Page 26 - South Mississippi Living - May, 2016

COASTNOTES
Stone County celebrates turning 100 with food, music and more
story by Lisa Kröger photo courtesy of Stone County Economic Development Partnership
What was Mississippi like in 1916? Most people would think of sprawling
plantation homes and porch swings, not railroad ties and logging companies. It is
precisely that unique history that Betsy Rowell, the executive director of the Stone County Economic Development Partnership, wants to celebrate at the county’s centennial celebration. “We
are not antebellum Mississippi. We are rural, built up around railroads and timber.”
The historic courthouse in Wiggins will be the site of the main celebration on
Saturday, May 14, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. To help celebrate, there will be barbeque and music on the stage. Other events
are planned throughout the summer
in the neighboring communities. A play will be performed later in the month to help tell the oral histories of the families
who made Stone County what it is today. Those stories are also told in the visual arts, as Stone County is known as the “mural capital of Mississippi.” “We tell the story of Stone County through the mosaics,” said Rowell. One
such mural honors Dizzy Dean, a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, at the welcome center that bears his name. Mosaics can be seen all over the county, from the post office to the schools.
“Instead of the stereotypical stories everyone hears about Mississippi, let’s tell our own stories because we have a wonderful, rich heritage,” Rowell explained. “Every part of our state has unique attributes. The murals talk about the railroad industry. They talk about the pickle factory that was here. They talk about the Stapp sisters, who made such an impact on the world from right here in Stone County.” Emilie Stapp was an author who, along with her sister, helped to build the county’s library system in the first half of the twentieth century. The American Pickle and Canning Company was opened in 1912, eventually growing to the largest pickle plant in the world.
A centennial mural celebrating this past, as well as the county’s future, will be unveiled at the courthouse on May 14 as part of the main celebration.
26 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • May 2016
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