Columbia has a new disc golf course at the Columbia Water Park!  The course is called “Pearl River Landing” and the first tournament, the “Pearl River Rundown,” will be held there on October 15, 2011.  For those not familiar with disc golf, it is a rapidly growing sport that is played much like regular golf, except with flying discs (also known as “Frisbees”.)

The course is a professional quality 18 hole – par 60 disc golf course that was designed by PDGA Pro disc golfer Tony Bass, and features baskets by Innova and a variety of challenges throughout the park.  Pros and amateurs from around the state and beyond will be coming to Columbia to compete in the tournament.

The Pearl River Landing disc golf course will provide both locals and visitors with a healthy and affordable activity for all ages, and will attract players from around the world to our town.  The course is open to the public, and there is no charge to play the course.  The only cost to play is the purchase of your discs and nominal entry fees if you want to participate in a disc golf tournament like the Pearl River Rundown.

The Pearl River Disc Golf Club (PRDGC) is a local disc golf club that has been formed to promote our new course and the sport of disc golf in our area.  You can watch videos to learn more about the sport and visit the Pearl River Disc Golf Club’s website by clicking here.

The vocal talent competition was fierce in Columbia, MS on Friday, August 5, 2011, when WJDR Radio hosted their 26th Annual Texaco Country Showdown at the Sandbar Lounge.  Emcees Steve Mercier and Josh Anthony presented the lineup of the top eight performers from previous stages of the competition.

Zac Craven Performs

The judges of the Country Showdown included Roy Adcox, from Bogalusa, who is closely associated with Studio in the Country and has helped produce music for Stevie Wonder, “Dirty Dancing,” Willie Nelson, and many others.  Another judge, Sherri Marengo, who started her radio career at WFOR in Hattiesburg in 1979 and became a news anchor at WDAM in the 80′s, does a live morning show on Eagle 99, a midday show on SL-100, and a rock show on Sundays at noon on 103.7 WFFX.  The third judge was Donna Alonzo, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Washington Parish and Chairman of the Entertainment Committee of the Washington Parish Free Fair in Franklinton, LA.

Some of the contestants of the Country Showdown included: Zach Foreman from Laurel, Chloe Curtis from Madison, Austin Davis from Monticello, Laken Hanna and Victoria Brewer from Petal, Janie Carney from Foxworth, and Reginald Kyzar from Jayess.  The winner of the singing competition was Zac Craven from Hattiesburg, who played guitar and sang his original music.  Some Columbia residents may remember Zac performing at the BAWI Fest on Main Street last November.

Zac Craven will advance to the state contest held in Jackson at the Mississippi State Fair, October 14th and will compete for the state title, $1000 in prize money and the opportunity to advance to one of five regional competitions this fall.  Regional winners will receive an expense paid trip to the 30th nationally televised final where the grand prize of $100,000, and the coveted national title are at stake.

Top Contestants in the Country Showdown

The horn player Nathanael Minor is a member of the Gulf Coast and Meridian symphony orchestras and a former member of the American Wind Symphony. He is a senior at the University of Southern Mississippi obtaining a Bachelor of Music degree in horn performance.

Buck McDaniel holds the position as collaborative pianist with the University of Southern Mississippi Choral Department, as well as Staff Chorister at St. John’s Episcopal Church of Laurel, Mississippi.  He is currently obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music History & Literature at USM.

 
The Beach Party is back!  Come out to cool off from the summer heat at the Beach Party on Main Street in downtown Columbia, Mississippi on August 12, 2011 at 6:30PM.  There will be music, games, children’s activities and much more.  Presented by Main Street Columbia, Inc. the Beach Party is always popular with kids and adults alike, as Main Street is transformed into a temporary, man-made beach.

There will be activities for all ages including a dunking booth, pie throwing, a cake walk, giant water slides, and inflatable jumpers.  Compete in the Hula Hoop contest, the Limbo contest, Guess the Number of Bubble Gum contest, and more.  Snacks and refreshments will be available, such as hot dogs, drinks, and snow cones.

Wear your swimsuit, bring a towel, and come on downtown for the fun.  There will be a $2 donation.  Call Main Street Columbia at 601-441-1789 for more information

Some really cool people braved the really hot weather (100 degrees plus) to come enjoy the first annual Mississippi Blackberry Festival in Columbia, MS this Fourth of July weekend.  Although the blackberries were scarce this year, because of the extremely dry season, there were blackberry dishes all over town.  Many of the local restaurants participated by offering some tasty options.  The Round Table had blackberry pie and cobbler, Broad Street Restaurant had blackberry cheesecake, Second Street Bean offered a flight of blackberry desserts, 2 Brothers Grill catered blackberry muffins to the park, and Back Door Cafe created an entire menu around the blackberry wine they provided for the wine tasting event.

The weekend’s events kicked off on Friday at the Columbia Country Club with the Blackberry Scramble Golf Tournament and then moved to the City Park, where JT from SuperTalk Mississippi was broadcasting his live radio show all over the state.  He interviewed a variety of locals including business and community leaders, as they discussed topics ranging from our Bicentennial celebrations and our interesting history to our white squirrels and Pearl River airboat.  There were lots of crafts booths, good food, kid’s activities, and some amazing local talent at the Talent Show.  Columbia resident, Merika Duncan, was crowned as the first Mississippi Blackberry Queen. Doug Duncan and the Yeller Dog Band took the stage and entertained guests as they browsed the booths and displays.  Later in the evening, the Improve Baptist Church Choir performed a patriotic cantata and the Friends of the Library provided hot dogs and ice cream for their Ice Cream Social.

On Saturday morning, there were twice as many booths (over 50) on display in the park and political speeches presented by ten statewide political candidates for offices such as Governor, Lt. Governor, State Senate, Agricultural Commissioner, and Transportation Commissioner.  Kids jumped on the SpaceWalk, rode on the Trackless Train, viewed the Sprint Cars and Airboat, and played games while enjoying snowballs and popsicles to keep them cool.  The band “Ramble On” rocked the stage with special guest performances by Madison Cook and the Mississippi Blackberry Queen Merika Duncan.  Prize drawings were held and the winners included Kathy Herrin, who won the gift basket provided by Vintage Moon, and Tom Griffith, who won the acoustic guitar autographed by Colt Ford and his entire band.

Later that day, the festivities moved to downtown on Main Street, where there were classic cars on display and Doug Duncan and his band were performing live.  Artwistic Revolution art gallery was open and the Second Street Bean provided a cool respite from the heat and a variety of blackberry desserts.  The blackberry wine tasting event, with a delicious, complimentary menu prepared by Back Door Cafe, started at six that evening.  A surprise flash mob dance appeared on Main Street and danced in the street before the Painted Chairs Auction.  There were about a dozen incredible art chairs, on the sidewalk along Main Street, that were provided by local artists for the Painted Chairs Auction to benefit the Columbia Trolley Association.  Local auctioneer Jennings Gilmore from Columbia Auction Company auctioned off the chairs and some of the participants made their way into the Back Door for dinner.

This was the first Mississippi Blackberry Festival, and it provided some good summer fun and entertainment, but it also provided a great opportunity to publicize and promote our town to the entire state and beyond.  Next year’s festival will, hopefully, be even bigger and better, and maybe the weather and blackberry crops will be more cooperative.  Special thanks to the Trolley Association, MCDP, Main Street Columbia, Friends of the Library, the Marion County Historical Society, S&S Audio, and all of the businesses, restaurants, vendors, artists, and performers who made this event possible.

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Main Street Columbia Inc. is brainstorming for new ideas to improve downtown Columbia, and is asking for your suggestions.  They have provided a survey to help gather ideas from anyone willing to submit them.  Some of the suggestions asked for in the survey are: how to increase foot traffic in the downtown area, how to improve the attractiveness of downtown Columbia, goals for the near future, and why should customers shop downtown, among others.

On Tuesday, June 21st, 2011, there was a brainstorming session at 6:00 pm at the Church on Main to review the submitted ideas.  Some of the submitted ideas that were discussed included: increasing advertising efforts, improving signage, assistance and incentives for local businesses, renovation of buildings, a downtown trolley, the creation of more special events, the development of more living facilities in downtown, the need for nightlife in town, installation of more decorative lampposts, addition of historical interpretive markers, restoration of the theatre, adding art to the landscapes and buildings, marketing our town to filmmakers, and many more excellent ideas for improving business on Main Street and in downtown Columbia.

There will be another meeting in August, if you would like to participate.  If you have any ideas you would like to share, please contact Main Street Columbia, Inc. at 601-736-5034.

Click here for the survey form

The Year 1811 and the Birth of Marion County

By Chris Watts, Marion County Museum and Archives

Our home county of Marion was officially created on Monday, December 9, 1811, and is one of several U.S. counties with the distinction of being named for General Francis Marion, a hero of the American Revolution highly esteemed by South Carolinians who would eventually settle in South Mississippi. 

The world in which we live was a far different place two hundred years ago and it is fascinating to consider some other events that were occurring simultaneously.  For instance, in 1811 Napoleon Bonaparte was the dominate force in European politics.  Both composer Franz Liszt and novelist Harriet Beecher Stowe were born that same year. Slave uprisings were a stark reality among some Louisiana parishes while Percy Bysshe Shelley’s famous treatise; “The Necessity of Atheism” was printed.  Also in 1811 the great Ludwig van Beethoven was busily composing some of his finest symphonies. James Madison was serving as the president of a United States less than a year away from a war declaration against Great Britain.  In fact, not only were American and English sabres rattling at each another in 1811, the Creek nation to the east of Marion County was becoming more hostile towards encroaching whites.  Not surprisingly, only a year and a half later, five hundred settlers would be massacred by the Creeks at Fort Mims in the Mississippi Territory [in modern Alabama].

In the acts passed at the first session of the seventh general assembly of the Mississippi Territory, held at the Territorial Capital of Washington [near Natchez, Mississippi], one finds the printed words that literally gave life to Marion County, giving us a unique glimpse into the birth of our county.
    

Sec. 3.  And be it further enacted, That all that tract of country within the following boundaries, to wit:  Beginning on the line of demarkation, where the fourth range of townships east of Pearl river intersects the said line, thence west with said line of demarkation to the sixty mile post, east of the Mississippi, being the first range of townships, west of Tansopiho, thence north on said line of townships to the Chaktaw boundary line, thence along said Chaktaw boundary line, to the fourth range of townships, east of Pearl river, thence with said range to the beginning, shall constitute a county, which shall be called MARION.
 

Sec.  4 And that John Ford, George Henry Nixon, William Whitehead, Stephen [?]oble, and John Graves be, and hereby are appointed commissioners for Marion county; with power and authority to fix and establish the permanent seat of justice within their several counties; and in case of division of board of commissioners, a majority shall rule.
 

Sec. 5.  And be it further enacted, That the county courts of [Marion] be, and are hereby authorized, to levy a tax in their respective counties, for the years eighteen hundred and twelve and thirteen, for the purpose of erecting a courthouse and jail in each of the aforesaid counties:  Provided, The sum, so collected, does not exceed one half of the amount of the territorial tax.
 

Sec. 6.  And be it further enacted, That the tax levied, as aforesaid, shall be on the same species of property, as are subject to the territorial tax, and be payable only in gold and silver coins, made current by the laws of the United States, which tax shall be collected at the same time, by the same person, and paid over to the county treasurer at the same time, that collectors pay the territorial tax into the treasury.
 

Sec. 7.  And be it further enacted, That the tax collectors shall receive for collecting, as aforesaid, two and half per centum, on all monies so collected and paid into the county treasury; and on failure of any of the collectors aforesaid, the county courts of the aforesaid counties respectively, shall have the same remedy against such delinquent collector, as is by law given to the auditor of public accounts.
 

Sec. 8.  And be it further enacted, That the commissioners appointed by this act to fix the permanent seat of justice for Marion county, shall be bound, to fix the same on the west side of Pearl river, and within township number three.
 

Sec. 9.  And be it further enacted, That until commissioners for fixing the seat of justice within the counties aforesaid, do fix on the same, the courts of said counties shall be held at the following places and in the county of Marion, at the house of Ransom Oneal:  and so soon as the commissioners within any of the counties aforesaid, shall have fixed upon the seat of justice for their county, the superior, and county courts respectively shall meet at the place so fixed upon, and adjourn the court to some convenient place, fixed upon, until the court-house is in readiness for the reception of such courts, at which time the courts shall be adjourned to the same.

              COWLES MEAD,

              Speaker of the House of Representatives

              ALEXANDER MONTGOMERY

              President of the Legislative Council

              HENRY DAINGERFIELD

Secretary of the Mississippi Territory, executing the powers and performing the duties of the Governor of said Territory in his absence.

 APPROVED:  9th December 1811.

When carefully reading the acts that created Marion County, many interesting facts can be found. For instance, it is fascinating to consider that the county was originally much larger than now with boundaries that bordered upon the tribal lands of the Choctaw nation.  Also interesting is that the original county commissioners included the Reverend John Ford, who is known to all students of Marion County history, and George Henry Nixon. In less than three years, Nixon would lead a company of volunteer militiamen during the War of 1812, most of whom were from Marion County. Many of these soldiers were “mustered in” at the John Ford home in southern Marion County, and these same soldiers used the home as a rallying point awaiting the arrival of Andrew Jackson just prior to the Battle of New Orleans.

In section five, the origins of the original Marion County courthouse are laid out.  Taxes were levied throughout the county in the years 1812 and 1813 for the purpose of constructing the original wood frame courthouse and jail.  The original courthouse they erected would serve the county well into the twentieth century. Interestingly, the acts specify that the Marion County courthouse was to be located in Township 3 on the west side of the Pearl River. 

Until the courthouse was constructed, county court was held in private residences.  The acts specify that the residence of Ransom Oneal was to be used. Very little is known of Oneal today, although it is known that he signed a petition requesting the U. S. Congress to approve construction of a road along the Pearl River to shorten travel distance between Nashville and New Orleans. His name also appears in the 1816 Territorial census of Marion County showing that he had a family and owned five slaves. In addition to Oneal’s home, county records point out that the home of Captain Stephen Peak was later used by the courts. 

Although Territorial Governor David Holmes was absent from the proceedings that created our county, Cowles Mead was there, a man who would later spend considerable time in Marion County. In fact, when the Pearl River Convention for statehood was called to order at the Ford home in 1816, it was Mead who presided over the conference. Alexander Montgomery is known to be from Adams County, Mississippi and served in the Mississippi Territorial House of Representatives and on the Territorial Council.

Perhaps the most interesting event that occurred nearly simultaneously with the creation of Marion County was the New Madrid Earthquakes, a legendary natural disaster that would certainly have been seen as an apocalyptic event in the minds of pious settlers.  On Monday, December 16, 1811, exactly one week to the day after Marion County was created; the ground began to shake in Arkansas.  To this day, the ensuing earthquakes remain the most powerful ever recorded in the eastern United States.  Waterfalls appeared in parts of the Mississippi River, literally causing it to temporarily flow backwards.  Reportedly, church bells rang by themselves as far away as Ontario, Canada, while chimneys in Maine crashed to the ground and sidewalks in Washington cracked.  At present, the extent of the damage experienced by the early settlers of Marion County is unknown. For these brave souls who were braving the wilderness and creating a county, it would have seemed like a rough start indeed.

As always, thanks to Historical Society member Greg Price for his help and advice in the preparation of this article.

___

The Marion County & City of Columbia Museum and Archives is interested in collecting genealogy, historic documents, photos, and artifacts from the area.  School groups are always welcome; we simply ask that they call ahead of time.  Celebrating Marion County’s Bicentennial Year!  Phone 601-731-3999 or visit our website at: http://www.marioncountyhistoricalsociety.com

The John Ford Home and Payne’s Chapel are open to the public Saturdays and Sundays from 2 P.M. until 5 P.M. and on weekdays by appointment.  Appointments can be made by calling 601-736-2938. 

Chris Watts
Curator, Marion County Museum & Archives
200 2nd Street, Suite 3
Columbia, MS  39429
601-731-3999
marioncountyhist@bellsouth.net

Columbia, MS - July 1-4, 2011

The first annual Mississippi Blackberry Festival will be coming to Columbia, MS on the first weekend in July.  It will be a two day festival on July 1 and 2 featuring food, arts & crafts, games, music, and activities presented by the Columbia Trolley Association, LLC.  There will be events held all over town including a Classic Car Show, Painted Chairs Competition and Auction, live entertainment, fireworks, book signings, and much more.

The event will kick off on Friday morning, July 1st, with the 2011 Blackberry Scramble Golf Tournament at the Columbia Country Club from 8AM til 12PM.  Then, at noon, the festivities begin at the City Park with the Talent Show, Blackberry Queen Pageant, crafts booths, patriotic songs being sung by Improve Baptist Church Choir, and a fireworks display, after dark, presented by the Friends of the Library.  Mississippi authors will also be present signing their original books and poetry.

On Saturday, July 2nd, there is a Fly-in being planned for the Columbia Airport, and then, the fun returns to the City Park with the “Bicentennial Blast” featuring live music, crafts booths, carriage rides, and other exciting activities until 3PM.  In downtown Columbia, around Main Street and Second Street, there will be an event held by Main Street Columbia, Inc. called “Paint the Town” with a Classic Car Show, Political Speeches, Bake Sale and Cakewalk, Blackberry Wine Tasting event, and a very special Painted Chairs Contest.  The chairs will be auctioned after the competition to raise money to purchase a motorized trolley for downtown Columbia.

There are many more events being planned for the festival and there are many organizations working together to create an exciting weekend of celebrations for our county’s Bicentennial and for Independence Day.  Come celebrate our 200th Birthday with us and help us get a trolley on the streets of Columbia, which will provide a fun form of transportation and stimulate our local economy.  Sponsorships and donations of any size are welcomed and appreciated.

For more information about the trolley or Mississippi Blackberry Festival, contact the Columbia Trolley Association at 601-736-4866.  If you would like a food vendor or crafts booth for the festival, please contact the MCDP at 601-736-6385.  For entry into the Blackberry Scramble Golf Tournament, call 601-441-6319, and to enter the Painted Chairs Competition, contact Main Street Columbia at 601-441-1789.  Schedule and events are subject to change.

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