Mississippi Trivia & Tidbits - Page 2

Looking for Mississippi trivia? Try our list Mississippi little know facts, tidbits and trivia.

—Established in 1889, the Neshoba County Fair near Philadelphia (pop. 7,303) bills itself as the state’s “Giant House Party” because of its family-reunion atmosphere when fairgoers return each summer to stay in more than 600 individually owned and coveted cabins, plus an RV campground.

first appeared: 2/8/2009

—Headquartered in Meridian (pop. 39,968), Peavey Electronics is one of the largest suppliers of musical instruments and professional sound equipment in the world. Founder Hartley Peavey holds more than 180 patents in musical instrument design and audio technology.

first appeared: 1/11/2009

—People in the Delta region pucker up for an unusual treat of dill pickles marinated in cherry, tropical fruit or strawberry-flavored Kool-Aid. The Kool-Aid pickles are sold at convenience stores and other outlets.

first appeared: 12/29/2008

—In Oxford (pop. 11,756), preservationists have restored the 1870 home of politician Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar, the only Mississippian to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. Lamar is best remembered for his 1874 eulogy of Massachusetts Sen. Charles Sumner, which called for reconciliation between North and South, and was seen as an important step in the nation’s road to recovery following the Civil War.

first appeared: 11/30/2008

—Clark Creek Natural Area near Woodville (pop. 1,192) is an outdoor treasure with some 50 waterfalls highlighting hiking trails on its 700 acres.

first appeared: 11/16/2008

—In 1894, faculty members of Tulane University in New Orleans established Newcomb Pottery, an ambitious program of vocational training for young women artists. Operated until 1940, Newcomb Pottery is highly valued by collectors and art historians.

first appeared: 11/2/2008

—The last performance of Hollywood bombshell actress Jayne Mansfield was at Gus Stevens Supper Club in Biloxi (pop. 50,644) on June 28, 1967. Mansfield died in a car accident the next day.

first appeared: 10/19/2008

—The oldest public library building in the state is the B.S. Ricks Memorial Library, opened in 1901, in Yazoo City (pop. 14,550). The Yazoo Library Association was founded in 1838.

first appeared: 10/5/2008

—Playwright Beth Henley, who wrote the 1981 Pulitzer Prize-winning Crimes of the Heart, was born in 1952 in Jackson. The play was the first drama to be awarded a Pulitzer Prize before going on Broadway.

first appeared: 9/21/2008

—The first school for women chartered by the state Legislature was Elizabeth Female Academy, established in 1818 near Washington.

first appeared: 9/7/2008

—Downtown Lucedale (pop. 2,458) has a back-scratching post. When President Ronald Reagan visited and had an itch, he used the post with serrated sides.

first appeared: 8/24/2008

—Novelist and historian Shelby Foote spent 20 years writing the three-volume, 3,000-page The Civil War: A Narrative. His encyclopedic knowledge of the Civil War made him a celebrity when he appeared on Ken Burns’ 1990 PBS documentary, The Civil War. Foote was born in 1916 in Greenville (pop. 41,633) and died in 2005.

first appeared: 8/10/2008

—Built before 1789, King’s Tavern is believed to be the oldest building in Natchez (pop. 18,464). The building remains in use as a restaurant.

first appeared: 7/27/2008

—Moss Point (pop. 15,851) is located at the convergence of two rivers, the Pascagoula and the Escatawpa, and is a prime feeding, resting and wintering habitat for numerous migratory bird species.

first appeared: 7/13/2008

—The oldest documented industrial building in the state is the Corinth Machinery Building in Corinth (pop. 14,054). The brick factory was built during the Reconstruction Era in 1869.

first appeared: 6/29/2008

—The state has both an official insect, the honeybee, adopted in 1980, and an official butterfly, the spicebush swallowtail, adopted in 1991.

first appeared: 6/15/2008

—C & D Jarnagin Co. in Corinth (pop. 14,054) doesn’t have the latest fashions and goods, but rather clothing styles and accessories worn from 1750 to 1865. The company makes and sells military uniforms and civilian wear, footwear, tinware and other products that are popular with historical re-enactors.

first appeared: 6/1/2008

—The first skyscraper in Jackson was the 1924 Lamar Life Building, which remains a distinctive downtown landmark. The 10-story building was commissioned by bank officer Christian Welty, father of Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Eudora Welty.

first appeared: 5/18/2008

—The father of Methodism in the state is the Rev. Tobias Gibson, who came to Mississippi Territory in 1799 and established many churches. A historical marker is located at his home site in Warren County (pop. 49,644).

first appeared: 5/4/2008

—Built in 1846, Jackson City Hall was one of the few public buildings in Jackson left standing after the Civil War. Local lore has it that Union Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman spared the building because it housed a Masonic Hall and he was a Mason. The more likely story is that the building was saved because it was a hospital.

first appeared: 3/9/2008

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