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Hartley <unk> , founder of <unk> <unk> which is headquartered in Meridian , is a Meridian native .
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Tom Stuart from 1973 to 1977 was the first Republican to serve as mayor of Meridian in the 20th century .
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= = = In broadcasting = = =
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Emmy award winning meteorologist Bill Evans ( meteorologist ) ( <unk> @-@ TV New York ) was born in Meridian , where he held his first broadcasting jobs .
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= = = In literature and comics = = =
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<unk> Edwin <unk> , who won the 1932 O. Henry Award for Best Short Short Story , was born in Meridian . For 30 years , <unk> wrote the <unk> Sawyer comic strip . Meridian is the birthplace of novelist and short story writer Barry Hannah .
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= = = In music = = =
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Classical composer John Luther Adams is a Meridian native .
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The Island Def Jam rapper Big <unk> was born in Meridian . <unk> is known for his many <unk> and albums such as <unk> <unk> Here and <unk> . He has gained a large following for his <unk> and self @-@ produced beats as well as his ability to change his style on songs from slow and conscious tracks ( " The <unk> " ) to fiery and upbeat tracks ( " Mt . Olympus " ) .
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The guitarist @-@ songwriter George Cummings , born in Meridian in 1938 , was a founding member of Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show .
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Paul Davis , a singer @-@ songwriter best known for the late 1970s and early 1980s pop hits " I Go Crazy " and " ' 65 Love Affair " , was born in Meridian in 1948 ; after retiring from the music business , he returned to the city where he remained until a fatal heart attack in 2008 .
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Chris <unk> ( February 10 , 1947 – April 23 , 2012 ) was an American country rock bass guitarist . He was a member of the International <unk> Band ( <unk> ) and The Flying <unk> Brothers , and he co @-@ wrote several songs with <unk> Parsons . <unk> worked with Jackson Browne , Judy Collins , <unk> <unk> , Whitney Houston , Willie Nelson , Randy Newman , Linda <unk> , Leon Russell , Nancy Sinatra , Johnny Winter , and The Byrds .
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The singer @-@ songwriter Steve <unk> was born in Meridian in 1954 .
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<unk> <unk> , the " Father of Country Music " , was born in the city in 1897 . The <unk> <unk> Museum is located in Meridian , and the <unk> <unk> Festival has been an annual Meridian event since 1953 .
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David <unk> , former lead singer of The Temptations , and his older brother Jimmy <unk> were born in the surrounding area , <unk> and <unk> , respectively .
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George <unk> , the singer @-@ songwriter most famous for the rhythm and blues anthem " Get <unk> " , is a resident of Meridian , where he was born in 1945 .
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Hayley Williams , lead singer of the band <unk> , was also born in the city in 1988 .
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Singer Al Wilson , born in June 1939 , was a Meridian native .
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= = = In sports = = =
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The city has also been home to several athletes , many of whom have competed at professional levels . Among them are : Dennis Ray " Oil Can " Boyd , former Major League Baseball pitcher ; <unk> league baseball catcher Paul Hardy ; professional basketball player Derrick <unk> ; Jay Powell , another pitcher ; Joe <unk> played in the NFL ; professional basketball player George Wilson
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= = = Others = = =
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Other notable natives of the city include :
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Susan <unk> who won the Miss America beauty pageant in 1986 @,@
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James <unk> - one of the victims of the Mississippi civil rights workers murders in 1964 @,@
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Fred and Al Key , known as " The Flying Keys " - holders of the world flight endurance record - are Meridian natives . Al Key is also a former mayor of the city .
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Fred <unk> , leader of the <unk> Baptist Church ,
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= = In popular culture = =
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= = = <unk> characters = = =
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Cullen <unk> , the protagonist of the AMC series Hell on <unk> , <unk> from Meridian , Mississippi , where he was a tobacco farmer and later a Confederate soldier during the American Civil War .
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<unk> Harris , one of the characters of the Pulitzer Prize @-@ winning novel To Kill a <unk> ( 1960 ) , is from Meridian , which is mentioned throughout when referencing <unk> 's home .
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= Papa <unk> =
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Papa <unk> is one of the Shetland Islands in Scotland , with a population of under twenty people , some of whom immigrated after an appeal for residents in the 1970s . Located to the west of mainland Shetland and with an area of <unk> hectares ( 3 @.@ 2 square miles ) , Papa <unk> is the eighth largest island in Shetland . <unk> of the soft volcanic rocks by the sea has created an extraordinary variety of caves , <unk> , arches , <unk> , and cliffs . The island and its surrounding seas harbour diverse populations of wildlife . The west side of the island is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and the seas around the island are a Special Area of Conservation .
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The island has several Neolithic burial chamber sites , as well as the remains of Duke <unk> 's 13th @-@ century house dating from the Norse occupation of the island . The population reached 380 or more in the nineteenth century , when a fishing station was opened at <unk> in West <unk> . Subsequently there was a steady decline in population , although the numbers have increased from a low of 16 in the 1970s .
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Today the main settlement on the island is <unk> , just to the east of which is <unk> <unk> from where the <unk> ferry arrives from its base at West <unk> on the Shetland <unk> . <unk> , especially sheep rearing , is the mainstay of island life .
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Numerous <unk> have occurred around the coast , and the celebrated poem Da Sang o da Papa Men by <unk> recalls the drama of the days when Papa <unk> was a centre for deep @-@ sea fishing .
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= = Geography = =
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Papa <unk> is located at the south western end of St Magnus Bay . There are 34 kilometres ( 21 mi ) of rugged coastline which is <unk> by numerous small <unk> and four larger ' <unk> ' . <unk> <unk> ( Old Norse : ' harbour bay ' ) in the south is the most sheltered anchorage and the surrounding cliffs contain a natural rock arch . <unk> <unk> to the east ( Old Norse : ' house bay ' ) is less secluded but is the main harbour for the island and the ferry 's embarkation point .
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<unk> <unk> and <unk> <unk> guard the harbour entrance to the south . The former is a <unk> island and was a <unk> colony until the 18th century ( although it has been suggested that many of the " <unk> " there were suffering from a <unk> <unk> rather than <unk> ) . The latter 's name relates to a story from the 14th century . Lord <unk> <unk> is said to have constructed the tiny house at its top , whose ruins are still visible , in order to " preserve " his daughter from men . Unfortunately for his plans , when she left she was found to be pregnant ; in another version of the story , she and her fisherman <unk> successfully <unk> . West <unk> , the inner part of which is called ' <unk> <unk> ' is the main <unk> in the north coast , the smaller <unk> <unk> lying immediately to the west .
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The main settlement on the island today is <unk> , which <unk> <unk> <unk> and is surrounded by in @-@ bye land to the east of the hill <unk> ( which runs south from West <unk> ) . To the west the island is <unk> by a belt of glacial <unk> about one and a half kilometres in length . Much of the rest of the area consists of a shallow <unk> soil that may be derived from glacial till . There is an almost complete absence of peat on the island and due to the volcanic rocks the soils are relatively fertile . The lack of peat led to ' turf <unk> ' for fuel and the bare areas of rock in the interior .
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The highest point on the island is in the north west at <unk> Field , which rises to 87 metres ( 285 feet ) . <unk> is possibly from the Old Norse for ' <unk> of stones ' .
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= = = List of <unk> = = =
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In addition to the larger <unk> mentioned above there are various other <unk> and <unk> around the coast of Papa <unk> . They include : <unk> <unk> , <unk> <unk> , <unk> <unk> , <unk> <unk> , <unk> <unk> , <unk> <unk> , <unk> of <unk> , <unk> <unk> , <unk> <unk> , <unk> of <unk> , <unk> of <unk> , <unk> <unk> , <unk> <unk> , The Horn , <unk> <unk> and <unk> <unk> . The <unk> <unk> lie 5 kilometres ( 3 @.@ 1 mi ) to the north west . They include : <unk> , North <unk> , <unk> , <unk> and The <unk> . In between Papa <unk> and <unk> <unk> lies the shallow bank of Papa @-@ <unk> .
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On 21 June 2008 , Stuart Hill , the owner and only resident of the 1 hectare ( 2 @.@ 5 acres ) island of <unk> <unk> ( which he has renamed " <unk> Island " ) made a declaration of dependence , creating the Crown <unk> of <unk> . On the basis of a marriage arrangement between King Christian of Norway and King James III of Scotland that dates to <unk> , Hill argued that the island should be considered a British crown dependency , and thus not a part of the United Kingdom or of the European Union . This claim was not recognised by the United Kingdom .
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= = Geology = =
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The island is composed of a variety of volcanic and <unk> rock formations from the Devonian period . At that time the Scottish <unk> formed part of the Old Red <unk> Continent and lay some 10 @-@ 25 degrees south of the equator . The <unk> of Old Red <unk> , laid down from <unk> to 370 million years ago , were created as earlier <unk> rocks , <unk> by the formation of <unk> , eroded and then were deposited into river <unk> . The freshwater Lake <unk> existed on the edges of the eroding mountains , stretching from Shetland to the southern Moray Firth . The structure of Papa <unk> is largely made up of ashes and <unk> from volcanic activity associated with this period , including bands of solidified volcanic ash and <unk> ( <unk> ) , but there is also a Devonian fish bed at <unk> Banks . There are numerous large boulders deposited by Pleistocene <unk> .
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<unk> of the soft volcanic rocks by the sea has created an extraordinary variety of caves , <unk> , arches , <unk> , cliffs , <unk> and <unk> that are amongst the finest in Britain . The ' Holl o <unk> ' is a cave that passes right through the north @-@ west tip of the island . It is nearly half a mile long and wide enough to row through . <unk> ( or Christie 's ) Hole in the south west is another spectacular cave , part of the roof of which collapsed in 1981 . Yet another is ' <unk> 's Hole ' close to <unk> <unk> in the west . This was the favourite of John Tudor who wrote of the island in his Victorian memoirs and described the cave as :
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... in <unk> , so exquisite is the colouring of the roof and sides and so <unk> is the water ... [ with ] <unk> or <unk> like <unk> in a church .
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In 1953 the spectacular headland , ' Da Horn o Papa ' fell into the sea during a storm . The nearby <unk> of <unk> <unk> also has caves that can be accessed by small boats when conditions permit .
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= = Ecology = =
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<unk> , grey seals , killer <unk> and harbour <unk> are frequently seen on and around Papa <unk> . Atlantic <unk> , Arctic and common <unk> , <unk> and Arctic <unk> , northern <unk> , common <unk> , <unk> , <unk> , <unk> , ringed <unk> and great black @-@ backed gull all breed on the island , and numerous migratory species have been recorded .
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There is a <unk> of wild flowers , including mountain <unk> , spring <unk> and <unk> as well as the ubiquitous <unk> . The west side of the island is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and the seas around Papa <unk> are a Special Area of Conservation . The traditional Shetland Pony is still bred .
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= = History and archaeology = =
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Human settlement of the island dates from circa 3000 BC and there are remains of several Neolithic burial chambers known as ' heel @-@ shaped <unk> ' . Little is known of the pre @-@ Celtic and Celtic eras , but when the Norse arrived it is likely they found a religious settlement as the name of the island derives from <unk> <unk> meaning " Big island of the <unk> " ( Celtic monks ) , in distinction to Papa Little some 12 kilometres ( 7 @.@ 5 mi ) to the west .
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= = = Norse period = = =
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Papa <unk> is the subject of a <unk> manuscript written in Old Norse , which is the oldest surviving document from Shetland . It deals with a dramatic incident in the house of Duke <unk> <unk> , who was later to become King <unk> V of Norway . There is a circle of stones near the beach at <unk> <unk> , which are the remains of a ' <unk> ' , or local assembly . This was the scene of a duel , fought and won by Lord <unk> <unk> , who was accused of corruption in the <unk> document and was later called ‘ <unk> de <unk> ’ . ( The story of his unfortunate daughter is referred to above . ) The remains of Duke <unk> 's thirteenth @-@ century house are still visible near <unk> <unk> .
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= = = Scots rule and fishing = = =
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In <unk> Shetland came under nominal Scottish control , although the Norse ' <unk> of Norway ' kept their Papa <unk> estates until the 17th century . In the 16th century merchants from <unk> and Hamburg were operating a summer trading booth to buy fish from the local fleet . By the 18th century , two Scottish <unk> , Thomas <unk> of <unk> , and Arthur <unk> of <unk> , owned the island . They maintained a prosperous <unk> ( Old Norse : ' deep sea ' ) fishing industry , undertaken in the summer months using six @-@ <unk> boats known as <unk> .
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In addition to the <unk> colony on <unk> <unk> there may have been another at <unk> <unk> overlooking <unk> <unk> . A recent archaeological survey was inconclusive but suggests the site may be much older than the supposed 18th century colony .
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The island church , which <unk> Kirk Sand in the bay of Fore <unk> , was founded in 1806 . 300 metres from the present church there may be an older chapel site of <unk> or <unk> on the headland between the west end of Kirk Sand and the bay of <unk> . It is called the ' <unk> <unk> ' by locals and referred to by the Ordnance Survey as " the site of a <unk> chapel belonging to about the twelfth century " . There is a tradition that the work there was <unk> with by supernatural powers and that each day 's work on the building was destroyed during the night . Eventually the <unk> were moved overnight by these <unk> agencies to the present site of the church and work was re @-@ commenced there successfully . Excavations in 2004 found little besides large blocks of <unk> and a piece of whalebone rib , suggesting that the oral tradition may have some truth to it .
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In the 19th century the <unk> fishing station in West <unk> was opened and the island had a population of 360 people or more . However , fuel shortages and a decline in fishing due to the introduction of steam <unk> saw a fall in population from the 1870s on . At this time another duel entered the history of Papa <unk> . Edwin Lindsay , an Indian army officer and the son of the 6th Earl of <unk> , was declared insane and sent to the island in disgrace after refusing to fight in one . He spent 26 years as a prisoner before the Quaker preacher Catherine Watson arranged for his release in 1835 . Lindsay 's Well is a spring at the south of the island where he was allowed to bathe .
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There are good examples of horizontal water mills , also known as Norse or <unk> Mills , around Dutch Loch . Originally these were two story buildings with turf roofs , built into banks to give access to the upper floor where the mill @-@ stone was sited . Inside the building there was a fixed lower <unk> , and a rotating upper <unk> driven by the water falling onto the <unk> below . Some were still in use on Papa <unk> in the early years of the 20th century , and there is still a working example of one of these mills on the Burn of <unk> , at <unk> in the south <unk> of Shetland .
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= = = 20th and 21st centuries = = =
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In common with many small Scottish islands , Papa <unk> 's population peaked in the 19th century and has experienced a significant decline since then ( see e.g. <unk> ) . By 1970 the island school had closed and the population had declined to sixteen ' fairly elderly ' residents , but an advertisement in Exchange and Mart reversed the decline . A <unk> and five sheep were offered free of charge to <unk> which brought a flood of applicants . By 1981 the census recorded a population of 33 . However , by 2005 the population had fallen to 20 after serious <unk> between <unk> led to several court cases . A number of people left the island and the school closed . By early 2008 the population had dropped to just nine after a family of seven left . The 2011 census recorded a usually resident population of 15 - during the decade 2011 @-@ 11 Scottish island populations as a whole grew by 4 % to 103 @,@ 702 .
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Overview of population trends
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= = = <unk> = = =
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