Mississippi Trivia & Tidbits - Page 4

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

—An abandoned railway bed has been converted into the paved and popular Longleaf Trace, a 41-mile trail between Hattiesburg (pop. 44,779) and Prentiss (pop. 1,158) for pedestrians, bicyclists and horseback riders.

first appeared: 5/6/2007

—The state’s most popular baby names for girls in 2005 were Madison, Emma, Anna, Emily and Hannah, respectively. The top five boys’ names were William, James, John, Christopher and Jacob, according to the Social Security Administration.

first appeared: 4/22/2007

—During World War II, the state was the site of four prisoner-of-war base camps: Camp Clinton in Clinton (pop. 23,347); Camp McCain in Grenada County (pop. 23,263); Camp Como in Como (pop. 1,310); and Camp Shelby near Hattiesburg (pop. 44,779). NORTH

first appeared: 4/8/2007

—Known as the home of the fried dill pickle, Hollywood Café in Robinsonville, which originally opened in nearby Hollywood in 1969, claims to have created the Southern delicacy when a cook battered sliced pickles and fried them to feed hungry guests.

first appeared: 3/25/2007

—Thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts from across the United States roar into Sturgis (pop. 206) each August for the Sturgis South Motorcycle Rally, begun in 1997.

first appeared: 3/11/2007

—Following a $25 million renovation, the curtain rose last September on the Mississippi State University Riley Center in downtown Meridian (pop. 39,968). The education and performing arts center incorporates the 1890 Grand Opera House and Marks Rothenberg department store.

first appeared: 2/11/2007

—The official supplier of NASA’s space shuttle toilet seats is Sanderson Plumbing Products in Columbus (pop. 25,944), formerly Beneke Corp.

first appeared: 1/28/2007

Fossils of ancient shark still can be found at W.M. Browning Cretaceous Fossil Park near Booneville (pop. 8,625). The park overlooks a stretch of Twenty Mile Creek at Frankstown where an abundance of vertebrate fossils were uncovered during highway construction.

first appeared: 1/14/2007

—Talk show host Oprah Winfrey returned to her hometown of Kosciusko (pop. 7,372) in September to dedicate the Boys and Girls Club of Kosciusko and Attala County. She donated more than $4 million for the project.

first appeared: 12/17/2006

—After starring in dozens of movies, award-winning actor Morgan Freeman is one of Clarksdale’s biggest boosters. Freeman was born in Memphis, Tenn., but raised in the Mississippi Delta. He is co-owner of the Madidi restaurant and the Ground Zero blues club, both in Clarksdale (pop. 20,645).

first appeared: 12/3/2006

—In 1979, the Rev. H.D. Dennis of Vicksburg (pop. 26,407) vowed to Margaret Rogers that if she married him, he’d transform her humble store, Margaret’s Grocery Store, into a palace. He built castle-like pillars and archways with painted cinder blocks and added folk art displays inside and out.

first appeared: 11/19/2006

—People who travel to Merigold (pop. 664) often are looking for artists Lee and Pup McCarty. The couple has been transforming local clay into prize-winning pots and vessels at “The Barn” studio since 1954.

first appeared: 11/5/2006

—Since 1945, Club Ebony in Indianola (pop. 12,066) has been a favorite gathering spot for bluesmen, including Howlin’ Wolf, Ray Charles, Ike Turner and B.B. King.

first appeared: 10/22/2006

—Since 1948, freshwater and saltwater fishermen of all ages have competed in the Mississippi Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo each July in Gulfport (pop. 71,127). Displaying the variety of catches—from snapper to sharks—is part of the fun, along with competing for prizes worth $50,000.

first appeared: 10/8/2006

In 1949, the Merci Train arrived from France with 49 boxcars—one for each state and one shared by the District of Columbia and Territory of Hawaii—loaded with gifts of appreciation to America for the food and supplies sent to the war-torn country after World War II. The Mississippi Merci Boxcar is on the Old Capitol Museum grounds in Jackson.

first appeared: 9/24/2006

Kelsie Buckley, 11, of Morton (pop. 3,482), has lost most of her eyesight from an eye disease, but loves books and raised $70,000 for libraries devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The generous young girl lost her own home to last year's destructive hurricane.

first appeared: 9/10/2006

To foster "careful and prayerful driving," the Rev. Gregory Bezy of Walls founded the Sacred Heart Auto League in 1955. To promote prayerful driving, the league created the plastic statuette affectionately called "the dashboard Jesus."

first appeared: 8/27/2006

The late Pulitzer Prize-winning author Eudora Welty's home in Jackson opened in the spring as a literary house museum with details intact: books and art in abundance and her electric typewriter on the writing desk beneath a bedroom window.

first appeared: 8/13/2006

Dr. Katrina Poe of Kilmichael (pop. 830) was named 2005 Country Doctor of the Year by Staff Care, a Texas medical staffing firm. The doctor sees 250 to 300 patients each week while making house calls and visiting hospitals and nursing homes.

first appeared: 7/30/2006

The Victorian home where the South's beloved playwright, Thomas Lanier (Tennessee) Williams, was born in 1911 now serves as the Mississippi Welcome Center for Columbus (pop. 25,944) and Lowndes County.

first appeared: 7/16/2006

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