S lve the Mystery Our mystery town, located in Smith County, serves as the home office of Southern Pine Electric Power Association, the town’s biggest employer. Read the clues and make your guess. This town was incorporated in July 9, 1900, when the railroad came through. It was originally known as the Betah community. When the post office from a neighboring town was moved here, town leaders decided to take the name that was on the post office. In its early years, our mystery town was largely agricultural, and timber and cotton were the most important crops. Back then, the town boasted a hotel, several general mercantile businesses, drugstores, a pickle factory and several cotton gins. The town was packed on Saturdays when folks arrived to shop and visit. Today, our mystery town has stores, two banks and a car dealership. The local florist, which has been run by four generations of the same family, draws customers from neighboring towns and cities. Richard’s Hardware is another popular business.
In the industrial park, you will find Georgia Pacific, a wood products manufacturing operation; Solar Hardware, the number-one manufacturer of mailboxes in the world; Warmkraft, which makes military clothing and seasonally makes deer cameras to place in the woods; Automatic Plating, which applies coatings to metal to prevent rust; and Remy, which makes alternators. Our mystery town boasts a weekly newspaper, a public library and police and fire departments. The town has 1,355 citizens, a low crime rate and good schools. A reproduction train depot stands near railroad tracks where trains no longer run. The building serves as a community center. Our mystery town boasts a baseball complex, three walking tracks and two tennis courts. It is planning a bike trail. This town has many historic churches and buildings. The United Methodist Church is the oldest church. The “Old Town Hall” was located in what was once a Baptist Church built in 1930. The present town hall was moved
Mayor Rosalyn Glenn is pictured at the town’s museum.
into a new, modern building across town. One of the oldest homes, approximately 100 years old, houses the Eaton and Martin law firm. The annual Grillin’ and Chillin’ event draws thousands of people on the first Saturday of November, offering arts and crafts, food vendors, entertainment, an antique car show and a barbecue contest.
Famous people from this town include Eric Clark, a former Mississippi secretary of state, Billy Hamilton, who plays center field for the Cincinnati Reds, and Jason Campbell, a quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. Our mystery town has the numberone high school baseball team in the state. The town’s water tower was built in 1939 by Chicago Bridge and Iron Company to replicate the Tin Man’s hat from the Wizard of Oz. A museum showcasing historical artifacts is located in a building built in 1901 to house a newspaper office and a clothing store. The museum displays everything from oldtimey pinball machines to old-fashioned hats, knickers and high-button shoes. You will also find a linotype printing press, antique manual typewriters, paper and twine to wrap parcels, quilts that are over 100 years old and sheet music. The museum is free of charge. Simply call the mayor’s office at (601)785-6532 before planning your trip. The museum was damaged by Hurricane Katrina, and restoration efforts with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History have it back looking good. The Mississippi Municipal League presented the town with its 2012 Municipal Excellence Award for Public Works.
Name our mystery town.
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MISSISSIPPI FARM COUNTRY
JANUARY/FEBRUARY
JANUARY/FEBRUARY
MISSISSIPPI FARM COUNTRY
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