 571, Jackson, MS 39205, 601-576-6901, [email protected]
Frank E. Everett, Jr. Award Recipient
Congratulations to the Tishomingo County Historical and Genealogical Society for receiving
the Mississippi Historical Society’s Frank E. Everett, Jr. Award for outstanding contributions to
the preservation and interpretation of Mississippi
history. The society provided the following report of its activities:
The Tishomingo County Historical and Genealogical Society has served as the repository of the
county’s history for more than twelve years. The
society has always believed in an ethic of service
and civic responsibility that includes promoting the common good of its citizens. In October
2003 the society transferred its holdings to the
historic Tishomingo County courthouse and established the Tishomingo County Archives and
History Museum there as part of an effort to save
the courthouse and its contents from destruction
and promote its restoration and the preservation
of history.
The two-story brick courthouse remains much
as it was in 1889 and offers a fascinating visit
to the past. Once the center of county government and a popular
destination for lovebirds seeking to tie
the knot, the historic
Tishomingo County courthouse now
boasts a well-rounded
collection of interesting exhibits, including Native American
artifacts,
military
memorabilia from the
Native American exhibit
Battle of Iuka, local
industry memorabilia, and period furnishings
such as former Governor John Marshall Stone’s
private desk.
Temporary exhibits focus on such area attractions as the World Famous Mineral Springs
Water and the Mineral Springs Hotel. A photographic display of past county and city officials
runs along the walls throughout both floors. The
second-floor courtroom is like a scene from an
old photograph or movie, with large windows
overlooking the nearby railroad track, magnolias,
and the old Front Street buildings. Local artists
have created beautiful works of art depicting the
county and its historic communities. Volunteers
and staff strive to preserve the past for the future.
(From left) Museum director Jan Anglin, Earnest E. Lacey, and
TCHGS president RaNae Vaughn at a Black History Month
program.
The society’s John Marshall Stone Research
Library is housed in the courthouse annex and
provides a strong collection of historical and genealogical information directly related to Tishomingo County. It serves as the archival depository
for the Tishomingo County Archives and History
Museum.
The society has worked with the Tishomingo
County High School to develop curriculum for a
new class based on local history. A vibrant group
of Tishomingo countians volunteer their time and
talents to develop programs for school children,
local clubs and churches, and adults. These volunteers are helping to foster a culture of service,
citizenship, and responsibility for generations to
come.
One of the nation’s fastest-growing hobbies
is genealogy, and recent activities include celebrating National Hobby Month in January with
genealogical research and scrapbooking. Black
History Month was celebrated in February with
a genealogy workshop, “African American Research,” presented by Earnest E. Lacey. The
society’s second annual Family History Fair is
scheduled for May 31, and the children’s Camp
Courthouse events are held each June and July.
In September of each year the museum celebrates
an annual Heritage Day in Iuka. Each December
an annual Christmas at the Courthouse celebration is planned in conjunction with Iuka’s Christmas Parade.
Other events are scheduled throughout the
year as volunteers and time permit, such as Flag
Day and Constitution Day celebrations, readings
from local and Mississippi authors, and trial reenactments in the historic courtroom. At one time
Tishomingo county was referred to as “the marriage capital of the South,” and wedding reunion
events featuring re-commitment ceremonies are
often scheduled. The society also participated in
the centennial celebration for the City of Holcut
a few months ago.
TCHGS has published several history books
in an effort to preserve the rich history of a county once referred to as the State of Tishomingo.
The society’s gift shop, the Woodall Mountain
Market, carries those items as well as postcards,
reproduction arrowheads, pictures, handmade
items, and memorabilia from across the county.
The Tishomingo County Historical and Genealogical Society meets quarterly. Members
receive the society bulletin, Chronicles & Epitaphs at the Courthouse, published four times a
year. Located at 203 East Quitman Street near
the Mineral Springs Park in Iuka, Mississippi,
the Tishomingo Archives and History Museum
is open Wednesday–Friday 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
and Saturday 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
For more information call 662-423-3500 or
email [email protected].
A Look Around the State
The Amite County Historical
and Genealogical Society will
host a local version of “Antiques
Road Show” following the society’s June 14 meeting. Several
regional antiques dealers are
expected to be present and efforts are being made to have at
least one nationally recognized
dealer available.
The program will begin at
11 a.m. in the conference room
of the Liberty Library. Members
will be allowed the first opportunity to talk with the dealers.
Appraisals will be limited to one
per non-member. All appraisals will take place in the library
so all antiques should be small
enough to be carried by one person (no large furniture). Each
person is responsible for the security of items brought into the
library. For more information
visit www.achgs.org.
ACHGS has obtained a second printing of the two volume
reproduction of the WPA history of the county. The price
remains $125 per set (volumes
are not sold singly) but postage
has increased to $10 per set. For
more information or an order
form visit www.achgs.org.
•••
media, and photography. Cash
prizes totaling $3,950 include
three purchase awards, which
helps Cottonlandia enhance its
collection of Mississippi artwork. The juror for the show is
Leslie Luebbers, director, Art
Museum of the University of
Memphis.
The Emmett Till Traveling
Exhibit is on loan from Delta
State University and focuses on
the story of Emmett Till and the
trial of those accused in his mur-
The Cottonlandia Museum
will have two upcoming
exhibits, the “22nd Biennial Juried Fine Arts
Competition” and the
“Emmett Till Traveling
Exhibit.”
The Fine Arts Competition, May 4–June 27,
is open to all artists who
were born in or currently Students learning to play stickball during a Native
live in Mississippi. It fea- American class last summer at Cottonlandia.
tures oils, pastels, pencil draw- der. The exhibit will run July
ings, sculpture, glass, mixed 3–31 (with a possible extension
into August).
Cottonlandia will resume
its popular Summer Discovery
Program in June and July. Over
fifty classes will be offered to
students ages 5-12, including
dinosaurs, bubbles, Civil War,
rainforests, and much more!
The museum will also have two
outreach programs in place—
mini-classes at Greenwood’s
Community Kitchen, which offer free scaled-down versions
of Summer Discovery to lowincome children, and a Library
Outreach program that will focus on insects.
Executive director Robin
Person is leaving Cottonlandia
to become the new director of
Historic Jefferson College in
Washington, Mississippi. She
encourages anyone with a strong
museum background to apply to
be the new director at Cottonlandia. For more information, call
her at 662-453-0925 or email
[email protected].
•••
The Jackson County Genealogical Society and the Jackson
County Historical Society will
soon merge to better meet the
needs of the community. The
group is collecting names of veterans who have lived in Jackson
County from the Revolutionary
War to Vietnam for the upcoming book Military Veterans of
Jackson County, Mississippi, to
be edited by Roger Hansen. For
more information contact Else
Martin at [email protected] or 228-588-2849.
•••
The Mississippi Coast Historical and Genealogical Society and the City of Biloxi
were sponsors of the 18th Annual Mississippi Coast History
Week February 10–16, which
was held at the newly renovated
Biloxi Community Center. History Week featured three days of
history with reenactors dressed
in eighteenth-century French
attire. More than 700 people
viewed the exhibits from the
Maritime & Seafood Industry
Museum, the George Ohr Museum, Beauvoir, and the Biloxi
Library.
This year the Hancock
County Historical Society,
D’Iberville Historical Society,
Pass Christian Historical Society, Long Beach Historical Society, and Handsboro Historical Society joined the MCHGS
in History Week celebrations.
To commemorate the 309th
anniversary of the landing of
Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville on
the Gulf Coast, the Most Reverend Thomas J. Rodi, Bishop
of the Biloxi Catholic Dioceses,
celebrated Mass with a capacity
attendance.
The society, the City of
Biloxi, and the Biloxi Library
sponsored the annual history art
contest for Biloxi students in
grades 1–4. The winning entries
were displayed in the lobby of
city hall. For more information
contact Mary Lousie Adkinson
at [email protected].
•••
The Noxubee County Historical Society has completed a
quarter-million dollar restoration of a historic building that
will serve as offices for the
group as well as for Main Street
Macon and as the Macon Welcome Center. The Jefferson
Street building was constructed
by the Pure Oil Company in
1949 and continuously operated as a service station into the
1980s. Following its closure the
building was intermittently occupied and was rapidly becoming an eyesore.
The society acquired the
building in 2005 for $55,000
Image of building before restoration
upon the initiative of longtime
society president E.G. Flora, Jr.,
who was largely responsible for
raising the funds to restore the
building and overseeing the daily progress. Main Street Macon
manager Diane Evans worked
closely with Flora to coordinate the work on the property. A
grant from Main Street Macon
was used to hire architect Sam
Kaye, a partner in the firm Luke
and Kaye.
The former service bay, referred to as a “Lubridome”
by the Pure Oil Company, is
now fronted with windows and
serves as office space and a conference room. The original brick
half wall dividing the bay was
retained during the restoration.
The reception area of the station
has been converted to meeting
and display space. The Noxubee County Historical Society is
moving the exhibit “Coming to
Town” from its museum in Ma-
con to the station. This exhibit
will include items that a visitor to
Macon might have seen around
the turn of the century including a section of an old post office, several nineteenth-century
display cases containing period
goods, a vintage cash register,
and period store
signage
from
Jefferson Street.
This exhibit fits
well with Main
Street’s mission
of
promoting
downtown Macon, and will be
the first of several exhibits that
will be rotated
through the space.
The society has an incredible
collection of historical artifacts,
all of which are located on the
second floor of the War Memorial Building in a museum that
is almost inaccessible and rarely
open to the public. The rotation
of exhibits through the newly
restored Pure Oil
Building will be
an attraction for
downtown Macon
and will result
in publicity and
recognition for
the society and
for Main Street
Macon as well as
increased traffic
through
down- ... and after.
town businesses.
The Pure Oil Company was
one of the first national oil companies to seek a brand identity
for its service stations through
uniformity of building design
beginning in 1925. Pure Oil
Company hired prominent architect C.A. Peterson to create
an appropriate design for its stations that would harmonize with
the residential neighborhoods
targeted by the firm for station
construction. Marketing studies
conducted at the time indicated
that “many people in discriminating neighborhoods objected
to a service station nearby.”
Peterson’s design for Pure Oil,
reminiscent of an English cottage and updated through the
years, was employed by the firm
in the construction of its stations
from 1925 until it was abandoned in the 1950s.
Peterson’s original design for
Pure Oil’s stations employed
steeply pitched roofs of blue
tile, varied windows, gables,
relatively small scale, chimneys,
and brick construction to give
the building a residential feel.
The design was an attempt to
break the stereotype of the service station as an eyesore and to
make it an acceptable part of the
streetscape. In its original configuration, service work was to
be performed behind the cottage
which only contained an office.
This design was later modified
to include service bays accessible from the street. With its
white walls and blue roof, the
Pure Oil Station became a nationally known corporate symbol and trademark. The Pure Oil
Company was the first American corporation to utilize architecture as a means of advertising
to appeal to the upscale driver
of the increasingly popular automobile.
The design of the Macon Pure
Oil building is the last iteration
of the English cottage station,
modernized for the post–World
War II era. This design retains
the trademark white painted
brick walls and blue tile roof, but
the chimney is less pronounced,
and the street facing windows
are now larger and more commercial in appearance, providing display space for Pure Oil
automotive products.
For more information contact
Anderson Thomas at [email protected].
•••
The Oxford Lafayette County Heritage Foundation has
been presented with the Mississippi Heritage Trust’s Trustees’ Award for Organizational
Achievement and the Award for
Excellence in African American
Preservation (along with Susie Marshall). MHT held their
annual meeting at the L.Q.C.
Lamar house April 10–11. The
first event was the delisting of
the house from the “most endangered historic sites in the state”
list. The Lamar House will be
dedicated in a public ceremony
on June 8 at 4 p.m. that will feature remarks by Senator Thad
Cochran.
On April 30 the Overby Center in Farley Hall on the Ole
Miss campus will have a public
program on L.Q.C. Lamar. Historians will discuss Lamar’s role
in the political life of the nineteenth century and student Evan
McCarley will perform excerpts
from Lamar’s major orations.
In January the foundation
began another big project, the
reconstruction of the Burns
Belfry House. The first phase—
securing the walls and installing
a new roof—is expected to be
completed in June. Fundraising
continues for the second phase.
In a recent session at a meeting in Oxford on preservation,
architect Tom Howorth described OLCHF as “fearless and
entrepreneurial”—they will try
to live up to that! For more information contact Liz Shiver at
[email protected].
•••
The Pearl River County Historical Society has grown from
a dozen members at the beginning of the year to nearly sixty
members, and holds a goal of
one hundred members by year’s
end. They publish a newsletter
and hold interesting monthly
programs where they feature lo-
cal history. Upcoming programs
include the Picayune Carver
Culture Museum in April, the
history of Picayune sports in
May, Pearl River Community
College’s plans for their Centennial in June, and a history of
ghost towns in July.
On March 31, Brig. Gen.
John H. Napier, author of Lower Pearl River’s Piney Woods,
donated the valedictorian certificate of Lena Mae Tate—his
mother—from the first graduating class of Picayune High
School in 1912, to the Picayune
School District. The general’s
father later became superintendent of Picayune Schools.
The Pearl River County Historical Society meets at 6 p.m.
on the third Monday of the
month at the Crosby Library,
and welcome all to come and
visit. For more information contact Don Wicks at 601-799-1287
or [email protected].
•••
Melody Golding’s photo exhibit
“Katrina: Mississippi Women Remember” is on display
through May 23 at the Tunica
Museum. From June 2 to July
31 the museum will house the
traveling exhibit “NASA Space
Exploration” in partnership with
the Marshall Space Flight Center
and Stennis Space Center. For
more information contact Darlene Griffith at 662-363-6631 or
[email protected].
Mississippi’s State Historical
Share your accomplishments in Local History—send your news for the next
issue to Cindy Gardner at [email protected] by June 15!
SHRAB Sponsors Grant Writing Workshop
Records Advisory Board will hold a free grants
workshop for small and medium-sized historical
repositories and libraries with historical collections. Topics to be discussed are grant writing
procedures, national and state funding programs,
granting agency Web sites—Grants.gov, Central
Contractor Registry, and Operational Research
Consultants Web sites, project management, and
resource materials.
The workshop is set for June 5 at the William
F. Winter Archives and History Building in Jack-
son and will feature speakers from MDAH, the
Mississippi Humanities Council, and the
Mississippi State Historical
University of SouthRecords Advisory Board
ern Mississippi.
Both the workshop and lunch are free. Due
to limited space no more than two participants
per organization can be accepted. Registration
deadline is May 30. For more information contact Forrest Galey at 601-576-6872 or fgaley@
mdah.state.ms.us.
MSHRAB
GRANT WORKSHOP
REGISTRATION FORM
June 5, 2008
10am–3:30pm
William F. Winter Archives and History Building
200 North Street, Jackson
601-576-6872
(Please print)
Name _____________________________________________________________________
Title _____________________________________________________________________
Organization _______________________________________________________________
Address
_______________________________________________________________
City _____________________________________________________________________
State / Zip _______________________________________________________________
Phone_____________________________________________________________________
E-Mail
_______________________________________________________________
A box lunch will be provided. Do you have any special dietary requirements? ____________
__________________________________________________________________________
Completed registration forms must be received by May 30. FAX to 601-576-6899 or mail to
Grants Workshop
Mississippi Department of Archives and History
Archives and Records Services Division
P.O. Box 571
Jackson, MS 39205-0571