Society

City Personals
Mary Clay Brooks

Hurricane brings family home for visit

Marianne Van der Voort and son, Hunter, of Nashville, Tenn., were the guests of Jeane Benoist prior to school beginning for Hunter. Jeane’s granddaughter, Frances Benoist, also spent time in Holly Springs before rush started at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn., where Frances is a sophomore. She pledged Chi Omega. Congratulations, Frances!

Bradford Seale of Hattiesburg, is staying in Holly Springs with his aunt, Margaret Ann Barruel and her husband, Norbert. While here, he has spent time visiting with other relatives and friends.

Christopher and Jenny Cupp and daughter, Emma Grace, of Olive Branch, visited with Becky Cupp Sunday afternoon.

Lloyd Thompson made a successful trip back to Ocean Springs on Saturday. She was taken to Jackson by Kay Wheeler and myself, where she was picked up by her daughter-in-law. What a trip that was! In case no one knows, but is in need of help on the highway, please dial *HP(47) on your cell phone. We noticed a swaying transport truck hauling a trailer (the kind in which some folks live) on Highway 7 South. We called *HP to report it. Our signal failed, so they never got our number to call us back. I am sure this trucker got stopped once he got on Interstate 55. Coming home, we had the blow-out of all time - losing all but the rim of the driver’s side front tire. It was similar to watching an 18-wheeler lose a tire, as tread flew over the car, as well as most of the trim on the driver’s side and the plastic on the inside fender well. Thank goodness we had a AAA card with us, or we most certainly would have called *HP to help. Almost an hour later, he showed up - as traffic nearly blew us off of the median.

I guess the moral of the story is if you have a car and do not drive often, have someone take your car for weekly rides - the tires were dry-rotted from lack of use. If you are stranded on the side of a busy interstate, do not expect “nice drivers” to stop and help - they are too busy running 90 mph getting to their destination. Call AAA or *HP (unless you know how to change a tire). Also, hope that you are in an area near a good exit - we were close to West. Happy trails.

Jimmy Warren and Gene Holbrook recently traveled to Ocean Springs and assisted Alexis and Clay Williams in the repair and clean-up of the Williams’ home after the damage done by Hurricane Katrina.

(To put your news in City Personals, please e-mail maryclayb@yahoo.com; mail to City Personals, The South Reporter, P.O. Box 278, Holly Springs, MS 38635 or call 662-252-4261.

You may also e-mail your City Personal news to south@dixie-net.com)

Pittman birth announcement

Steve and Leanne Pittman of Bolton are proud to announce the arrival of Sarah Oliver Pittman. She arrived at 10:55 p.m. Aug. 30, 2005. Sarah weighed seven pounds, 10 ounces, and was 21-3/4 inches. She is welcomed home by her sisters, Erin and Anna. Her maternal grandparents are Pete and Patsy Shelton of Byhalia. Paternal grandparents are Steve and Liz Pittman of Jackson. Great-grandparents are Lois Shelton of Byhalia and Lester and Pattie Beale Graham of Independence.

Museuming
Lois Swanee
Museum Curator

West Boundary Street is still changing

West Boundary Street when I was growing up was a small street. However, in 1966 the Government said, “Thou needest a bigger street” and they helped rebuild “Route 66” and enlarged that little cow-path that was our western beltway. They didn’t enlarge all of it, however, only a portion.

Someone brought to the Museum a picture of the house on West Boundary that sits back from the street and has a wrap-around porch.

My Aunt Montie and Uncle Gordon lived in the house long before I was born. The picture has many cotton bales in the yard and the cotton bales are covered in snow! The compress was built in 1918 to store the cotton and before that, there was no place to store them, so the square and the depot were loaded with cotton bales. Every available space was used for cotton storage.

This is a very unusual photograph and I have never seen it before. According to the style of the house, it was built between 1890 and 1910 but I haven’t looked up the records. It is now the home of Al Beck.

At the other end of the street at West Boundary and Chulahoma was a grand castle that was built by Elias Cottrell. It was there until 1950 when it was torn away. It, too was built about 1890. Elias Cottrell had been born a slave and was so smart, he was sent north to be educated.

After the War, he became the Bishop of the CME Methodist Church of Mississippi. In 1904, he had a vision to educate his people so he created Mississippi Industrial College. The whole family from kindergarten upwards, including the mother and father could come to school. He planned it to be a trade school as well as reading, writing, and arithmetic, along with mechanics, farming, and carpentry.

Bishop Cottrell lived until 1937 and left a widow who lived until a few years ago.

Now West Boundary will be rejuvenated again as it goes southward as the city is planning on building a connection from Highway 7. Isn’t that great that we are growing?

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