Category: Stories of the Delta
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Hollywood marries Tunica
May of 1958 was not an exciting year in world politics or national news. Movies like Vertigo and Dracula were hits in the theaters. Many young ladies around the mid south were probably still thinking of singer Elvis Presley who had been inducted into the army in March. Television hits included Gunsmoke and I love…
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Rich Saturday Night
Rich, Mississippi is a small community in northern Coahoma county with a population of less than fifty souls. There isn’t a store or post office and really not much of a town. It lies on the banks of the Yazoo Pass which was made famous during the Civil War in one of Grant’s failed attempts…
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True Story of Johnny Keyhole
As a child I used to sit wide eyed as my grandparents told me the story of Johnny Keyhole. Even though they changed the story a little each time, it didn’t matter to me. I was mesmerized by the legend and could never get enough of how this bigger than life man terrorized Quitman and…
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Lula – 1930
Lula was a thriving town of 448 according to the census of 1930. Front Street contained a number of businesses from grocery stores to gas stations. and the railroad was always on the move. The year 1930 was troubled though. Millions of Americans were attempting to survive in this the first year of the Great…
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Flood of 1858
The summer of 1858 was a very wet and turbulent time for northwestern Mississippi. In fact much of Tunica and Coahoma counties almost washed away when the levees broke. We must understand that the levees of those days were very different from today. There was no levee board or corp of engineers. Each county had…
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Rum Runner shootout at Sledge
On a late Sunday night three men leave Memphis headed south toward Quitman County, Mississippi in a Lincoln coupe driven by O.P. Stroud. Another of the three men was named Simmie Askew. Their cargo was 47 gallons of whiskey divided into 8 five gallon cans, 2 one gallon cans and 24 quart bottles. Stroud’s car…
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Gold Found at Friars Point
There are a multitude of stories about lost Confederate gold throughout the country. People hear a rumor of treasure and soon they break out metal detectors and shovels. Television programs follow modern day treasure hunters looking for gold. Even though most people never find anything, that dream remains. We have a legend as well. Friars…
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Friars Point, A Prosperous Little Town 1889, Part 2
On May 31, 1889 a newspaper from Memphis published a story on Friars Point, Mississippi. This is an excellent snap shot of life in Coahoma County at this point in time. The second part of “Friars Point, A Prosperous Little Town 1889” focuses on the people of Friars Point and their lives. Farming and industry…
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Friars Point: A Prosperous Little Town 1889
On May 28, 1889 the Memphis Daily Appeal published a story about the county seat of Coahoma County. This snapshot from history survives today but most people have never had a chance to read it. Hopefully you will enjoy this little story of Delta history. Friars Point, Mississippi May 29, 1889 This prosperous little town…
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Story of a Delta Merchant Family
My family came to Lula around 1940 and started a farm on Flea Harbor Road. The Mississippi Delta offered only a few pathways to having a better life in those days. You either farmed or became a merchant. My Grandfather, James “Jimmie” Dean farmed and my Grandmother, Ialeen Martin Dean opened a small grocery store.…
My Delta World 