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Hidden Relics History is our forte We are true to the red, white, & blue
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Living Waters How we help others Healthy Hoppers We enjoy our communities Gail Morton We love to learn 4-H Shooting sports teach life lessons We treasure our children
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Get Connected: City of Pontotoc & Pontotoc County..................................106-107 Official Contacts..................................................................................................108 Clubs & Organizations.........................................................................................109 Houses of Prayer...................................................................................................110 Calendar...............................................................................................................112 Chamber Business Directory................................................................................113 On the cover: Farming is still a way of life in Pontotoc, from cornfields to cotton fields thousands of acres each year are planted. Matthew, Kayla and son Harrison Poe are farmers from Troy, deep in the heart of Pontotoc County. He recently won the 2019 Farm Bureau Young Farmer and Rancher Achievement award for Mississippi in February. Photo by Ashley Deweese
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Advertisers 7South Coffee Bar........................90 Affordable Employee Benefits, LLC......inside back cover Algoma Country Store..................87 Americas Best Value Inn..............37 Artistic Taxidermy........................96 Ashley Furniture............................3 Bank of Pontotoc.........................64 Beneficial Exchange....................55 Boyles Tire & Auto Care...............27 Browning Funeral Home..............86 Carnes Frames.............................18 Circle of Friends...........................47 City of Pontotoc............................10 Crossroads Rehabilitation............97 Dennis Cox, Tommy Morgan, Inc...5 Distinctive Design........................48 First Choice Bank...........back cover Flavia West Huddleston, M.D......97 Friendship Fitness......................114 Friendship Medical Clinic.................inside back cover Friendship Pharmacy...........inside back cover Friendship Travel Center............114 Happy Day Café...........................18 Henry Payne, Alfa Insurance.......27 Hamilton Mortgage......................19 Hwy 15 Grill.................................18 Image Screen Printing..................27 Kennedy Financial Services.........69 Jeremy Campbell.........................36 Johnson’s Wrecker Service...........19 Mapp Farm & Hydraulics.............78 M&M Truck & Trailer Service.....91 Market Basket..............................47 Melinda Nowicki.........................85 MississippiCare..........................28 Montgomery Drug.......................10 Montgomery’s Restaurant..............4 Moore’s.......................................54 Mossy Oak Properties..................78 North Mississippi Medical Center, Pontotoc............inside front cover Oxford Home Furnishings...........91 Patty Turk Properties,LLC...........35 PEPA ...........................................37
Peeples Plumbing & Electrical.....90 Pickens Pest Control, Inc.............36 Piggly Wiggly.............................103 Pontotoc Animal Clinic................54 Pontotoc Antiques........................86 Pontotoc Carpet Sales...................37 Pontotoc County Board of Supervisors.................20 Pontotoc Progress.........................97 Price Cutter..................................29 Pure Bliss.....................................85 Rick’s Auto Repair.......................70 Ricky Ferguson............................69 RidgeCrest Insurance...................86 Roger’s Furniture.........................86 Seafood Junction.........................69 Service Supply-NAPA..........85 & 97 Sidra P. Winter, Attorney..............29 Shannon & Graham Eye Clinic....64 Shop Pontotoc..............................62 Snow Cream Corner.....................87 Southern Hills Realty & Appraisal, INC............48 South Main Dental........................18 Spuds........................................36 Sunshine Health Care...................48 Sydnei’s Grill...............................77 The Learning Tree Children’s Academy...................70 The Red Door...............................91 Town of Algoma...........................55 Town of Ecru..............................103 Town of Sherman.........................37 Town of Thaxton..........................29 True Value.....................................26 Van McWhirter.............................55 WADE.........................................11 Walmart......................................70 Washington Furniture..................71 Washington Holcomb Outdoor Powersports..............................63 Way-fil Jewelry.............................87 West Heights Baptist Church.......64 Wood + Cloth...............................77 Wood Eye Clinic...........................26 Young’s Tire Store........................46
Published by The Pontotoc Progress in partnership with the Pontotoc County Chamber of Commerce.
PONTOTOC PROGRESS STAFF ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/ GENERAL MANAGER Lisa Bryant MANAGING EDITOR David Helms STAFF REPORTER Regina Butler SPORTS EDITOR Jonathan Wise GRAPHIC DESIGNER Chelsea Williams ADVERTISING CONSULTANT Angie Quarles OFFICE MANAGER Joyce Jolly
Pontotoc
Progress 13 Jefferson Street P.O. Box 210 Pontotoc, MS 38863 Phone: (662) 489-3511 Fax: (662) 489-1369 www.pontotoc-progress.com Welcome Home to Pontotoc
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We call it home! One of the many definitions of “home” that you find in Webster’s Dictionary is ‘A place where one likes to be.’ And when you glance down to the words “at home” you read ‘willing to receive visitors.’ This perfectly describes Pontotoc. This is the place that we all like to be, and we are willing to receive visitors. The garden of the hospitality state, many would love to enjoy the peace and tranquility that is offered and afforded those who live here. No matter if you grew up here or just moved in, Pontotoc is the place that brings people together. A humble sort of folks, we enjoy the quiet afternoons chatting with friends or watching the humming birds flit at the feeders. It is a safe place to be where children can enjoy eating at a local restaurant, walk to the library or to the court square and sit in the sunshine or under the shade tree. Senior citizens have safe places to walk in virtually every community; or they can walk down the Tanglefoot Trail which cuts through the county from north to south along the old railroad bed. We also find ways to celebrate. From the county fair to festivals to parades or even enjoying snow falling on a December evening, we come together as a community to talk and visit. But Pontotoc is also progressive. It is where farmers enjoy growing crops and earning a living by the sweat of their brow and where factories grow offering a different place to work and business thrives. Easy access from major thoroughfares make Pontotoc the shopping jewel of North Mississippi. Local shop owners in Ecru and Pontotoc offer you service with a genuine smile and each has a unique flair that can’t be copied anywhere else in the world. We welcome you to join us and see why we love calling Pontotoc home.
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Hidden Relics
history lives with each discovery Story by GALEN HOLLEY
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owntown Pontotoc is serene and peaceful today, but, according to local experts, on July 10, 1864, some 14,000 uninvited guests caused quite a stir. “The Union soldiers camped here because it was a place where they could get water, have their horses shoed, and have access to medical treatment,” said Larry Boatright, as he opened a glass case in his basement, in which were displayed bullets, bayonets, buttons, and all manner of relics from the Civil War. Boatright found the bits of history with his metal detector, on his own property, on the north end of Main Street, where he and his wife, Hannah, make their home. The column of the Union Army, whose camp stretched a long way through town, almost certainly availed itself of local resources, including the services of craftsmen, merchants, and professionals, Boatright said. Amid the tent grommets, scores of Civil War-era glass bottles--some for medicine, some for whiskey, some even for intravenous procedures--and other fascinating finds, Boatright pointed out several flat, thin, metal pieces. “You often find harmonica reeds in Union camps,” he said. Commanding the Union forces as they marched into Pontotoc in the stifling summer heat was Maj. Gen. Andrew Jackson Smith. In his book, Work for Giants Tom Parson, a park ranger at the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center, refers to Smith as a “crusty leader,” beloved by his men. Quoting a letter from a Union soldier, Parson writes: “Whenever Smith would come into sight, they (soldiers) would set up… howling, like a pack of hounds.” Smith’s Confederate adversary was Maj. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, the victor at the Battle of Brice’s Crossroads, whose cavalry posed a constant threat to Union supply lines supporting Gen. William Sherman’s march toward Atlanta. Forrest and his fellow officers, including Brig. Gen. James Chalmers, a lawyer in Holly Springs Welcome Home to Pontotoc
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Larry Boatright holds a bayonet, that he is convinced came from a Union soldier, during their occupation of Pontotoc in early July 1864.
before the war, moved their forces westward, from Columbus, and northward, from Okolona and Houston. From his collection, Boatright produced a sand-cast infantry button, the wings of the eagle-insignia angled upward, signifying a Union garment. On Confederate buttons, the eagle’s wings point downward. “I’ve found relics amid a fair amount of garbage, which, to me, indicates a camp here,” said Boatright. According to Parson, much of the fighting took place near the intersection of Hwy 15 and Hwy 41, on the south end of town. Confederates dug earthworks on a bluff,
just north of where Lochinvar Mansion once stood. Both Chalmers, whom Forrest placed in charge of the troops in and around Pontotoc, and his counterpart, Smith, exhibited savvy generalship, playing cat-andmouse, engaging in skirmishes, each trying to coax the other into revealing the size and strength of his forces. “We must understand this engagement in the larger context of strategies on both sides,” said Dean Burchfield, long-time chair of the Social Science Department at ICC, a former Pontotoc High School teacher, and a Civil War reenactor. “The objective was to divide and conquer, to keep For-
rest occupied--to kill him, if possible--but certainly to keep him away from Sherman’s campaign.” According to Burchfield, the fighting in Pontotoc, in early July of 1864, was part of a larger plan, executed in numerous, engagements, to distract and occupy the Confederates, while Federals went for the killing stroke in Atlanta. “The Federals seldom went south of the Tupelo-Pontotoc line,” said Burchfield. “It certainly was cat-and-mouse, and it was an expression of the overall strategy to occupy Forrest.” Boatright has researched the 1870
A boot pistol, found by Larry Boatright, that probably was used by Union soldiers, alongside a picture of a similar weapon in an historical book.
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Bob McGee, left, vice president of the Pontotoc County Historical Society, along with Civil War historian Larry Boatright, holds a bayonet, that was likely used by a Union soldier, during the Federals’ occupation of Pontotoc in July 1864.
Larry Boatright, a Civil War enthusiast, holds a bullet that was fired during the Civil War.
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A harmonica reed, found by Larry Boatright, on his property on the northern end of Main Street in Pontotoc—evidence, he said, of a Union camp.
Civil War artifacts that Larry Boatright found on his property, with a metal detector, on the north end of Main Street, include a bayonet (top) a pocket knife (top, center), a sewing thimble to repair clothing (middle, center), and harmonica reed (right).
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census, and said that a freed black man, named Frank Chisolm, operated a blacksmith shop a few yards behind where the Pontotoc High School running track sits today. “A big lake extended most of the way to Reynolds Street, a good source for watering horses, and, my guess is, Chisolm probably shoed them,” said Boatright. On the morning of July 13, in a tactical move, Smith withdrew, marching his men northward, back through town, giving the appearance of a retreat and confusing the Confederate forces, who gave chase and skirmished with the rear guard. Smith was, in fact, moving to out-flank the Confederates. He turned eastward, and headed for Harrisburg, now incorporated into the city of Tupelo, and there eventually defeated Forrest. Larry and Hannah Boatright are selling their house, a solid, red-brick beauty, with a gabled front porch, that seems to lurch forward and grab hold of Main Street. The house has plenty of stories of its own, and he and Hannah will miss it, Boatright said, especially the hours spent roving the back yard, digging up history. “I feel a kinship with these people, these soldiers and citizens, who lived and died, fought and worked here, a sense of amazement at how much they accomplished with so little,” said Boatright. “So much history. It really is remarkable.”
The circular items are tent grommets Larry Boatright found on his property on the north end of Main Street in Pontotoc, evidence of a Union camp.
Bayonets Larry Boatright found on his property on the north end of Main Street in Pontotoc.
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History
is our Forte
No one loves preserving the past like the people of Pontotoc County. Take in the Town Square Post Office museum and you will see hands-on exhibits that tell you we love the Chickasaw lore as well as the pictures of the past that bring back the way life was yesterday. Our preservation of history is not limited to just the every day but also our stars who have excelled in music, acting and art. In fact, recently we honored our celebrated artist, M.B. Mayfield who captured the history of our county with his paint brush.
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We are true to the
Red, White,& Blue
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George M. Cohen said it best in his song, You’re a Grand Old Flag, when he penned “Ev’ry heart beats true/ ‘Neath the Red, White and Blue,” and folks in Pontotoc County could not agree more. We set aside time two times a year to come together and honor those who served for the grand old flag. Memorial Day in May and Veteran’s day in November you will find us pausing to remember. On July 4 we celebrate the USA’s birthday in style with a parade bedecked in our favorite colors of red, white and blue.
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Living Waters
Pay dirt! Water comes gushing from the ground signaling the successful strike of water.
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Water blasts from the pipe causing a celebration.
Quenching the thirst of the body and the soul Story by GALEN HOLLEY Photo Contributors: David Helms, Terry Wood, & Will Robbins
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ater is both a fundamental resource for life, as well as a pervasive symbol in Christianity, and people of faith in Pontotoc County have helped provide that resource to the poor in the devel-
oping world. “The project is essentially taking the message of Christ to people, through the gift of water,” said Dr. Terry Wood, who last year traveled to Nicaragua, with a group of six from First Baptist Church Pontotoc, as part of an evangelical mission called Water for Life. “It’s amazing, to see how God can affect the hearts and minds of people, through something as basic as clean water,” said Wood, who spent a week digging a well, and evangelizing, in the South American country. Jerry Robbins, also a First Baptist member, agreed. “The well is a vehicle to sharing the Gospel,” said Robbins, president of Renasant Bank in Pontotoc, who recently returned from a Living Waters trip to El Salvador. “We provide physical water, and, in the process, proclaim the living water, that is Jesus,” Robbins said. Living Water International is a faith-based, non-profit (501c3) that pairs Christian groups with communities eager for clean, safe water and amenable to hearing the Gospel. “Part of the contract is that communities assist with labor, welcome the Gospel message, and be responsible for the ongoing maintenance of the well,” said the Dr. Ken Hester, pastor of Pontotoc First Baptist. Hester felt a personal need to serve the poor, and took Welcome Home to Pontotoc
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It is all smiles as everyone turns out for the dedication of a well in Nicaragua that will bring fresh water to this village and beyond for years to come.
Dr. Terry Wood and the young boys of the village stop for a smile at the camera.
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the first trip, to El Salvador, in 2015. “It’s grown into a tremendous ministry in our church, and people have been generous in supporting it,” said Hester. Hester estimated that Pontotoc Christians have helped provide clean, life-giving water to more than 7,000 people, in 10 missionary trips, in Haiti and South America. The parallels about water are obvious, both physically and symbolically. “A person can see things on the news, but until you experience it, first-hand, and walk amid the poverty and desperation that exists in our world, it doesn’t really hit home,” said
Jeanna & Molly Sorto participate in the Walk for Water Missions’ fund-raiser sponsored by First Baptist Church.
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Julie Robbins smiles as she shares a hug from one of the local residents.
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Julie Henry, vice president and chief operating officer at First Choice Bank, and a First Baptist member. Henry went on a mission trip to Haiti last year, and accompanied Robbins and others to El Salvador in February. Living Water International’s mission is not simply to provide safe water, but to train communities to maintain their own water resources. Trained professionals work with volunteers and locals, digging wells and setting-up procedures to ensure that communities have a healthy water source for years to come. Mission trips with Living Waters aren’t vacations, Hester said. Volunteers know that they’re signing up for real work, which entails digging a well, usually about 150 feet deep. “The drill we used needed a water source pumped into it, to lubricate the drilling, so we dug a pool and tried to keep water flowing,” said Wood, who worked alongside locals in Nicaragua. Henry gained special insight into the plight of women and girls in the developing world. “In these countries, females usually walk miles to carry water from a fresh source,” said Henry, who spent much of her Haiti trip teaching hygiene classes, all of which were intertwined with Gospel themes. Living Water provides onsite, trained professionals, ready with heavy-duty equipment. Still, digging a well requires a lot of elbow-grease. According to the Center for Disease Control, more than 35 percent of the world’s population does not have access to
An arial view of the team at work digging the well in Hati.
Rejoicing over a ministry job well done Pontotoc team members from left Julie Robbins, Blake Davis, Jason Angle, Chase and Anna Claire Jefcoat and Terry Wood pause for one last smile before leaving Nicaragua.
Blake Davis shares a hug with the local children.
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The children rejoice over the water in El Salvador February of 2019.
Taking in the moment after providing a clean water well for the folks in El Salvador during February of 2019 are: (front row from left) Emily Vandiver, Ivy Robbins, Living Water representative Kathy Barrera, Living Water Representative Reuben Garcia, Ashley Koehler, Meagan Robbins, Kerry Koehler, Jerry and Will Robbins; at back from left are: Mark Vandiver, Lauren Koehler, another Living Water representative and Dr. Kevin Koehlor.
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clean water. That leads to widespread outbreaks of dysentery, and all manner of illnesses. When people don’t have something as fundamental as clean water, even life’s simplest tasks are a struggle, not to mention building a culture or cultivating religious sensibilities. “Pigs and chickens and even cows were walking among people, and the conditions were something I never imagined,” said Wood, who has traveled widely throughout Europe, and seen a broad swath of living conditions throughout the world. “It’s almost impossible to overstate the importance of clean water to a community like the one we had the privilege of serving,” said Wood. Through their generous support, First Baptist members have paid for the wells their members have helped dig, and their contributions continue to help good-hearted people live the Gospel message. “It’s like the story from John 4, when Jesus encounters the Samaritan woman at the well,” Hester said. “The water may come from an unlikely source, but it’s given with love, and sincerity, and it takes root and grows.” Hester recalled a man in El Salvador, standing at the roadside, as the bus of missionaries pulled away, on the last day. “He had a cut-off, plastic Pepsi bottle, and he filled it with clean, beautiful water, and held it up, as a toast, as we drove by, as if to say, ‘Thank you,’” Hester said. “I tell people in our church, we don’t send you on a trip to make you cry, you just do.”
Residents surround team memberss (standing, back) Will and Jerry Robbins, (kneeling) Luke Hatcher, Dr. Ken Hester, Andrew Bell, John Downing and Julie Henry in celebration of a well dug in Haiti.
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How We
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From our own back yard to the far flung countries around the globe we believe it is our duty to help those in need. You will find us raising money, donating food, time and effort to help the less fortunate. Helping others may also be as simple as providing a hot meal or providing school materials or a bit of candy for the youngsters in our own community. However we do it, you will find the people here opening up their hearts with kindness and compassion to make another’s day a little brighter, their load a little lighter and bring smiles to the faces of young and old alike.
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Students and staff at North Pontotoc Elementary raise money for Jump Rope for Heart
Heart patients Everett Murphree (top photo center), shown playing with his parents Brandon and Melanie Murphree, and Trae Smith (bottom photo), shown chatting with his mom Terri Smith, are among the thousands that have benefited from the life-saving care the Jump Rope for Heart fund-raiser supports.
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hilosophers and physicists speculate that when a butterfly flaps its wings, it might contribute to a hurricane across the globe, but the whirling of ropes at North Pontotoc Elementary most certainly affects the world. On the first Friday in February, as they’ve done for 12 years, students and teachers celebrated wellness and healthy hearts, and raised money, with activities like jumping rope, and climbing a rock wall. Jump Rope for Heart is a volunteer effort, started by parents of sick children, in 1983, that raises money for the American Heart Foundation. A couple of the Vikings’ own are among the thousands that have benefited from the life-saving care the fund-raiser supports.
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Photos by DAVID HELMS Newborn Everett Murphree came into this world with heart trouble. “The initial goal, after doctors assessed him, was for him to make it to six months,” said Brandon Murphree, who, along with his wife, Melanie, took their baby boy to the doctor, in hopes of saving his life. “He was born with congenital heart defects, and, at three months, he’d stopped gaining weight,” said Murphree, who works as the physical education teacher at North Pontotoc Elementary School, and pastors Selah Baptist Church. Everett underwent treatment at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, in June 2017. Welcome Home to Pontotoc
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American Heart Association Youth Market Director Liz Young (left) presents Brandon Murphree, Jump Rope for Heart coordinator, with a commemorative check totaling the $79,137.00 that North Pontotoc students have raised over the years.
“There were buzzers going off the first couple of nights, and all sort of alerts, but our son came out good and is doing fine, thanks to the prayers of our faith community and the excellent, professional work of the hospital staff,” said Brandon Murphree. Young Trae Smith had heart problems from the start. “Within 24 hours, we knew that he had a heart problem, and that his kidneys were failing,” said Trae’s mother, Terri Smith who is North Pontotoc Elementary’s principal. Five days into young Trae’s life, he underwent heart surgery at Le Bonheur. Trae had multiple VSDs, or holes in the wall separating the two, lower ventricles of the heart. Trae and his parents endured an arduous process, including hospital visits and checkups. The expertise of a world-renown surgeon
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from Austria, doing an internship at Boston Children’s Hospital, changed their fate. It wasn’t long before Trae was home, doing well, and growing. “It was hard, for a while, because my buddies were playing football, and I couldn’t participate, but I had a friend that broke his arm, and we called ourselves the injured team,” said a smiling Trae Smith, now a healthy, 27-year-old man, as well as a history and physical education teacher at North Pontotoc. According to the Centers for Disease Control, heart defects are the leading cause of death among babies, accounting for nearly 20 percent of infant mortality. More than 300,000 students, in 1,300 schools worldwide, participate each year in Jump Rope for Heart. They’re supported by half-a-million sponsors.
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The young Vikings have raised more than $79,000, and have consistently placed among the top five schools in Mississippi. As a physical education teacher, Murphree said that promoting wellness and activity is always important to him. As a pastor, being grateful for the grace and mercy of God, and the power of friends’ prayers, has helped sustain his family, he said. As a father, it’s hard to find the words to express his gratitude for the role his peers, students, church members, and all those involved, have played in his son’s recovery, he said. “We prayed with our church members for God to spare Everett, so he might serve the Lord,” said Melanie Murphree. “We know that God is the giver and taker of life, and we pray that if our son ever gets a platform, he’ll use it glorify God.” Trae Smith has two students with heart defects. “We have a special bond,” said Smith. “I can certainly relate to what it’s like to sit in a weight-room, with other students working out, and have to sit on a box watching. “It’s changed our family, for sure,” said Smith. “It makes you appreciate every day you’re here.”
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Shop Pontotoc Shop With Us!
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We enjoy our
Communities
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In every nook and cranny of our county people turn out in the community that they have built to enjoy everything from Easter parades to festivals to live nativity scenes, and occasionally snow in the streets on a December night. It doesn’t take much to make us want to get out and celebrate special days or ordinary days. Our greatest heritage is the people that make up the fabric of our lives and knit us together in a bond that is not easily broken.
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GAIL
MORTON She is enjoying a lifetime of learning as she tells our stories in stone Story and Photos by REGINA BUTLER
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ail Morton reached into the kiln and brought out several pieces she recently fired in her studio. She smiled at the little block of stone that has a man putting his hand to his head. “Daddy got me interested in Seymour Prater several years ago,” she said as she carefully laid it and other pieces on the table. Seymour Prater was known as Pontotoc’s seer. If someone lost something they would go to see him and ask where it was, he would put his hand to his head and think then tell them where the object was. After working at Ole Miss as a graphic designer for nine years, Morton taught art at North Pontotoc High School for 20 years before retiring. After a short time away from teaching, she began teaching at Blue Mountain College. “They were without an art department teacher,” she explained. On Tuesdays and Thursdays Morton teaches ceramics 1 and 2 as well as Creative Expression to elementary teachers. “I also teach Art Appreciation and a pottery class. In the summer, I’ll teach teacher assistants four hours for four weeks.” She is able to do this because she earned a Masters Degree in Secondary Art Education. Morton believes her love of art began the day she was born. “I was born with an interest in seeing things such as the beauty of nature and watching it come to life. Music, art and religion is innate in every human being from the earliest civilization,” she noted. “The things you see and experience as you grow up are important so you can teach your child observation and how to notice the details of things.” Morton said that art is all around you if you simply look. “I remember seeing my brother, Clay, carve a crocodile out of plaster and then wood. I watched him build things that were useful around the farm. My mama, Ann Russell, was an artist. She loved to arrange flowers. She said you need something that is high and low and in the middle when you are arranging flowers. “Art is individual. It is from the person. Everybody has an appreciation for it. The blessing is when you have someone who will go to the trouble to support you.” And while there are some who have profited from their abilities,
Gail Morton takes several pieces she recently fired from her kiln at Blue Mountain College.
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(Top) Morton created this book with its clay container using several textures and designs to show the emotions of women who had faced cancer. (Left Middle) Glazed dish with cedar branches to create the impressions. (Left Bottom) French bulldog that has not been fired yet. (Bottom) A farmer asked Seymour Prater where his lost cat was one day. Turned out his neighbor had killed it and Prater told him this.
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“it’s not the money that drives you to do it,” Morton said as she glued the cake plate top back on the stand. “It’s the itch to want to do it. It is always something that is tugging at my sleeve and says ‘come and play.’ ” Especially because she is a teacher, she is always willing to share the methods for the beauty she creates. “This is called slip transfer,” she said of the technique that created the art on a plate she had handy, “you paint glaze on a piece of paper, then put it on the clay and pull it off.” And Morton’s inspiration can come in something as simple as a picture or using a photo of one of her grandmothers as a giant back drop behind a simple drawing of a church. She furthered her own sculpting education through a Mississippi Arts Commission grant that carried her to Maryland last August. Her goal was to use the training to sculpt her body of work relating to Seymour Prater. “I make clay sculptural pieces using human and animal forms to tell stories with Southern roots, whether it be from blues music, family stories, or folk tales. “Growing up in Mississippi, I experienced the blessing of a rich culture full of animals, kinfolk, humidity, music, and stories…lots of stories,” she said. “Because of the constant exposure to narrative, I knew that the present was only part of my life. As I got older, I realized that the past, the place, and the people had woven themselves together to form a type of safety net under me; under all of us who share this unique southern culture.” And her sculpting has been a way for her to bring her own past into a whole new dimension. Being a lefty, it allows her right hand to learn, as it were, how to do art as well. “The idea of both hands working together is fun, because normally, my right hand acts like it can’t understand what I want it to do, but when sculpting a face, it will copy what the left hand is doing if it’s simultaneous. “Faces are kind of symmetrical, so it’s cool. 3D things have a certain weight and presence of space that makes me feel like I’m making something familiar. “When I sculpted my grandaddy’s face, I was happy to see him in 3D again. It was like getting a surprise visit from Edgar Russell. “I think creativity is the obsession and figurative sculpture just happens to be the thing that releases the endorphins right now. “I’ll go off on a painting or drawing tangent just as easily. Just like music and dance, it is its own type of language. Bottom line is that it all brings me joy.”
Morton learned sculpting a live subject in Maryland last August.
Morton has always been a strong advocate for the arts in school. “It is good for students to have the opportunity for art. It makes them feel like humans at school. Art connects the dots between all the subjects and why we are in school. “We didn’t have art and music when I was in high school at North Pontotoc. The first art class I had was at Ole Miss.” But she was also quick to point out how other subjects also point back to art. “I always wondered when I was in school why I had to learn math. I learned the steps of the journey of problem solving to get the final answer. Art is the same way. The process is
art, what’s left over at the end is the product.” However the end result of art should also inspire. A breast cancer survivor, Morton picked up a little rectangle clay box. “I made this as an example for my students in class,” she said. “The box holds a book that has separate pages, and on these you create your own thoughts on the subject you chose. “I chose cancer, and I did this before I was diagnosed with the disease. I talked to people who had been diagnosed and the book pages were created from the comments I got from them.” For Morton, is always something new Welcome Home to Pontotoc
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Cake plate stand Morton created.
around the corner. “You are never at the end of learning how to do art. It is a life time of learning that makes it interesting to make you keep doing it.” In fact she gets together and collaborates with other artists and sits under the teaching of other artists. “When I learn something new and say ‘Oh! I get it!’ It make me a better teacher because it’s a connection with another artist and teaches me that it is okay to love art.” Of her collection she is doing on the many stories of Seymour Prater, she is just getting started. “I got special permission from his granddaughter, Annie Lee Warren, to cast his stories in stone,” Morton said. She stopped and smiled, “She (Warren) brought me books to Thaxton on the library bookmobile and now I am keeping her grandfather’s stories alive through pottery.” One clay picture has a woman with a knife behind her back. She was told by the seer that her hen swallowed her diamond ring, so she killed all her chickens until she found it. From this story, Morton has cast several different pieces. She asked one of her friends, Samantha Baldwin, to hold her hen while she took pictures of her, then used the pictures to sculpt the woman holding the hen. Morton said she has not finished all the stories that were told about Seymour Prater. “I have sketches for other stories. I want to keep the pieces together until I get all the stories done. I want to see all of them together. “But even if someone looks at them and doesn’t know their story, I hope they make their own story. One day people may not know the stories, and if the art survives, it will have to stand by itself.”
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Plate that has been painted using slip transfer.
This casting depicts Seymour Prater using his abilities.
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We love to
Learn
For the people of Pontotoc County learning never stops. From the moment we start walking, we are learning and it continues well into adulthood. Learning comes from the local library as well as in an array of other opportunities. 4-H allows youth and adults to learn everything from caring for animals to how to speak with clarity. Others in the community give experiences from the art of painting or learning of the sacrifice of those who fought for our country, to flight in a hot air balloon our knowledge of the world around us increases with each new day.
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Come enjoy the
First Choice Gateway on the Tanglefoot Trail
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From a paved path to a lighted bridge folks can come to the First Choice Gateway on the Tanglefoot Trail and enjoy walking even after dark while the frogs holler from the creek in the safety and security of a well lit area. Over the past year a clock, new lighting, a bridge with lights on it and a train shed pavilion have been added as improvements to the gateway. The inaugural event that opened the pavilion was the 2019 Chamber/Main Street Awards banquet. The Tanglefoot Trail continues to attract bike enthusiasts who want to ride long distances and those who want to enjoy walking and talking on the trail without the interruption of traffic and noise. It cuts a 44 mile path from New Albany to Houston, with 23 of those miles in Pontotoc County.
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Jonah Mahan gets set for another clay target to be released.
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4-H shooting sports TEACH LIFE LESSONS
T
Story by JONATHAN WISE Photos courtesy of Kim Lilly and the 4-H Super Shooters Club
here are many activities that the 4-H organization offers for Pontotoc County youth to to be involved in, providing opportunities for growth and development. The 4-H Super Shooters Club allows young people to grow their marksmanship skills, but more importantly grow as individuals also. There are a number of outdoor shooting disciplines available for kids, including shotgun, .22 pistol, .22 rifle, air pistol, air rifle, archery and muzzleloading. There is also a hunting discipline; it deals with knowledge of wildlife, habitat and hunter ethics while incorporating .22 rifle and archery shooting. Pontotoc County shooters have enjoyed significant achievements and awards, but that is far in the background as far as the focus of the program. “It is competitive, but we don’t put a major emphasis on that,” said Annice Simmons, an air rifle and air pistol coach that has been involved with 4-H for 24 years. “We focus on improving every week while we practice. “I was a 4-Her myself. You make lifelong friends, and this is something that stays with you your whole life. We put an emphasis on individual responsibility and respect. The kids really respond well to boundaries, and they help each other out. It also just promotes such self-confidence when they able to improve and have success.” “I tell the kids every year if you will dedicate a little bit of time and effort to this you will be better when we get through than you were when we started, not only as a shooter but as a person,” said William Holcomb, who has coached 4-H shotgunning in Pontotoc for 15 years. “When you learn respect for your firearms, that respect is something that will carry over to your everyday life. I try to motivate the kids think positive, act positive and just be aware of the decisions that you make. It has been a very fulfilling thing for me. It’s great to see them succeed, but success is measured in so many different ways. Not everyone can win first place, but if you are better now than you were six months ago then you have succeeded.
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“Also, I have seen kids make some great decisions when they could have chosen to go the wrong way, and I’d like to think that maybe we as a 4-H family had a little bit to do with that.” Pontotoc’s 4-H shooting coaches include William Holcomb (shotgun), Jamie Mahan (shotgun), Stacy Horton (shotgun), Gary Holcomb (shotgun), Annice Simmons (air rifle/air pistol), Tommy Newell (air rifle/air pistol), Jimmy Pennington (archery), Jamie Lilly (archery), Jimmy Clark (archery/.22 rifle), Regina Foster (archery), Ed Munn (.22 rifle), Kevin Foster (.22 rifle), Debbie Munn (.22 rifle), James Shannon (.22 rifle), Micheal Huey (.22 pistol), Terry Simmons (muzzleloading), Sherry Thompson (hunting), Joe DiDonna (hunting) and Kathy Munn (hunting). Throughout the school year the 4-H shooters usually practice at least one afternoon during the week and on Saturdays. They compete in a minimum of three competitions each year, sometimes up to six. In March they moved into a new shooting facility located on land owned by Mr. Larry Poe. “He (Poe) volunteered that property for us to use,” said Holcomb. “He has donated his time and equipment to dress the place up in areas where we needed a little bit of work done. He has done an awful lot for the 4-H. We appreciate him so much. Without people like him the 4-H can’t operate.” Shooting sports as a whole continue expand in popularity. For example, archery is one of the fastest growing sports nationwide. The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks launched the Archery in Mississippi Schools (AIMS) program in 2005 to introduce international-style target archery to 4th-12th graders as well as provide students with another extracurricular sport. AIMS held its first high school state tournament in 2010, and the sport has continued to grow to the point where over 5,000 students compete annually in the state tournament. Nicole Brewer shot 4-H archery for four years. Brewer also had a very successful high school career and was a part of two state championship archery teams at South Pontotoc High School. She credits 4-H with a great deal of her high school success, as she had a heavier draw weight for her bow and had to shoot at significantly longer distances in 4-H than in school archery events. She echoed the values that 4-H shooting provides. She also competed in the shotgun, .22 rifle, and hunting disciplines for a year each. “I would say that the most important lessons I will take with me from participating in 4-H shooting sports would be the importance of safety, hard work, determination, the importance of listening to instruction, and that you never stop learning,” Brewer said. “I have faced many challenges which have taught me these lessons. The biggest challenge I have faced (in archery) is the limitations I have due to my size and strength. As a girl, I have a shorter draw length and am not able to have as heavy a draw weight as my male competitors. Therefore, I have a hard time reaching the farthest distances that 4-H archers must shoot at- 50 meters, 60 meters, and 80 yards. I have had to find ways around this to reach these distances and get closer to my goal, and I have had to practice for countless hours. My journey taught me that hard work and the determination not to give up will pay off. Also, I have learned that it is better to listen to what others have to say and at least try it.” “My experience in shooting sports has been great,” added Perry Malone, who shot in 4-H for 10 years. “The memories and experience made it one of my favorite things to do. I would highly recommend shooting sports to anybody who enjoys shooting because you will improve yourself and you will make memories you will never forget. I have made some great friends in 4-H since I have started, people you can rely on and who be there when you need them.” Welcome Home to Pontotoc
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We treasure our
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Children
Like the mailman, neither rain nor shine nor dark of night will keep us from being on the sidelines, in the gym or outside at the ball park to support our most valuable treasure, the children in our lives as they shine through giving their best cheer, jump, ball throw or musical note. And when it comes time to just hang out and have fun, we are right there again to enjoy their smiles. We understand that our children are the future leaders of our communities so we want to make sure they get the best education and most opportunities they can to make them productive citizens so we can be assured our county will be left in good hands.
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We are there in an
Emergency
Whether we are protecting you from the winds of the tornado or putting out a fire, Pontotoc County emergency personnel are there to help in times of distress. Our expertise is not limited to fires and ambulances, but we are also there if the water line breaks or we are needed for searches of any sort, you will find you are in capable hands with resources from all over the state at our fingertips.
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Get Connected: City of Pontotoc Whether you are moving into town or just changing addresses within Pontotoc city limits, sometimes you lose track of all the details that must be attended to in one move. This list will keep those much-needed numbers in one place so you can quickly contact all the right people at the right places to make the move to your new home much easier. Pontotoc’s utility department offers water/sewer, gas and garbage pick-up. Anyone applying for services must appear in person at Pontotoc City Hall with a state-issued identification card.
GARBAGE PICKUP Once weekly inside the city limits. $10.80 minimum. Anyone applying for services must appear in person at Pontotoc City Hall with a state-issued identification.
IN CASE OF EMERGENCY, Call 911 FIRE CHIEF: 489-7805 The Pontotoc Fire Chief leads a staff of nine full-time firemen and 17 volunteer firemen at two locations in the city. Locations: 116 North Main and 150 Henry Southern Drive.
POLICE CHIEF: 489-7804 Pontotoc City Police Department employs 14 full-time officers and four certified part-time officers. Location: 225 West Reynolds In case of a storm or tornado, you may get to safety in one of the city’s eight public shelters: • 116 North Main St. • 320 Clark St. • 206 Hud St. • 289 Lake Drive • 374 Highway 15 South • 472A Vance Street • 290 Eighth Street • 1814 Highway 15 North For storm alert information, visit www.alertfm.net/ms/pontotoc. To be alerted of a storm in your community by phone sign up at www.trpdd.com/codered. This is at no cost to you.
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WATER/SEWER Water/sewer service provided inside Pontotoc city limits and to a small portion of the county. Water: $100 Installation/inspection fee (non-refundable/non-transferable).
ELECTRICITY Pontotoc Electric Power Association services almost 18,500 members in six counties, which includes most of Pontotoc County. The main office is located at 12 South Main Street, Pontotoc. Call 489-3211. For emergencies on nights, weekends and holidays, Call 489-6711.
NATURAL GAS Service covers Pontotoc, Union and some of Lee Counties. Gas inside Pontotoc City limits: $100 Installation/ inspection fee (non-refundable/non-transferable). New gas service inside city limits: $175 for owner occupied and rental property—installation fee (non-refundable/transferable). Above fees cover first 200 feet of service line plus installation of gas meter. If new service line is more than 200 feet, extra footage will be charged $1 per foot (2-inch line = $2 per foot) and will be billed separately. If you have any questions, you may call City Hall, 489-1722 (night or weekends, 489-7805). Office hours are Mon., Tues., Thurs., Fri., 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wed., 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
CALL BEFORE YOU DIG Call 811 from any phone
Pontotoc County
:Get Connected
NATURAL GAS
GARBAGE PICKUP
Service from the city of Pontotoc covers most of Pontotoc County. To find out if natural gas is available in your location, you may call Pontotoc City Hall, 489-1722 (night or weekends, 489-7805). Office hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wednesday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Garbage is picked up once a week door-to-door. To find out when your garbage day is or ask questions about your bills, call 489-3913.
WATER Pontotoc is serviced by 11 rural water associations, located all across Pontotoc County. • • • • • • • • • •
East Pontotoc Water Association: 489-0776 Town of Ecru Water Association: 489-3881 Mud Creek Water Association: 489-6851 Oak Hill Water Association: 489-3692 Randolph Water Association: 489-8641 or 489-8820 Toccopola Water Association: 489-6537 Thaxton Water Association: 489-6537 Troy Water Association: 489-1425 Algoma Water Association: 489-8351 Sherman Water Association: 842-6366
ELECTRICITY Pontotoc County is serviced by five electrical power associations. The Tennessee Valley Authority is the regional electric provider. Call (662) 690-3400, (662) 690-3600, (662) 690-3500. Pontotoc Electric Power Association services almost 18,500 members in six counties, which includes most of Pontotoc County. The main office is located at 12 South Main Street, Pontotoc. Call 489-3211. For emergencies on nights, weekends and holidays, call 489-6711. Natchez Trace Power Association services the south central part of the county toward the Chickasaw County area. Call (662) 456-3037. Tombigbee Electrical Power Association services the southeastern part of the county toward the Lee County area and Sherman. Call (662) 842-7635. Northeast Electrical Power Association services the northwestern part of the county toward the Lafayette County area. Call (662) 234-6331. The City of New Albany services the northern part of the county near the Union County area. Call (662) 534-1041.
CALL BEFORE YOU DIG Call 811 from any phone
IN CASE OF EMERGENCY, Call 911 FIRE COORDINATOR: 489-3111 The Pontotoc County Fire Coordinator works with more than 200 volunteers who give their time in 12 community fire departments across Pontotoc County.
SHERIFF’S DEPART.: 489-3915 Pontotoc County Sheriff’s Department employs 17 full-time officers, 12 jailers and two school resource officers. To reach the jail, you may call 489-3915, 489-3165 and 489-3182. In case of a storm or tornado, the county has shelters in almost every community • Algoma - 2 shelters: Both at 1310 Algoma Road • Ecru - 7 shelters: Five at 176 Main Street; Two at the park on Central Avenue • Sherman - 7 shelters: 161 6th Ave.; 9 East Lamar Street; 600 Highway 178; 1041 Cr. 292; 213 First Avenue; 49 E. State Street; 26 West Lamar Street • Thaxton - 4 shelters: 2 at 10260 Highway 336; 10632 Highway 336; 10489 Highway 336 (Thaxton Baptist Church) • Toccopola - 2 shelters: Both located near the fire department at 3100 Toccopola Jct. Rd. • Turnpike Community - 1 shelter: 370 Cane Creek North (Turnpike Baptist Church) • Beckham - 1 shelter: 414 Beckham Road • Hurricane - 1 shelter: 7600 Highway 346 • Longview - 1 shelter: 3497 Longview Road • Randolph - 3 shelters: Two are located at 240 Topsy Road; one at 11800 Hwy. 9 South (Carey Springs Baptist Church) • Troy/Woodland - 2 shelters: 175 Rock Hill Road, 3601 Woodland Road For storm alert information, visit www.alertfm.net/ms/pontotoc. To be alerted of a storm in your community by phone sign up at www.trpdd.com/codered. This is at no cost to you. Welcome Home to Pontotoc
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Official Contacts CITY OF PONTOTOC Mayor Bob Peeples, Office in city hall, (662) 489-4321
ALDERMEN
MUNICIPALITIES ALGOMA - Mayor Harry Corder, (662) 4895696 Board meets first Tuesday, 7 p.m. ECRU - Mayor Jeff Smith, (662) 489-3881 Board meets first Tuesday, 6:00 p.m.
Lena Chewe, ward one - (662) 489-5374 Tommy Patterson, ward two - (662) 489-7018 D. R. Simmons, ward three - (662) 419-1903 Rayburn Mapp, ward four - 662) 489-2631 David White at-large - (662) 419-0107
SHERMAN - Mayor Mike Swords, (662) 8409185 Board meets first Tuesday, 6 p.m.
How to call: (662) 489-4321
TOCCOPOLA - Mayor Nick Brewer II, (662) 489-6122 Board meets first Tuesday, 7 p.m.
The Pontotoc City Board of Aldermen meets the first Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m.
PONTOTOC COUNTY Chancery Clerk’s Office – (662) 489-3900 Ricky Ferguson The chancery court clerk handles documentation on divorces, property line disputes, adoptions and youth court. Circuit Clerk’s Office – (662) 489-3908 Melinda Nowicki The circuit clerk handles documentation on marriages, voter registration, criminal and civil cases and notary public. Tax Assessor/Collector – (662) 489-3904 Van McWhirter
SUPERVISORS
THAXTON - Mayor Johnny Coleman, (662) 419-2665 Board meets first Tuesday, 7 p.m.
JUSTICE COURT JUDGES East District: David A. Hall - (662) 489-3921 West District: Scottie Harrison - (662) 489-3921 Justice court judges set bonds on all county crimes, and hear cases that aren’t heard by the circuit court judges.
CONSTABLES East District: Tommy Corbin West District: L. D. Gillespie Constables are responsible for serving court papers and helping to keep the peace in their district. Contact them at Justice Court, 4893921.
IMPORTANT NUMBERS
District 1: Wayne Stokes - (662) 489-7341 District 2: Mike McGregor - (662) 419-5685 District 3: Brad Ward - (662) 419-0497 District 4: Ernie Wright – (662) 844-0208 District 5: Dan McKnight - (662) 419-2277 The supervisors oversee the budget for the entire county, make decisions on improvements county-wide including buildings, fire protection and emergency management.
Airport – (662) 489-3950 Extension Office – (662) 489-3910 Library – (662) 489-3960 Veteran’s Office – (662) 489-3907 Youth Court Service – (662) 489-3936 Agri-Center – (662) 489-3946
They also see that roads and bridges are repaired.
Governor Phil Bryant, (877) 405-0733
The Pontotoc County Supervisors meet the first Monday of the month, the 15th of the month and the last day of the month at 10 a.m. If the 15th or the last day falls on the weekend, the board meets on the Friday before.
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STATE OFFICIALS STATE REPRESENTATIVES Mac Huddleston District 15 - Pontotoc County P.O. Drawer 300, Pontotoc, MS 38863 (662) 489-5157 E-mail: mhuddleston@house.ms.gov
Margaret Ellis Rogers District 14 - Pontotoc, Union Counties 619 Owen Road New Albany, MS 38652 (662) 534-8886 E-mail: mrogers@house.ms.gov Preston Sullivan District 22 - Pontotoc, Calhoun, Chickasaw, 1601 CR 410, Okolona, MS 38860 (662) 447-5719 E-mail: psullivan@house.ms.gov
STATE SENATOR Nickey Browning - District 3 - Pontotoc, Union, Calhoun, P.O. Box 1051, Pontotoc, MS 38863, (662) 489-5979 E-mail: nbrowning@senate.ms.gov Russell Jolly - District 8 369 Hwy 7 Houston, MS 38851 (662) 456-3118 E-mail: rjolly@senate.ms.gov
FEDERAL OFFICIALS Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith U.S. Senate, 702 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone: (202) 224-5054 In Mississippi: 2012 15th Street, Suite 451 Gulfport, Mississippi 39501 Phone: (228) 867-9710 E-mail: senator@smith.senate.gov Website: www.hydesmith.senate.gov Senator Roger F. Wicker 555 Dirksen, Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-6253 In Mississippi: P.O. Box 1482 Tupelo, MS 38802 Phone: (662) 844-5010 Phone: (601) 965-4644 Web site: www.wicker.senate.gov Congressman First District Trent Kelly 1005 Longworth, House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-4306 In Mississippi: 431 West Main Street, Ste. 450 Tupelo, MS 38804 Phone: (662) 841-8808
Clubs & Organizations Please call the contact person for more information. CHILDREN OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION Martha Jo Coleman - 308-1219
FINE ARTS CLUB
PONTOTOC HOMEMAKERS
CONCERNED CITIZENS
Laney Sims - 489-8784
Linda Smith - 489-3910
David & Phyllis High - 489-5319
PONTOTOC 4-H CLUB
OPEN GATE GARDEN CLUB
PONTOTOC WOMAN’S CLUB
Sherry Thompson - 489-3910
Claire McGee - 706-207-3152
Jenae Weeks - 488-1355
COSMOPOLITAN CLUB
PONTOTOC CO. HISTORICAL SOCIETY
TALE-TELLERS
PONTOTOC ARTISTS GUILD
B. T. Simms Senior Bldg. - 489-6557
Dr. Lee Waltress - 509-2091
Joyce Odom - 489-4365
Martha Jo Coleman - 308-1219
FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY
PONTOTOC MUSIC STUDY CLUB
TOWN AND COUNTRY GARDEN CLUB
PONTOTOC AMERICAN LEGION, POST #16
Sadie Kenny - 687-1956
Jack Savely - 419-5995
PONTOTOC ROTARY
PONTOTOC COMMUNITY THEATER
PONTOTOC VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS
Mack Huey - 489-3907
Jennifer Wright - 760-9125
Tracey Robertson - 419-3823
CIVITAN CLUB George Stegall - 489-2052
Phyllis High - 489-5319
DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION Rhonda Rodgers - 419-0948
Marchell Gates - 419-5250
HOW WE GIVE BACK Pontotoc County residents give of their time and talents to charitable organizations local and nationwide; to clubs and any local benefit, giving hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to help those in need. These organizations give folks an opportunity to give from Pontotoc to all points of the globe.
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
FEEDING OF THE 5,000
Pontotoc Habitat for Humanity has built scores of homes in Pontotoc for those who need affordable housing. Volunteers from all walks of life come together to hammer and saw a house into a future home for a needy family. Call 488-9090 for more information or to volunteer.
A week before Thanksgiving churches from across the county come together to pack a meal for the home bound and elderly. The list and man power comes from the different county churches. They come together at First Baptist Church because it is in the center of the county. This even begins being organized by early October each year. If your church wants to participate please call First Baptist at 489-1346.
PONTOTOC FOOD DEPOT Through the Pontotoc Food Depot, those who wish to receive food on a monthly basis sign up the first Saturday of each month at the food depot office from 8-10 a.m. The office is located at the corner of Marion and Liberty Streets beside Cornelieson Law Office. Those who are signed up collect their food on the third Saturday.
PONTOTOC FOOD PANTRY When your house is destroyed by fire or a sudden job loss occurs, the Pontotoc County Food Pantry is there to supply the immediate need. The organization helps to supply food to an average of 30-50 families a month and is open from 9 a.m.-12 noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays and is located on Reynolds Street. Call 489-5042 for more information.
SALVATION ARMY When disaster strikes in any form, the Salvation Army is there to give hope and help. A thrift store is open to aid people in the community. Volunteers also ring the bell at Christmas to collect monies in the red kettle. Call 509-9400 for more information.
OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD Churches across Pontotoc participate in bringing brighter smiles to children all over the world by packing shoe boxes and sending them to Samaritan’s Purse to be distributed by boat, mule, bike, trike and any other means to give hope to a child in need. Call West Heights Baptist Church at 489-1200.
HAMMERS OF HOPE Hammers of Hope repairs & rebuilds homes of those in need whether affected by natural disaster or life circumstances while sharing the love of Christ. Born out of a desire to help people here at home whose homes need repair, Jeff and Kim Cooper along with volunteers make their hands busy helping those in need. 501-3c organization please contact them at 662-871-1605 or go to hammersofhopems.org. Faithful Servants Working ‘Til Jesus Returns! Hebrews 3:1-6
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Houses of Prayer ASSEMBLY OF GOD FIRST ASSEMBLY OF GOD 2448 Hwy. 15 North 662-489-0209
BAPTIST ALGOMA BAPTIST Hwy. 124 W., Algoma 662-489-5846 ANTIOCH FREEWILL BAPTIST Toccopola, MS 662-242-0379, 662-801-8815 BEECH SPRINGS FREEWILL BAPTIST Beech Springs Rd., Ecru 662-844-0792 BELLEVUE BAPTIST Hwy. 6 West, Thaxton, MS 662-509-9235 BETHANY PRIMITIVE BAPTIST 4905 Hwy. 346 662-489-0222 BETHEL MB 2905 Hwy. 342 662-509-9924 BETHLEHEM FREEWILL BAPTIST 115 Bethlehem Lane 662-489-6848 BUCHANAN BAPTIST 4815 Friendship Rd. 662-489-3405 BY FAITH BAPTIST 2220 Hwy. 15 N. 662-489-7701 CAIRO BAPTIST 2610 Cairo Rd., Ecru 662-266-4359 CAREY SPRINGS BAPTIST Hwy. 9 SW 662-489-1265 CENTER HILL BAPTIST 591 Brassfield Rd. Pontotoc CHERRY CREEK BAPTIST Cherry Creek 662-489-6002 CHERRY CREEK MB Cherry Creek Rd. 662-489-7009
COOKE MEMORIAL BAPTIST 5962 Redland-Sarepta Road Houlka, MS 38850
HURRICANE BAPTIST 7975 Hwy. 346 662-489-1481
PINEY GROVE BAPTIST CHURCH Piney Grove Road 662-489-5825
COUNTY LINE BAPTIST 14616 Hwy 9 S., Randolph 662-489-7363
IMMANUEL BAPTIST CHURCH 2681 Rowland Road 662-489--4832
PINEY GROVE BAPTIST CHURCH 507 S. Gilmer Road, Pontotoc
DISCOVERY CHURCH 3950 Hwy. 336, Pontotoc www.discoverychurchms.com
IN GOOD FAITH BAPTIST 685 Rocky Ford Rd. 662-489-7161
EAST BAPTIST 329 Clark St. 662-489-7151
LEE MEMORIAL BAPTIST 208 Lana St. 662-489-7285
ECRU BAPTIST 550 Main St., Ecru 662-489-3091
LIBERTY BAPTIST 7974 Hwy. 341 662-489-1943
ECRU SECOND BAPTIST Ecru, 662-489-5361
LOCUST HILL BAPTIST 1745 Locut Hill Road
SAREPTA BAPTIST Randolph, 662-414-7451
LONGVIEW BAPTIST 406 Dozier Hill Road, Belden 662-489-5733
SECOND BAPTIST 189 N. College St. 662-489-1274
MACEDONIA BAPTIST 3996 Macedonia Rd., Houlka
SELAH BAPTIST 5720 Hwy. 15 N. 662-488-8242
FIRST BAPTIST 31 E. Washington St. 662-489-1346 FIRST BAPTIST OF TROY 145 Rockhill Rd. 662-489-4624 FRIENDSHIP BAPTIST Country Road 134 662-489-7070 FRIENDSHIP BAPTIST 85 Friendship Road, Ecru 662-489-4056 FURRS BAPTIST 9011 Hwy. 6 E. 662-840-1705 GERSHORM BAPTIST 240 Baptist Bend, Houlka 662-488-4033 GREEN VALLEY BAPTIST 265 Old Airport Rd. S. 662-489-6047 HARMONY BAPTIST 3534 Hwy. 345 662-489-1070 HEBRON BAPTIST 71 Hebron Rd., Randolph 662-489-6103 HOPEWELL PRIMITIVE BAPTIST Robbs Road, Randolph 662-844-9633 HORTON MEMORIAL BAPTIST 2120 Hwy. 346, Pontotoc
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McGREGOR’S CHAPEL FW BAPTIST CHURCH Hwy. 6 West, Pontotoc, MS MIDWAY BAPTIST 8773 Hwy. 15 S. 662-489-5664 NEW LIFE FREEWILL BAPTIST 4449 Wallfield Road, Houlka, 568-2072 NEW RESIDENT BAPTIST 996 Floyd Rd. 662-488-8843 NEW SALEM MB Hwy. 6 E., 662-489-8791 OAK DALE BAPTIST 7230 Hwy. 346 Pontotoc, MS 38863 OAK HILL BAPTIST 5830 Hwy. 9 N. 662-489-1897 GREATEST MISSION BAPTIST 125 Old Airport Rd., Pontotoc 419-1797 PLEASANT GROVE FREEWILL BAPTIST 7705 Hwy. 336, Thaxton 662-488-6042
PLEASANT GROVE MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH Corner of Hwy. 41 & Pleasant Grove Rd., Pontotoc 662-489-8784 RANDOLPH BAPTIST Topsy Road, Randolph 489-4992 SCHOONA CHAPEL BAPTIST Hwy. 341, Pontotoc
SHADY GROVE BAPTIST 1000 Shady Grove Baptist 662-489-7842 SHERMAN GROVE BAPTIST 209 First Ave., Sherman 662-372-2661 SPRINGVILLE BAPTIST 64 S. Pontotoc Rd. 662-488-0013 SPRINGVILLE CHAPEL MB 1870 Palestine Rd. 662-509-9511 ST. PAUL BAPTIST 360 Cairo Loop 662-489-8417 THAXTON BAPTIST 10507 Hwy. 336, Thaxton 662-489-8534 THE ANCHOR BAPTIST 4495 Hwy. 9 North, Pontotoc 662-489-9241 THE VINE BAPTIST 125 Old Airport Rd., S. Pontotoc 662-401-2218 TOCCOPOLA BAPTIST P. O. Box 304 489-7504
Worship is a vital part of life here in Pontotoc. Our churches reach out in the community and give food, water and substance to those in need, and are the primary place for family togetherness and love. We are blessed with a broad array of denominations with churches tucked in every hill and hollow of this county, making your nearest house of worship a less than 10 minute drive from wherever you live. So if you want to be involved in the heart beat of the community it is as near as your local church.
TOXISH BAPTIST 1841 Toxish Rd. 662-489-5839 TROY BAPTIST 8272 Hwy. 41 662-489-5770 TURNPIKE BAPTIST Cane Creek Rd. - Pontotoc 489-1923 VALLEY GROVE BAPTIST 3282 Kings Hwy., Tupelo 662-419-0801 WATCHMEN BAPTIST 13013 Hwy. 336 662-489-5560 VICTORY BAPTIST 382 South Main Street 662-489-5900 WEST HEIGHTS BAPTIST 328 W. Oxford St. 662-489-1200 WILSON CHAPEL BAPTIST CHURCH P. O. Box 906 Pontotoc, MS WOODLAND BAPTIST 1257 Pontocola Rd. 662-489-9391 ZION BAPTIST 459 Valley Rd. 662-489-2196
CATHOLIC ST. CHRISTOPHER CATHOLIC CHURCH 431 Pineridge Dr., Pontotoc 662-489-7749
CHURCH OF CHRIST BUCKHORN CHURCH OF CHRIST 13675 Hwy. 341, Randolph 662-308-1229 CHURCH OF CHRIST 276 Hwy. 15 Bypass 662-489-5020 CHURCH OF CHRIST 369 Church St. 662-489-1136 RANDOLPH CHURCH OF CHRIST Corner of Topsy Rd. & Indian Creek Tr.
SHERMAN CHURCH OF CHRIST 2303 St. Hwy. 178 E., Sherman, 662-844-4593
JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES KINGDOM HALL OF JEHOVAH’S 112 Old Airport Rd. 662-489-7815
THAXTON UNITED METHODIST 10326 Hwy. 336, Thaxton 488-8178
CHURCH OF GOD OF PROPHECY 1528 Hwy. 341 662-660-0406
UNION GROVE UNITED METHODIST Beulah Grove Rd. 662-844-6021
CHURCH OF THE LIVING GOD 320 Stark Rd. 662-488-8256
USHER VALLEY UNITED METHODIST 754 Moorman Rd. 662-489-8020
METHODIST ALGOMA UNITED METHODIST 1161 Algoma Road, Pontotoc 662-760-34998 BEULAH GROVE UNITED METHODIST Beulah Grove Rd. 662-844-6021 EBENEZER UNITED METHODIST 1411 Hwy. 342, Pontotoc 662-760-3499 ECRU UNITED METHODIST Church Street Ecru, MS FAIRVIEW METHODIST Hwy. 341 662-489-6979 FIRST UNITED METHODIST 68 S. Main St. 662-489-3076 McDONALD UNITED METHODIST 194 College Street 662-489-1020 MOUNT NEBO UNITED METHODIST 1221 Campground Rd. 662-489-7020 NAYLOR CME 326 Clark St. 662-489-6082 PALESTINE UNITED METHODIST 2181 Palestine Road, Pontotoc 662-760-3499 PLEASANT GROVE UNITED METHODIST 205 Martin Lane 662-489-2087
PENTECOSTAL BLACK ZION PENTECOSTAL Hwy. 342 662-489-0068 LIGHTHOUSE APOSTOLIC CHURCH 233 White Gold, Pontotoc 662-419-7271 THAXTON UNITED PENTECOSTAL 265 Wells Road 662-419-2993 WEST PONTOTOC PENTECOSTAL CHURCH 266 Hwy. 341 S., Pontotoc 662-489-6700
PRESBYTERIAN FIRST PRESBYTERIAN 124 S. Main St. 662-489-2183 MAPLE DRIVE PRESBYTERIAN 146 Maple Dr. 662-488-0401 WHITE ZION PRESBYTERIAN Hwy. 6 East 662-840-6589
OTHER ABUNDANT LIFE CHRISTIAN CENTER 267 W. 8th St. 662-489-8409
CHURCH OF THE LIVING GOD 127 County Rd. 433, Thaxton 662-236-5948 COLLEGE HILL 7027 Hwy. 6 E. 662-488-4060 ECRU CHURCH OF THE LORD JESUS 259 Old Hwy. 15, Ecru 662-489-4319 GOOD SHEPHERD 184 W. Bolton St. 662-489-2205 HARVESTER CHURCH 686 Royal Oak Drive, Pontotoc 662-489-4677 HARVEST TIME CHURCH OF GOD 289 8th Street, Pontotoc 662-509-2517 HEAVEN BOUND CHURCH 110 Jericho Road, Pontotoc 662-308-7663 OASIS OF LOVE FELLOWSHIP 1195 Kings Hwy. 662-690-1920 PONTOTOC APOSTOLIC 248 Apostolic Circle 662-489-7121 REYNOLDS CHAPEL 6498 Hwy. 9 S. 489-3711 TEMPLE OF GLORY RESTORATION CHURCH 364B East Oxford St. Pontotoc, MS THOMPSON CHAPEL CHRISTIAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH 937 CR 308, Houlka, MS 662-568-2680
CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY CHURCH 5206A Hwy. 15, Ecru 539-0040
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Calendar JULY • Independence Day Parade
AUGUST • County Wide Pep Rally • Pontotoc County Fair • Bodock Festival
OCTOBER
JANUARY • Martin Luther King Day parade and celebration
MARCH • Customer Appreciation Day
• Algoma Crosstie Festival • Harvest Walk
NOVEMBER • Veteran’s day ceremonies on Court Square and at each county school • Christmas Open House Sunday before Thanksgiving- 1-5 p.m. • Community Christmas Tree lighting ceremony at Community House
DECEMBER • Pontotoc, Thaxton, Ecru, Sherman and Toccopola Christmas Parades • Rudolph Run • Wreaths Across America
APRIL • Easter egg hunt at Howard Stafford Park • Easter parade at Algoma on Saturday before Easter • Art Guild Spring Gala
MAY • Habitat for Humanity Women’s Build • North Pontotoc High Graduation • South Pontotoc High Graduation • Pontotoc High Graduation • Memorial Day Ceremonies
Other events through the year include Relay for Life and Chamber of Commerce Banquet. Check the Pontotoc Progress for dates on these events. Other news items you will find in the Progress include church announcements, what’s happening at the library and what’s happening in each of the communities across the county. 112 | Welcome Home to Pontotoc
Where Family Comes First & We Love Every Second BUSINESS & INDUSTRY MEMBERS • 7 South
• First Choice Bank
• Rex Ashley LTD/Gina Bridgeman
• B & B Concrete Co., Inc.
• Image Screen Printing
• Seafood Junction
• ALFA Insurance, Henry Payne • BancorpSouth
• Bank of Mississippi
• Bodock Bed & Breakfast • Boondock’s Grill
• Browning Funeral Home
• Campbell Insurance Agency, LLC. • Carnes Frames Inc.
• Chuck & Ensley Howell • Delta Daisy
• Denise Sojourner, MD • Double B Gin
• Drs. Mac & Flava Huddleston • Ella Ivy Boutique
• Engineering Solutions, Inc. • Farmers Maketing Assoc. • Fred Wicker
• Happy Day Café
• J. Gregg Brown, Attorney
• John M Lauderdale, CPA, PA • McCoy Grocery
• Merle Norman @ Lagacy • MississippiCare
• Montgomery Drugs
• NorthEast MS ERA • PEPA
• Piggly Wiggly #222
• Pontotoc Co. Farm Bureau
• Pontotoc Health Services Inc. • Pontotoc Loans, Inc. • Pontotoc Progress • Pontotoc Spring
• Reeders Farm Supply, Inc
• Ridgecrest Insurance
• Shannon & Graham Eye Clinic • Simon, Inc.
• Solutions Finance
• South Main Dental • Sydnei’s Grill
• Taco Bell, V2, Inc.
• Three Rivers Planning & DEV • Toyota Motor North America • True Value Home Center • Tud & Kitty Pitman, Jr. • Wade. Inc.
• Watkins Ward & Stafford CPA • William & Bessie Givha
• Yamato Steak House of Japan
• Renasant Bank
WEBSITE
www.pontotocchamber.com
Pontotoc County Chamber Main Street
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