Anne McKee
Sesquicentennial Celebration, you ask? I admit this is a mighty BIG word and very difficult to pronounce, but for Meridian, the meaning of this word points to our strength and endurance – as a city and as a people.
Allow me to explain.
Meridian will celebrate our 150th birthday on February 10, 2010, thus this year we rightly celebrate our sesquicentennial. I'm certain that many of you remember the Centennial Celebration of 1960. Although I was VERY young (oh, humor me), I remember that wonderful time. All or most of the Meridian men grew beards and the women wore the long dresses of the 1860 style. My mother made a dress with matching hat for me. I still have an old photo of that dressy ensemble as I sat demurely on the side arm of a sofa with my hands folded in my lap – real ladylike. It was a time of parades, school projects, community events, and a city that came together to celebrate 100 years of existence.
Now it is time for another celebration, and I know there are many plans to commemorate our history and heritage with the pomp and circumstance befitting the occasion. If you have a celebration idea, please let me know, and I will pass the information to the right party.
Dear friends, you know that I must write a brief description of our history. Please allow me the time to share a few paragraphs about our city. For many of you, it will be just a review of the Meridian historic facts, but for those of you that do not know our brave history, well, it’s TIME. Grab another cup of coffee and get comfortable as we make our Meridian journey.
The year was 1830. Representatives of the Choctaw Nation and United States government signed a treaty (known as Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek). The main Choctaw negotiators were: Greenwood LeFlore, Musholatubbee, and Nittucachee. Representing the U. S. were Secretary of War, John Eaton, and Colonel John Coffee. The treaty ceded 11 million Choctaw acres (now the state of Mississippi) to the U. S. for 15 million acres located in Indian Territory (now the state of Oklahoma). The Mississippi land, known at the time as the new frontier, was now open for settlers.
The first settler, known as the Father of Meridian, was Richard McLemore and his wife Nancy, of Virginia. In 1831, he purchased most of the land in the vicinity of Meridian. To attract more settlers to the region and develop the area, McLemore began offering free land to newcomers. He is credited with beginning the first church (Oaky Valley Baptist Church). In 1853, construction began for the Mobile and Ohio Railroad. The area began to thrive with new families. John T. Ball, a merchant from Kemper County, and Lewis A. Ragsdale, a lawyer from Alabama, purchased most of the land owned by McLemore. They became known as the founders of Meridian. The two men began to compete with each other by laying out lots for sale. Ball laid his streets parallel to the railroad, and Ragsdale chose to use true compass headings. (Now you know why some of our streets meet at irregular angles.)The competition continued between Ball and Ragsdale with fierce differences pertaining to the name of the town. Sowashee Station, Ragsdale City, and Meridian were the three most cited. Finally, with the name of Meridian, the town was officially incorporated on February 10, 1860.
During the American Civil War, Union General William Tecumseh Sherman paid a visit to Meridian on February 14, 1864. At the time, Meridian was a small village with several stores, hotels, two churches (one Baptist and one Methodist), and with a school in full operation – also, an academy had been built. The town’s strategic position at a railroad junction led to the construction of a Confederate arsenal, military hospital, and prisoner-of-war stockade as well as the headquarters for a number of state offices. Sherman gave orders “to wipe the appointed meeting place (Meridian) off of the map” by destroying railroads and burning much of the area. After the destruction of the city, Sherman was reported to have said, “Meridian with its depots, store-houses, arsenal, hospitals, offices, hotels, and cantonments no longer exists.”
After the Battle of Meridian at the hands of General Sherman, the railroad lines were repaired and operating again within 26 working days. After the war, the city continued to flourish and was named the county seat of Lauderdale County. Described as the Golden Age of Meridian – between 1890 and 1930, Meridian was the largest city in Mississippi and a leading center for manufacturing in the South. With the new flow of money, civic improvements were on the increase as well as the opening of Highland Park, the Grand Opera House, The Dentzel Carousel, the building of two Carnegie libraries, the birth of a trolley system, the industrialization of cotton by the building of Soule’ Steam Feed Works, plus educational opportunities, not just for the children of the rich, but for the children of the average worker as well. Much of this progress was due to the efforts of one of Meridian’s most progressive mayors, Mayor E. H. Dial.
And this was just the beginning – so, we must celebrate!
If you would enjoy reading a lovely historic publication pertaining to the history of Meridian, allow me to recommend “Meridian, The Queen With a Past” by well-known Meridian historian, Mr. Jack Shank. Another well-informed historian in our area is Mr. Ward Calhoun, Director, Lauderdale County Archives and History – located at the Lauderdale County Annex, or if you would like a walking tour featuring most of our prominent Meridianites, contact Mr. W. Walton Moore, Jr., Director, Rose Hill Cemetery. Nearly everyone that I've mentioned in this column, with the exception of General Sherman (chuckle), is buried at historic Rose Hill Cemetery.
I've saved the best for last. If you would like to see the history of Meridian as a play, mark your calendar for Tuesday, February 9, 2010, 10:30 am. The entire third grade at Poplar Springs Elementary School will present their production entitled “Meridian, A City That Would Not Die.” It was a great joy for me to write this play for the students.
Dear Meridianites, it’s celebration time! Our city is 150 years old – quiet an accomplishment for a city declared as one that “no longer exists.” Sorry, General Sherman, but you were wrong.
Anne McKee is an author and storyteller. She lives in Meridian. Anne is listed on the Mississippi Artist Roster, sponsored by Mississippi Arts Commission, as a dramatic and literary artist, storyteller, and as a Teaching Artist. She is active with the arts and educational communities throughout MississippI
