
Thursday, November 5, 2009
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Society

City Personals
Mary Clay Brooks

Congratulations to Chelsey Gilliam; good luck Patriots

Congratulations goes out to Chelsey Gilliam, third baseman for the Southern Pulse competitive softball team. They travelled to Birmingham for a rain-soaked, cold weekend, where the Southern Pulse played in a college exposure tournament. After four games Saturday, Chelsey came back Sunday with a vengence, jacking the ball over the fence, hitting the scoreboard - homerun!

Halloween was jampacked with creatures and critters lining the streets. You could not even get down Chulahoma before dark! Edrie and John Ward on Salem Avenue certainly pulled all the stops with their Halloween decor, which they both take pride in displaying. They had the spookiest yard in town and, I would imagine, in the county! Cars were lined up and down Salem Avenue to get a peek and some snacks from the Wards.

Best costume of the evening goes to Gus Smith, son of Libba and Steven Smith. Libba’s mother made little Gus the most adorable, real life Elvis costume - studded cape and all! Had it been a lot bigger, it would have looked as if The King had worn it himself!! It was so authentic! The great thing about Gus is that there is no wig needed - he pulls off the Elvis “do” all on his own!

The most bizarre thing that happens on Halloween is the cars full of teenagers roaming the streets, wearing regular clothes and toting grocery sacks asking for candy. The last time I checked, Halloween was for children, not young adults. It is fine and dandy if you are taking your small child trick-or-treating and have to get out to get their loot (borderline not OK, but can be justified). I had a hard time convincing my 8-year-old to go trick-or-treating this year. He thought he was too old! After he got all decked out in his costume, we took out on our trick-or-treating festivities. We went prior to night setting in, wanting to get back home to turn on spooky movies. He was livid we were out “during the day!” We had a good time and truly appreciate those in town who open their homes to the true trick-or-treaters!!

Friday night, Marshall Academy is hosting Leake Academy in the first play-off football game. Hopefully, everyone will come out and support the Patriots as they vie for a state title! This is a big deal for our town and we should all get behind this group of young men and their fearless leader, Keith Wicker! Look forward to seeing you all Friday night at Patriot field. Kick-off - 7 p.m.

(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).

Museuming
Lois Swaney Shipp
Museum Curator

Christmas 2009 in Holly Springs

Montrose

Beautiful Montrose will be decorated in Christmas splendor for the 20th annual “Christmas in Holly Springs ” tour on December 5 and 6. It was built during the opulent period of Holly Springs history during the 1850s when cotton was king. It was built by Alfred Brooks, the richest man to ever come to Marshall County, as a wedding gift for his daughter who was marrying Mr. McGowen. All of them were from the Waterford community.

The house has a gracious spiral stairway sweeping to the second floor. It has parquet floors of walnut and pecan, which is a work of art in flooring as each different color is a different piece of wood. The crown moldings and ceiling are works of art, too, in plaster and wood.

The second owner was Dr. Peel, who performed the first successful stomach surgery during the War Between the States, when he operated on soldiers from both sides. While operating on a lad from the north, the boy remarked, “ My God, why are we fighting such men as this?”

When I was growing up in Holly Springs I was always invited to Montrose (not its name then) to visit with the Peel granddaughter from Oregon, when she visited, as we were the same age. The house at that time was literally falling down. It was during the Depression, which was crunching everyone in the United States.

Then Mrs. Jackson Johnson came into town from St. Louis. She didn’t know there was a depression. Her sister-in-law owned Walter Place and this was the hometown of both families. All of them had created a shoe manufacturing business here in Holly Springs but left because it was too hard to make a living here after the 61 little battles of the Civil War, then 10 years of reconstruction, and the terrible yellow fever epidemic.

At the museum we have a pair of shoes they manufactured while here. (I wish they could talk) Then, after all that, the Johnson families and their cousin, Oscar Rand, moved to St. Louis and created the International Shoe Company and made shoes for the world and became rich and famous.

When Mrs. Johnson died, she willed Montrose to the Holly Springs Garden Club. It was furnished all the way to soap in the soap dishes and the public has benefited from this tremendous gift.

The house will be magnificent for the Christmas tour. The Marshall County Historical Museum is the sponsor and invites you to visit us for this fantastic event. Advance tickets are $12 each if you buy 10 tickets or more and they are $15 for a single ticket if bought before Nov. 28. All tickets will be $20 the week of the tour.

For the tour there will be two concerts, both held at the Presbyterian Church. Sat., Dec. 5, the very talented Gill family will perform in a Christmas concert and on Sun., Dec. 6, the incredible Patriot Performers of Marshall Academy will sing. Everybody is invited to both concerts and please give a gift for the expenses and we would thank you. On December 4, 5, and 6, there will be a Christmas dinner theatre at the First Baptist Church. Call 252-2627 for tickets. There is a luncheon on Saturday at the Kate Clark Art Gallery by reservation only. The Chamber of Commerce Christmas parade will be held around the square on Dec. 5 at 5 p.m.

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