Holly Bluff, Mississippi
Encyclopedia
The Village of Holly Bluff is a small unincorporated community
in Yazoo County
, Mississippi
, United States
, in the Mississippi Delta
.
Originally known as "Sharbrough's Landing" to river boat pilots the community was established by the Sharbrough family in 1877. Located on the Sunflower River
, early delta cotton
planters used the river to ship their cotton to Vicksburg
and New Orleans
.
Holly Bluff is located at 32°49′17"N 90°42′32"W (32.82139, -90.70889).
, two brothers, Franklin Wilson and John Walter Sharbrough came to the area now known as Holly Bluff. Their father, Franklin Wilson Sharbrough, a cotton planter from Smith County, Mississippi
had lost everything during the war.
The Sharbrough brothers first lived in the area around Green Hill Plantation on Silver Creek. They worked together buying and clearing land for farming. The older brother, Franklin Wilson Sharbrough purchased the land on the north side of the Sunflower River and established Valley Home Plantation. John Walter purchased the land on the southern or Sharkey County side of the Sunflower River and called his place Patmos Plantation. Together, they built the first roads, bridges, levees and cotton gin in this remote part of the Mississippi Delta. Later, they built the first church then called "Sharbrough's Chapel" which still operates today as Holly Bluff United Methodist
Church.
In 1906, the railroad requested the Sharbrough family change the name of Sharbrough's Landing to Sharbroughville. However, the family thought Sharbroughville would be too hard to spell and settled on the name Holly Bluff. Holly Bluff post office
was established July 31, 1906, with Marcia M. Hackler as first postmaster.
to penetrate the fertile Yazoo Delta.http://www.icrrhistorical.org/icrr.history.html In 1905 a line of the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad, affectionately called the "Yellow Dog," was laid from Silver City, Mississippi
to Holly Bluff. http://www.icrr.net/rrhist.htm The principal purpose of the Holly Bluff line was to gain access to the cotton grown by the Sharbrough family in this rich section of the Mississippi Delta. After the building of the railroad, most of the cotton from Holly Bluff was sold in Memphis rather than New Orleans.
. The mounds were built during the prehistoric Temple Mound period. The largest mound rises 55 feet and is the fourth tallest native American mound in the United States. The mounds were built for religious ceremonies and not habitation. The site is important in that it is on the southern margin of the Mississippian cultural
advance down the Mississippi River and on the northern edge of that of the Cole's Creek and Plaquemine cultures of the South. http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=285&ResourceType=Site
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...
in Yazoo County
Yazoo County, Mississippi
-National protected area:*Hillside National Wildlife Refuge *Panther Swamp National Wildlife Refuge-History:The area which is now Yazoo County was acquired by the State of Mississippi from the Choctaw Indians in 1820. Yazoo County was established on January 21, 1823. It was the 19th county...
, 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...
, in the Mississippi Delta
Mississippi Delta
The 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...
.
Originally known as "Sharbrough's Landing" to river boat pilots the community was established by the Sharbrough family in 1877. Located on the Sunflower River
Sunflower River
The Sunflower River is one of the main tributaries of the Yazoo River in the U.S. state of Mississippi. It is navigable by barge for 50 miles. It rises in De Soto County, Mississippi near the Tennessee border and flows south for 100 miles to the Yazoo River...
, early delta cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
planters used the river to ship their cotton to Vicksburg
Vicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg is a city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the only city in Warren County. It is located northwest of New Orleans on the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, and due west of Jackson, the state capital. In 1900, 14,834 people lived in Vicksburg; in 1910, 20,814; in 1920,...
and New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
.
Geography
The Sharbrough family
Following the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, two brothers, Franklin Wilson and John Walter Sharbrough came to the area now known as Holly Bluff. Their father, Franklin Wilson Sharbrough, a cotton planter from Smith County, Mississippi
Smith County, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 16,182 people, 6,046 households, and 4,558 families residing in the county. The population density was 25 people per square mile . There were 7,005 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile...
had lost everything during the war.
The Sharbrough brothers first lived in the area around Green Hill Plantation on Silver Creek. They worked together buying and clearing land for farming. The older brother, Franklin Wilson Sharbrough purchased the land on the north side of the Sunflower River and established Valley Home Plantation. John Walter purchased the land on the southern or Sharkey County side of the Sunflower River and called his place Patmos Plantation. Together, they built the first roads, bridges, levees and cotton gin in this remote part of the Mississippi Delta. Later, they built the first church then called "Sharbrough's Chapel" which still operates today as Holly Bluff United Methodist
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
Church.
In 1906, the railroad requested the Sharbrough family change the name of Sharbrough's Landing to Sharbroughville. However, the family thought Sharbroughville would be too hard to spell and settled on the name Holly Bluff. Holly Bluff post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
was established July 31, 1906, with Marcia M. Hackler as first postmaster.
The Yazoo Delta Railroad
The Yazoo & Mississippi Valley Railroad had been incorporated in 1882 by the Illinois CentralIllinois Central Railroad
The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with New Orleans, Louisiana and Birmingham, Alabama. A line also connected Chicago with Sioux City, Iowa...
to penetrate the fertile Yazoo Delta.http://www.icrrhistorical.org/icrr.history.html In 1905 a line of the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad, affectionately called the "Yellow Dog," was laid from Silver City, Mississippi
Silver City, Mississippi
Silver City is a town in Humphreys County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 337 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Silver City is located at ....
to Holly Bluff. http://www.icrr.net/rrhist.htm The principal purpose of the Holly Bluff line was to gain access to the cotton grown by the Sharbrough family in this rich section of the Mississippi Delta. After the building of the railroad, most of the cotton from Holly Bluff was sold in Memphis rather than New Orleans.
Archaeological site
Located just outside of Holly Bluff on Mississippi Highway 16 is the Lake George Mound SiteHolly Bluff Site
The Holly Bluff Site , sometimes known as the Lake George Site, and locally as “The Mound Place,”) is an archaeological site that is a type site for the Lake George phase of the prehistoric Plaquemine culture period of the area...
. The mounds were built during the prehistoric Temple Mound period. The largest mound rises 55 feet and is the fourth tallest native American mound in the United States. The mounds were built for religious ceremonies and not habitation. The site is important in that it is on the southern margin of the Mississippian cultural
Mississippian culture
The Mississippian culture was a mound-building Native American culture that flourished in what is now the Midwestern, Eastern, and Southeastern United States from approximately 800 CE to 1500 CE, varying regionally....
advance down the Mississippi River and on the northern edge of that of the Cole's Creek and Plaquemine cultures of the South. http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=285&ResourceType=Site