The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1904-03-19
THE new TOWN OF NOLA.

ance WIN CnaC particular locality
was about s years ago when, late
one evening, on ride from Pearl
River, we passed along a dim,
lonely road through a forest of
tall, sighing pines over the very
spot where the town of Nola is
now laid out, and reached the
hospitable home of our good
friend l.. J. White, for the night,
a mile farther along. In the win
ter of 1900, we think it was, we
again visited the locality and the
only settlement then visible where
Nola now stands was a COM
Portable country home built by
that thorough going, clever far
mer and citizen, Nola White, with
a rich new ground field in the
rear, which would produce a bale
of cotton to the acre. In the cor
ner of the yard Nola (Nola White
we mean, for the present town
was christened with his first
name) had a little room in which
be carried for sale a few articles of
merchandise, as if with prophetic
vision he already saw that this
was destined to be an important
business point for a large COM
munity of people; but out in
front of Nola Whites house and
yard, now occupied by the rail-
road, depot and main portion of
the new town, was still an unbl ok
en- forest of pine trees. About
this time Nola Whites little store
in the corner of his yard, was
made post Office. There was
already talk of the Pearl River
Lumber Company building it's
railroad by Nola and establishing
a station there, and Nola White,
with his characteristic enterprise
and public spirit, donat-
ed the Lumber Company the
right of way through his lands and
grounds on which to erect a
depot, as an inducement to make
a station.
When the railroad was complet-
ed to Nola about two years ago,
and afterwards the Pearl River
Lumber Company sold out its line
to the Illinois Central, the perma-
nency and future growth of Nola
were assured. The town now has
neat, substantial depot building,
and is getting to be point of
considerable Importance. A large
and thoroughly equipped steam
ginnory, owned by the Nola Land
and Gin Company, the Nola Mer-
camille Co., carrying on a large
mercantile business, and a cotton
seed agency, maintained by the
Wesson Cotton Oil Mill, are the
prominent industrial and business
enterprises of the place.
A commodious and comfortable
boarding house or hotel is owned
and conducted by mine host"
Levi White, who has left his
former home and moved to
a prominent position in the edu-
cational forces of the state.
Sylvarena High school, in Smith
county, was one of the largest
and most fiourishing schools in
Mississippi along in the sixties,
its fame being due to the zeal and
the executive ability of its presid-
ing genius, DR.. Fitzhugh, and his
able assistant, Miss Frank John
son, who afterwards became the
head of the female college at
Brandon, while DR.. Fitzhugh
took charge of the high school
at Fannin. From Fannin he
went to the State University at
Oxford, and so great was his
success that the Methodist con-
ference called him to the head of
Whitworth College at Brookhayen,
where he remained till he came to
Jackson ten years ago to establish
Belhaven, a college for the higher
education and training of young
ladies that has been success from
the very first.
town" to engage into this and other
enterprises. The Nola High
School building occupiess prom
inent site about a quarter from
the depot. The Nola High
School is under the direction this
year of that successful young
educator, Prof. R. F. Byrne, and
the enrolment of pupils before
the measles broke out in the COM
munity and reduced the atten-
dance had reached as high as III
pupils. A number of neat and COM
Portable residences dot the land
scape and others are going up.
Verify the logging crew of the
Pearl River Lumber Co. and those
who have since gone ur to Nola
to possess the land," have COM
pletely hewn down the pine forest
we saw there few years ago and
literally transformed the face of
the earth.
The day of our visit all of the
Messrs. White (who constitute
such prominent and important
factor in the business and social
circles of the town., were absent
on account of the death of their
worthy young kinswoman, Mrs.
A. III. White, whose sad death
was chronicled in last Satur-
days Leader; but we found our
good friend, Ed. Z. Sutton, in
charge Of che affairs of the Nola
Mercantile Co. and are indebted
to him for the most pleasant feat
Ii,rn of ol1r trin We were told