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Fun Fact: Ode Burrell

Ode Burrell Rookie Card
Ode Burrell Rookie Card

Among the coaches of the 1984-85 championship Tomcat football team was Coach Ode Burrell. Coach Burrell was an athlete from an early age excelling in football and track.  He received a degree from Mississippi State University and played with the Houston Oilers from 1964-1969 as a tailback. He received many awards including Senior Bowl MVP, Liberty Bowl MVP, Blue-Gray Game MVP,  MVP of Houston Oilers 1967,Pro Bowl 1967, College All American to name a few.  He coached at various schools Bogalusa High School, Holmes Community College, Vancleave High School, Stone County High School,  St. Stanislaus High School and Gulf Coast Community College where he retired.   He was a member  of the MSU “M” Club, Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, Mississippi Coaches Association, Holmes Community College Hall of Fame,  Mississippi State University Sports Hall of Fame,  Mississippi Junior College Sports Hall of Fame, NFL Alumni Association

Fun Fact: Stevon Moore

Stevon Moore
Stevon Moore

 Stevon Moore (born February 9, 1967 in Wiggins, Mississippi) is an American former football player who was selected by the New York Jets in the 7th round (181st overall) of the 1989 NFL Draft. A 5’11”, 204-lb. safety from the University of Mississippi, Moore played in nine NFL seasons from 1990-1999.

OBTW – he was a member of the conference winning SHS 1984-1985 Tomcats football team!

Fun Fact: Stone High Tomcats 1984-85

The write-up in the Stone High yearbook described this team as follows:

Graceful, poised, determined and classy, these are words which perfectly describe the 1984-85 football team.  With precision coaching, hard practicing, and perfectly executed plays the 84-85 football team was developed into a mean-lean fighting machine.  Finishing the season with a 9-2 record the Tomcats easily clinched the conference title.

Coaches were. Floyd Davis (Head Coach), Chris Calcote,  Ode Burrell.

Fun Fact: Wiggins Professionals 1916

From Stone County Enterprise   August 5,1916

 This listing was entitled  PROFESSIONAL:

 

H.D. Pickering

Lawyer

Wiggins

 

E.R. Davis

Lawyer

Wiggins

 

W.C. Batson

Attorney-At-Law

Wiggins

 

A.W. Bond

Attorney and Counselor at Law

Wiggins

 

U.B. Parker

Lawyer

Office in Post Office Bldg

 

Dr. J.A. Leggett

Dentist

Wiggins

 

Dr. J.S. McWilliams

Dentist

Second Floor Drug Store Building

Wiggins

 

Dr. Barber

Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist

Carter Bldg.  Hattiesburg

Dr. W.M. Shepherd     Dr. Z Causey

Office on Pine Street

Fun Fact: Points of Interest in Perkinston – 1939

W.P.A. RESEARCH PROJECT   1939

By Mrs. C.E. Wells

One page of the project report describes  Points of Interest  in Perkinston.

“The farm owned by the Agricultural College is of outstanding interest, noted for the manner in which it is operated and the number of dairy cattle maintained.

A short distant west of town there are numbers of acres being developed in the Tung Oil Industry, the tung nuts being crushed for the oil which is used in making paint.

A brick factory is located in the environs of the town to the south.  Very fine clay is found in this section, suitable for the making of brick, tile, pottery and for moulding clays of all sorts.

The outstanding feature of Perkinston is the Harrison-Jackson-Stone Agricultural High School and Junior College.  Perkinston has an excellent public school, featuring the grammar grades, which has long been a feeder for the Agricultural High School.

West of town stands the “Little Brown Church” , Baptist, a wooden structure.”

Fun Fact: Bethlehem Baptist Church

Fun Fact: The following article was printed in April 1, 2004 edition of the Stone County Enterprise as an an insert Celebrating 100 Years of Progress.

 

BETHLEHEM BAPTIST CHURCH

Bethlehem Baptist Church of Wiggins was organized around 1896  by Brother John Moore and Sister Mary Moore and a few other individuals.  The first preacher was Reverend Ford from Alabama.  The first church was built above the Pickle Canning Factory,  (became the Pickle Factory).  Some time after its constructions, the building burned.  The church members then held church services in the Methodist Church (located between  what is now Danzey Tire Service and First National Bank.  )

In 1903 the church called Rev. R.G. Gray as pastor.  He served until April, 1947.  During that time he and the congregation built three churches.  Today the church  building and family life center is located on Magnolia Drive in Wiggins.

“     Through the years, Bethlehem Baptist Church has remained a steady beacon to Wiggins and the surrounding communities.”

Fun Fact: The M.H. Breland Family

Among the first families of Stone County are the Brelands.   Mona Breland Eastep provided this historic photo of members of her family.

M. H. Breland Family - 1914
M. H. Breland Family – 1914

M.H. and Eliza Breland Family 1914 - Details

Fun Fact: Finkbine Double Line Skidder

Finkbine Double Line Skidder
Finkbine Double Line Skidder

Finkbine was known for being innovative in the use of technology to improve production.  Skidders were huge winches with long cables. These cables were attached to logs, and the winches dragged them to the railhead. Innovations like these cut logging costs and allowed for year-round operations.

 

Photo: Personal archives of Brax H. Batson

Other information: http://mshistorynow.mdah.state.ms.us/articles/171/growth-of-the-lumber-industry-1840-to-1930

July 4th!

Just a reminder that the Old Firehouse Museum will be closed on Thursday, July 4th, 2013, so that Museum staff can celebrate the holiday with their families.Independence Day

Have a safe and happy July 4th!

Fun Fact: Bill Sawyer

From the W.P.A. Research Project

Subject:  Local Press and Other Publications

During the year of 1919, a person known to the readers of  the Stone County Enterprise only as Bill Sawyer  wrote some very interesting and entertaining letters to the paper. Mr. Sawyer ‘s true  identity was never established except , perhaps by the editor of the paper.

Below is an excerpt of Bill Sawyer’s entertaining letters to the paper.  Date: June 21, 1919

Bill  wrote that a reader had asked him why he didn’t get into politics and he gave his reply. He said he had “throwed his hat in the ring “several years ago and made a race for a county office.  At the beginning of the race, he decided to keep a close tab on everything he did and what it cost him.  He wrote it all down in little black book.  Here are some of the items he listed:

Lost 4 months, 23 days canvassing

Lost 1,1013 hours of sleep thinking about the election

Lost 23 acres of corn and my entire potato crop

Donated $11.00 to church and other charities

Gave away 2 pair of suspenders, 4 calico dresses, and 13 baby rattlers

Kissed 123 babies

Kindled 100 kitchen stoves

Cut eleven cords of wood,

Walked 920 miles

Shook hands 986 times

Told 10,101 lies and talked enough to make, in print, 1,000 volumes the size of a patent office report

Got baptised 4 different times by “emersion” and sprinkled twice

Gave $50.00 to foreign mission

Got dog bit 39 times

And then got defeated.