The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1902-12-11
HISTORY OF RANKIN.
Short Sketch Written About Seventy Years
s.Ago---Author Unknown.

north. by Madison, east by Scott
and Smith, south by Simpson, ane
west by Kinds counties. 1t is
triangular in its shape, the base be-
ing its southern boundary, and the
apex the extreme northern part Of
the county. 1t has an area Of
about twenty townships, or seven
hundred and twenty square miles,
of which fifteen thousand and forty
three acres are under cultivation;
producing cotton crop of twenty
two hundred and ninety-seven
bales. The free white population
is thirty-two hundred and fifty-five,
slaves nineteen hundred and fifty.
six, of whom nine hundred and
ninety-three are males, and nine
hundred and sixty-three females.
| Rankin county is bounded west
and northwest by the Pearl river,
by which, and its tributaries, it is
exclusively watered.. There are
two principal creeks which rise from
the eastern part of the county, and
run west into Pearl river.
STEMS creek, which runs seven
miles south of Brandon and Pilahat-
chez, which runs eight miles north
of Brandon.
There are eight or ten organised
Methodist churches in Rankin coun-
| ty and four Baptist.
The post offices are Brandon,
STEMS Creek, nine miles south of
Brandon, and Pleasant Hill, ten
miles east.
There are five election precincts,
one in each police district, number
ed from one to five.
Brandon is the county seat,
situated twelve miles from jackson
with population Of about six hun
dred. It's public buildings are a
court house. Jail, two banks, two
academies, one male and one
female, one church and three
hotels. Brandon Academy was in
corporated in eighteen hundred and
tWenry-nine. The Ladies Academy
under the superintendent of Miss
Lowell, is in a highly flourishing
condition. The new brick edifice
for the accommodation of this semi
nary is surpassed by no similar
building in the state.
| The Incorporated banks and in
situations of Brandon are as fol,
loWS:-
The MISSISSIPPI and Alabama
Rail Road Company, chartered in
January, eighteen hundred and
thirty-siX. Capital four million OF
dollars. VIM. H. Shelton, Presi-
nent. Z. P. Waddell, Cashier.
Directors-W. H. Shelton, John w.
King, H. K. Moss, John S. Gooch,
Samuel M. Pickett, R. G. Crozier,
Hanson Alsbury, Thomas j. Coffee,
Richard M. Hobson, Thomas P.
Faulkner.
This institution has a branch al
| Paulding. Capital three hundred
thousand dollars.
| A branch of the Commercial
Bank Of Natchez. Capital one
hundred and fifty thousand dollars
Directors Stephen C. Farrar
| Hamilton Cooper, M. w. Philips
E. L. Hyams, Cashier.
| The jackson and Brandon Raj
Road and Bridge Company, was
charteredin eighteen hundred anG
Ithirty-six. Capital two hundred
Thousand dollars. This road is now
in progress of completion, and
when finished, will connect Bran
don with Vicksburg and Natchez
| The company are building an ele.
CANT double bridge across Pear
river, at Jackson, and have nearly
completed a turnpike connecting
| the bridge with the hills across
| Pearl river sWamps. This company
has connected itself by agreement
with the Mississippi and Alabama
IRail Road Company, and now have
the same directors.
There is an Incorporated Library
| Association in Brandon.
| Richmond is the name of flour
ishing little town on the banks OF
Pearl river, in the southwest part
of the county, not Incorporated,
about eight miles below Jackson.
NATURAL CURIOSITES. There
are in the neighborhood of Brandon,
many fine specimens of petrifaction,
consisting Of logs Of wood, some Of
considerable size-as sections of a
log from one to two feet in thick.
ness and several feet in length,
showing distenctly and separately
the bark or rind-the grain of the
wood, with portions Of limbs attach
ed to it. In stone qnarry two miles
west Of Brandon, there has been
| found fish and shell fish in a state