Hazlehurst and Wesson, Copiah County, Mississippi, 1891
Hazlehurst
Hazlehurst, the seat of justice of Copiah County, is favorably located a little
east of the center of the county and has a population of one thousand five
hundred and fifteen. It is •A station on the Illinois Central railway, has
much business activity and commands a good trade.
There is perhaps no point on the line of the Illinois Central railroad of more
interest to the agricultural and farming communities than Wesson, Miss,
(population two thousand), the point at which the celebrated Mississippi mills
are located. This cotton and woolen manufactory employs a large number of hands,
furnishing not only work for many men and women, but it necessarily creates a
local demand for all kinds of farm produce which is felt in all that section of
country. We quote from an address of Gen. A. M. West, of Holly Springs,
delivered before the international exhibition at Philadelphia, Penn., July 10,
1878, the following concerning the great enterprise at Wesson: "In 1847 Col. J.
M. Wesson, of Georgia, organized a company for manufacturing cotton and woolen
goods, cornmeal and flour, and located in the same year in Mississippi, and
commenced operations in 1848. This enterprise was eminently successful. It
commenced with a capital of 150,000, and within a few years increased the same
to $300,000. It was destroyed by the Federal army in 1864. Colonel Wesson,
encouraged by previous success, located, after the war, in a vast pine forest in
Copiah County, and named the place Wesson, and entered at once upon the erection
.of suitable factory buildings, which he soon furnished with machinery and put
into operation. These mills were destroyed by fire and were then rebuilt by Mr.
E. Richardson." The further history of this great industrial enterprise is given
elsewhere in this volume. Quite a large town is growing up around the mills.
There is a demand for all the goods they can make, and they are unable to keep
up with orders for styles. Large sales are made in the Western states, in New
York, and what is better they have a large local and home patronage; thus
demonstrating that cotton can be more economically manufactured in the immediate
vicinity of its production than elsewhere.
Wesson
The town of Wesson has never had a saloon, deeds for the lots containing a
clause which prohibits forever the sale of intoxicating liquors on them. There
are three white churches, Methodist, Baptist and Presbyterian, all handsome
structures, and one colored church, though the population is made up almost
exclusively of white people, there being not more than a score of Negroes living
within the corporate limits.
The town
is well supplied with water for protection from fire through the public
spirit of the mill company in placing fire plugs at convenient points, the
supply coming through the company's pumps at a creek and reservoir a mile
distant. There are lodges of Masons, Odd Fellows, Knights of Honor and other
like organizations. The banking business of the place is transacted through
the Mississippi mills. The town raised 110,000 bonus and the site to secure
the location of the state female college which, however, went to Columbus,
not-withstanding Wesson was the home of one thousand four hundred young
ladies, drawn thither from various counties by the prospect of employment in
the mills. There is a large and successful free school in session the entire
year, besides several private schools.
Wesson was visited on April 22, 1883, by a cyclone, the most destructive
ever known in the state. Its track was one-fourth of a mile wide and thirty
miles long, sweeping away in its course two towns, Beauregard and Georgetown
Wesson, however, suffering severely. The storm cloud came from the
southwest, at about three o'clock in the afternoon, and with a frightful
roar carried away houses, trees, fences, human beings, and all manner of
debris in indescribable confusion. There were one hundred and ninety persons
wounded and seventy-six killed, while hundreds were left homeless and
destitute. An associate society of Red Cross for Copiah County was formed at
Wesson, and over five hundred and fifty destitute people received aid in
this vicinity, exclusive of aid given by agents of the society along the
track of the storm. The society received and disbursed $7,943, exclusive of
large supplies of food and clothing.
Other towns in this county are Crystal Springs and Beauregard. Crystal
Springs has a population of one thousand one hundred and twenty-five, and is
a flourishing station on the Illinois Central railroad. It is a well built
and handsome place, widely known for its extensive garden truck and
fruit-growing interests. Beauregard, on the same railway line, has a
population of six hundred and three. It was almost totally destroyed by a
cyclone in 1883 and has been only partially rebuilt.
Hazlehurst lodge No. 25, A. F. & A. M., consolidated in 1870 with Gallatin
lodge No. 25, has twenty-six members and D. B. Low is worshipful master.
Quitman lodge, A. F. & A. M., is located at Rockport post office, near Pearl
River, and has twenty- nine members, its worshipful master being M. D. L.
Crawford.
Charles Scott lodge No. 136, A. F. & A. M., is located east of Crystal
Springs. J. M. Wesson lodge No. 317, of Wesson, has sixty-seven members, and
Miles Cannon is worshipful master.
Copiah lodge No. 1422, Knights of Honor, was organized in 1879. Its first
dictator was Judge T. E. Cooper. It now has about sixty-six members and Hon.
Geo. L. Dodds is dictator.
Excelsior lodge No. 365, Knights and Ladies of Honor, of which Capt. J. L.
Ard is protector, has about thirty-five members.
There is a Knights of Pythias lodge in the county known as Copiah lodge No.
60.
Signal Assembly No. 5739 Knights of Labor, has a goodly membership, and
there is a lodge of A. L. of H.
The following lodges are located at Crystal Springs:
Knights of Pythias No. 21, established about 1880, which has about fifty-one
members.
Knights of Honor No. 1420, established about 1879, and has about one hundred
and five members.
At Wesson are Harmony lodge Knights of Honor No. 1851,
Knights and Ladies of Honor lodge,
I. O. O. F. lodge, and a Good Templars lodge.
West Point, the seat of justice of Clay County, on the Illinois Central &
Mobile & Ohio railroads, has a population of twenty-two hundred, and is a
trading point of growing importance. West Point has a fine brick public
school building. Its churches areas follows: Missionary Baptist, Christian,
Methodist, Cumberland Presbyterian, Old School Presbyterian and the
Protestant Episcopal. The Baptists were the first to organize here.
Secret societies are represented thus:
Cannon lodge No. 159, A. F. & A. M., of which Moses Jordan was the first
worshipful master, and J. H. Shipman is the present one, and which has
surrendered its charter twice, and been twice revived;
Star lodge No. 84, I. O. O. F., established January 1869, with W. J. Howell
as noble grand, and of which Tol. Hobbler is present noble grand;
West Point lodge No. 527, Knights of Honor, organized March, 1877, with nine
members, J. H. Shipman first dictator, and now having one hundred and
sixty-one members.
West Point lodge No. 224, Knights and Ladies of Honor, which was organized
January, 1880, with thirty-four members, I. W. Foster first protector, and
now has sixty-one members; Fred Daggett being protector.
Prairie lodge No. 42, Knights of Pythias, which was organized in June, 1885,
with W. E. Motford as chancellor commander
Security lodge No. 254, Knights of the Golden Rule.
Tibbee, Palo Alto and Siloam are several small towns in this county.
Back to: Mississippi Counties, Cities and Towns, 1891
Source: Biographical and Historical Memories of Mississippi, Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1891
