The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1903-04-04
INTERESTING HISTORY
OF EARLY MISSISSIPPI,

Original Report Of Commission Re-
Gently Found-Reaso They Gave
tor the Desirabllity Of La FIeur's
Bluff as the Seat Of Government.
The approaching completion Of Mis-
sissippi's new capitol building and the
extensive preparations under way for
the cornerstone ceremony on the third
day of June serves to recall some of the
States most interesting history during
the period that elapsed between the ad-
ministration Of the commonwealth into
the Union in 1917 and the location Of
the State capital at jackson since 1921.
Mississippi's seat of government has
been located at Jackson since 1922, when
the first session Of the Legislature was
held in small structure on what Is now
Capital street, and at a site now occupied
by the Harding Building. For more
than eighty years legislatures have como
and gone, administrations have changed,
and through all the eyer-changinQ
scenes Of political stir and strife, and
successive epochs Of history, the State
has had but two capitol buildings as
domicile for her officials and law-mak-
ers.
jackson was elected as the State capi-
tai on the 10th OF November, 1871, by a
commission composed OF Gen. Thomas
Kinds and DR.. VIM. baltimore, who had
been selected by the Legislature Of the
proceeding year for this purpose. While
searching through piles Of long lost re-
cords few days since, Hon. Dunbar
Rowland, director Of the department Of
archives and history found the original
manuscript of the report Of these two
gentlemen, both OF whom were among
the foremost characters in the terrific
rial history of Mississippi, but who are
now long since forgotten and lie in ne
elected graves, one in Jefferson and the
other in Adams county.
The commission originally contaired
three members, the third James Patton;
but it seems he did not participate TO
any extent in selecting the site ana his
name is not attached to the original re-
port.
General Thomas Kinds was the CHAIR
man, and in the early history OF the ter
ritory he was conspicuous character as
soldier and statesman. He was one of
the heroes of the battle of New Orleans
during the war Of i8i2, having command
ed the Jefferson Horse Troop, and Gen.
Andrew Jackson, in speaking OF the
brilliant dash made by this troop upon
an entrenched position of the enemy,
said: "The Jefferson Horse Troop, COM
manded by Colonel Thomas Kinds, was
the terror of one army and the admira-
tion OF the other" General Kinds was
member OF the first constitutional con-
vention, which assembled in 1872, and
was candidate for Governor against
George Pointdexter, being defeated, how
ever, by that brilliant but turbulent gen.
tleman. He was buried in Jefferson
county.
DR.. baltimore was one of the most
eminent physicians in the South, and
for several years was more or less con-
spicuous in public affairs. The report
Of the capitol site commission is in his
handwriting, clear, bold script COM
posed in excellent English.
BY act OF Congress large area of
land was donated to the new State, and
the commission was instructed TO locate
the capital at some spot on this tract,
within twenty miles CT the geographical
center OF the State. The northern boun-
Diary OF the State at that time was the
Chickasaw line, and the commission was
unable to find desirable site within
twenty miles of the geographical center,
and barely managed to get within the
thirtv-fiye mile line. The difficulty thus
encountered is best explained by an ex-
tract from the report, which is as follows:
GAS the commissioners were required
to make the location within twenty miles
of the geographical center of the State
it was necessary, as preliminary step,
TO ascertain from the best authority
where the center Of the State was, and
it is from the obliging disposition Of
Major Thomas Freeman that the COM
missioners have satisfactory informa-
ton on this point. According to his
calculations, the center OF the State is
very near to Dolxe's well, known as a
public stand on the road to Tennessee,
and as being on the new boundary line.
The next step was to obtain information
respecting the county within the limits
prescribed; and here it may be well to
State that the previous accounts, both
OF white persons. and Indians, were
founu to be prefectly correct in every in
stance in which the commissioners them
selves viewed the places to which their
attention was called. Their objects OF
inquiry, and the considerations which
influenced their choice as site, were:
An elevated position, pure water, whole
some air, fertile soil, and useful timber
near some navigable stream, and in the
direction of pubic roads. AS to ma
vigable stream, a mere glance at the map
will show that no other than Pearl river
and the Big Black could claim the at
tention of the commissioners, in point
Of proximity to the center of the State.
With respect to the Big Black, after
much inquiry the commissioners were
fully convinced that no eligible position
near the nayigable part of this river was
embraced by the limits prescribed. As
to public roads, it is too far out Of tho
great points of intercourse which are al
ready established, and which must al
ways secure to the upperparts of Pearl
river the advantages OF the maiE road
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