Ghost Town - Inwood, Mississippi

Inwood is a ghost town located in Sunflower County, Mississippi, on Mississippi Highway 3.

Inwood was a station on the Yazoo Delta Railroad (the "Yellow Dog"), established between Moorhead and Ruleville during the 1890s.

All that remains of Inwood is a sign on Highway 3 depicting the founding date of 1887

Brewton, MS

Brewton is a Ghost town in Jackson County.

In the early 19th century, settlers were attracted to Brewer’s Bluff (Brewton) in Jackson County because of its high elevation, just west of the Pascagoula River.

The name was derived from a Brewer family that obtained the property through a Spanish land grant.

In 1816, Brewer’s Bluff was selected as the county seat of Jackson County, with construction of a courthouse and jail around 1820.
By 1826, Brewer’s Bluff had not met expectations because of its remote location, and the county seat was moved east of the Pascagoula River.

Over the years, Brewer’s Bluff passed through several owners and became known as Rice’s Bluff, where a turpentine still operated just before the American Civil War.

In the late 19th century, Brewton prospered as a sawmill town, converting trees from the virgin pine forests into lumber.
Besides the sawmill, Brewton had houses, a church, a school, a hotel, and a post office.

Owners of the sawmill selected the name Klondike in hopes of improving their fortune, but the name did not stick.
Ownership of the sawmill changed several times, but bad luck plagued the mill and it burned twice.
Once the virgin timber was gone, residents of Brewton had no reason to stay.

Early in the 20th century, the L.N. Dantzler Lumber Company acquired the property, and the houses and other buildings, that were part of Brewton, collapsed from disrepair.

The name changed once again and the area became known as White’s Camp.

Road leading to Brewton is closed with Do NOT Tresspass signs all over.

Petal Mississippi

Petal is a city in Forrest County, Mississippi, along the Leaf River. It is part of the Hattiesburg, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 10,454 in the 2010 census. The International Checker Hall of Fame was located in Petal until September 29, 2007 when 20,000 sq. ft. of the 35,000 sq. ft. building caught fire.

On June 23, 2004, Sports Illustrated entitled Petal as "Sports Illustrated Sportstown for Mississippi".

The City of Petal is served by the Petal School District. The district has level 6 rated schools from K thru 12. Many parents are attracted to Petal for this reason.

The first postmaster of Petal was Irving A. Polk.
The post office was established in 1903 and was named after the postmaster's daughter.

It is the only city in the U.S. with this name.

Petal separated from the city of Hattiesburg on April 4, 1974. Petal was a community filled with farmers. This is slowly changing with new businesses coming into the city.

Here is their website. PETAL

Kiln, Mississippi

Kiln is part of the Gulfport–Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,040 at the 2000 census.
Kiln is referred to locally as "the Kiln", with the "n" silent.

Kiln takes its name from the many kilns once found in the area that served the timber industry. During the boom years, Kiln was home to many timber mills, a hotel, and a hospital. The Jordan River Lumber Company was one of the major local employers.

"The Jordan River Lumber Company was incorporated in South Dakota in January 1913, and domiciled at Kiln, Hancock County, MS.
In January 1913, the company purchased the mill of W. W. Carre Company, Ltd., at Kiln, on the Jourdon River.
The original mill burned and was replaced in 1914 with a new mill with a cutting capacity of 150,000 feet (46,000 m) per day.

In 1922, the mills in Kiln and Lumberton were consolidated at Barth, MS.
In February 1930, the mill cut out and was dismantled."

A few older structures remain, including Annunciation Catholic Church and the original post office (later Curet's Grocery), which has since been turned into a lawnmower repair shop.

Kiln is known as the hometown of NFL quarterback Brett Favre; he attended Hancock North Central High School in Kiln.

Rainbow

Tornado Watches Issued for Four Southern States

Severe storms packing strong winds struck the South on Monday morning, putting parts of Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia and Florida at risk for tornadoes.
A 9-year-old girl in Mississippi was believed to have been swept away in a flash flood.

Seven people suffered injuries resulting from a tornado in Covington County, Miss., the state emergency management agency said.

Half of the state was under a flood warning, flood watch or tornado warning through Monday night, according to the National Weather Service.

The young girl disappeared in Yazoo County, north of Jackson, after she was spotted playing in the floodwater at the backdoor of her home.

The child was last seen at 7 p.m. on Sunday night and crews searched until past midnight.
The search resumed and widened on Monday, and reportedly the girl cannot swim.

On Monday morning, nearly 3,000 customers in Mississippi were without power due to the tumultuous weather, according to electric companies.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/weather/tornado-watches-issued-four-southern-states-n73406

Raining Buckets!

Yesterday we had heavy rain most of the day.

Many roads flooded, our backyard was retaining water and our front road was almost completely under water.

See more here,

Rain in South Mississippi

Carnival Season!

February 22-23nd, 2014

By all accounts Carnival season got off to a great start last weekend throughout South Mississippi and the fun just gets more amped up this weekend with eight parades.

That's right, eight parades -- seven on Saturday and another on Sunday.
So grab your fish nets, put on your Mardi Gras best and get out there and grab all the throws you can get.

Saturday

Bay St. Louis Krewe of Kids: 11 a.m.
Krewe of Legacy: Pass Christian, noon.
Krewe of River City: Moss Point, 1 p.m.
Second Liners Mardi Gras Club: Biloxi, 1 p.m.
Mystic Krewe of Pine Island: Vancleave, 1:30 p.m.
Carnival Association of Long Beach: 6 p.m.
Gautier Men's Club: 7 p.m.

Sunday

Krewe of Nereids: Waveland, 1 p.m.

-- Sun Herald

Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/2014/02/20/5356970/south-mississippi-carnival-season.html#storylink=cpy

Freezing Temps and Sleet

Sleet today, into tomorrow morning. Snow possible. Schools closed today and tomorrow.

Sunset

Jan. 20th, 2014 South Mississippi SunSet.

Hard Freeze

Freeze Warning REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM CST THIS MORNING... ... HARD FREEZE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 9 AM CST TUESDAY...

* TIMING... TEMPERATURES NEAR FREEZING WILL WARM SHORTLY AFTER SUNRISE. AFTER MODEST WARMING MONDAY... TEMPERATURES WILL FALL BELOW FREEZING AT SUNSET AND REMAIN BELOW FREEZING THROUGH MID TO LATE MORNING TUESDAY.

* TEMPERATURES... MINIMUM TEMPERATURES IN THE MID TEENS TO LOWER 20S ARE FORECAST FOR TONIGHT AND TUESDAY MORNING.

* DURATION... FREEZING TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED FOR A PERIOD OF 10 TO 14 HOURS TONIGHT WITH A DURATION OF 7 TO 12 HOURS BELOW 26 DEGREES.

* IMPACTS... HAZARDOUS LIFE THREATENING CONDITIONS FOR PERSONS... LIVESTOCK AND PETS. PROPERTY LOSS POTENTIAL FROM FROZEN PIPES AND PLUMBING. HORTICULTURAL AND AGRICULTURAL LOSSES CAN BE SIGNIFICANT WITHOUT PROPER MITIGATION MEASURES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

BE PARTICULARLY CAREFUL WITH PORTABLE HEATERS... THERE IS DANGER OF FIRE OR POISONOUS FUMES.

IF YOU MUST GO OUTSIDE... REMEMBER THAT SEVERAL LAYERS OF CLOTHES WILL KEEP YOUR WARMER THAN A SINGLE HEAVY COAT. A HAT IS ALSO IMPORTANT AS 20 PERCENT OF BODY HEAT LOSS IS THROUGH THE HEAD.

A FREEZE WARNING MEANS SUB-FREEZING TEMPERATURES ARE IMMINENT OR HIGHLY LIKELY. THESE CONDITIONS WILL KILL CROPS AND OTHER SENSITIVE VEGETATION.

A HARD FREEZE WARNING MEANS SUB-FREEZING TEMPERATURES ARE IMMINENT OR HIGHLY LIKELY. THESE CONDITIONS WILL KILL CROPS AND OTHER SENSITIVE VEGETATION.

Christmas At Beauvoir

November 8-January 5

Enjoy carolers, crafts, Father Klaus, lighted paths, tours of the house with period decorations & over 100 lighted oak trees throughout the property. A magical train takes children through the historic grounds to meet with Santa Klaus, dressed as he was in the 1800's! Gingerbread cookies, hot chocolate, live reindeer and whimsical elves to greet visitors. Events subject to change. Don't miss this exceptional Christmas event.

Date(s): 11/08/2013 - 01/05/2014

Times: Thursday-Sunday @ 4:30pm-8:30pm

Location: Beauvoir, 2244 Beach Blvd, Biloxi

Contact: Beauvoir, Jefferson Davis Home

Phone: 228-388-4400

Admission: Admission Charged

http://www.beauvoir.org/events/Christmas_at_Beauvoir.html

Hard Freeze Warning

TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO DROP BELOW FREEZING BETWEEN 7 AND 10 PM TONIGHT AND REMAIN BELOW FREEZING UNTIL 9 AM THANKSGIVING MORNING. THE DURATION OF TEMPERATURES 26 DEGREES OR LOWER IS EXPECTED TO BE 3 TO 7 HOURS.

Picayune, MS

NickName: The Yune.
Picayune is the largest city in Pearl River County, Mississippi. Picayune will be added to the New Orleans Metropolitan area in 2014 Located approximately 45 miles from New Orleans, Hattiesburg, and Gulfport/Biloxi.
The Stennis Space Center is 10 miles away.

Picayune was founded in 1904, named by Eliza Jane Poitevent Nicholson, the owner and the publisher of the New Orleans Daily Picayune, a newspaper named for the Spanish Coin.

The Crosby Arboretum is located in Picayune, Mississippi, and affiliated with the Mississippi State University. It contains 64 acres sheltering over 300 species of indigenous trees and shrubs. The Arboretum is home to the Pinecote Pavilion designed by the late E. Fay Jones.
Jones was an apprentice to Frank Lloyd Wright and followed many of Wright's design principles. The pavilion is one of the architectural jewels of not only Pearl River county, but also Mississippi.

While Picayune received extensive damage from Hurricane Katrina, it was not as severe as in other nearby cities. This has caused it to become the permanent home for many who relocated from the New Orleans area and the Mississippi Gulf Coast and were seeking a safer homesite with easy commuting to those areas.

The bulk of the damage in Picayune was caused by winds from the hurricane. This resulted in widespread roof, window and fence damage. The wind also caused hundreds, if not thousands, of downed trees and power outages for up to several months.

TS Karen

Cooler weather

We are in the 60's at night and in the mid to high 80s during the day. The humidity is lower too. Very nice weather!

City of Wiggins

Wiggins is a city in Stone County, Mississippi. The population was 4,390 in 2010.

Wiggins is named after Wiggins Hatten, the father of Madison Hatten, one of the area's original homesteaders.
It was incorporated in 1904, and the 1910 census reported 980 residents. In the early 1900s, Wiggins prospered along with the booming timber industry. Wiggins was once headquarters of the Finkbine Lumber Company.

On January 21, 1910, between the hours of 11 am and 1 pm, more than half of the Wiggins business district was destroyed by fire.

The fire started from unknown origin in the Hammock Building, a lodging house, and spread rapidly because of strong winds from the northwest. With no city fire department or waterworks, the residents of Wiggins resorted to bucket brigades and dynamite to stop the fire, which was confined to the east side of the Gulf and Ship Island Railroad.

The fire consumed 41 business establishments, including the Gulf and Ship Island Railroad depot. Only two or three residential dwellings were destroyed, because most homes were built away from the business district.

Wiggins has long been known for its pickle production, and at one time boasted of being home to the world's largest pickle processing facility.
However, the pickle processing facility is now closed, and although the timber industry has declined since the boom years, it still sustains many businesses in Wiggins.

After the 1910 fire and until the 1960s, the center of commerce for Wiggins developed on both sides of Pine Street, that sloped downhill and eastward, perpendicular to U.S. Route 49 and Railroad Street (First Street), over a distance of one city block.

Small shops were built mainly of brick and were mostly contiguous to each other. Over the years, the shops were occupied by numerous businesses that included drug stores, law offices, a grocery store, a shoe store etc.

In the late 1960s, U.S. Route 49 bypassed the downtown area, and many businesses moved from Pine Hill to other locations within the City.

Mississippi hunters catch record-breaking 'gator

It’s only been three days since the start of Mississippi’s alligator hunting season, yet a pair of parties have already submitted two record-breaking ‘gators, state wildlife officials announced Monday.

Dustin Brockman of Vicksburg, Miss., ventured with his brother and friend into the Mississippi River by motorboat early Saturday night and emerged with a 727-pound record breaker that was 13 feet, 4.5 inches long.

The previous weight record was 697.5 pounds, according to Ricky Flynt, program coordinator with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks.

“We chased him for about two hours,” Brockman said. “Then we got a shot on him.” Brockman said that it took two hours after hooking the alligator using a crossbow before they could shoot it with a shotgun. ,br>It took four hours more to get it into the boat, but Brockman said it was too heavy to do with just the three of them, so they just waited in the middle of the river for the sun to rise.

“We killed the alligator at 4 a.m.,” he said. “We waited until 6:30 (a.m.) before I called three or four more guys to help us load it into the boat.” And just one hour prior to Brockman’s epic catch, a hunting party led by Beth Trammell of Madison, Miss., hooked a 13-foot, 5.5-inch alligator near Redwood.

The Trammell party, which included six people, broke the previous weight record with their 723.5-pound catch and held the markbefore Brockman broke it 60 minutes later.

“It took about four hours to get it in the boat,” said Trammell. “We had to flag another boat down to help us out it was so big.” Trammell said that when they had the hefty alligator hooked, their poles were bent like “candy canes.”

Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks Dustin Bockman of Vicksburg, Miss., and his team pose with the alligator they caught near the Big Black River in Claiborne County. The alligator is 13-feet and 4.5 inches in length and weighs 727 pounds.

The current length record, which has yet to be broken, is 13 feet, 6.5 inches. That alligator was captured on the Pascagoula River in 2008, according to the Mississippi Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks department.

Clean up after flooding rain

The cleanup is now underway in many parts of Gulfport. This after at least five inches of rain in just one hour Sunday afternoon left much of the city in a soggy mess.

During the height of the storm, people who live on 33rd Avenue felt like prisoners. Sheila Boddie is one of these people.

"It was very high. It has everyone trapped in their homes, they couldn't get out of the driveways. They couldn't get down the street," Boddie explained.

Signs of the flooding can still be seen, from waterlogged yards to clogged drainage ditches. For one family on 53rd Avenue, Sunday was moving day. Nyeshia Winters recalled the moment.

"It was so bad. It was coming into our driveway and into our front door. We had to pile up all of our furniture and put it in the back room because it was like coming in our front door. It was just so bad yesterday," Winters said.

David Aycock's home barely stayed dry.

"We've had a lot of development out here. They've been filling in what used to be retention lakes and it's put a lot of stress and backed up a lot of water into the homes out here. We've had flooding issues in the past. We were nearly flooded again yesterday," Aycock said.

Several cars at a church on 28th street suddenly transformed into boats. Bridget Fells owned one of these vehicles and it may have been a total loss.

"According to the wrecker guy, they're going to probably total it because the water was up to the console in the car. It's very frustrating," Fells said.

While most homes in the downtown area escaped flooding, that was not the case along Highway 49 between 17th and 19th Streets. Several businesses flooded, including Cardinal Flowers. The flooding did not leave them with a very rosy feeling.

"Right now, we're finding more than usual structural damage because the water stayed in so long," Brewer explained. "It didn't come in and go out like it normally does so the water settled here for a while. So a lot of the wood and the cabinets and stuff like that are starting to go pretty bad right now," said William Brewer, owner of Cardinal Flowers.

Pretty bad would be an understatement. In addition to the flooding in Gulfport, other areas on the coast had problems because of the torrential rain. A few people had to be evacuated from homes in Moss Point, and there was street flooding in Biloxi, Ocean Springs, and Pascagoula.

Of course, during storm, much of Highway 90 along the beach in Harrison County was underwater.

www.wlox.com

Low in the Gulf of Mexico

Where will the Low go and will it get stronger to become a TS or Hurricane?