Greenville, Mississippi
Encyclopedia
Greenville is a city in Washington County
, Mississippi
, United States
. The population was 48,633 at the 2000 census, but according to the 2009 census bureau estimates, it has since declined to 42,764, making it the eighth-largest city in the state. It is the county seat
of Washington County
.
Greenville was "founded" in 1824 by William W. Blanton, who filed for land from the United States government who granted him section four, township eighteen, range eight west. This plot is now most of downtown Greenville.
The current city of Greenville is the third in the State to bear the name. The first, located down near Natchez, died aborning right after the American Revolution. The second is the parent city to the present one. It was named by its founders for General Nathaniel Green, beloved friend of George Washington, for whom the county was named. This second city was located three miles from the present site, where today stands Greenville’s Industrial fill. The second town was a thriving hamlet in the days before the Civil War. It formed the business and cultural center for the large cotton plantations that surrounded it. The town was destroyed during the siege of Vicksburg when troops from a Union gunboat landed, and when fired upon, burned every building. The inhabitants took refuge in plantation homes of the area. When the war ended, veterans of Mississippi regiments found Greenville in a state of ruin.
For a time these men rested, but not for long. They had been defeated in battle but not in spirit. They met in twos and threes and finally en-mass and decided to build again. The place chosen was the highest point on the Mississippi River between the towns of Vicksburg and Memphis. It belonged to the Roach and Blanton families; the major part of the area selected was on the property owned by Mrs. Harriet Blanton Theobald. She welcomed the idea of a new Greenville and gave land for schools and churches and public buildings, earning the name of the “Mother of Greenville”. Major Richard O’Hea, who planned the fortifications at Vicksburg, was hired to lay out the new town.
Greenville is named after American Revolutionary War
hero Nathanael Greene
.
Greenville is located on the eastern bank of Lake Ferguson, an oxbow lake left from an old channel of the Mississippi River. Two floating casinos are located on the lake near the downtown area, with a third just west of the city near the Greenville Bridge
. Chicago Mill and Lumber Co. operated a lumber mill on the lake two-tenths of a mile south of the casino levee parking lot; the mill specialized in making hardwood boxes until it closed. The Winterville Mounds Historic Site
, with museum and picnic area, is located just north of the town at 2415 Highway 1 N; the Indian mounds were built by a tribe that predated the Choctaw and Chickasaw Indian tribes.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 27.7 square miles (71.7 km²), of which 26.9 square miles (69.7 km²) is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²) (2.82%) is water.
of 2000, there were 48,633 people, 18,784 households, and 14,422 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,548.8 people per square mile (598.0/km²). There were 16,251 housing units at an average density of 604.6 per square mile (233.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 28.92% White, 69.60% Black
, 0.07% Native American, 0.71% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.20% from other races
, and 0.49% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.71% of the population.
There were 14,784 households out of which 35.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.8% were married couples
living together, 27.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.5% were non-families. 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.34.
In the city the population was spread out with 31.4% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 85.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $25,928, and the median income for a family was $30,788. Males had a median income of $29,801 versus $20,707 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $13,992. About 25.7% of families and 29.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.2% of those under age 18 and 23.6% of those age 65 or over.
Greenville Mid Delta Regional Airport, located in unincorporated
Washington County
, northeast of downtown Greenville, serves the city and the Mississippi Delta region. It has commercial air service provided by Mesaba Airlines which operates as Northwest Airlink (now Delta Connection) to Northwest Airlines
(now Delta Air Lines
) hub at Memphis, Tennessee.
Highway
U.S. Highway 82, U.S. Highway 61 and the Great River Road
(Mississippi Highway 1) are the main transportation arteries through the Greenville area. U.S. Highway 82 is a major part of the Mississippi Delta's transportation network, as it connects to Interstate 55 and other major four-lane highways. Construction is currently underway on a new four-lane Greenville Bridge
to cross the Mississippi River south of Greenville into Lake Village, Arkansas. This $206 million cable-stayed span, once completed, will be the longest of its kind in the continental United States. It will replace the Benjamin G. Humphreys Bridge
as the primary bridge.
, while a small portion of the city lies in the Western Line School District
.
The private schools, Washington School
and Greenville Christian School, also serve the city; as well as the parochial schools, St. Joseph High School and Our Lady of Lourdes Elementary which are part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Jackson
.
The Greenville Higher Education Center offers non credit community courses and credit courses from Delta State University
, Mississippi Delta Community College
, and Mississippi Valley State University
.
, big band
, jump blues
and jazz
and where record companies looked for talent. It was the equivalent of Beale Street
in mid-1900s Memphis
.
The second historic marker designated by the Mississippi Blues Commission on the Mississippi Blues Trail
was placed in front of the Southern Whispers Restaurant on Nelson Street in Greenville, a stop on the chitlin' circuit
in the early days of the blues. The marker commemorates the importance of this site in the history of the development of the blues
in Mississippi.
Washington County, Mississippi
-National protected areas:*Holt Collier National Wildlife Refuge*Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge *Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge-Demographics:...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 48,633 at the 2000 census, but according to the 2009 census bureau estimates, it has since declined to 42,764, making it the eighth-largest city in the state. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Washington County
Washington County, Mississippi
-National protected areas:*Holt Collier National Wildlife Refuge*Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge *Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge-Demographics:...
.
Greenville was "founded" in 1824 by William W. Blanton, who filed for land from the United States government who granted him section four, township eighteen, range eight west. This plot is now most of downtown Greenville.
The current city of Greenville is the third in the State to bear the name. The first, located down near Natchez, died aborning right after the American Revolution. The second is the parent city to the present one. It was named by its founders for General Nathaniel Green, beloved friend of George Washington, for whom the county was named. This second city was located three miles from the present site, where today stands Greenville’s Industrial fill. The second town was a thriving hamlet in the days before the Civil War. It formed the business and cultural center for the large cotton plantations that surrounded it. The town was destroyed during the siege of Vicksburg when troops from a Union gunboat landed, and when fired upon, burned every building. The inhabitants took refuge in plantation homes of the area. When the war ended, veterans of Mississippi regiments found Greenville in a state of ruin.
For a time these men rested, but not for long. They had been defeated in battle but not in spirit. They met in twos and threes and finally en-mass and decided to build again. The place chosen was the highest point on the Mississippi River between the towns of Vicksburg and Memphis. It belonged to the Roach and Blanton families; the major part of the area selected was on the property owned by Mrs. Harriet Blanton Theobald. She welcomed the idea of a new Greenville and gave land for schools and churches and public buildings, earning the name of the “Mother of Greenville”. Major Richard O’Hea, who planned the fortifications at Vicksburg, was hired to lay out the new town.
Greenville is named after American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
hero Nathanael Greene
Nathanael Greene
Nathanael Greene was a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. When the war began, Greene was a militia private, the lowest rank possible; he emerged from the war with a reputation as George Washington's most gifted and dependable officer. Many places in the United...
.
Greenville is located on the eastern bank of Lake Ferguson, an oxbow lake left from an old channel of the Mississippi River. Two floating casinos are located on the lake near the downtown area, with a third just west of the city near the Greenville Bridge
Greenville Bridge
The Greenville Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge crossing the Mississippi River that carries US 82 between Lake Village, Arkansas and Greenville, Mississippi. The main span's length makes the bridge the third-longest cable-stayed bridge in the United States, and fourth longest in North America...
. Chicago Mill and Lumber Co. operated a lumber mill on the lake two-tenths of a mile south of the casino levee parking lot; the mill specialized in making hardwood boxes until it closed. The Winterville Mounds Historic Site
Winterville Site
The Winterville Site is an archaeological site consisting of platform substructure mounds and plazas that is the type site for the Winterville Phase of the Lower Yazoo Basin region...
, with museum and picnic area, is located just north of the town at 2415 Highway 1 N; the Indian mounds were built by a tribe that predated the Choctaw and Chickasaw Indian tribes.
Geography
Greenville is located at 33°23′55"N 91°2′54"W (33.398577, -91.048356).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 27.7 square miles (71.7 km²), of which 26.9 square miles (69.7 km²) is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²) (2.82%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 48,633 people, 18,784 households, and 14,422 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,548.8 people per square mile (598.0/km²). There were 16,251 housing units at an average density of 604.6 per square mile (233.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 28.92% White, 69.60% Black
Black
Black is the color of objects that do not emit or reflect light in any part of the visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of light...
, 0.07% Native American, 0.71% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.20% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.49% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.71% of the population.
There were 14,784 households out of which 35.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.8% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 27.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.5% were non-families. 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.34.
In the city the population was spread out with 31.4% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 85.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $25,928, and the median income for a family was $30,788. Males had a median income of $29,801 versus $20,707 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $13,992. About 25.7% of families and 29.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.2% of those under age 18 and 23.6% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
AirGreenville Mid Delta Regional Airport, located in unincorporated
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
Washington County
Washington County, Mississippi
-National protected areas:*Holt Collier National Wildlife Refuge*Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge *Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge-Demographics:...
, northeast of downtown Greenville, serves the city and the Mississippi Delta region. It has commercial air service provided by Mesaba Airlines which operates as Northwest Airlink (now Delta Connection) to Northwest Airlines
Northwest Airlines
Northwest Airlines, Inc. was a major United States airline founded in 1926 and absorbed into Delta Air Lines by a merger approved on October 29, 2008, making Delta the largest airline in the world...
(now Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...
) hub at Memphis, Tennessee.
Highway
U.S. Highway 82, U.S. Highway 61 and the Great River Road
Great River Road
The Great River Road is a collection of state, provincial, federal, and local roads which follow the course of the Mississippi River through ten states of the United States...
(Mississippi Highway 1) are the main transportation arteries through the Greenville area. U.S. Highway 82 is a major part of the Mississippi Delta's transportation network, as it connects to Interstate 55 and other major four-lane highways. Construction is currently underway on a new four-lane Greenville Bridge
Greenville Bridge
The Greenville Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge crossing the Mississippi River that carries US 82 between Lake Village, Arkansas and Greenville, Mississippi. The main span's length makes the bridge the third-longest cable-stayed bridge in the United States, and fourth longest in North America...
to cross the Mississippi River south of Greenville into Lake Village, Arkansas. This $206 million cable-stayed span, once completed, will be the longest of its kind in the continental United States. It will replace the Benjamin G. Humphreys Bridge
Benjamin G. Humphreys Bridge
The Benjamin G. Humphreys Bridge was a two lane cantilever bridge that carried US 82 and US 278 across the Mississippi River between Lake Village, Arkansas and Greenville, Mississippi. The bridge was named for Benjamin G. Humphreys II, a former United States Congressman from Greenville. A new...
as the primary bridge.
Education
Most of Greenville is served by the Greenville Public School DistrictGreenville Public School District
The Greenville Public School District is a public school district based in Greenville, Mississippi .-High school:*Greenville-Weston High School 10-12 Campus*Greenville-Weston High School 9th Grade Institution-Elementary schools:...
, while a small portion of the city lies in the Western Line School District
Western Line School District
The Western Line School District is a public school district based in the community of Avon, Mississippi .In addition to Avon, the district serves the town of Metcalfe, a small portion of Greenville, as well as the unincorporated communities of Glen Allan, Riverside, and Wayside in Washington County...
.
The private schools, Washington School
Washington School (Mississippi)
Washington School is a small, non-denominational, private school in Greenville, Mississippi. Washington School offers pre-school, elementary, middle, and college preparatory education to Greenville and the surrounding areas.-History:...
and Greenville Christian School, also serve the city; as well as the parochial schools, St. Joseph High School and Our Lady of Lourdes Elementary which are part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Jackson
Roman Catholic Diocese of Jackson
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Jackson is a diocese in the ecclesiastical province of Mobile, in the southern United States of America. Its ecclesiastical jurisdiction includes the northern and central parts of the state of Mississippi, an area of . It is the largest diocese, by area, in the United...
.
The Greenville Higher Education Center offers non credit community courses and credit courses from Delta State University
Delta State University
Delta State University, also known as DSU, is a regional public university located in Cleveland, Mississippi, United States, in the heart of the Mississippi Delta...
, Mississippi Delta Community College
Mississippi Delta Community College
Mississippi Delta Community College is a community college based in Moorhead, Mississippi which is located in Sunflower County. It also offers courses at locations in Drew, Greenville, Greenwood, and Indianola, Mississippi. Its mascot is the Trojan warrior. The college's president is Dr. Larry G....
, and Mississippi Valley State University
Mississippi Valley State University
Mississippi Valley State University is a historically black university located in Itta Bena, Mississippi, in the United States. MVSU is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund....
.
Sports
- The Mississippi MiraclesMississippi MiraclesThe Mississippi Miracles is an American Basketball Association and World Basketball Association team based in Cleveland, Mississippi. The team began play in the fall of 2004 as the Mississippi Stingers. They finished in 1st place in the Blue Division with a 19-3 record. They lost in the...
, formerly the Mississippi Stingers are an American Basketball AssociationAmerican Basketball Association (21st century)The American Basketball Association, often abbreviated as ABA, is a semi-professional men's basketball league that was founded in 1999. The current ABA has no affiliation with the original American Basketball Association that merged with the National Basketball Association in 1976...
franchise in Greenville.
Born in Greenville
- William Alexander PercyWilliam Alexander PercyWilliam Alexander Percy , was a lawyer, planter, and poet from Greenville, Mississippi. His autobiography Lanterns on the Levee became a bestseller. His father LeRoy Percy was the last United States Senator from Mississippi elected by the legislature...
, lawyer, planter, and poet Lanterns on the Levee - Eden BrentEden BrentEden Brent is an award-winning American musician on the independent Yellow Dog Records label. A blues pianist and vocalist, she combines boogie-woogie with elements of blues, jazz, soul, gospel and pop...
, blues boogie-woogieBoogie-woogieBoogie-woogie has the following meanings:*Boogie-woogie, a piano-based music style*Boogie-woogie , a swing dance or a dance that imitates the rock-n-roll dance of the 1950s*"Boogie Woogie" , a song by EuroGroove and Dannii Minogue...
musician, composer, and performer - Shelby FooteShelby FooteShelby Dade Foote, Jr. was an American historian and novelist who wrote The Civil War: A Narrative, a massive, three-volume history of the war. With geographic and cultural roots in the Mississippi Delta, Foote's life and writing paralleled the radical shift from the agrarian planter system of the...
, author - Robert T. HenryRobert T. HenryRobert T. Henry was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II.-Biography:...
, World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
soldier and Medal of HonorMedal of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
recipient - Jim HensonJim HensonJames Maury "Jim" Henson was an American puppeteer best known as the creator of The Muppets. As a puppeteer, Henson performed in various television programs, such as Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, films such as The Muppet Movie and The Great Muppet Caper, and created advanced puppets for...
, puppeteer - Lucy Somerville HoworthLucy Somerville HoworthLucy Somerville Howorth was an American lawyer, feminist and politician. Howorth was born in Greenville, Mississippi. She is known for her New Deal legislative efforts....
, feminist & New Deal Lawyer - Sam Chu LinSam Chu LinSam Chu Lin was an American journalist. Born in Greenville, Mississippi, Lin died, at the age of 67, in Burbank, California on March 5, 2006. In the 1960s, he was one of the first Asian Americans to appear on both radio and television, eventually working for all four major broadcast networks...
, pioneering Chinese AmericanChinese AmericanChinese Americans represent Americans of Chinese descent. Chinese Americans constitute one group of overseas Chinese and also a subgroup of East Asian Americans, which is further a subgroup of Asian Americans...
journalist - Frank White, professional baseball player
- Mary WilsonMary Wilson (singer)Mary Wilson is an American singer, formerlymember of the Motown female singing group The Supremes during the 1960s and 1970s. Wilson was the only singer to be a consistent member of the group in its eighteen-year tenure...
, singer, of The SupremesThe SupremesThe Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
Greenville related
- Greenville is the home town of the Percy family, including U.S. Senator Le Roy Percy and author William Alexander PercyWilliam Alexander PercyWilliam Alexander Percy , was a lawyer, planter, and poet from Greenville, Mississippi. His autobiography Lanterns on the Levee became a bestseller. His father LeRoy Percy was the last United States Senator from Mississippi elected by the legislature...
who took charge of the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927Great Mississippi Flood of 1927The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 was the most destructive river flood in the history of the United States.-Events:The flood began when heavy rains pounded the central basin of the Mississippi in the summer of 1926. By September, the Mississippi's tributaries in Kansas and Iowa were swollen to...
recovery effort and wrote Lanterns on the Levee about the Mississippi DeltaMississippi DeltaThe Mississippi Delta is the distinctive northwest section of the U.S. state of Mississippi that lies between the Mississippi and Yazoo Rivers. The region has been called "The Most Southern Place on Earth" because of its unique racial, cultural, and economic history...
. Walker PercyWalker PercyWalker Percy was an American Southern author whose interests included philosophy and semiotics. Percy is best known for his philosophical novels set in and around New Orleans, Louisiana, the first of which, The Moviegoer, won the National Book Award for Fiction in 1962...
, another writer from the Percy family, spent most of his life in AlabamaAlabamaAlabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
and LouisianaLouisianaLouisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. - Greenville is also the home to the Delta Democrat TimesDelta Democrat TimesThe Delta Democrat Times is a daily newspaper that has been published in Greenville, Mississippi, United States since 1938, when Hodding Carter merged his Delta Star, which he started in 1936, with the Democrat Times, which had been in publication since 1868...
which was once under the direction of Pulitzer PrizePulitzer PrizeThe Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
winner Hodding CarterHodding CarterWilliam Hodding Carter, II was a prominent Southern U.S. progressive journalist and author. Carter was born in Hammond, the largest community in Tangipahoa Parish, in southeastern Louisiana, to William Hodding Carter, I , and the former Irma Dutartre...
. Greenville also saw and was home to Hodding Carter II and Hodding Carter III, both journalists during the stressful civil rights years in America. - African-American bear hunter and sportsman Holt CollierHolt CollierHolt Collier was a noted African-American bear hunter and sportsman who contributed to popular culture by helping to create the Teddy Bear phenomenon.-Biography:...
is buried in Greenville. Collier was the guide for President Theodore RooseveltTheodore RooseveltTheodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
on a bear hunt in Sharkey CountySharkey County, Mississippi-National protected area:*Delta National Forest*Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 6,580 people, 2,163 households, and 1,589 families residing in the county. The population density was 15 people per square mile . There were 2,416 housing...
and was instrumental in the birth of the teddy bearTeddy bearThe teddy bear is a stuffed toy bear. They are usually stuffed with soft, white cotton and have smooth and soft fur. It is an enduring form of a stuffed animal in many countries, often serving the purpose of entertaining children. In recent times, some teddy bears have become collector's items...
legend. In January 2004 the Holt Collier National Wildlife RefugeHolt Collier National Wildlife RefugeThe Holt Collier National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge located near Darlove, Mississippi. The Refuge was named after Holt Collier, a Confederate veteran, cowboy, and tracker and was created in order to provide a habitat and resources for over 250 songbirds...
was established on Collier’s "historic hunting grounds" south of Greenville. - Jo CarrJo CarrBettye Jo Crisler Carr was a preacher, a teacher, an author, a missionary, a mother of five, and a leader of the Girl Scouts of America...
(1926–2007), born Bettye Jo Crisler in Greenville, became one of the first female Methodist ministers and church administrators in the South PlainsSouth PlainsSouth Plains is a vernacular term that refers to a region in West Texas consisting of the portion of the Llano Estacado extending south of the Texas Panhandle, centered at Lubbock. While prominent in the area of petroleum production, the South Plains is mainly an agricultural region, producing a...
of Texas. She was first an EnglishEnglish studiesEnglish studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
professorProfessorA professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
at Texas Tech UniversityTexas Tech UniversityTexas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...
in LubbockLubbock, TexasLubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
. - Leon "Pee Wee" WhittakerLeon "Pee Wee" WhittakerLeon "Pee Wee" Whittaker was an African American musician from the Mississippi River delta country of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas who was particularly known as a trombonist of jazz, blues, and rock music. From 1919 until his death, Whittaker performed with minstrel shows, carnival bands,...
(1906–1993), an African-American trombonist, born in Newellton, LouisianaNewellton, LouisianaNewellton is a town in northern Tensas Parish in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population is 1,227 in the 2010 census, a decline of 255 from 2000. Newellton is some 65 percent African American. It is just west of the Mississippi River on Lake St. Joseph, an ox-bow lake....
, lived in Greenville early in his career. - Euphus 'Butch' Ruth, award winning photographer and technical engineer, Associate Director of the Mt. Zion Memorial FundMt. Zion Memorial FundThe Mt. Zion Memorial Fund is a Mississippi non-profit corporation formed in 1989 and named after the 101 year old Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Morgan City, Mississippi...
. Ruth is currently in the forefront of a group of artists promoting a revival of 19th century wet plateCollodion processThe collodion process is an early photographic process. It was introduced in the 1850s and by the end of that decade it had almost entirely replaced the first practical photographic process, the daguerreotype. During the 1880s the collodion process, in turn, was largely replaced by gelatin dry...
photographic techniques. - George Scott, MLB player for the Boston Red SoxBoston Red SoxThe Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
, Milwaukee BrewersMilwaukee BrewersThe Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
, Kansas City RoyalsKansas City RoyalsThe Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
and New York YankeesNew York YankeesThe New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
. - LaToya Monique Thomas who became the first woman to play professional Basketball in the WNBA First Round Draft pick of the Cleveland RockersCleveland RockersThis article is about the defunct WNBA team; for the American Basketball Association team, see Cleveland Rockers .The Cleveland Rockers were a Women's National Basketball Association team that played from 1997 until 2003. The Rockers were one of the original eight franchises of the WNBA, which...
Nelson Street
Nelson Street was a historic strip of blues clubs that drew crowds in the 1940s and 1950s to the flourishing club scene to hear Delta bluesDelta blues
The Delta blues is one of the earliest styles of blues music. It originated in the Mississippi Delta, a region of the United States that stretches from Memphis, Tennessee in the north to Vicksburg, Mississippi in the south, Helena, Arkansas in the west to the Yazoo River on the east. The...
, big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
, jump blues
Jump blues
Jump blues is an up-tempo blues usually played by small groups and featuring horns. It was very popular in the 1940s, and the movement was a precursor to the arrival of rhythm and blues and rock and roll...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and where record companies looked for talent. It was the equivalent of Beale Street
Beale Street
Beale Street is a street in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee, which runs from the Mississippi River to East Street, a distance of approximately . It is a significant location in the city's history, as well as in the history of the blues. Today, the blues clubs and restaurants that line Beale Street are...
in mid-1900s Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
.
The second historic marker designated by the Mississippi Blues Commission on the Mississippi Blues Trail
Mississippi Blues Trail
The Mississippi Blues Trail, created by the Mississippi Blues Commission, is a project to place interpretive markers at the most notable historical sites related to the growth of the blues throughout the state of Mississippi. The trail extends from the border of Louisiana in southern Mississippi...
was placed in front of the Southern Whispers Restaurant on Nelson Street in Greenville, a stop on the chitlin' circuit
Chitlin' circuit
The "Chitlin' Circuit" was the collective name given to the string of performance venues throughout the eastern and southern United States that were safe and acceptable for African-American musicians, comedians, and other entertainers to perform during the age of racial segregation in the United...
in the early days of the blues. The marker commemorates the importance of this site in the history of the development of the blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
in Mississippi.
External links
- City of Greenville
- Delta Democrat-Times
- Delta News Online: Hometown News For The Mississippi Delta
- History of Greenville's Jewish community (from the Institute of Southern Jewish Life)