Historic Mill Village
A
Mill Village Story
"Granddaddy built his
own home and it was a rather huge home. Had a big
veranda a dog trot through it. I am lead to believe
my grandmother's side was a bit affluent, and she
was an artist. She would sit in Granddaddy's store
and paint. Salesmen always picked up on that. If
they bragged on Grandmother's painting, she'd say,
"What do you sell?" One day the corn flakes salesman
came and he said, "You know, that's the prettiest
painting I've ever seen." She said, "Bill, we're out
of corn flakes." We had enough corn flakes. We ate
them; we bathed in them. We shampooed our hair with
them (Laughter.) So, he moved her and her easel back
inside the house. But we had a time keeping her
there."
Mrs.
Janelle McComb Tupelo, MS
Mrs. Janelle
McComb moved to Tupelo, MS, when she was 2
weeks
old. She lived with her grandparents in Mill Village and
many
wonderful memories of life In Mill Village in another era.
Mrs. McComb also enjoyed the privilege of a personal
friendship Elvis Presley. She chaired the Elvis Presley Memorial
Foundation at
Elvis Presley Park for twenty-five years. She played a large
part
in restoring Elvis" birthplace.
Many events led to the demise of the
small farmer and an agricultural way of
life - railroads traveled more rural areas, the Civil War, fences, taxes and ever
falling crop prices.
Textile mills converted cotton into cloth.
As the number of mills increased, more
and more jobs were available for out of
work farmers and their families. Families
were promised money and a better life.
They were encouraged to move near the
mills, make the mill life their lives. And with
these moves, "mill villages" were formed.
After college,
Mr. Joshua Ledyard spent two
years in Massachusetts studying New England
cotton mills, and formed his own philosophy
about the cotton mill business. After returning
to Mississippi, he formed a partnership, and
began to organize the Tupelo Cotton Mill and
village in 1900.
He believed workers were most efficient when
satisfied with their lives and he did everything
he could to give them comfortable houses and
places of recreation, which included a baseball
field with bleachers, tennis and basketball
courts, grandstand and an outdoor stage used
for other public social events.
The mill grounds were kept beautifully, as was
the village. Each employee's house had its own
garden; houses were painted on a regular
basis and roofs were attended to as needed.
The village was always clean and the workers
took great pride in their village.
Mr. Ledyard also felt city schools were too far
away for young children to walk, and through
his efforts a new primary school was built on
South Broadway Street-the best teachers in Tupelo taught there. He also helped establish
the church on Maple Street.
At a time when cotton mill people in other parts
of the country lived in muddy streets and
cramped cottages, life in Tupelo Mill Village was
a happy life. For young people, social life of
the village centered at the Club House. There
was a recreation center for boys and one for
girls, which contained an attractive library and
a piano in the Club provided musical instruction
under a competent teacher. A trained social
worker gave her time to developing the social
sire of the students.
Tupelo Cotton Mill produced a product to be
proud of, one that wore well and held its color.
The mill's fabrics sold around the world.
Business was booming, the owners were happy
with earnings, and employees were content
with their portion.
Then in 1929, without warning, the Great
Depression hit, and the mill would feel the full
brunt of the Depression. Cloth could not be
sold at its former value, and by 1935 the textile
market bottomed out, and most earnings were
severely reduced. By 1936 even well-to-do
families were selling family heirlooms for cash
to live on. Villagers had no money and nothing
to sell.
Into this heartbreaking state of affairs came
union leaders urging employees to demand
higher wages. But there was simply not
enough money to meet union demands and
higher wages were out of the question.
The union leaders made good on its threat in
1938 and staged the largest sit-down strike in
the south up to that time. As a result of the strike, mill owners were faced with huge
financial losses, leaving them no choice but to
close Tupelo Cotton Mill.
And so began the long, slow decline of Old Mill
Village.
Mill Village
is a historic area south of downtown Tupelo. It is listed on the Mississippi State Archives
Department and on the National Registry of Historic
Places. It is a quaint area-characterized by homes
built around the Tupelo Cotton Mill built in 1900.
Residents are striving to restore the area to its
original charm.
The restoration of Mill Village's beautiful
architecture, interior design and infrastructure is
indeed a work in progress. Mill Village is a neighborhood of homeowners actively pursuing
improvements in their own homes and working to
the betterment of the community.
Derelict homes have been purchased. At first
renovating them just enough to support the
structure, then for occupancy. Preservationists and
architects have helped gain historic status. The City
of Tupelo has hired new code enforcement. Water
and sewer lines are being upgraded. Parks, walking
trails and Mill Village banners are all new additions
making Mill Village an excellent place to live.
There are many benefits to the designation of a
local historic district, the most obvious is to help
retain the historic character of the buildings
included within its boundaries. The combination of
protection and historic value can be seen all across
the state and around the country showing the
owners of historic properties to have a higher rate
of return on their investment.
Tax incentives, loans and grants are offered to
residents of historic districts. The Tupelo Planning
Department has much information beneficial to Mill
Village and all neighborhoods.
This is not misty nostalgia. It is an economically
viable vision compatible with emerging marketplace
preferences and increasing anti-sprawl, energy-conscious, community-building development,
Adjacent Downtown Tupelo will be alive with offices,
restaurants, hotels, entertaining venues, green
spaces and housing of many sizes and varieties.
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