We are the collective histories of our families. David Cunningham provided these photos of a business card that his Grandfather, Cicero E. Cunningham, made for his shoe store. that was located at the bottom of Pine Hill. Cicero Cunningham also wrote the poem on the back of the card.
The other photo is of his shoe collection. It has nicknacks of shoes, and baby shoes of different family members and of Ms. Belle Ingersoll, who played piano as background for silent movies. The case with the shoes was always in the store and in his cobbler shop that was across from the store, next to the theater. Many of you will remember this, from going into the Cunningham Shoe Store during your childhood.
Bond-Harvinson Memorial Park, located on McGregor Road in Wiggins, is a peaceful place of a number of settlers of the area. Most lived when the area now known as Stone County was a part of first Jackson County and then Harrison County. Col. John Bond was a Revolutionary War hero. His sons, Lt. Col. John Bond, Jr. and Lt William Bond, served in the Mississippi Militia during the War of 1812. John Bond, Jr. represented the area in the Mississippi Legislature at one point and settled in the McHenry area (and is buried in Saucier). The Bonds, like the McHenrys, Batsons, Prices, Dales, and many others lives are tied together as the first families of this area.
It is noted in several records reviewed that the Cenotaph of Lt. William Bond that is in the Memorial Park contains a number of errors regarding his children. Other records reviewed show the same picture for John Bond Sr. and John Bond Jr. Regardless both were key to the development of the area.
The Dolls’ House at Friendship Farm was, for many years, the home of Emilie and Marie Stapp. This rendering is part of the original set of elevation drawings prior to the construction of The Dolls’ House.
Many events and activities are in the early planning stages. The celebration is planned for the first quarter of 2014.
This particular artifact is in the Stapp family collection and was shared by Eileen Day Gipson who lived in The Dolls’ House and is a member of the Stapp family through her great grandfather Fred Stapp, brother of Emilie and Marie.
The first championship game was played Saturday on the court at Perkinston, Miss. between the Perk Bull Dogs and Goodman Junior College. The Goodman boys put up a hard fight, but were defeated in the end, the score being thirty-one to nothing, in favor of Perk.
The weather was so unpleasant that everyone was afraid the game would be postponed, but upon questioning Coach, the following answer was given as the boys yelled over the campus… “we are going to play if we have to swim”. The rush began and the students could not be checked… Then standing in a torrent of rain, every student put his heart and soul in the game, and showed a clean one, and everybody enjoyed it.
David Cunningham shared this photo of a 1968 promotional calendar from the Cunningham Shoe Store. The store was located at the bottom of Pine Hill across from the old Straub Theater. Thanks David for sharing this look back in time!
Ever wonder how places get named? Over sixty-five years ago, Lake Toc-O-Leen’s name was originated by O’Connor Davis, who called Clark O. Batson “Toc” and his wife Walline, “Leen”. Carlos Rabby, husband of Marge Batson Rabby Roberts, built the lake on land purchased by Billy Batson. Lake Toc-O-Leen honors Clark, Leen, Billy, Marge and Carlos whose love and foresight made possible the lake, cabins, campground and restaurant enjoyed by so many today.
The Reverend Thomas Price Memorial Cemetery is located west of Wiggins off of old Highway 26 on Thomas Price Cemetery Road. Approximately 1/4 mile away is Dale Cemetery. Both are the final resting places of many prominent settlers in what became Stone County.
Surrounded by beautiful pasture land with Red Creek running through it, this land, settled in 1818-1819 by John Dale, Maria Dale Price’s father, has been continually occupied by the family. Thomas Price’s father, Jonathan, migrated with his family, including your Thomas in 1820. Thomas and Maria had nine children. Once of those, Theodocia, married James Batson. These descendents continue to live on and work this land.
This memorial documents their history. Several other gravestones in the cemetery document, in similar fashion, their continuation of the family.
Emilie Blackmore Stapp, an American children’s author and philanthropist, and her sister, Marie Graham Stapp, were women with a mission. Their lives are documented in an extensive collection of lively correspondence and letters, published and unpublished manuscripts for children’s stories in books, periodicals, and newspapers; original plays, illustrations and publicity materials; and, personal items, such as photographs of friends and notables, fragile scapbooks documenting Emilie Stapp’s from 1904 through the time of her death in 1962 can be found in the de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection at The University of Southern Mississippi, McCain Library & Archives.
The Stapps lived in Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, and finally in Mississippi during a significant historical period, covering two world wars and the tumultuous Jim Crow era. Emilie Blackmore Stapp probably was years ahead of her time in her work with children of all races and creeds, raising funds for two World Wars, and other philanthropic efforts. Some of these, commencing soon after their arrival in Wiggins, include deeding the land and facility for the Women’s Club of Wiggins, donating over 4000 books to establish the first lending library in Stone County, and funding construction for a new post office.
The Stapp sisters bought a farm they named Friendship Farm out Highway 26 East. There they established a pecan orchard and built their homenamed The Dolls’ House. The home received its name from a rare collection of over 400 dolls of historic significance, that the Stapp sisters acquired from their world travels and prominently displayed there during their lifetimes.
You will be hearing more about Emilie Blackmore Stapp in the months ahead as The Old Firehouse Museum and The Stone County Arts Council jointly will celebrate her life and accomplishments in several very distinct ways. You will not want to miss those events so stay tuned for dates to be published!
“L.B. Goddard bought the old Perry Bond house about 24 years (1913) ago. The Old Gum Springs were there then and are yet. A little branch trickles along and the springs are under a little embankment. It was a favorite place for the Goddard children to play. There are also other springs in the vicinity. When Dr. Pafford owned the place, after the Goddards, his wife had an artificial pond made, fed by these springs, with the thought of making a recreational resort at the place. This pond can still be seen from the new U.S. 49 which is slightly east of the main town of McHenry.
The story of the Copeland gang camping at these springs, is a common tradition in McHenry. But there is some confusion of dates. If this house was built when they (camped there), it is older than 75 years, for Copeland was hanged in 1857. Only an exhaustive search of land records would reveal the exact date of the homesteading.”
Interview with Mrs. L.B. Goddard
For more information about the Copeland Gang, check out these links below:
The Old Firehouse Museum 