NEW ALBANY
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UNION COUNTY
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AND BEYOND
Explore
ENJOY A TASTE OF NEW ALBANY 13 pages of restaurants to tempt your palate
TAKING A WALK Tour various spots of historic downtown New Albany
TOP THINGS TO DO What to see in Union County Explore/New Albany Gazette 1
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Trai t o o f e ngl
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Civic Center
BNA Pa
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Welcome Home to New Albany R
iverFest
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Mayor Tim Kent & the Board of Aldermen
Spray P
ark
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Helping you stay comfortable since 1974
120 Snyder Street, New Albany, MS 38652 (662) 534-9611 • www.riddleair.com
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Explore 2019-2020 NEW ALBANY
UNION COUNTY
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AND BEYOND
Explore
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Inside THIS ISSUE
ENJOY A TASTE OF NEW ALBANY 13 pages of restaurants to tempt your palate
TAKING A WALK Tour various spots of historic downtown New Albany
TOP THINGS TO DO What to see in Union County
HOW TO REACH US
ON THE COVER
FOR STORY IDEAS OR COMMENTS
The welcome arch at the Tanglefoot Trailhead Plaza at night, photographed by J. Lynn West
J. LYNN WEST OR DAVID JOHNSON 662-534-6321 FOR ADVERTISING QUESTIONS TRACIE CALLICUTT 662-534-6321
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10 BRINGING HERITAGE TO 38 FAULKNER LIFE New Albany is the Museum still birthplace of this bringing history to American icon. life after 24 years. 54 TASTE Union County has plenty of dining 17 TOP THINGS TO DO choices. Here are several things you 76 CELEBRATE shouldn’t miss. Here are some of our big events you might want to 32 THE HEAD OF THE attend. TANGLEFOOT Union County a 68 INN STYLE focal point for the New Albany has region several options for a good night’s rest. 28 THE BLUES Hill Country blues still going strong. 70 OTHER TOWNS Blue Springs, Myrtle worth a visit 44 GO FOR A WALK Follow our guide to see our historic downtown.
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LEGENDS Discover some littleknown stories about Union County.
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FAMOUS Meet a few Union County residents to make names for themselves
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS Highlights of upcoming events planned in Union County.
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Magazine staff
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Publisher’s note
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Explore
Associate Publisher LISA BRYANT General Manager Sports Editor
DENNIS CLAYTON Editor J. LYNN WEST Associate Editor DAVID JOHNSON
From the staff Welcome to New Albany and Union County. Whether you’re here for the first time, a regular or a resident, you’ll find lots of places to go and things to do in Explore, the official New Albany Gazette tourism and marketing guide to the area. We’re proud of the area we call home for many things – its beauty, historical buildings, parks and sports facilities, and its friendly people. Browse through Explore and you’re sure to find information about festivals, special events and schedules, places to enjoy good food and shop - whether it be stylish fashions or collectable antiques. Whether you are here for a few hours, a few days or a lifetime, we invite you to enjoy our hospitality and Explore magazine.
Advertising TRACIE CALLICUTT
Contributing Writers DAVID JOHNSON JILL SMITH AMY STEWART J. LYNN WEST
Contributing Photographers DAVID JOHNSON JILL SMITH J. LYNN WEST
Graphics Designer SONNY HARRISON
Office Manager BRENDA LEGGETT Published by
130 West Bankhead Street
New Albany Gazette BUILDING COMMUNITY AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN UNION COUNTY New Albany, Mississippi 38652 662-534-6321 newalbanygazette.com A Journal Publishing Company product
TALLAHATCHIE GOURMET RESTAURANT & CATERING TALLAHATCHIEGOURMET.COM 119 W MAIN STREET NEW ALBANY, MS 38652 662-534-3250 8 Explore/New Albany Gazette
1221 VAN BUREN OXFORD, MS 38655 662-380-5122
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The museum has a number of first editions of some of William Faulkner’s books.
Bringing heritage to life Story by Jill N. Smith and J. Lynn West
From William Faulkner lore to African big game hunting to the birth of the reclining chair, all that and more is available to see at the recently enlarged Union County Heritage Museum in New Albany. Visitors are surprised to see what the museum has to offer, especially for a smaller city such as New Albany, referring to it as a “hidden jewel.” This past year the museum grew from 4,000 to 10,000 square feet with a $1.1 million expansion and also has expanded its outside grounds that take up nearly two city blocks. One of the popular exhibits includes more than 30 animal mounts of African and Asian animals hunted by the late Chico Foote. Youngsters can ‘go on safari’ and take the
Explore/New Albany Gazette 11
scavenger hunt through the exhibit, that includes a zebra, a tiger, greater and lesser kudus, a wart hog and many more species of creatures, large and small. The 6,000-square-foot addition includes an extensive William Faulkner Library also featuring other Mississippi writers and overlooking the Faulkner Garden, a room for exhibits designated “The Way We Work,” a larger alternating exhibit and meeting room with direct access to an outdoor patio, a kitchen, various offices and conservator storage, larger restrooms and a director’s office. There is a Futorian furniture exhibit telling about the birth of the mass-produced furniture industry here that spawned dozens of other manufacturers. A cultural display recognizes artistic accomplishments of some local residents who have not been so honored as well as others who have. They range from writers to musicians to designers to artists. The area that now houses general local history in the original part of the building that was once the Catholic church is being called The Land, The Resources, The People. The outdoor exhibit area at the back of the museum property includes a one-room school, old doctor’s office, railroad caboose, smithy, country store and other snapshots of local history. Nearby, the original railroad crossing that contributed to much of the community’s prosperity is preserved next to an old railroad bridge that has been converted into a viewing platform. Inside, Union County’s rich fossil history has many specimens that help tell the stories of this community. Learn what life was like 65 million years ago by examining the fossil life left in this county when Mississippi was underwater. Beautiful sea fossils rest along side fossilized teeth and bones of the T-Rex of the ocean – the mosasaur or the huge sharks that once lived in these prehistoric waters. Many varieties of echinoid and ammonites survive the eons of land shifts to surface as part of the story in stone of Union County. Fast forward to the Ice Age to learn about the saber tooth cats, mastodons and wooly mammoths that roamed these North Mississippi hills leaving their marks in surviving tusks, teeth and bones that are part of the permanent exhibit at the museum. The next chapter in the timeline of Union County features the first people. Approximately 12,000 years ago, the migration of hunters following the game brought them into what is now known as Mississippi and Union County. Arrow points, stone tools, and stone beads are the bits and pieces which help the museum’s exhibits tell that story. The Paleo, Archaic, Woodland and Mississippian periods are represented with objects from those periods of time. And as written history began here more than 12 Explore/New Albany Gazette
Two of New Albany’s local talents who became internationally known: Sam Mosley and Bob Johnson of the Mosley and Johnson Band.
Some familiar Faulkner articles are on the table in the Faulkner Library.
500 years ago, visitors discover that Hernando de Soto got his pork barbecued, so to speak, by the Chickasaw Indians. The herd of pigs that he brought as his traveling larder was a great attraction to the Chickasaw people who had never tasted pork; consequently, the first BBQ in America was first cooked in this area. Trade materials depict the area that followed de Soto’s visit and ushered in the European migration of traders and soldiers who mingled with the native people and objects of new material culture help tell part of the story. As time moved and things changed, the area became part of the westward movement of pioneers. Treaties were signed with the native peoples who lived in the area, and there was a shift in the culture as the pioneers began to make their way to the new lands of north Mississippi and the Chickasaw moved to new lands to the west. Dresses from Irish immigrants, hand made christening clothing, musical instruments, quilts, wagons, toys, tools; all of the flotsam and jetsam of a culture on the move have found its way to the museum’s collection and exhibits. Objects telling the stories of the people as they came to the rich bottom land of the Tallahatchie “Rock Bottom” River. Discover how the Civil War burning of New Albany was connected to the Siege of Vicksburg and later when the first machine gun helped Confederate forces win a battle in the southeast portion of the county.
A large wooden sculpture depicting all of William Faulkner’s books is made from one of the historic oak trees formerly beside the courthouse. Explore/New Albany Gazette 13
Explore the coming of the railroads and learn about the race to the crossing in the mid 1880s that culminated in New Albany as the two rail lines rushed to build their lines to the town. The Ripley Railroad, built by the Old Colonel William C. Falkner (great-grandfather of the Nobel-prize-winning William C. Faulkner) was the loser in that race and has had to maintain the crossing until the line was recently abandoned and now has become the Tanglefoot Trail, a 44-mile rails to trails project. Railroading was what brought the Falkner Family to New Albany, and thus the famous writer William Faulkner was born here in 1897 near the museum’s location. A large portion of the museum’s collection and exhibits speak to the Faulkner story. The William Faulkner Literary Garden is a one-of-a kind exhibit and gives visitors an experience of the landscape as seen through the eyes of the writer. The new addition to the museum will feature a Faulkner Library to house the approximately 800 volumes, including many first editions of the literary giant as well as the published work of Union County’s other writer Borden Deal, who also depicted the county in some 12 novels. Discover why Union County was home to at one time the world’s largest furniture manufacturer and now has become home to Toyota Motor Manufacturing Mississippi. Learn about the history of the blues with an exhibit about famous bluesmen from Union County as well as a blues marker at the museum’s
entrance. See the beginning of the Union County quilt trail and rocks in the giant rock collection on the museum grounds. And have your photo made with Tallahatchie Rex, the resident life-size folk art dinosaur atop the museum’s sign. Regular museum programming offers visitors Museum Moments every third Thursday at noon. This is a lecture and lunch series. Alternating exhibits and children’s programming are also part of the regular offerings of the museum. The Fossil Road Show is the second Saturday in June and the first weekend in October gives visitors the opportunity for a walk in the past lane with Heritage Pioneer Days. Living history comes to life on the museum grounds, inside and out. Churn butter, wash laundry on a rub board, shell peas, milk a cow, shell and grind corn, sing by shaped notes, spit a watermelon seed and more are activities offered to visitors. While you are in the outdoor area, visit the caboose, Varner’s Store, the vintage doctor’s office and the blacksmith shop that is often in use. A visit to the Faulkner Literary Garden give Faulkner scholars a chance to smell the odor of Verbena and others to experience a grandmother’s garden. Sweet fragranced roses, the Judas Tree, vines, sculptures all give the visitor an area to reflect and enjoy what the garden has to offer in all seasons. Take the time to visit the Union County Heritage Museum at 114 Cleveland St., and you will probably react like others to this “hidden jewel.”
Above left is an old country store. At upper right are items used by Union Countians in World War II. Below are some of the buildings commonly seen in the early Twentieth Century. 14 Explore/New Albany Gazette
Part of the Chico Foote wild animal collection.
Some of the items used by early settlers here, above. At left, timber and wood products have always been an important part of live here.
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magazine
New Albany New Albany magazine
Home Wine Making Unsung Heroes The Cities’s Rich History
Be sure to pick up a copy of Mississippi’s best small market city magazine coming this November.
COMING THIS NOVEMBER 16 Explore/New Albany Gazette
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OP HINGS O DO
Here are a few local attractions you’ll want to see while you’re visiting New Albany and Union County.
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BNA BANK PARK
Youngsters enjoy the BNA Bank Park’s spray park.
Location: 112 Bratton Road, New Albany Hours: Noon to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday; Private parties on Sunday Phone: 662-534-1006
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he facilities for baseball, softball, tennis and soccer that make up the regional complex known as BNA Bank Park are among the best in Mississippi. The park, with restrooms and concession stands, spans both sides of Interstate 22 in New Albany. A spray park with a small water slide for children and private parties is open during the summer months. There also is a batting cage and picnic area. Tallahatchie Trails connects the BNA Bank Park to the Park Along the River.
FAULKNER BIRTHPLACE
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This model of the birthplace of William Faulkner is on display at the Union County Heritage Museum.
Location: Corner of Jefferson and Cleveland streets, New Albany
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he home that was the birthplace of William Faulkner was torn down in the 1950s. An historical marker at the site near the Union County Heritage Museum is all that remains although the site and present structure are now owned by the Union County Historical Society. More about Faulkner, including a reference collection and the Faulkner Literary Garden, can be found at the museum. An article detailing Faulkner’s association with communities in north Mississippi can be found on Page 38.
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STROLL THROUGH HISTORIC DOWNTOWN
Shops in the downtown area offer a wide range of fine jewelry, china, crystal, furniture and home decor items and gifts. Several restaurants are also located downtown.
Location: Bankhead Street, Main Street and several cross streets. Phone: 662-534-4354
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isted on the National Register of Historic Places, downtown New Albany features the Union County Courthouse, specialty shops and eateries. Whether you are interested in historic markers, clothing and jewelry shops or a place to eat, you will find it when you visit downtown To see the historic side of downtown New Albany, take the walking tour on Page 44.
UNION COUNTY HERITAGE MUSEUM
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Children learn from Museum Director Jill Smith in the Faulkner Memorial Library.
Location: 114 Cleveland Street, New Albany Hours: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday Phone: 662-538-0014
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he museum features an interpretive time line of Union County focusing on fossils from the Cretaceous and Ice Age periods; timber, which provided resources for the Chickasaws, and New Albany native William Faulkner. The museum hosts several art exhibits annually. An outdoor exhibit area with a country store, doctor’s office, caboose and blacksmith shop features the award-winning Faulkner Literary Garden interpreting flora about which he wrote. The museum has a significant collection of Faulkner first editions and memorabilia and a gift shop offering specialty products from Mississippi and Union County. More about the museum can be found in the article on Page 10. Explore/New Albany Gazette 21
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INGOMAR INDIAN MOUNDS
A volunteer talks to visitors at the Ingomar Indian Mounds.
Location: Middle Woodland site. Take Mississippi Highway 15 south five miles. Turn right on County Road 96 and go about two miles. The Mound is visible in an open field on the right. Hours: Dawn to dusk daily Phone: 662-538-0014
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he period between 100 B.C. and 400 A.D. is known as the Middle Woodland Period. During this time, early inhabitants in what is now Union County constructed mounds using simple stone-age tools and baskets for carrying dirt. Ingomar Mounds was composed of a large flat-topped mound surrounded by 11 to 13 conical mounds. Only one is visible today. The ceremonial and burial complex was first excavated in 1885 by the Smithsonian Institution. Bones, pottery, points, beads, glass and silver that have been unearthed indicate the Middle Woodland complex was used for centuries.
MAGNOLIA CIVIC CENTER/ CINE THEATRE
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The Magnolia Civic Center/Cine Theatre is a renovated movie theater and meeting center.
Location: 127 East Bankhead St., New Albany Phone: 662-534-3438
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he Magnolia Civic Center/Cine Theatre is a restored movie theater and meeting center that focuses on opportunities for civic and cultural growth. It is owned by the City of New Albany. A number of events are held here, including performances by the Tallahatchie River Players community theater group and an annual salute to Broadway musical production.
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PARK ALONG THE RIVER
A park monument honors Hernando DeSoto’s passage through the area and later discovery of the Mississippi River.
Location: 217 Carter Ave., New Albany Hours: Dawn to dusk daily Phone: 662-534-4354
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his popular tree-shaded park offers a nature trail, picnic area, playground and pavilion. The Katherine Dye Nature Trail honors her dedication to making the park a reality. The Tallahatchie River footbridge connects the park to the Tallahatchie Trails and the BNA Bank Park.
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TANGLEFOOT TRAIL
A new welcome center for Tanglefoot Trail was recently completed just off the trail beside the Union County Library and south of the Trailhead Plaza, just over the Main Street bridge.
Location: Downtown New Albany to Houston, Miss. Hours: Thirty minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset.
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he Tanglefoot Trail is a nearly 45-mile long paved trail for bicyclists, runners and walkers that begins at the Trailhead Plaza in downtown New Albany and extends through Pontotoc and ends in Houston. The trail, which follows an old railroad bed, draws thousands of tourists a year to New Albany. There is no charge for its use. Motorized vehicles
are prohibited.
More about the Tanglefoot Trail can be found in the article on Page 32.
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TALLAHATCHIE TRAILS AND RIVER FOOT BRIDGE
Patrons of the Tallahatchie Trails enjoy an 18-hole disc golf course, walking trails and pavilions.
Location: Trail heads at the Park Along the River and at the BNA Bank Park Hours: Dawn to dusk daily Phone: 662-534-4354
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he trails offer a popular route for walking from the Park Along the River, 217 Carter Ave., New Albany, to the BNA Bank Park at 1165 Bratton Road. An 18-hole disc golf course is spread throughout the park, the trails and the sports fields.
THE BISCUIT AND JAM FARMERS’ MARKET
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Young shoppers sample some of the free healthy treats provided by Baptist Memorial Hospital staff.
Location: Downtown New Albany beside the Tallahatchie River Bridge Hours: 4-7 p.m. Thursdays, June through August
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he Biscuit and Jam Farmers’ Market offers a variety of locally-grown food, local arts and crafts, kids’ activities, music and practical demonstrations at the New Albany Main Street booth.
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Union County and the BLUES
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he blues roots in New Albany and Union County have been far-reaching, producing talented musicians in the fields of blues, rhythm & blues, and gospel. Names such as Sam Mosley, Bob Johnson, Billy Ball, the Reverend Leon Pinson, Muddy Waters and Elder Roma Wilson are known around the world, but they got their start in Union County.
MOSLEY AND JOHNSON Blues legends Sam Mosley and Bob Johnson made a name for themselves with their prolific songwriting, singing, and guitar playing. The duo performed together for 31 years and ended up also writing songs for many of the blues’ top artists. Mosley and Johnson crafted their own hometown success story by utilizing their skills as performers, producers, and songwriters. As Mosley & Johnson, the team recorded several albums of blues and southern soul in the 1980s and ‘90s for the Muscle Shoals Sound and Malaco labels, but found a more lucrative niche as songwriters for Malaco artists Johnnie Taylor, Bobby Bland, Little Milton, and others. They recorded their first album, Mississippi Mud, on their own Sabo label in 1971, as Sam and Bob & the Soulmen. They also recorded in the 1970s for Polydor under the name “Mojoba,” before becoming the “The Mosley & Johnson Band.” Sam Mosley was born in the Beaver Dam community on March 30, 1946, and Robert A. “Bob” Johnson was born in New Albany on March 4, 1946. Mosley’s father, sharecropper Joe Mosley, played mandolin in a string band with Sam’s uncles, Bud and Theodore “Shoat.” In 1959, Joe’s sons, Jamie, Sam, and Ralph, began performing as Jamie & the Dynamics. Mosley left Mississippi for several years and served in Vietnam, but when he returned home in 1967 he teamed up with Johnson, an old schoolmate who was leading a band called Bobby Johnson & the Messengers. After Johnson died of a heart attack onstage at a Verona, Miss., performance on Aug. 22, 1998, Mosley and Bob’s brothers, Willie and Miles, continued to perform as the Mosley Johnson Band. Mosley said the first time he ever heard an electric guitar was when he went to listen to another local blues great, Leon Pinson, in New Albany. 28 Explore/New Albany Gazette
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Billy Ball and Sam Mosley commemorate New Albany’s inclusion on the Mississippi Blues Trail.
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“My dad and my uncles were also inspirations to me,” Mosley said. “They played ‘20s and ‘30s minstrel music, mainly the guitar, banjo, and mandolin, and my brother Jamie played the piano. They all inspired me. “My inspiration has always been here in the South, in this city, in this state. I still love being a part of it as when we first started and still love to share that with other people.”
Billy Ball formed the band Billy Ball and the Upsetters in 1957. At top: The back of the Mississippi Blues Trail marker for Sam Mosely and Bob Johnson, which is in New Albany.
BILLY BALL New Albany native Billy Ball, a pianist-saxophonist, shared Mosley and Johnson’s approach by blending blues with soul music, rhythm and blues, and funk, but took a different path, establishing himself in Indianapolis. He sang gospel with a family unit, the Ball Quartet, before joining the Tupelo band of George “Bally” Smith in the early 1950s. He formed his own group, Billy Ball & the Upsetters, in 1957. After moving to Indiana, Ball assembled a new band of Upsetters, taught school, and recorded several 45s which are much sought-after among funk collectors.
MUDDY WATERS Another musical lineage that has been traced back to New Albany is that of the Morganfield family who lived here in the 1800s. Dave Morganfield was one of several family members born into slavery who were enumerated in the first post-Civil War census here in 1870, when New Albany was still a part of Pontotoc County. His grandson, McKinley Morganfield, born in Issaquena County, went on to worldwide blues fame under the name Muddy Waters, and a number of other Morganfields were active in gospel music.
ELDER ROMA WILSON Born Dec. 22, 1910, Elder Wilson grew up in Union County, becoming a minister at age 17. He grew up working in the fields, on the railroad and at sawmills. When he was about 12, he picked up a harmonica discarded by his older brothers and began a career that has spanned nearly 90 years. To get the worn-out instruments to play properly, Wilson developed a sucking or “choking” style which, resulted in a seemingly endless wind supply that he says has served him well.
His unique style of harmonica playing or ‘choking’ the harp, punctuated with his singing made his songs of “This Train,” “Better Get Ready” and “Lily of the Valley”’ popular worldwide. Wilson taught his children to play the harp and the family often performed together. About 1940, he moved his family from Union County to Detroit. There his music was recorded, unknown to him. Elder Roma Wilson at age 94 He and his three sons were performing on the streets of Detroit when the owner of Joe’s Record Shop covertly recorded their music. These now legendary 78 rpm records were popular to audiences in Europe as well as in the United States. They are considered by some to be “the single most important selection by multi-harp players in existence.” Wilson returned to Union County and formed a partnership with the Rev. Leon Pinson, an almost blind guitar player. The two at one time had traveled the ‘brush arbor circuit’ of churches in Mississippi and Arkansas preaching and playing their music. They resumed their musical relationship in the late 1970s and performed together at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, the Chicago Blues Festival, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and other such festivals across the country. In June 1994, Elder Wilson received a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, one of 11 folk masters in traditional art forms to receive the award. Wilson is now 101 years old, and said, “I’m just blowing that harmonica just like I’ve always done.”
THE REV. LEON PINSON Born in Union County on Jan. 11, 1919, Pinson became partially crippled and almost blind after contracting meningitis. He went on to a music career playing at churches, concerts and on street corners. Pinson performed many times with Elder Roma Wilson in gospel choirs and was also a member of the Silvertone Quartet in New The Rev. Leon Pinson Albany and the Delta Melodies in Cleveland, Miss. Pinson died Oct. 10, 1998. Explore/New Albany Gazette 29
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Easy living in New Albany
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The Tanglefoot bridge in New Albany crosses over Main Street, with the Union County courthouse in the background.
Union County a regional focal point Story by J. Lynn West Photos by David Johnson, J. Lynn West
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anglefoot Trail is the focal point for many visitors to New Albany, but once they are here they have the opportunity to learn about the many other places and events one can enjoy. In addition to the trail we have a recently expanded museum, parks, historical sites and shopping and dining that draws people from several counties around. The trail was only planned as an exceptional biking and walking path, but additionally, its northern end has become a social and cultural center for the
community. Before and after residents or visitors travel the scenic 44-mile path of the historic old rail line, they can sit and relax at the trailhead plaza just off Bankhead Street. There they can sip coffee or a cooling beverage, snack, read, chat or just enjoy the view, which includes one of the area’s oldest as well as one of the newest visual icons. Just down the trail and across the bridge, a welcome center is being constructed this year. The welcome center’s design reflects
the now-gone Frisco Railroad Depot and will share a second plaza with the Jennie Stephens Smith Library. In addition to restrooms and an information point with various exhibits, the welcome center will have both covered and open landscaped areas designed for resting, reading or just relaxing. To the east of the trailhead is one of the city’s oldest landmarks, the historic courthouse built nearly 110 years ago and just to the south is one of the newest, an arched steel bridge that is part of the trail
Previous page: Festively decorated balconies at Hamilton Place, one of downtown’s upstairs apartment complexes.
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Tanglefoot Trail NEW ALBANY (TRAILHEAD)
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itself. To the north is the site of the old railroad crossing that helped put New Albany on the map and all around is the historic downtown district with its shops and restaurants. The graceful arched bridge replaced one of the early heavy steel railroad bridges used on the original line. That old bridge is now a few blocks away at the Union County Heritage Museum where it continues its rail-related career as a viewing platform for visitors who want to watch the many trains that pass through New Albany. Beside the viewing platform is the actual rail crossing that contributed to so much of the community’s history and success. The trailhead plaza, in addition to serving as an informal gathering spot, is playing host to more and more events such as concerts and even a couple of weddings. But back to the trail, the reason for so much that is happening. If you don’t know what Tanglefoot Trail is, five years ago it officially joined the national
ranks of rails-to-trails projects. Today, it is a 10-foot-wide paved trail that follows the former roadbed of the GM&O Railroad from New Albany to Houston. Named after the old Tanglefoot locomotive, it provides a scenic route for bicyclists and walkers, now traveling here from throughout the country and even beyond the U. S. borders. It was recently designated part of the National Trails System by the U.S. Department of the Interior and National Park Service. Visitors may walk or ride the trail. While the terminus of the trail is technically at the railroad crossing north of the plaza behind City Hall, the paved part of the trail begins just off Bankhead Street, south of the crossing and very nearly in the middle of town. There is a new pavilion with an adjacent warm-up station about a quarter mile down the trail. Perhaps the easiest way for visitors to reach the beginning of the trail (as old Col. Falkner had it built, pursuing his dream of connecting Chicago with the Gulf Coast by
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rail) is to take the downtown New Albany exit, Exit 63, from Interstate 22 and head north on Carter Avenue. When you get to Main Street, you can park in the large lot by the Union County Library on the right or turn either direction on Main Street (which is not really the “main” street) and get to Bankhead Street one block north.
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Local residents and out-of-towners alike stroll in front of the historic courthouse during the Tallahatchie RiverFest.
Come see what we have to offer We service what we sell!
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The Ingomar whistle stop offers bikers a little respite during their journey down the trail.
Most visitors to the trail start at the paved area just off Bankhead, where the plaza is, or beside the library just to the south, because of its large parking area. One may park behind City Hall, just across the street, or downtown, but the library parking lot is roomier. To the surprise of some visitors, locals tend to park in the middle of Bankhead Street downtown, right on the yellow centerline. Some people love it, some hate it, but it has been part of New Albany custom off and on for more than half a century. Ciao Chow, an Italian restaurant, is right on the plaza with Gonzo’s Grill and The Rainey Restaurant nearby. One may get snacks and drinks next door at AC’s Coffee or Sweet Frog. Just down the street is Sugaree’s Bakery, known as far away as New York City for its cakes and other desserts. Several other restaurants are just down the street and back on Main Street, offering “good eats” ranging from sandwiches to steaks with influences from Chicago to New Orleans. There is even, squeezed between two buildings, the tiny Latham’s Hamburgers, which has received national publicity for its Depression-era doughburgers and for its walls
“ The Little Hospice with the BIG Heart” 301 Hwy 30 West, New Albany, Mississippi • OfÀce: 539-7339 • Fax: 539-7324 • www.hchospice.com Explore/New Albany Gazette 35
Downtown offers a wide range of shopping, from clothing to diamonds.
covered with sayings and mottos. For more comprehensive information on dining opportunities, see the restaurant guide on page 62. While in New Albany, visitors may want to stroll through downtown, and look in some of the unique shops along Bankhead and Main streets. Shops feature everything from clothing and home decor to antiques and jewelry. Many of the shops are highlighted in the historic shops pages beginning on page 41. In addition to downtown, two other
shopping districts exist. One is along Bankhead west of the Tallahatchie River Bridge (anybody remember Billie Joe McAllister?) and the other farther out on the west side of town with a variety of shops and restaurants anchored by big-box stores Walmart and Lowe’s, just off Hwy. 78 at Exit 61. Just to the east is a large sports facility that is connected by paths to the Tallahatchie Trails and Park Along the River, just a block from Tanglefoot. It includes baseball and softball fields, soccer
fields, a spray park and a world-class tennis complex. There is even a disc golf course. About two blocks from downtown to the northeast is the Union County Heritage Museum where one may learn more about the trail, its history and other areas of interest in the community. For instance, New Albany is the birthplace of Nobel-prize-winning author William Faulkner, as well as the southern mass-production furniture industry, and also home to writer Borden Deal. These and more are featured
Dr. Michael Weeden, Optometrist
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Local residents and out-of-towners alike do Christmas shopping in downtown New Albany.
at the museum to afford a cultural breather before or after your trek along Tanglefoot. If you park near the library, the staff can provide more local information and the welcome center should be open later this year. If family history is your thing, the library has an excellent genealogy room with free online resources. One can also learn about the nearby prehistory Ingomar Mounds, Chickasaw Indian history, Hernando DeSoto’s camping here, also Meriwether Lewis’ visit, the skirmishes and burning of the town during the Civil War, and the race by Col. W. C. Falkner, greatgrandfather of author William Faulkner, to build the railroad that eventually became Tanglefoot Trail. In addition to the trailhead ends at New Albany and Houston, Tanglefoot has a gateway in Pontotoc and whistle stops in Ingomar, Ecru, Algoma and New Houlka where one can stop, rest, get a drink or use restrooms. If you want to take a there-and-back-again approach, the various stops make logical turning points, depending on one’s goals and stamina. From New Albany to Ingomar and back is about 14 miles; to Ecru and back, about 22 miles; to Pontotoc and return, about 38; to Algoma, about 48 round-trip; to New
Houlka, about 68; and if you go the whole distance, about 85 miles round-trip. Houlka, about 68; and if you go the whole distance, about 85 miles round-trip. Toward the New Albany end, the stops are about four to eight miles apart but from the Houston end they’re about 10 miles apart. It’s probably a good idea to have a supply of any food and liquid you may want before you leave downtown New Albany. If you plan to ride the trail, here are some suggestions: Don’t travel alone. Don’t wear headphones while riding or walking. Don’t
take valuables with you. The trail is patrolled but always know where you are in case you have to call 911 and need to furnish a mile marker number to emergency responders. Remember, pedestrians have right of way but that does not guarantee motorists will stop at crossings. Ride single file. Announce yourself when coming up from behind. No littering. Keep dogs on leash and clean up after them. Obey all signs and stop at intersections. Not allowed are petroleum-powered vehicles or anyone under age 12 unless accompanied by an adult.
Quick facts about the Tanglefoot Trail • Trailhead location: Trailhead Plaza, across from City Hall on Bankhead Street. • Refreshments and snacks: AC’s Coffee; Sugaree’s Bakery, Ciao Chow’s, Game Tyme and The Vintage Market, all within a block of the Trailhead Plaza. • Full meals: New Albany, Ecru, Pontotoc, Algoma, Houston • Places to stay: New Albany, Pontotoc, Houston • Trail length: 44.5 miles to Houston (7 to Ingomar, 11 to Ecru, 19 to Pontotoc) • Hours open: 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset. Patrolled, no motorized vehicles allowed.
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Following the Faulkner trail Story by David Johnson
I
n an interview published in The Paris Review in 1956, critically acclaimed Mississippi author William Faulkner described the key ingredient in his writing that would eventually cement him as arguably the 20th century’s greatest writer. “Beginning with Sartoris, I discovered that my own little postage stamp of native soil was worth writing about and that I would never live long enough to exhaust it, and that by sublimating the actual into the apocryphal I would have complete liberty to use whatever talent I might have to its absolute top,” he told Jean Stein Vanden Heuvel. “It opened up a gold mine of other people, so I created a cosmos of my own.” That postage stamp, which Faulkner named Yoknapatawpha County, is believed to be modeled after Lafayette County and Oxford, Miss.
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A statue of William Faulkner sits on the square in Oxford.
But, Faulkner’s writing influence begins further back and reaches into Ripley and New Albany as well. One of the greatest influences on Faulkner’s life and writings was a man he had never met – his great-grandfather. A legend in Northeast Mississippi, Col. William Clark Falkner, or “The Old Colonel” as he was called, was the first Falkner to arrive in the state in 1842. He became a lawyer in Ripley and served in both the Mexican-American and Civil wars. After the Civil War, he returned to Ripley and cofounded the Ripley Railroad with business partner Richard J. Thurmond in 1871. The railroad eventually extended 62 miles from Middleton, Tenn., through Ripley and New Albany to Pontotoc, Miss. Colonel Falkner also was a writer, penning an epic poem, a play and a few books, the most acclaimed being the “White Rose of Memphis.” His small success as an author influenced his great-grandson, who reportedly said as a child, “I want to be a writer like my greatgranddaddy.” The Old Colonel impacted Faulkner in other ways as well. He modeled Colonel Sartoris, a character found in both “A Rose for Emily” and “Sartoris” after his great-grandfather. He also used elements of stories he had heard about his great-grandfather in his other works as well, such as Colonel Falkner’s war service, his postwar business dealings and his death.
This sign marks the place where William Faulkner was born. Unfortunately, Faulkner’s home no longer stands on the site.
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On Nov. 5, 1889, Colonel Falkner was shot by his former business partner Thurmond at the latter’s office in downtown Ripley because of an argument regarding past dealings. While Falkner did not immediately die, the bullet lodged in his neck, causing his throat to swell until he choked to death the next day. “About 4:30 yesterday we heard the report of a pistol on the west side of the public square; we went to the door and looking out, saw a crowd gathering, and upon inquiry, learned that Col. W.C. Falkner had been shot by R.J. Thurmond. In answer to the question as to the cause of the shooting, we were told that there was no known cause – but Col. Falkner was standing on the pavement in front of, or near Alexander and Co.’s store, when Mr. Thurmond met up with him, and pointing his pistol at Col. Falkner’s head, fired, without any apparent provocation. Mr. Thurmond was arrested soon after the shooting by Capt. Rutherford, and lodged in jail. If he had any cause for committing the act he has made no statement of it so far as we know, but has kept it to himself. It is well known, however, that an old feud existed between the parties – that neither one had any love for the other. But as the matter will no doubt undergo legal investigation, we do not propose to make any comment upon it one way or the other.” Eight years after The Old Colonel died, William Cuthbert Falkner was born the oldest son to Maud and Murry Falkner on Sept. 25, 1897 in New Albany. Biographer Joseph L. Blotner said the home was “a plain but roomy 40 Explore/New Albany Gazette
house, a one-story clapboard structure with a large attic set on a spacious lot occupying the southwest corner at the intersection of Cleveland and Jefferson streets.” When the Falkners lived in New Albany, they had few friends and many neighbors believed them to be stand-offish. Shortly after young William’s first birthday, the family moved to Ripley and later Oxford. While it is reported that the Falkners moved to Oxford at the request of Murry’s father, a 1976 article published in the New Albany Gazette suggests part of the decision to move came because of a feud between Murry and a local druggist, Will A. Bratton. The feud allegedly began after Bratton made a slurring remark about Murry’s sister, who was living with the family. On a late summer afternoon, Murry told his wife that he was going downtown to “have it out with Will Bratton.” Bratton heard about Falkner’s intentions. When Murry entered the store, Bratton picked up a pistol from under his counter and shot Falkner. While the shot only wounded his hand, Falkner left the store and went home. His wife soon announced that the family was moving to Oxford “before Murry had another chance to get himself killed .” The oldest of four boys, William grew up mainly in Oxford with his family. In his teens, he decided to join the Royal Air Force in Canada. While filling out his application, he lied about many facts, including his birthdate and birthplace, and also added a “u” to his last name because he believed it made him seem more British.
Faulkner returned to Oxford in 1918 and briefly attended the University of Mississippi. In 1926, he began his long career as a novelist when he wrote “Soldier’s Pay,” and a year later published his second novel, “Mosquitoes.” It was with his third novel, “Sartoris,” published in 1929, that Faulkner created “Yoknapatawpha County” and began to create the cosmos that would lead to his later successes, culminating in a Nobel Prize in 1949. Faulkner continued writing until his death in 1962.
RIPLEY R.J. Thurmond’s office/ Renfrow’s Cafe, 121 N Main St.: The approximate location where Col. William C. Falkner was shot by his former business partner, R.J. Thurmond on November 5, 1889. The two men, who co-founded the Ripley Railroad in 1871, had a falling out because of arguments about the railroad’s operation. Falkner succumbed to his wounds the next day, but Thurmond was found not guilty in an 1891 trial. Ripley Public Library, 308 North Commerce Street: Falkner family photographs and scrapbooks can be found here, as well as first editions of the Colonel’s books, such as “The White Rose of Memphis.” For information regarding hours of operation, call 662-837-7773. Col. W.C. Falkner’s home/Ripley Post Office/Ripley Medical Clinic/Dixie-Net, Inc., 301 N Main St.: This site is the former location of Col. Falkner’s house, also known as the “House of Seven Gables.” The house that the Col. built stood until 1935, when it
The tombstone of William Clark Falkner, William Faulkner’s great-grandfather, is in nearby Ripley.
was razed to make room for the new U. S. Post Office. Ma and Pa Tate purchased the house and took it apart piece by piece and used the building materials to build what is now known as the old Ripley Medical Clinic. It first stood as a beautiful antebellum style home for the Tates and later had lives as a boarding house, the first Tippah County Hospital, and later as the Ripley Medical Clinic. Both have since been restored to their original grandeur and house the corporate headquarters of DixieNet, Inc. The restoration includes the original stairway, fireplaces, archways, and hardwood floors that came from the house circa 1853. The Post Office has been fully restored and is used as a technical facility for Dixie-Net. The Post Office building has been included in the National Register of Historic Places. These buildings are open for public view MondayFriday. Home of Dr. John Y. Murry, 205 N. Jackson: The antebellum home of William Faulkner’s other great-grandfather still stands today. In addition to being a physician, Murry served two terms as county treasurer, one term as sheriff and one term in the Mississippi House of Representatives. Dr. Murry was active in the Methodist Church and in the Masons. Statue of Col. W.C. Falkner, Ripley Cemetery, 716 A City Avenue North: The 22 foot marble monument that towers over the Falkner family plot in Ripley Cemetery was constructed by Rogers & Sons of Grand Junction, Tennessee. The statue’s right hand is missing parts of three fingers. Legend has it that one of Thurmond’s relatives shot off part
of the hand one night while intoxicated. “The Old Colonel’s” great-grandson William alludes to the statue in “Sartoris” when describing Col. Sartoris’ grave.
NEW ALBANY Ripley Railroad, now Mississippi & Tennessee Railnet: This railroad was cofounded by Colonel Falkner to connect Ripley to Middleton, Tenn. Col. Falkner later extended it south and threatened not to run the line through New Albany unless the necessary funds were raised. A mass meeting was called in New Albany and several thousand dollars were collected. A portion of the railroad, running 40 miles from the Union County Library down to Houston, Miss., is the home of the future Tanglefoot Trail, named after one of the steam engines that once ran on the line. William Faulkner’s Birthplace, corner of Cleveland and Jefferson Streets: The site where William Faulkner’s first home once stood. His father, Murry, purchased the house for $1,000 in 1897 after he became a general passenger agent for the Ripley Railroad. In the 1950s, the house was demolished. Today, the site is marked only by a state historical marker. Located one block west of the site of William Faulkner’s birth, the museum contains a collection of Falkner family information, including a scale model of the author’s first home, first editions of many of his books, family photographs and Ripley Railroad artifacts. The museum is also the site of the Faulkner Literary Garden, bringing his Explore/New Albany Gazette 41
landscape to life with the plants about which he wrote, paired with quotes from his work. For hours of operation, call 662-538-0014.
OXFORD Lafayette County Courthouse, Courthouse Square: The county courthouse, built in 1873 and completely restored in 1981, stands at the center of Oxford’s town square. Faulkner described the building in his novel, “Requiem for a Nun,” as “the center, the focus, the hub,” of county life. Visitors are encouraged to note the Confederate statue facing south, the wrought-iron fence and a sign bearing Faulkner’s description. Duvall’s, 103 Courthouse Square: The original location of the First National The Faulkner display, including a model of his New Albany home, in the Union County Heritage Museum. Bank, which was founded
Gazette New Albany
Located in Historic Downtown New Albany
Whether you are out-of-towners or local, stop by and visit. We’ll be glad to help you Ënd good places to eat, shop and just enjoy our hospitality.
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William Faulkner lived at this home, Rowan Oak, in Oxford.
by William’s grandfather, John Wesley Thompson Falkner. William worked here as a bookkeeper. “Gavin Stevens’ ” Office (above Jennie’s Hallmark, 114 Courthouse Square): The first office on the second floor was used as Gavin Stevens’ law office during the 1949 filming of “Intruder in the Dust.” Phil Stone’s Office (Now Freeland and Freeland, 1013 East Jackson Avenue): The office of Faulkner’s friend, Phil Stone. In 1924, Stone and Faulkner mailed the author’s first manuscript, “The Marble Faun,” which they sold on the square after it was published. They had a falling out in later years. St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 113 South 9th Street: Faulkner was a member of this church, though not a regular one. His daughter, Jill, was married here, as was his brother’s son, Jimmy. St. Peter’s is the oldest existing church built in Oxford. Duvall House, 803 University Avenue: Faulkner and his wife, Estelle, made this their first home. Here, Faulkner wrote “A Rose for Emily,” “Sanctuary” and several short stories. J.D. Williams Library, University of
Mississippi: The Department of Archives and Special Collections houses Faulkner books, manuscripts, the William Faulkner collection, as well as his Nobel Prize and a bust of William and his brother, John. University Post Office (Faser Hall, University of Mississippi): The location of the first university post office where Faulkner worked as postmaster starting in 1921. He was asked to resign in 1924 because he spent most of his time drawing, writing and playing card games. Memory House, 406 University Avenue: The home of John Faulkner, William’s brother. John was also somewhat of an author and artist. His works include “Men Working” and “My Brother Bill,” a tribute to his brother. Faulkner’s Childhood Home, Lincoln Avenue: The Falkner family lived in this small antebellum home from 1902 to 1906. Rowan Oak, 916 Old Taylor Road: Faulkner purchased this house in 1930 for $6,000. He named the home “Rowan Oak” for the Celtic legend of the rowan tree, which is said to harbor magic powers of protection. Faulkner wrote the bulk of his fiction here,
including “Absalom, Absalom!” Ten years after Faulkner died in 1962, the University of Mississippi acquired the home and has kept it much as it was during his life, including the outline of his novel, “A Fable” handwritten on the wall of his study. For information about hours of operation, call 662-234-3284. Thompson-Chandler House, 923 South 13th Street: The house is believed to be the model for the Compson home in “The Sound and the Fury.” Faulkner is said to have been deeply moved by Dr. Josiah Chandler’s mentally retarded son, Edwin, and that he is the basis for the novel’s character Benjy. St. Peter’s Cemetery, corner of Jefferson Avenue and North 16th Street: The family plot is here, near the second entrance on Jefferson Avenue. William and Estelle’s graves can be found under three trees at the bottom of the hill on North 16th Street. College Hill Presbyterian Church, 339 County Road 192: William and Estelle were married here on June 20, 1929. The church was built using slave labor and is the oldest church in Lafayette County. Explore/New Albany Gazette 43
TAKE A WALK THROUGH SO YOU’VE DISCOVERED ONE OF NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI’S GEMS, NEW ALBANY, ALSO KNOWN BY SOME AS “THE FAIR AND FRIENDLY CITY.” NOW THAT YOU’VE SEEN SOME OF ITS CHARM, WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO TAKE A TOUR OF THE DOWNTOWN AREA AND LEARN SOME OF NEW ALBANY’S RICH HISTORY. LET’S TAKE A STROLL.
1. GET READY, GET SET, GO Your starting point for the walking tour is the Union County Heritage Museum, located at 114 Cleveland St. Here you can view exhibits of the timeline of Union County, including a rare fossil collection and Indian artifacts. Enjoy fine art and folk art, alternating exhibits, the Faulkner Literary Garden in an outdoor exhibit area along with a giant rock collection. 2. MISSISSIPPI BLUES TRAIL MARKER Take a step outside the museum’s front door and view this marker on the state Blues Trail, honoring Mosley and Johnson Blues Band, as well as other notable musicians from the Union County area. Sam Mosley and Bob Johnson practiced and performed with their band in the Cleveland Street area in their own juke joint adjacent to the railroad.
3. CLEVELAND STREET CHURCH After the blues marker, walk east on Cleveland Street to the next block. This turn-of -the-century, Gothic-style former Associate Presbyterian Church was built in 1905 to accommodate people moving into New Albany from the county so their children could attend school in a new 18-classroom building. The church has beautiful stained glass windows commemorating early families of the church. It was the oldest church building still used by its original denomination.
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HISTORIC DOWNTOWN
5. FAMOUS FEET MURAL Walk west past the museum and down to the railroad tracks and turn left. Here you can peruse the mural on Railroad Avenue and find the Feet of Famous Mississippians. See who you can name just from looking at their feet. The Mississippi Alphabet Murals are also along this street.
4. BIRTH SITE OF WILLIAM C. FAULKNER Next door to the church, you’ll find the location of the birth site and historic marker of William C. Faulkner. The world-renowned writer was born in a white frame house on this corner. The home in which he was born on Sept. 25, 1897, no longer exists. In its place is the manse of the Cleveland Street Presbyterian Church. Many neighbors of the time often recalled that the writer was a colicky baby. It is said that noise from the house sounded like the Falkners were chopping kindling all night long. What really was happening? His mother, Maud, was rocking him in a straight back “bump chair.”
6. RACE TO THE CROSSING Keep going straight on North Railroad Avenue to the crossing of the north-south rail line with the east-west line, which marks a moment in history. The “race to the crossing” concluded Dec. 2, 1886, when the Kansas City, Memphis and Birmingham line reached this point. The Gulf and Ship Island line of the Ripley Railroad Co., the north-south line, was completed in August 1887. Both rail lines had raced to build their tracks to New Albany. The story goes that the first one to reach town was relieved of maintaining the crossing – forever. The east-west line of the Kansas City, Memphis and Birmingham was the winner by almost a year. The crossing, above, is now preserved at the museum by a railroad viewing platform. Explore/New Albany Gazette 45
7. PAUL RAINEY’S GARMENT FACTORY / RIVERSIDE ANTIQUES After viewing the crossing, walk east down Highland Street to its intersection with North Central Avenue and find this landmark building. Built by Paul Rainey at the turn of the 20th century, it was used as a pants factory. It closed and later reopened as Tupelo Garment Plant. Enough shirts were made here during World War II to cover the backs of every U.S. solider who fought. Today it is an eclectic antique mall.
8. BANKHEAD STREET Follow North Central Avenue to the south and find one of New Albany’s main commercial streets. Named for Sen. John Hollis Bankhead from Alabama, it was initiated as Bankhead Highway, which stretched across the United States, connecting Washington, D.C., and San Diego. Many cities across the south have a “Bankhead Street,” all of which, were a part of the National Auto Trail system.
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9. WELCOME CENTER To your right is Union County’s Welcome Center. This building was the city’s former post office built in 1936. Inside the center is a mural commissioned by the Works Progress Administration in 1936, depicting a scene of rural agriculture. Information and brochures also are available. The monument in front commemorates those who served in the Iraq War.
10. THE UNION COUNTY COURTHOUSE Across the street from the Welcome Center, you’ll find the hub of Union County government. The cornerstone of the present courthouse was laid Sept. 5, 1908, after previous courthouses either burned or were deemed too small. Pause at the historic marker detailing the founding of Union County. You may also view the monument dedicated to the memory of Union County casualties in the 20th Century’s major wars.
11. NEW ALBANY CEMETERY Walk your way east up the Bankhead hill and you’ll come to the city cemetery. Once the location of a Civil War camp, the cemetery is full of intriguing headstones. Be sure to stop at the tall monument on the north side surrounded by a black wrought iron fence. Here lies Moses Collins, credited with founding New Albany. The Italian marble piece was ordered especially for Collins. who died in the 1850s. Do not miss reading the inscription.
12. MISSISSIPPI BLUES TRAIL MARKER Turn back toward the downtown area and come to the intersection of Bankhead and Main streets, where you’ll find this second marker. This marker honors Rev. Leon Pinson, along with harmonica player and singer Elder Roma Wilson. Pinson once lived behind the Watson Grove Church across the street. Both Gospel musicians, Pinson and Wilson played at the churches in this neighborhood.
13. MISS SARAH’S INN Turn down Main Street, head west and come to this historic home at 307 East Main S. The former home of Dr. Hugh N. Mayes, this house also formerly was a bed and breakfast inn. Dr. Mayes’ hospital was for a number of years located on the corner of Main Street and Central Avenue.
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14. SITE OF THE TALLAHATCHIE INSTITUTE Continue west on Main Street and find a white Victorian home near the courthouse. It occupies the site of the former Tallahatchie Institute, a frame boarding school for pupils or “scholars” as they then were called. The school was built around 1843, and is bordered by a wrought iron fence that once surrounded the home of Col. William C. Falkner in Ripley.
15. LATHAM’S HAMBURGERS Head west from the Victorian, under the railroad bridge and find this gem on your left. Latham’s, preceded by Staggs, has stirred the curiosity of many visitors who want the recipe for its popular dough burger, chosen by Business Insider to be the best hamburger in Mississippi. Latham’s, although closed for renovation, remains a fixture on Main Street. 48 Explore/New Albany Gazette
16. THE JOCKEY YARD From Latham’s, head west to the intersection of Main Street and Carter Avenue. Here you’ll find the base of an old water fountain. This base is all that remains of the former Jockey Yard. There were times when folks came to town in their buck board wagons pulled by mules. The Saturday trips to town were almost a ritual. It was in this area that they parked their teams while they went into the dry good stores, banks and cafes. It was once thriving with blacksmith shops, liveries and stables, as well as the bands playing on the back of flatbed trucks. Mule sales and horse trading were the norm.
17. TALLAHATCHIE GOURMET Keeping heading west. If a dough burger at Latham’s wasn’t your thing, you might want to stop into Tallahatchie Gourmet, a popular luncheon spot for a daily lunch special or a sandwich or salad.
18. PARK ALONG THE RIVER If you walk farther west to the Tallahatchie River, take a detour into the park. Work off your lunch with a walk along the banks of the Tallahatchie River across the foot bridge down the Tallahatchie Trail. If you have a disc along, you might enjoy a pick up game of disc golf. Returning over the bridge, you could well be where Hernando DeSoto crossed and with a little imagination where Billy Joe McAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge. For certain this is the area where the bluecoat soldiers came on their raids on New Albany, eventually burning the town in June 1863.
19. NEW ALBANY MAIN STREET HISTORIC DISTRICT From the park, head north to Bankhead and hang a right. Through the efforts of the city’s Main Street Association, many of the buildings in the central business area are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Here you can shop in the district’s gift shops, boutiques and antique stores. You may want to indulge in a hand-dipped milkshake, a root beer or Coke float at the old-time soda fountain in The Vintage Market or a cupcake or cookie from the well-known Sugarees Bakery.
20. GONZO’S GRILL This tiny niche of a restaurant is housed in what was a jewelry store for many years in downtown New Albany. Now, it is another convenient place for those using the Tanglefoot Trail to eat and is known for its steaks and giant hamburgers.
21. VAN ATKINS Add a bit of sparkle to your stay! Enter Van Atkins Jewelry, Mississippi’s leader in estate jewelry and diamond solitaires.
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22. TRAILHEAD PLAZA Heading east you’ll come to Trailhead Plaza at the start of the Tanglefoot Trail. Nearby, you can grab a coffee drink at AC’s Coffee or a frozen yogurt from the shop next door. For something more substantial, try wings or a burger from Game Tyme, located one block north.
23. NEW ALBANY POLICE STATION Up Bankhead to your right, you’ll find New Albany’s former city hall. Built in 1937 of monolithic construction, it, along with the former Union County jail situated behind the courthouse, was designed by Mississippian E. L. Malveny. Malveny was a World War I soldier who fought in France, where he remained after the war to study architecture in Le Mans and Paris. He returned home to Jackson in 1919 and found work as a draftsman and superintendent for several of Jackson’s new professionally trained architects through the 1920s. He also worked with an older cousin, Emmett J. Hull, who was part of a family of architects and builders. Malveny also worked with the famous St. Louis architect Theodore Link when he was designing public buildings around the state in the early 1920s, and later for the famous skyscraper architect in Jackson, C.H. Lindsley. Earning a degree from Washington University in St. Louis for “Special Arch” in 1922, Malveny then joined with his cousin Emmett Hull in a partnership, Hull & Malvaney, before eventually starting his own practice in 1931. He was a Modernist from the start of his private practice as is seen in the buildings he designed for downtown New Albany.
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24. MAGNOLIA CIVIC CENTER AND CINE’ THEATER Just ahead on the left is a theater with a storied past. The Magnolia Theatre opened in 1948. In the 1960s the theater, originally showing movies, was renovated, redecorated and reopened as the Cine’ Theater. While no longer showing movies to packed houses, the facility has become known for its community theater performances, recitals, concerts and various community events and meetings.
25. COOPER PARK Before heading back to the Museum, sit for a spell in Cooper Park. It’s the perfect respite, while you listen for the whistle of the trains, or wait for a spouse or friend. The park was once the location of Van Atkins Department Store prior to its burning. It served the community’s families for decades. Following the fire, the Cooper family, who owned Van-Atkins, dedicated the site to be used as a park for the center of town. The once hidden Coca-Cola mural provides the perfect back drop for informal community gatherings and civic picnics.
WHETHER WALKING OR RIDING TO SEE THESE SPOTS, WE HOPE YOU FOUND SOMETHING TO ENJOY WHILE IN THE HEART OF THE HILLS AND THAT YOU’LL RETURN SOON TO NEW ALBANY.
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Our communities
Center began with church group During the period of 1820 to 1860, there was a strong westward current of migration from the old South; of Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia, to the rich uplands of Missis¬sippi, Alabama, and Louisiana. This tide of immigrants had left the worn-out lands of the Old South to seek newer, fresher lands farther West. These immigrants consisted largely of Scots, Irish, and English people who piled their household goods into covered wagons and leading or driving their livestock, set off through the vast forests. They followed the dim trails first made by Indians, then widened into rough roads made by settlers’ wagons, going west. It was a group of these people that came in 1844, almost in one large body, from Old Shiloh Church in Anderson County, South Carolina to what soon came to be known as Hopewell community, and later expanded into what is known as Center Community today. On March 12, 1851, these pioneers gath¬ered at the home of William Caldwell to hear Rev. Hugh Harris Robison preach. Rev. Robison, a young minister who had graduat¬ed from Erskine College in Due West, South Carolina, had been sent by the Synod to preach at Ebenezer church in Tippah County and Shiloh Church in Lafayette County. He also preached occasionally at Wilkins Chapel. At this service the worshipers voted unani¬mously to request the organization of an Associate Reform Presbyterian Church in the Hopewell community. The organization of a church was granted in a schoolhouse near the present site of Hopewell church, on May 24, 1851. Then in 1853 the congregation with the help of neighbors and friends built the first church in this community. Then eight years later came the tragic Civil War days when the hearts of the whole community were torn and troubled. The young men of this community marched away to the defense of the South. The minutes of Hopewell Church were not kept during the four years of the Civil War, except for a few entries made by the Pastor, Dr. Agnew. These records showed that William R. West died a prisoner of war, others were killed in the battle of Chicamauga and other places. Then 1865 brought the peace, or rather cessation from war. But the entire commu¬nity was in sorrow. The land was laid waste. What had been happy families were broken with many husbands and fathers killed. Financial ruin stared them in the face. The people of this community had never been wealthy: there were few slave owners among them. Mr. Oliver Bell owned a slave planta¬tion consisting of the farms now owned by Hugh Bell, Mr. Dillard, Newt Ivy, Tunny Pugh, and Paul Speck. But this was mostly a community of small independent farmers, with a store, a blacksmith shop, a sawmill, and a church to build around. It is not for the purpose of recalling the bitterness of the Civil War that I remind the present-day youth that their forefathers were sometimes hungry and hard pressed. It is said that often they could not buy the quinine necessary to stamp out malaria that struck down their families. Many of the earliest houses were built on the ridge land of 52 Explore/New Albany Gazette
this community for the purpose of avoiding the swamps that were infested by mosquitoes. But the people held on to their farms at a great price, the price of self-denial and back-breaking toil of men, women and children, who in an effort to get started again, worked beside those menfolk who were fortunate enough to return. It is with this background that the many small farms, instead of large farms, have developed in this community. It is the small, independent farm owners and high-type renters, with the pure strain of Scots-Irish and Anglo-Saxon blood flowing in their veins, that has made this a great community to live in. It was a peaceful community. On the whole there was little dissension that had to be settled in the County Court. When differ¬ences arose, as was nature in any community, the troubles were taken to Uncle Hughy Caldwell, Uncle Joel Snipes, and Uncle Spence, as these beloved old men were called. These troubles were talked over, prayed over, and settled out of court. As a result of hard work and sacrifice during the Reconstruction days better homes were gradually being built. The Old Hopewell Community began to expand. Three school centers grew up, the Mound City school about two miles East of here, the Coley School north of here, and the Lebanon School between here and New Albany. Many of the older citizens of this community were educat¬ed in these schools. We think of this period of education as what America now terms as the days of the little Red School House. Then came another era in education, the period of consolidation, and the transporting of school children in covered wagons. The little Red School House had served its day. So in 1925 the three schools consolidated and built the Center School at the present site. The original building consisted of the audito¬rium and four classrooms. Then in 1932 under the N.R.A. program an additional room was built with a basement onto the left wing of the building; and some of the other classrooms were partitioned into two rooms. In this same year, this community again showed its progressive attitude by building the first gymnasium in Union County. In 1932 this became an accredited school with its first graduating class. Then on August 26, 1947, the Building Commission gave us a grant of $6,000 to be used with a $20,000 bond issue for the construction of a Vocational Building. Then on September 1, 1948, we opened a Veterans Training School with an enrollment of 96 veterans. The largest number of veterans enrolled in any school in Union County was at Center. Then on May 1, 1950, we contract¬ed with Luther Bryant to build a new Gym and Grammar School at a bid of $29,200. Then in 1953 a $5,000 bond issue was floated for the purpose of putting down a deep well and repairing the old building. Ten thousand dollars worth of equipment and repairing the old building. Ten thousand dollars worth of equipment was placed in the vocational building when it was completed. This made a total of $60,200 that the people of this community have put into educational build¬ings
and equipment in the last 14 years. The people and trustees of this school have generously extended the privileges of using these facilities to a large part of Eastern Union County. High School children have come here from many sections. Veterans have attended school here as far away as EnterÂŹprise. From the early days of Hopewell, through the reconstruction days after the Civil War on down to the present time, people of this community have been willing to move ever onward down the road of progress. There have been times that their bond issues for schools have been within $200 of the state limit. But still there have never been over six people who have turned down a bond issue for this school. Along with education, Christianity has had a deep root in this area. Old Union Hill Church was built by the Methodists of this area in 1896 and has played an important part in the development of this community. The Center Baptist Church was built in 1931 and has had a great influence upon the community for the last quarter of a century. In conclusion the people of this community are again yielding to the wheels of progress. This school, along with other schools of Union County are being disbanded after this year and moving into larger units. The era of consolidation has given way to the era of super-
consolidation. I would like to give the names of the Superintendents of this school from the time of its beginning. They are as follows: Mr. Sam Purvis - was elected to be principal, but he took T.B. and had to go west. He took an active part in organizing this school district. Mrs. Audrie Randle - 1 year - 1925-26. Rev. William Hayes - 1 year - 1926-27. Mr. Clay Millor - 1 year - 1927-28. Mr. Buel Bryant - 2 years - 1928-30. Mr. R. E. Centers - 7 years - 1930-37. Mr. Newt L. Ivy - 24 years - 1937-61. The information contained in this writing was obtained from: Dr. John Percy Dyer, Dean of University College, Tulane Univ., New Orleans, La .. Annabel Wiseman Stephens (Mrs. Edgar Stephens), New Albany, Miss., Mr. H.C. Bevill, New Albany, Mississippi. Minutes of Hopewell Church, New Albany, Mississippi. Records from office of Center High School, Blue Springs, Mississippi. by Newt L. Ivy, written in 1961
The Pannell family preparing to can peaches in the Center Community in 1911. The photo is from Donna Rakestraw.
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A taste of Union County From Italian to Mexican, down-home cooking to fast food, Union County has a dining experience for you. The following 13 pages contain examples to tempt your palate.
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TASTE OF UNION COUNTY
Ciao Chow Location: 100 East Bankhead, New Albany Phone: 662-2244279 Hours: Thursday – Saturday, 5 to 9 p.m. Prices: $3 to $20 Alcohol: Beer and wine
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wners Mike Carroll and Tim Satterfield take diners on a culinary tour of Sicily and the South at Ciao Chow. While Carroll handles the maître d duties, Satterfield, whose father, a native of Sicily, runs the kitchen. Satterfield’s mother is from Kentucky, and raised him to appreciate Southern fare, like fried chicken and cornbread. The combination of those two, hearty, styles strongly influenced his approach to cooking. “In both Italian and Southern cultures, so much revolves around food,” said Satterfield, who graduated from culinary school in Detroit, and gained fire-tested experience in some popular, New Jersey restaurants. “It’s so closely tied-in with the love of family and enjoying life,” he said. In addition to Italian staples, like lasagna, fresh, homemade meatballs, and chicken parmesan, Ciao Chow also serves premium steaks and pork chops. Satterfield also likes to infuse the menu with special selections, like tortellini with crab in cream sauce, and pasta puttanesca. “Puttanesca is a very special dish in Italy,” said Satterfield. “It’s vegetarian, and has a nice heat. I make it with Kalamata olives, fresh garlic, tomatoes, capers, marinara, and olive oil.” Shrimp scampi is another popular menu item.
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Location: 319 Coulter Cove Phone: 662-5397034 Hours: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., SundayThursday, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday-Saturday Prices: Various Alcohol: No
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racker Barrell has established a solid reputation nationwide for offering home-style cooking, in a casual, family dining atmosphere. Guests waiting to be seated can sit in old-fashioned, wooden rocking chairs and enjoy a game of checkers, or browse the famous gift shop for quilts, toys, candy, and tons of other countrythemed goodies. Slow-roasted beef, simmered in gravy, as well as meatloaf, and, of course, chicken and dumplings, are traditional guest favorites, as are country sides like turnip-greens, fried okra, and mashed-potatoes. Breakfast is available all day with lunch and dinner options at and after 11 a.m. Cracker Barrel also offers carry out and catering orders. The walls are decorated with antiques and rustic artifacts, many from Union County. The phone number is 662-539-7034. Explore/New Albany Gazette 55
TASTE OF UNION COUNTY
El Agave Mexican Grill Location: 650 Park Plaza Drive, New Albany Hours: 11 a.m.10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m. -10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 10:30 a.m.--9:30 p.m. Sunday Phone: 662-5397011 Prices: $4.99 to $12.49. Sunday lunch buffet $8.99 adult and $5.99 children Alcohol: Beer, wine and a full bar
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l Agave specializes in authentic, Mexican fare, like tacos al pastor, a menu favorite of owner and New Albany native, Moises Lemus. The tacos are made with four-inch tortillas, topped with fresh cilantro and chopped onions, and served with a spicy tomatillo sauce,” Lemus said. El Agave staff chop and mix fresh guacamole near the entrance, so guests waiting for a table can enjoy a preview. “We are always looking for ways to improve our business and making our tortillas in house is a perfect example,” Lemus said. “We bought a machine that not only makes great tortillas but it shows the process of how tortillas are made. We place this wonderful machine by our guacamole station at the front of the restaurant so when the customers come in, they can see how our products are made right in front of them while they wait to be seated.” Popular menu items include chicken, steak, or seafood fajitas, the Bulldog Burger, P-5, which is grilled chicken, over rice, topped with cheese dip, El Agave’s version of shish-kabob, called brochetas, fiesta shrimp, which is shrimp and bacon, over rice, topped with cheese sauce, and fajita nachos.
Game Tyme Location: 114 North Railroad Ave., New Albany Phone: 662-5383335 Hours: 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday Prices: Various Alcohol: No
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urgers, wings, and all the savory, saucy fare that makes a home-team’s win a little sweeter, or any loss a little more m bearable, are tops on the menu at Game Tyme Highlights, LLC. G Ordering at Devin Windham’s restaurant r is like commentating a highlight h segment on SportsCenter. Just say “strike,” for cheese sticks, or “stroke,” “ for fried peppers. A “safety” means m fried mushrooms, and “hockey sticks” s translates to pizza sticks. Ordering wings is fun, too. A “WBNA” is five wings for $5.99. Let’s L talk gridiron. The “NFL” is 20 wings for $21.59, and for Lombardi Trophy-type eaters, the “Super Bowl” is 100 wings for $101.99. w Jamaican jerk, honey-barbecue, and lemon-pepper are popular wing flavors. The sports lexicon continues under menu items termed Calls & Plays. A “grounder” is a simple hamburger, while a “slider” is a cheeseburger. Double the patties for a “slam-dunk.” A Philly-cheesesteak is known as a “foul,” and a gyro is a “goal-line.” A barbecue plate goes by the moniker “touchdown”. For a little Wimbledon flavor, “love” means a fish plate, served with fries for $6.99. Orders are carry out only.
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TASTE OF UNION COUNTY
George’s Restaurant Location: 116 Highway 15 South Phone: 662-5344276 Hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday – Thursday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday Prices: Various Alcohol: No
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or more than four decades, George Coleman has been an influential and sustaining presence in New Albany’s dining landscape, and today, the fastfood restaurant that bears his name has become a local landmark. George’s offers fried chicken, burgers, and traditional sides that bring customers from miles around. Coleman started with a Sonic in 1975, and eventually changed the name of his New Orleans Fried Chicken restaurant to George’s in the late 80s. Combos with burgers and chicken sandwiches are customer favorites, along with bone-in fried chicken or strips, as well as livers, and sides include French fries, slaw, baked beans, corn-on -the-cob, as well as biscuits and gravy. For those with a sweet-tooth, desserts include vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, butterscotch, pineapple, and cookes’n’cream milkshakes, as well as sundaes and parfaits. Milkshakes come in flavors of. Ice-cream and strawberry biscuits is another customer favorite.
Gonzo’s Grill Location: 106 W. Bankhead Street, New Albany Phone: 662-5397005 Hours: 7 a.m. – 2 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday; 7 a.m. – 2 p.m. and 5 – 9 p.m. Thursday -Saturday; closed Sunday Prices: $4.99 to $39.99 Alcohol: No
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rom the enormous Gonzo Burger, that ravenous eaters can order up to five pounds, to succulent, hand-cut steaks, with steakworthy names, like the three-pound, “Tomahawk” ribeye, Gonzo’s Grill serves up hearty food for those who aren’t ashamed to wear a bib at the table. Owners Michael and Wanda Gonzales like to see people enjoy their food. “We’re family-owned,” said Michael Gonzales. “It’s like I’m inviting you to my house so you can enjoy a meal.” Unconventional menu favorites, like fried bologna sandwiches, make Southerners feel right at home, served with home-style fries, onion rings, tater-tots, salad, or baked potato. As a former butcher, Gonzales deftly carves raw steaks and ground beef to customers’ specifications, and he happily sends it home for them to grill, or cooks it himself. Gonzo’s signature ribeyes range from eight to 20 ounces, with the popular 32-ounce, Black Angus ribeye, choice or prime, coming in at $39.99. Filet mignon weigh-in between six and nine ounces, and New York Strips from 12 to 16. Add five grilled shrimp for $6.99. Check out weekly specials by visiting the restaurant’s Facebook page.
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TASTE OF UNION COUNTY
Hacienda Vieja Mexican Grill Location: 680 Park Plaza Drive, New Albany, 662-5383322 Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily Prices: $1.99 to $18.99 Alcohol: Beer
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acienda Vieja Authentic Mexican Grill’s owner Simon Cuellar says his desire to provide the best service is what he hopes will help his restaurant stand out from other eateries in New Albany. “We want to provide quick service of good food,” Cuellar said. “We want our customers to trust us when they come to our restaurant.” Cuellar said he has been in the restaurant business for about 13 years and brings that experience to New Albany, where he and his family live. The restaurant offers many of the old favorites, such as fajitas, burritos and enchiladas, but with slight variations. The menu is filled with many seafood dishes, for example, including mango shrimp tacos and shrimp cocktail. Other menu items include Buffalo chicken tenders, hot wings, a handful of steak options, burgers and chicken and barbecue sandwiches.
Latham’s Hamburger Inn Location: 106 West Main Street, New Albany Phone: 662-5397023 Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday Prices: Burgers $3.50, meals range from $5-$8 Alcohol: No
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eatured on the Travel Channel’s program, “Burger Land,” Latham’s Hamburger Inn has been a staple in New Albany since 1928, when the original restaurant was in a trolley car across the street from its current location. Latham’s is unique and a big part of New Albany history. The original stools, countertops and register remain. Patrons even can enjoy an ice-cold Coca-Cola in a glass bottle. Latham’s hamburgers, known as dough burgers, they’re made according to a special recipe that ensures they taste just as they have for decades The most popular items from the menu are the traditional Latham’s hamburger, the bacon burger, the Philly cheesesteak, the double hotdog sandwich, and the chicken club. A wedge salad is new to the menu as well. Homemade deserts, including the orange-apricot glaze cake, are also customer favorites. Customers often bring in wooden plaques bearing quirky, witty sayings to add to the ambiance.
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TASTE OF UNION COUNTY
Manning’s BBQ Restaurant Location: 102 Highway 15 South, New Albany Phone: 662-5397153 Hours: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Monday; 10 a.m.- 8 p.m. Friday & Saturday; closed on Sunday Prices: $4.09 $19.95 for four slabs Alcohol: No
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ulled-pork sandwiches and plates top list of favorites at this familyowned and operated restaurant, owned by Jaysen Manning. Baby-back ribs keep customers coming In Thursday through Saturday, as well. A fourbone b plate with two sides costs $7.99, a halfslab plate with two sides, $11.99, and a full rack r goes for $19.95. The barbecue sandwich is $4.09, or add two t sides for $2 more. The ever-popular tailgating t favorite, barbecue nachos, are $8.99 and pulled-pork by-the-pound is $9.99. The restaurant has also added brisket and chicken r to t its menu choices. Manning’s offers catering for events like weddings, birthdays, baby showers, and graduations. SweetTreatz by Tracy are customer favorites, including birthday cakes, wedding cakes, banana pudding, cupcakes, pull-apart cakes, and even chocolate-covered strawberries on Valentine’s Day.
McAlister’s Deli Location: 217 State Highway 30 West, New Albany Phone: 662-5342700 Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday – Thursday, 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday Prices: $1-$12.99 Alcohol: No
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elicious deli sandwiches, like the “McAlister’s Club,” cut into triangular pieces, and served on a skewer, the “Memphian,” with turkey, ham, and roast beef, or the infamous “Big Nasty,” with roast beef, cheese, and even gray, are crowd-pleasures, but, as everyone knows, when you’re talking McAlister’s, you’re first talking tea. “We have people that come in every single day just to get a glass of tea. It’s that good,” said the general manager. “We try to make sure all of our tea stays fresh because that is what we are really known for.” McAlister’s salads, soups, and spuds are great for lunch or dinner. “The most popular item is by far the McAlister’s Club,” said Verrell. “It’s a three-layered sandwich, on sliced wheat, with ham, turkey, bacon, cheddar and Swiss cheese, and topped with mayo, honey, mustard, lettuce and tomatoes.” Customer service is another McAlister’s hallmark. “We love each and every one of our customers,” said Verrell. “We try to love them like family, and we love when we can even remember what they get so they can just come in, grab and enjoy!” McAlister’s also offers several catering options for its customers.
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TASTE OF UNION COUNTY
Mi Pueblo Location: 213 W. Bankhead Street, New Albany, 662534-0710 Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday – Thursday and Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday Prices: Various Alcohol: Beer
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i Pueblo has been serving up authentic Mexican ffood in New Albany for 17 years. The restaurant ooffers traditional dishes, iincluding fajitas, enchiladas, cchimichangas, burritos, n nachos, quesadillas, rice and bbeans, and more. General Manager M Martin Guzman said, “It is aauthentic Mexican food, we h have good service, and we ttry to keep our customers happy. We will make you h ffeel at home and will serve yyou food that you can’t get aanywhere else.” Most of the decorations in the restaurants were handmade in Mexico. Catering is available with a minimum of 40 people.
Nichols Foods & Deli Location: 306 Clarke Street, New Albany Phone: 662-5348474 Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday – Friday but will cater after hours and on weekends. Prices: Sandwich prices vary. Takeout entrees range from $15 to $30. Alcohol: No
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hether it’s a quick sandwich on-the-go you need, or a pie or casserole for an event or meeting, Nichols Foods and Deli is the place to go. The catering business and restaurant opened iin 1979, and is operated by Alee Clements, w with help from other family members. Catering comprises much of the business, eespecially for weddings, as well as dinners and llunches for group functions. Casseroles and other food and dessert iitems are available for takeout. Rotel cchicken spaghetti, chicken and wild rice ccasserole, chicken salad, and pimiento cheese ssandwiches are popular catering items, Clements said. Other customer favorites C iinclude chicken salad, fried chicken strips, and strawberry pretzel salad. Those wishing to dine-in may enjoy a romaine salad, as well as ham, turkey, club, BLT, tuna, bologna, and cchicken salad sandwiches. Homemade breads, including blueberry and poppy-seed, or a chocolate meringue pie make great take-home fare as well.
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TASTE OF UNION COUNTY
Rainey Restaurant Locations: 110 N. Railroad Avenue Phone: 662-5397732 Hours: Monday. Wednesday, Thursday 4:30 until 9 p.m., closed Tuesday, Friday and Saturday 4:30 until 10 p.m. Closed Sunday Prices: $6 - $30 Alcohol: Beer, wine and a full bar
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pscale dining with Southern flare is on the menu at Rainey Restaurant. Executive Chef Stevens Flaggs’s culinary credits include cooking at the esteemed James Beard Foundation in New Y York City, and heading the kitchen at one of the state’s most celebrated restaurants, the Giardenia’s at the Alluvian in Greenwood, For steak-lovers, Filet Oscar, an eight-ounce tenderloin filet mignon, served with sautéed asparagus and bernaise is a top menu item, along with the Black & Blue Ribeye, a 20-ounce blackened or house-seasoned cut, served with blue cheese, horseradish mashed potatoes. Those who prefer surf to turf will enjoy the Southern Bronzed Catfish, a blackened, Mississippi farm-raised catfish fillet, served with rice pilaf and topped with a lemon cream sauce.
The Smokehouse Steaks & Fish Location: 1729 Highway 178, Myrtle Phone: 662-9887006 Hours: 4 - 9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday; closed Sunday Wednesday. Prices: $6- $8 for lunch menu; $8-$21 for steakhouse menu; Sunday plate lunch $10 Alcohol: No
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he Smokehouse Steaks & Fish, owned by Jeff and Lisa Galloway, just celebrated one-year of business in Myrtle. Galloway always enjoyed cooking at family reunions and other events, he said--especially r steak. s Burgers and barbecue sandwiches, as well as barbecue b nachos, are weekday lunch favorites. Premium P ribeyes and all-you-can-eat catfish highlight h the steakhouse, dinner menu on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings. The Galloways G recently added steak-for-two as well, w a 32-ounce sirloin, with trimmings, for $29.99. Sunday plate lunches often include $ baked ham, meatloaf, fried okra, and mac and b cheese. c Desserts, like peach cobbler or Ding Dong cake, are always available. The Smokehouse also caters, and the facilities may be reserved for parties. f
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TASTE OF UNION COUNTY
Tallahatchie Gourmet Location: 119 W. Main St., New Albany Phone: 662-5343250 Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Wednesday. Prices: Various Alcohol: Beer, wine and liquor
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ringing a taste of Louisiana to New Albany, Tallahatchie Gourmet is one of New Albany’s most popular restaurants r and offers catering throughout t north Mississippi. Owner Angele Mueller started catering c in 2000 and opened a small restaurant r to serve lunch items. Now the t restaurant offers daily blue-plate specials s and an extensive menu of salads s and sandwiches, as well as a full d dinner menu. “I’m originally from New Orleans, s I do a lot of seafood, shrimp and so c crawfi sh,” she said. “Our New Orleans s style po-boys are among our most p popular items.” The restaurant features a modern, c design. chic Take-out and take-home casseroles “to go” are available, as well as catering services all over North Mississippi.
Taqueria Los Gallos Location: 911 West Bankhead St. Phone: 662-5879944 and 662587-4745 Hours: 4 to 9 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday Prices: Various Alcohol: No
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raditional, Mexican, cooking techniques, like li using a spit grill to cook the meat for tacos c and a quesadillas al pastor, make m ordering from Victor and a Carmen Gamez’s food truck t a unique, New Albany culinary c experience. The Gamezes serve lunch and a dinner. They also sell at The First Monday in Ripley. Custom catering packages are a available. The food truck is always set up at 911 t West W Bankhead Street. Find the t Gamezes on Facebook by searching Taqueria Movil “Los Gallos”.
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TASTE OF UNION COUNTY
Taylor’s Fish and Steak House Location: 538 N. Glenfield Road, New Albany Phone: 662-5380114 Hours: Lunch buffet 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. TuesdayFriday, 4:30-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, lunch buffet 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday Prices: Various Alcohol: No
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staple in the community for more than 19 years, Taylor’s serves homestyle s food in an affordable, family f atmosphere. The restaurant is best known for f its buffet, featuring the star of o the show, fried catfish, as well as a fried chicken, chicken and dressing, d fried green tomatoes, meatloaf, chicken livers, mashed m potatoes, and green beans, p a salad bar and homemade desserts. d Menu items are also crowdpleasers, including certified p angus beef. a Friday and Saturday nights Taylor’s features a seafood buffet, including scallops, clam strips, stuffed crab, stuffed shrimp, frog legs, T crawfish, crab cakes, fried oysters, peel-and-eat shrimp, catfish, and boiled shrimp. Crab leg clusters are c available upon request for an additional charge. a
Tokyo Hibachi and Sushi Location: 100 State Highway 30 W, New Albany Hours: 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday Phone: 662-5397050 or 662-5397057 Prices: Various Alcohol: Beer
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okyo Sushi & Hibachi may be just six months old, but b has found popularity quickly in New Albany. Primarily defined as a sushi restaurant, Tokyo offers a modern interpretation of classic Japanese dishes and J its chefs use only high quality fresh ingredients. The restaurant offers special combination sushi rolls, such as the New Albany Roll, the Tokyo A Roll, the Volcano Roll and the King Kong Roll. In addition to sushi, Tokyo offers a variety of Bento lunches and dinners, as well as hibachi dishes. Carry-out is also available.
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TASTE OF UNION COUNTY
2 Sisters Diner Location: 514 W. Bankhead Phone: 662-5340370 Hours: 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday through Friday; reopens Friday 4:30 p.m. until 9 p.m.; Saturday 4:30 p.m. until 9 p.m. Prices: Various Alcohol: No
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he motto for 2 Sisters Diner “Simple Southern Nothing Fancy” should tell you all you need to know about this family-owned restaurant in New Albany. It offers up all of the Southern fixin’s for breakfast and lunch. Owners Carolyn and Tony Davis began the diner with the idea of offering hot and cold sandwiches, cakes and pies. “We began with just four tables and this is where we are now,” Davis said. Some of the favorites among customers include the blue plate special for $7.99, as well as hand-patted hamburgers, philly steak sandwiches and catfish sandwiches served on toasted sourdough bread. The restaurant has also recently added a crawfish/shrimp platter to its menu. Dine in or carryout options are available, as well as catering and casseroles.
The Vintage Market Location: 127A West Bankhead St. Phone: 662-5982055 Hours: 7 a.m.- 10 a.m. for breakfast Monday through Friday; 11 a.m. 3 p.m. Monday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday. Prices: Inexpensive Alcohol: No
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he downtown place to go for a quick sandwich, a milkshake or a Coke or root beer float is The Vintage Market. V Owner Sharon Wilson recreated the t atmosphere of an old-time soda fountain when she opened her shop f that t also sells antiques, gifts, crafts and lots l of other stuff including her private brand of jams, jellies and sauces. b Customers brag about the sandwiches, especially the club with s turkey, roast beef and ham and a t choice of cheese piled high on bread c or o Texas Toast, the chicken salad and the t pimento cheese, as well as the homemade soup and dessert of the day. h But B the ice cream treats, with milk shakes and floats made the old-fashioned way, as well as hand-dipped cones, are a a mainstay. Fresh-brewed iced tea is served in Mason jars. Wilson has space at the soda fountain counter and several tables, both inside and outside the shop on Bankhead Street. Customers also enjoy lunch in Cooper Park, immediately across the street.
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TASTE OF UNION COUNTY
The Warehouse Fish and Steak Location: 218 Carter Avenue, New Albany Hours: 5-9 p.m. ThursdaySaturday Phone: 662-5397025 Prices: Various Alcohol: No .
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he Warehouse Fish and Steak on Carter Avenue specializes in steak and catfish. Owners Jeff Speck and Austin Kent K offer 8-ounce, 10-ounce, 12-ounce and a 20-ounce rib eyes, hamburger steak, an a 8-ounce filet mignon, sirloin steaks, and more. m The beef is all Certified Angus Beef. Other items on the menu include grilled chicken, c fried shrimp, whole fried catfish, catfi c sh filets, chicken tenders, and more. The menu also includes appetizers, a children’s c menu, a garden bar, side items, including i a baked sweet potato and fresh homemade desserts made each week. The garden bar features approximately 15 different items and the dressings are homemade. All of the entrees come with the garden bar. The Warehouse Fish and Steak can seat approximately 100 people. Customers can host private events and the facility can be reserved for large parties. The restaurant accepts cash, major credit cards, and local personal checks.
Westside Cakes & BBQ Location: 917 Highway 30 West, New Albany Phone: 662-5347276 Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday-Saturday, closed on Sunday Prices: Entrees range from $3.49 to $15.25, a slice of cake or pie is $3.75 and a whole cake costs $29 ($31 for Caramel). Alcohol: No
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estside Cakes & BBQ, known in Northeast Mississippi for its signature Memphis-barbecue style pulled pork, slow cooks all its meats in a sauce, which owner Verna Reaves said is the secret ingredient to the restaurant’s success. Whether it’s barbecued pork, chicken or ribs, the cooks at Westside know better than to rush the perfection. “We have three different types of sauce to choose from that give our meat its flavor,” said Reaves, who opened the restaurant in 1988. She says the restaurant has been successful because it is family friendly and has great atmosphere. The building echoes an old-fashioned smokehouse and has interesting decorations inside, such as the model train, which runs through the restaurant. Try the barbecue nachos, which includes Westside’s pulled pork and a layer of melted cheese on top of crisp tortilla chips. Jalapenos are optional. In addition, the restaurant serves barbecue chicken, hamburgers and cheeseburgers and more. The restaurant also offers red velvet, carrot, chocolate, banana, pineapple and strawberry cakes, which can be bought by the slice or whole.
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TASTE OF UNION COUNTY
Yamato Steak House of Japan Location: 302 State Highway 30 W, New Albany Hours: 11 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Sunday Phone: 662-5390880 Prices: Various Alcohol: Beer
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amato Steak House offers authentic Japanese cuisine, handmade sushi rolls, r bento lunches, and hibachi h meals. Ada Wu, restaurant manager, m said that her boss worked w in sushi restaurants for f years, and had always wanted w to open his own. The most popular menu items i are the Yamato roll, the t Fried Superman roll, the Dragon D Fly roll, the Bento l lunch, and the combination s steak and chicken hibachi l lunch or dinner, Wu said. Customers can dine-in or c carry out. Domestic and Japanese beer, including Ichiban, is available.
Yummy Delight Location: 106 Chrystal Plaza Drive, New Albany Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday Phone: 662-5348801 Prices: Various Alcohol: No
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ummy Delight, managed by Zhenyuan Weng, lives up to its name. The Asian-style buffet is prepared daily by chef YuQuan Weng, who has nearly 20 years of experience. He produces some of the best food around, Zhenyuan Weng says, including salt-and-pepper shrimp, baked salmon, fried rice, sushi, coconut chicken, General Tso’s chicken, and the most popular, honey chicken. A menu, for those who would prefer one, contains more than 150 choices, including unique diet plates. These dishes come with a fat-free, cholesterol-free garlic or brown sauce on the side. All of them are steamed, not fried, and are considered more healthy alternatives. For non-dieters, Moo Shu, which consists of egg, vegetables and a meat of your choice, along with thin pancakes, is an item not served elsewhere in town. There’s also orange beef, pineapple chicken and many other unique, delicious variations on otherwise common meats. All foods are MSG-free, and if oil is used, it’s always vegetable oil. Customers can dine-in or carry out their food.
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TASTE OF UNION COUNTY
Other quick food options AC’s Coffee 102 South Railroad Ave. 662-534-2111 Arby’s 500 State Highway 15 662-539-0211 Brain Freeze Yogurt 104 S Railroad Ave. 662-598-0755 Bumpers Drive-In 912 W. Bankhead St. 662-534-9323 Burger King 106 Park Plaza Dr. 662-534-8926 Captain D’s 110 Park Plaza Drive 662-534-4556 Daylight Donuts 417 W. Bankhead 662-539-6123 Domino’s 216 Starlyn Ave. 662-538-0335 Huddle House 237 Mississippi 30 662-534-0787 KFC 112 Park Plaza Drive 662-534-9697
Little Caesar’s 334 Park Plaza 662-539-7045 McDonald’s 199 Mississippi 30 662-534-2220 Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen 110 Hwy 30 W 662-534-4040 Pizza Hut 702 Coulter Drive 662-534-8100 Sonic Drive-In 343 W Bankhead Street
662-534-3000 Subway 211 Mississippi 30 662-534-7607 105 State Highway 15 662-534-5555
Wendy’s 704 Coulter Drive 662-534-9948 Zaxby’s 450 Park Plaza Drive 662-539-7154
Sugaree’s Bakery 110 W. Bankhead St. 662-534-0031
Food Delivery Service
Taco Bell 200 Park Plaza Drive 662-266-6966
NA Food Dash 720 West Bankhead St 662-266-0738 www.nafooddash.com
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Inns for varied tastes
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rom a William Faulkner-themed lobby to a year-round indoor pool, New Albany has hotel accommodations to suit every taste and budget. Facilities for overnight stays include three firstclass hotels, a cpttage. a bed-and-breakfast inn and three budget offferings.
HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS The Holiday Inn Express has a lobby that includes framed Faulkner quotations on the wall and a bookcase with a selection of the author’s books. The hotel has 75 rooms, including six two-room suites and 25 executive rooms. All guest rooms have HD televisions, minirefrigerators, microwave ovens, coffeemakers, hairdryers, irons and ironing boards. The hotel provides a complimentary full breakfast, a fitness center, an outdoor pool and a guest laundry. Holiday Inn Express is at 300 Highway 30 West, just off Interstate 22 at Exit 61. Phone: 662-534-8870.
HAMPTON INN With 84 rooms, the Hampton Inn is New Albany’s largest hotel. It includes king-bed suites, two double-bed suites and both double-bed and king-bed rooms. The hotel has HD televisions and wireless internet. Some rooms have microwave ovens and refrigerators. Other amenities include an indoor pool, an exercise center and a complimentary hot breakfast. The Hampton Inn is at 320 Coulter Cove, just off Interstate 22 at Exit 61. Phone: 662-534-7722.
THE CONCORD INN Enjoy Concord Inn’s newest addition in Downtown New Albany. This newly renovated property boasts detailed interiors and modern luxuries, while still maintaining the cozy comforts of a weekend cottage. Only a short stroll away from the vibrant shops and restaurants of Downtown New Albany. For bicycle enthusiasts looking to take advantage of the Tanglefoot Trail, please enjoy the convenience of our location!. Call 662-539-1035 for information.
ONE NIGHT STAND Over 115 years ago the house that hosts One Night Stand was built by GM&O Railroad Company and used as a section house near the roundhouse, which was located a few yards to the south. The house, which sits approximately 30 feet from the Tanglefoot Trail in New Albany, has been restored to its original outside character. It boasts a clean contemporary decor, with the comfort of three bedrooms with a queen bed in each, two modern-tiled bathrooms, living room, and complete kitchen. One Night Stand is located at 501 Gulf Street. Reservations can be made by calling 662-316-5900. Other hotel accommodations in New Albany include the New 68 Explore/New Albany Gazette
From top, the Hampton Inn, the Holiday Inn Express, The Concord inn Downtown Cottage and the One Night Stand in New Albany.
BEST WESTERN The newly built Best Western Albany Inn & Suites has 61 spacious guest rooms and suites available, including a Presidential Suite with a separate bedroom, and complimentary upgrades for Elite Members. All rooms are furnished with a microwave and a refrigerator for convenience. They offer a complimentary hot breakfast and easy access to several restaurants nearby for lunch or dinner. One may take a dip in the outdoor pool and relax by the fireplace in the lobby area. Work out time is available in the 24-hour fitness facility equipped with weight lifting equipment and cardio machines. The Best Western is at 400 Hwy. 30 West, just west of I-22. Phone 662-598-0123. For reservations call 1-800-528-1234 or go to bestwestern.com Other hotel accommodations in New Albany include the New Albany Inn, the Hallmarc Inn, the Economy Inn and the Budget Inn.
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Other historic towns BLUE SPRINGS
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he Town of Blue Springs has a unique history. The town supposedly got its name from the bluish soil and bluish shale in an area called Blue Cut, which also was the location of a spring. The town was incorporated March 15, 1888. A train depot was built soon after, that offered passenger service, freight and telegraph services. Many years ago, Blue Springs had a blacksmith shop that doubled as a grist mill and provided such services as grinding corn for meal, shoeing horses, sharpening plows and repairing wagons and other farm equipment. Tip Patman and his son Carl Patman ran this business. There was a hotel in town owned by Ben McWhorter. Legend has it that President Teddy Roosevelt stayed in that hotel for one night. In 2002, former Blue Springs residents Bill Taylor and his wife donated a World War II Veterans Memorial to the veterans of Blue Springs, and had 34 names inscribed into the stone. This memorial stands next to Blue Springs Town Hall. The town is thriving with the addition of a 2,000-employee Toyota Manufacturing automobile assembly plant. For more information: bluespringsms.com.
QUALITY EYE CARE, QUALITY EYE WEAR
New Albany Vision Clinic • 484 W. BANKHEAD, NEW ALBANY 534-0101 •
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Ingomar Attendance Center
Myrtle Attendance Center
West Union Attendance Center
East Union Attendance Center
250 Carter Avenue, New Albany, MS 38652 (662)534-1960 • www.union.k12.ms.us
The Town of Myrtle hosts the “Music at the Tracks” festival every April, which features an antique car show.
MYRTLE
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f you are looking for a quiet break from New Albany, Myrtle is a pleasant community located in western Union County. The Town of Myrtle, so named because of the large number of Myrtle trees, got its start in a small community known as Avanell, or Old Myrtle, a little northwest of the current town. It was incorporated in 1890, and at one time is said to have had more than 30 businesses downtown. If one travels by car to Myrtle, the old Bankhead Highway is one of the roads that leads to the town. U.S. 78 now passes near the town that is located on 178. Myrtle Attendance Center is one of the five public schools located in Union County. The Hawks have won numerous state championships and are one of the more prominent teams in the Mississippi High School Activities Association’s Class 1A. Myrtle Hawk pride can be seen throughout, as a walking track, located on Church Street, is in the shape of the school’s mascot. The town also started what they hope will become a tradition in the Myrtle “Music at the Tracks” festival. Held each spring, the festival features local art vendors and musicians.
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MYTHS AND LEGENDS Story by Jill N. Smith
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BARBECUE INVENTED HERE
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There were no pigs in North America until the 1500s when Spanish explorer Hernando DeSoto brought 400 head of pork on the hoof in a portable larder in his exploration of what would become the southesastern United States. When he meandered into the Chickasaw Nation in North Mississippi and established trade with the natives, they wanted to trade for pigs. The Spanish explorers coined the word barbacoa for the way the Chickasaw cooked the pork over a smoky indirect heat. However, they did not have time to get the details of the dish. Soon the Chickasaw attacked the camp of the Spanish, burning their winter quarters and killing as many as they could hit with burning arrows. We know that the winter camp was located somewhere in North Mississippi. More than one location is scrutinized as the actual camp, but nothing definitive has ever been proved. So the claim to fame of Union County, right in the heart of the hills of North Mississippi, is that barbeque or barbacoa was invented here, and if you don’t think that’s true, then prove it.
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Barbecue was invented in this area, and can be found in many restaurants here, including this plate from Westside Cakes & BBQ.
ISHTEHOTOPAH – THE LAST KING OF THE CHICKASAW
that he died of a broken heart for having to leave his homeland and that of his father.
Located on Mississippi 15 about a mile south of New Albany is an historic marker telling about this Chickasaw Indian. There is a creek that runs through the area in which he lived named King’s Creek, where he had a ferry and also kept his milk cold. He succeeded King Chi nubby when he was 20, and was chosen to be king at a council of the Nation at the home of Major James Colbert on July 22, 1820. It was at this council that he granted permission to the Rev. Thomas Stuart for the establishment of a mission that was named the Monroe Mission. The newly–elected king signed a grant for the school, which was the first school in this section of Mississippi. He also signed the Treaty of Pontotoc Creek on October 20, 1832, which gave the United States Government the greater part of north Mississippi – more than six million acres. Ishtehotopah and his sons led the procession as the Chickasaw began their journey to their new home in Indian territory, where it is said
CAVES OF UNION COUNTY
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In looking at the topography of Union County, caves are not what first comes to mind, however, there are several here. Oral history tells us that Civil War artillery were hidden in the caves in the eastern part of the county , whereas it was the Chickasaw King Ishtehotopah’s milk that was stored in the Ingomar Caves so it would not spoil. Grubb’s Caves as well as others are part of the cave network beneath the soil of this county.
THE DEMISE OF THE DINOSAURS Fragmentary evidence of the demise of the dinosaurs is part of the soil of this county. The K-T Boundary – Cretaceous-Tertiary is part of a theory of the death of the dinosaurs. This boundary is basically a line in the soil that carries minute evidence – isotopes of a big explosion. Theorists believe that this explosion was the result of a giant meteorite that fell to earth and landed in the Gulf of
Mexico about 65 million years ago. This was the beginning of the end of the giant reptiles. The dust cloud that ensues from this event causes a break in the food chain that signed the end. Fragments of the K/T Boundary are said to be found in the New Albany area.
THE FRENCHMAN’S GRAVE After the Civil War, the building of the railroad through New Albany headlined the next chapter in its development. The northsouth line was masterminded and built by Col. William C. Falkner, great grandfather of the prize-winning writer. For labor, Falkner used inmates from Parchman, the state penitentiary. He used them until he used them up. The policy of the state was to pay the inmates $50 per year per man. If they died on the job, as many did, they were buried where they fell. One of these inmates – the unknown Frenchman – was, as legend would have it, “railroaded” to the penitentiary as a scapegoat for a crime committed by another. Leased to Col. Falkner to work on his railroad, the Frenchman arrived at a time
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when the work was the most intense, when the old Colonel was racing to the crossing in New Albany. In a letter to his wife, the Frenchman told her of his plight and urged her to get their friends to help him get released. A neighbor wrote back, stating his wife was very ill and not expected to live. He made a run for freedom after reading the letter. It is said that he was shot by a guard and died and was buried where he fell – right beside the railroad track at Gale’s Crossing near Cotton plant. For many years a white picket fence marked the site where he lay. Through the years, the picket fence became a chain link fence which remains today, surrounding the grave of the unknown Frenchman.
MERIWETHER LEWIS VISITS UNION COUNTY That famous explorer Meriwether Lewis walked through what is now New Albany and Union County is not a myth. After the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Lewis was the governor of the Louisiana Territory. During his tenure, questions arose about the accounts of the governor’s office. Lewis thought it best to go to Washington to address these questions face to face and to carry the documentation. The date was 1809, and the British were being difficult and things were leading up to the War of 1812. In order to protect himself and his papers, Lewis made the decision to go from St. Louis to Memphis on the Mississippi River and from there overland to Washington. He chose to travel the Chickasaw Trail or what is also known as the Memphis Trace from Memphis to the Chickasaw Agency, which was located at the edge of what would become Pontotoc County. To get there by the shortest route takes one on the trail right through New Albany, down to the Chickasaw King’s home
The FrenchMan’s Grave honors a railroad worker who died trying to escape and return home to France.
near Ingomar and onto the Agency. Giving further credence to this journey, a Jefferson Medal was found in 1907 by a farmer about three miles south of New Albany. This medal was one of the medals given by the Lewis and Clark Expedition as they traveled across the west. Lewis went on to the Chickasaw Agency in the Redland area of Pontotoc County. He spent two nights there because he was unwell and got guides and horses and made his way up the Natchez Trace toward Nashville for the next leg of the journey. He never made it, however. As the party approached Grinders Mill Stand in the edge of Tennessee, the horses spooked and ran away. Lewis directed the others to gather them as he went ahead to secure lodging for the night. He spent the night by himself at the stand and Mrs. Grinder later recalled a gunshot and other sounds from his cabin. The next morning the explorer was dead. Some assumed it was by his own hand, and others declared it was murder. The case has never been solved.
HOW UNION COUNTY GOT ITS NAME Union County was established in 1870 after the Civil War. There are several theories about its name. Many think it was because the Union soldiers were occupying the area and forced the name to be Union. Others say it was the union of Pontotoc and Tippah counties that prompted the name. A third theory is that it was named Union because many of these early pioneers came from Union County, S.C. A third came from Dr. Mayes’ wife, who was the daughter of Mr. Bonds, the owner of the Bonds Trading Post, which was one of the earliest stores here. She said a meeting was held in 1870 to name the new county. Pontotoc representatives brought their thoughts on what it should be named, as did the Tippah representatives. No consensus could be found. Nimrod Wilkins, who was the minute-taker for this event, and who was from Union, S.C., suggested the county be named Union for the union of both counties, while ultimately wanting it to be named for his home county. And so it was.
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NEW ALBANY’S FAMOUS ELI WHITESIDE Eli Whiteside is a member of the San Francisco Giants organization and has spent his post-playing career as a coach working with the bullpen and pitching staffs at various levels of the Giant organization. Whiteside, a New Albany High School Whiteside graduate and former Bulldog baseball player, was a sixth round draft pick of the Baltimore Orioles in 2001. Whiteside spent parts of six seasons in the big leagues with Baltimore (2005), San Francisco (2009-12) and Chicago (2014). Whiteside had a career batting average of .210 with 10 home runs and 45 RBI in 216 games. Whiteside won World Series titles with the Giants in 2010 and 2012, was behind the plate for Jonathan Sanchez’s no-hitter on July 10, 2009 vs. San Diego.
PAUL RAINEY One of the most interesting characters from Union County’s past, this multi-millionaire playboy-big game hunter came to Union and Tippah counties at the turn of the 20th Century and purchased a large home and thousands of acres, which he turned into farm and hunting areas. He had interest in six local banks, built the first furniture factory here, a pants factory, world class hotel, ice house, bottling company, and other business interests. It was during his tenure in Union County prosperity began to bloom more abundantly. His fabulous parties at Tippah Lodge were famous for the wealthy New Yorkers who attended. Rainey was on a steamer headed to his estate in Africa for another safari when he mysteriously died and was buried at sea, but his mystique continues to live in Union County. See an exhibit about the man at the 74 Explore/New Albany Gazette
Union County Heritage Museum.
BORDEN DEAL Born in Pontotoc County in 1922, Borden Deal made his way to Union County with his family when he was a small child. Neighbors of the Deal Family in the Ingomar Community remember that he would come by their house on one pretense or another in the hopes that he would get to read their newspaper, which he would do with the paper spread out on the floor with his legs under the bed. As the years passed and the family lost the Ingomar farm, they moved to a sharecropping job near the Darden community in western Union County. That is where many of the stories were formed in his 21 novels and more than 100 short stories. Deal attended Macedonia Consolidated High School, after which he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps and fought forest fires in the Pacific Northwest. Before he began writing, his career included work on a showboat, hauling sawdust for a lumber mill, harvesting wheat, and other assorted jobs. A prolific writer, his work has been translated into 20 different languages. A major theme in his canon is man’s mystical attachment to the earth and his quest for land, inspired by his family’s loss of their property during the Great Depression. The majority of his work is set in Union County. His novel The Insolent Breed served as the basis for the Broadway musical A Joyful Noise. Deal was married twice and had four children. He died of a heart attack in Sarasota, Fla., in 1985.
as well as to the NABC All-District first team in 1980. That same year he was drafted in the NBA first round by the Houston Rockets. However, he played only one season in the NBA, appearing in nine games total with the Rockets. Stroud went on to become the head coach of the Lady Bulldogs at New Albany High School. Following the 2016-18 season, Stroud announced his retirement from coaching. Because of his success as a power forward for the Rebels, Stroud was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.
BOBBY WOOD Born in Mitchell Switch in Union County, Bobby Wood grew up in a musical family. His grandfather was a traveling music teacher, going from community to community teaching spiritual shape note singing. Wood’s father Pap Wood carried on the family tradition, making sure that each of his children could play a musical instrument and sing. Pap Woods’ Gospel Hour was a staple on Sundays broadcast by WNAU Radio Station. Bobby, who mastered the piano at an early age, teamed up with his brother and others in the community to form a band in the 1950s. They performed across the south with a focus in Memphis. His song, “If I’m a Fool For Loving You” began his rise to stardom. Hitting high on the pop charts with his new record, Wood was on his way to a concert when he was injured in a wreck, which sidetracked his musical career for a time.
JOHN STROUD
ARMINTIE (PRICE) HERRINGTON
The New Albany head coach made his name as one of the best basketball players in Ole Miss history, as his 2,328 points holds a school record and places him at third in SEC history. Stroud was named the SEC Athlete of the Year,
The Myrtle native and basketball star has had a decorated career, culminating in her selection as the WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2007. Herrington began making a name for herself at Myrtle High School, where she was named one of the state’s top 12 high school basketball players as a senior. During that season, Herrington averaged 31.0 points, 22.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 5.0 steals and helped lead Myrtle High to the 2003 state title. She
SONS AND DAUGHTERS also found success at Ole Miss, where she averaged 18.1 points per game during her senior year, which ranked second in the SEC. Herrington is just the fifth player in NCAA history to record over 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 300 assists and 300 steals. She was named 2007 SEC Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first player in the history of the league to win the award two times. Herrington currently plays for the Washington Mystics after spending the 2014 season with the Los Angeles Spark. In 2014, Herrington averaged 3.9 points per game and 2.8 rebounds per game. Price joined the University of Mississippi’s Athletic Department in 2016 as the Coordinator of Player Engagement for women’s basketball. She recently accepted an assistant coach’s position with the university.
CLYDE MORTON Training and handling a National Champion bird dog is an honor that comes to few men. Clyde Morton, a Union County native, has won 11 national championships, more than any other trainer. He won his first championship in 1933, and the last in 1959. Morton’s image and that of his champion bird dogs graced Purina Dog Food sacks across the nation. Beginning his career as a teenager, Morton worked with Er Shelley, dog trainer for millionaire sportsman Paul Rainey. Much of his career was spent at Sedgefields Plantation near Alberta, Ala., as trainer-handler for New York millionaire A.G.C. Sage. The mild-mannered sportsman’s advice to young handlers was “don’t holler at your dog; talk to him soft and sweet like you could to your girlfriend.”
MORRIS FUTORIAN A Russian Jewish refugee, Morris Futorian immigrated to the United States when he was 15. The family ended up in Chicago where the young man began cleaning in a furniture shop. It was here that he learned how to make furniture. By 1941, he owned a company making decorator furniture. Inspired by a visit to an automobile assembly plant, Futorian became the “Henry Ford” of the upholstered furniture industry by engineering assembly line procedures. In 1948, he opened a factory in New Albany named Stratford Furniture Corporation, and a few years later he applied his mass manufacturing and mass merchandizing techniques to the reclining chair – The Stratolounger that he sold for less than $99. By 1964 he was the second largest furniture manufacturer in the world.
HUDSON HICKMAN Hudson Hickman of New Albany is a retired film and television producer with more than 30 years experience. Hudson attended W. P. Daniel High School, Northeast Mississippi Community College, North Central College in Naperville, Ill., where he received a bachelor’s degree, and Texas Tech University, where he received a master’s degree. Hudson’s start in the film business came in 1975 when he was home in New Albany and the movie, “Ode to Billy Joe,” came to shoot in Greenwood. He interviewed for a role as an actor, but was offered a job as a driver instead. During the next year, Hudson worked on four films that shot in various parts of the state, each in a little different capacity. After that, Hudson decided to move to Los Angeles, where he promptly got a job taking a producer’s dogs to the groomers. Hudson went on to become an associate producer and then producer on several television movies, pilots, mini-series and series, including “The Love Boat,” “Hotel,” “MacGyver,” “Get a Life,” and “Phenom,” working with producers Aaron Spelling and James Brooks, among others. He was Senior Vice-President of Production for MGM Worldwide Television. Although retired, he is serving as producer on a series of TV movies based on the songs of Dolly Parton.
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CELEBRATE WITH US Several times a year, Union Countians take a break from daily life to celebrate. There are music events, from the Freedom Festival to the arts-and-crafts centered Tallahatchie Riverfest, as well as the Union County Fair and Livestock Show and New Albany’s Home and Garden Show. Come join us as we enjoy what this area has to offer.
TALLAHATCHIE RIVERRUN Held annually during the Tallahatchie RiverFest and sponsored by BNA Bank, the popular run includes a challenging 5K course, a one-mile healthy run for youngsters sponsored by Baptist Memorial Hospital-Union County and a short fun run for the younger kids.
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NEW ALBANY FREEDOM FEST
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he last weekend in June is resrved for Freedom Fest, a celebration of America on the Union County Courthouse lawn. In the afternoon, food vendors and governmental agencies have displays. Patriotic events celebrating our country’s freedom are followed by performances by musical groups in the late afternoon. The evening features a headliner concert followed by a professional fireworks display. This year’s Freedom Fest is June 27-29 with Saturday music in the Park Along the River. There is also a blackberry festival and pageant and BBQ cookoff. All of the events are free.
UNION COUNTY FAIR AND LIVESTOCK SHOW
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he five-day annual Union County Fair and Livestock Show offers fair-goers the opportunity to experience the essence of southern culture and spirit through numerous games, activities, food, entertainment, exhibits, and competitions. The fair usually takes place in July each year and offers a variety of activities and festivities for the whole family to enjoy. There are beauty pageants, children’s events, 4-H events, a petting zoo, exhibits and demonstrations, firefighter competition, talent show, carnival rides, corn dogs and funnel cakes, and much more. The Union County Fair and Livestock Show takes place at the Union County Fairgrounds. Dates this year are July 16-20.
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FAULKNER LITERARY FESTIVAL
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his is the annual festival, celebrating the life and works of New Albany native William Faulkner. The William Faulkner Literary Contest and Luncheon will kick off the festival on September 26 to coincide with the author’s birthday. The event will feature a variety of exhibits at the Union County Heritage Museum, performances of one-act plays by a local theatre troupe as well as live musical entertainment downtown. The event has also coincided with the annual Tallahatchie River Run in downtown New Albany and the Tallahatchie RiverFest. At left, John Maxwell performs a part of his acclaimed “Oh, Mr. Faulkner, Do You Write?”
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(662) 534-0532 Fax: (662) 534-5668 808 Hwy. 15 N. New Albany, MS 38652
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NEW ALBANY HOME AND GARDEN SHOW
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f Spring is in the air, then the New Albany Home and Garden Show is probably just around the corner. The event, sponsored by the Mississippi State University Extension office in Union County, and the Union County Master Gardener’s Association, is held most years on either the last weekend in March or the first weekend in April. The event features some of the most prominent horticultural experts from around the region, who speak to crowds on topics ranging from vegetable and ornamental gardening to landscape design. This event also features plants, vendors, exhibitors, food and demonstrations of lawn and garden equipment. Door prizes are given out during the event. There’s also plenty of fun for the children. Typical horticulture activities geared toward children include making flower pots out of newspaper, painting flower pots and composting with worms.
We serve Union, Pontotoc, Tippah, Lee, Benton, Prentiss and Marshall Counties.
225 Starlyn Ave. • New Albany
662.534.5025 www.FiveStarRealtyMS.com Explore/New Albany Gazette 79
TALLAHATCHIE RIVERFEST
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ew Albany’s largest annual festival occurs in in the fall and has something for everybody. Tallahatchie RiverFest, held throughout downtown New Albany, celebrates the creative spirit of the Northeast Mississippi region. It inclues music at several locations downtown, a headliner concert, vendors, art and food. Activities and entertainment for all ages is free for attendees. Tallahatchie RiverFest is scheduled for Sept. 27 and 28 and was begun in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the birth in New Albany of Nobel Prize-winning author William Faulkner.
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Calendar of events DATES, EVENTS AND HOURS MAY CHANGE. June 27-29, The City of New Albany’s Freedom Fest Weekend Thurs, June 27, 4-7 p.m. Biscuits & Jam Farmers’ Market Music from the Busty Petites Friday, June 28, 6-8 p.m., Cruisin’ in New Albany Car Show Local residents will cruise Bankhead and Main streets for a night of nostalgia. Cars of all vintage, style, and color will be celebrated in historic downtown New Albany. Come out to get up close and personal to the cars and their owners while they are parked at the farmers’ market located at Bankhead and Main. Sat, June 29, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., Pedaling for Hope on the Tanglefoot Trail Whether you want to ride or just watch, come out and support The Main Street Association and Tupelo’s Regional Rehabilitation Center. The ride starts at the Trailhead Plaza and has three distance options. For more information and sign up, go to racesonline.com/ events/pedal-for-hope Sat June 29, 9 a.m-3 p.m., Blackberry Jubilee 1st Annual Blackberry Festival, to be held June 29 in Historic Downtown New Albany, Mississippi. The New Albany Blackberry Festival is a family-friendly outdoor festival, filled with great food, blackberries, entertainment, and fun for people of all ages to enjoy! Cornhole Tournament and Grill Cook-off. The blackberry festival is the place to spend a Saturday afternoon in New Albany. Sat, June 29, 5-10 p.m., Freedom Fest Music Showcase With headliner Sam Mosley and the Muscle Shoals Horns. Also featuring Dirty Streets, Twenty2Seven, and Massey Tate Fireworks Show July 26 & 27, New Albany Main
Street Back-to-School Shopping & Mississippi Tax Free Weekend Sept. 26-28, Tallahatchie Riverfest Weekend
churches, businesses, civic clubs are all welcome to participate. Judging and prizes for the best entries in each category. Line up begins at 4 p.m. and the parade will start at 6 p.m. sharp!
Thurs, Sept 26, New Albany Garden Club Fundraiser at the Museum Fri, Sept 27, A Talle of Two Fa(u)lkners Sat, Sept 28, Rockin’ on the Riverview Stage Nov 10, 1-5 p.m., Main Street Holiday Open House Kick off the holiday season by joining the Main Street member shops and restaurants for some Sunday strolling, shopping, and dining. Lots of great deals, fun giveaways, and surprises. Nov 21, 5:30 p.m., New Albany Main Street 4th Annual Community Tree Lighting Celebrate the holiday season in the heart of the community, historic downtown New Albany! We will start gathering at 5:30 p.m. and the tree will be lit at 6 p.m. sharp. Festive music, hot chocolate, and carriage rides. Nov 30, Small Business Saturday Small Business Saturday is a day dedicated to supporting small businesses across the country. Founded by American Express in 2010, this day is celebrated each year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The New Albany Main Street Association has supported our town’s small, local restaurants and retailers for over 20 years. Help us to make Small Business Saturday 2019 the best one yet! Dec 2, 6 p.m., New Albany-Union County Christmas Parade Whether you are in the parade or on the sidelines, the New Albany Christmas Parade is always a joyful event! Floats, horses, tractors, marching bands,
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