This is an exciting week.

The Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience (The MAX) will officially open tonight (Friday, Apil 27) and the next eight days will be filled with all things connected with Mississippi art.

From music to dance, folk-art to visual art, writing to drama, and stories about historic artists to present day – all inclusive and all are Mississippians. That is the best part.

There is one more thing you should know. Located on the third floor outdoor terrace there will soon be displays featuring Meridian history, especially the people, places and things.

The displays will be similar to historic signs found throughout the state. This is especially exciting because, well, how could we be where we are today without honoring those who brought us here.

The display will include:

Choctaw Chief Pushmataha:  It was said his language was “like a waterfall.” Such was his oratory. The Choctaw ruled from the banks of the Sowashee Creek and their land ran for many miles, portions located in Mississippi and Alabama.

Richard McLemore, Meridian’s first settler: In 1834, McLemore claimed 700 acres after the Americans signed the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Treaty with the Choctaw Nation. McLemore, known as “Father of Meridian,” offered free “ample lands to many who he thought would make desirable citizens.” He helped to bring the area’s first church and school.

Merrehope: The Victorian mansion was first constructed by the McLemore family as a four-room cottage and eventually rooms were added to make the home a showplace. The original home was used as Confederate General Leonidas Polk’s headquarters at the time of the burning of Meridian in February, 1864, during America’s Civil War.

The Meridian Star: Founded in 1898 as The Evening Star, the newspaper was renamed The Meridian Star in 1915, has been Meridian’s only newspaper since 1921, and has been in the same location for many years.

Union Station: In the early 1850s, the Mobile and Ohio Railroad arrived to our area. The first rail stop was known as Sowashee Station. The station was built in 1906 when, Meridianite, Mr. Charles Rubush, constructed a large facility at the cost of $250,000.

Weidmanns Restaurant: The eatery was first opened in 1870 with only four stools and serving counter. The first location was across from Union Station. Opened by an immigrant from Zurich, Switzerland, Felix Weidmann, the establishment was moved to current location in 1923.

Meridian’s Grand Opera House: The elaborate structure was commissioned to be built in 1890 by German-Jewish immigrants, half-brothers, I. Marks and Levi Rothenberg. The contractor was Mr. Charles Rubush. The opening presentation, Johann Strauss’s The Gypsy Baron, was December 17, 1890

Rose Hill Cemetery: The oldest stone monument in the cemetery is dated 1854 however there were burials as early as 1830. Popular burials are the Queen of the Gypsies, Kelly Mitchell, DOD 1/31/1915, and Lt. Charles Read, Naval Hero of the American Civil War.

Soule Steam Works: Opened in 1917, the facility was Meridian’s oldest machine shop built by Mr. George Wilberforce Soule. Mr. Soule is known as one of the successful businessmen who made Meridian a leading Mississippi industrial center.

Temple Theatre: Built 1924 by the Hamasa Shriners, with large stage, lavish interior and huge chandeliers, the Temple hosted vaudeville acts, concerts, theatrical performances and for many years was leased by Saenger Movie Theater.

Jimmie Rodgers: Known as “Father of Country Music,” Rodgers was born in Meridian in 1897. He was famous for singing the songs of the poor man’s south which was influenced by sharecroppers and railroad men.

Key Brothers: In the late 1920s, brothers, Fred and Al Key, were managers of the Meridian Airport. During the Great Depression, it seemed the airport would close, but the brothers came up with an idea to save it, which in 1936 set a world record and kept the airport open.

Thank you to Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience for including Meridian’s history.

Anne McKee is a Mississippi historian, writer and storyteller. She is listed on the Mississippi Humanities Speakers Bureau and Mississippi Arts Commission’s Performing Artist and Teaching Artist Rosters. See her website: www.annemckeestoryteller.com