The Tupelo journal. (Tupelo, Miss.) 1876-1924, 1906-08-17
PEN-PlCTURES OF THE OLDEN time
BY COL w |. CLAYTON.

being covered all through the
rainy seasons, whether winter or
summer, in water; and that par
ticular part Of the town was then
something like four feet lower
than it now is, having been filled
up, mostly by. accretions from
the western undulation in Main
Street.
When the war closed, and the
few inhabitants looked round on
the ruin and desolation wrought
by the soldiery of both armies, it
seemed that there never could be
a renewal of the old life; and
hope Of such things as we now
see never entered into their wild.
est dreams. But with a vim and
will born of the Anglo Saxon
race, the inhabitants of Tupelo,
as of all the rest Of the South,
placed their backs upon defeat
and desolation, and firmly setting
their faces towards the rising
sun of prosperity, began rebuild
ing their burned homes and urg-
ing others to come in to assist
them build and rebuild the town.
The business houses were poor
frame structures, even some large
ones being built on the "shang-
hal" plan. But they subserved
the present purposes, and long
outlived their usefulness, it being
difficult to make owners see the
policy of pulling down the old
frames and building new brick
and stone. Only a few months
ago the last old frame building of
a business character was pulled
down and a fine stone building
was built in it's stead by the Peo-
Piles Bank e. Trust Co. The town
is now substantially built Of brick
and stone, there not being a house
for use of the old frame kind.
So soon as the county seat was
established here a very nice brick
court house was built on the lot
originally designated as the court
house lot. In a few years it was
burned, and another one costing
less money was built on the same
foundation, and this stood till
January, 1904, when it, too, Sue
cumbed to fire. The authorities
took steps at once to rebuild, and
now Tup,.lo and Lee county have
one of the most beautiful and
magnificent court houses in the
State. 1t is, heated by steam, the
different offices having CRATES in
addition. The house is finely fur
nished with the latest improved
furniture for the offices, and there
is a fine arrangement for seating
the jury and witnesses, with ex-
cellent arrangement for the bar
and a superb judges stand, while
the court room is seated with
nice opera chairs. The arrange
ment Of: the different rooms for
jurors, witnesses. consultation.
both and closet apartments is ex-
cellent; the whole lighted by elec-
tricity, and connected with the
water. works system OF the town.
The structure is built of stone,
halls f.oored with marble, having
stone columns thirty inches in di-
rmeter at the four entrances,
halls cutting each other at right
angles, roofing of tile, and sur
mounted by a handsome spheric-
al cupola, in which is placed a
town clock.
Som five or six years ago the
build ing boom struck the church.
es, Q nd the old tumble downs,
which were built soon after the
war, were thrown to the moles
and bats, and beautiful modern
structures took their places. The
Met hodist, Presbyterian, Baptist
and Cumberland Presbyterians
thus built new houses of worship,
anel the Christian church, or Di-
ciples Of Christ, remodeled theirs
so it is pleasant and comfortable.
The combined cost of the work
on the churches here will amount
to over thirty thousand dollars
anil not a dollar is unpaid.
There is but:one school for the
whites in the town, which is a
public school, supported alto
gether by taxation, and the poor
est child in town has all the adj
vantages of the most opulent.
The school building is a hand
some two story brick, costing
ten thousand dollars, and situ-
|ated in lovely grove of oak and
hickory in the western part Of
the town in a somewhat retired
location. It employs principal
and about eight assistant teach
|ers. and is in articulation with
the State University at Oxford,
Mississippi.
The town has one Of the best
electric light plants in the State,
and it is as well, if not better
lighted, than the largest cities in
our borders. It cost about twen-
ty thousand dollars.
Water works and sewerage
have Just been completed at q
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