LETTER TO THE EDITOR

To the Editor:

Recently, I had the opportunity to visit a friend in Holly Springs. I had a great time while I was there and being interested in the era of our country centering around the Civil War between the states, I was truly fascinated by the rich history of Holly Springs.

While visiting I read an article in The South Reporter about the site of the former Jones, McElwain Iron Foundry/Confederate States Armory. Something about the article caught my attention and after re-reading I discovered what it was – the mention of the Mississippi Central Railroad in conjunction with the iron works and the fact that slave labor was used in their construction.

At first blush it is easy to read over this since slavery was a part of the South at that time. On further reflection it hit me that I always viewed slavery as, for the most part, being on plantations for agricultural purposes. Now, I see a very different picture. Slaves were furnished, rented or sold to industrialists to build railroads, factories and other non-agricultural endeavors.

It seems to me that Holly Springs may be sitting on an extremely important piece of history that has not been explored. Not only the above mentioned use of slaves but the fact that Northern industrialists employed this system to construct facilities before and during the war is, to me, absolutely incredible.

I have to wonder what information is to be discovered at the Jones, McElwain Iron Foundry/Confederate States Armory site and by investigating their records along with records of the Mississippi Central Railroad.

I continue to read The South Reporter online with much delight. Your recent article regarding tourism is what sparked my interest and is the reason for this letter. Not only are tourists drawn for all of the reasons stated in the article, there is always the attraction offered by new and developing stories that have not yet been told. I think you may have that in the unexplored site of the Jones, McElwain Iron Foundry/Confederate States Armory.