Towns and Communities
 

Winston Co. Pictures
Downtown Louisville, in 1950s, Dairy Day Parade. Winston County use to be a big dairy county and had two dairies from which you could buy.

Off to War (WWII). This is downtown Louisville, 1940s, when buses came to pick up all the men to go to war. A moving picture when you think of all the people affected by this war.
B. Forster
Performing genealogical work regularly!
Argo

Argo, now extinct, was established in 1909 as a sawmill and flag station on the G M & N Railroad one mile south of Hight. The place became extinct in 1926 and now no trace of it can be found, except perhaps a sawdust pile.

Betheden

Located nine miles northeast of Louisville, Betheden took its name from an early Lutheran Church located near the center of the community in 1848. Jesse Morgan was the first preacher at this church which was named by the people; its name being built from the Hebrew word, Bethel which means House of God, and the word Eden meaning Pleasant Worship. William Kinard, a pioneer citizen, built a house here in 1850 which was also used as a stage coach stop. K. A. Livingston was a pioneer citizen who operated the first sawmill here.

Boon

Boon, six miles east of Louisville was named by the Post Office Department on the establishment of an office in 1860. This office served the community until it was abolished with the advent of Rural Free Delivery. The Barnhill family were among the earliest setters on this site.

Cagle

Settled in 1835, about sixteen miles northeast of Louisville, Cagle was named for the Pink Cagle family who were early settlers. The place was never more than a farming community and was extinct by 1900.

Calhoun

Calhoun, fourteen miles southeast of Louisville, came into being in 1920 with the establishment of the Calhoun Consolidated School, named for J. C. Calhoun.

Calvary

Located five miles southwest of Louisville, Calvary was established prior to 1920 and was first known as Coulter. The name was changed to Calvary in 1914 for the Calvary Baptist Church.

Caney

Caney, ten miles southeast of Louisville, was established in 1835 by settlers from North Carolina and named for nearby Caney Creek. William Terrell Lewis, first surveyor of the county and descendant of Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis and Clark expedition is buried here.

Claytown

Claytown, seven miles east of Noxapater, was settled in 1880 by the Clay family who moved here from Kemper County. There was a post office here at that time which was operated in connection with the one store in the village.

Coopwood

Coopwood was an agricultural community which was settled in 1835 about twelve miles south of Louisville and was named for Coopwood Creek which ran through the community.

Cork

Cork, twelve miles southeast of Louisville, was settled by the Whitehead family in 1850 and established as a post office in 1890 with Dr. A. A. Guthrie as postmaster.

Cornwell

Cornwell was established as a post office in 1846 ten miles southwest of Louisville. The place took its name from a family by that name who moved here from Alabama.

Ellison Ridge

Located twelve miles east of Louisville, Ellison Ridge was named for William Ellison who settled here in 1834, being followed the next year by the Moody and Eaves families. The Moody family operated a water mill here for well over one hundred years.

Estes

Located four miles south of Louisville, Estes was named for W.W. Estes who built and operated the first sawmill here in 1900. At its peak Estes consisted of four stores, the mill commissary, a post office, the Flower Ridge Methodist Church and a small school which consolidated with Noxapater in 1934.

Evergreen

Evergreen, five miles northeast of Louisville, was established in 1866 by the Bouchillion, McCully and Robinson families. A Baptist Church was organized in the community in 1892.

Fearn Springs

Located four miles northeast of Handle, Fearn Springs was settled before 1860 and named for the abundance of ferns in the area with the word fern being spelled Fearn. The land is hilly and from its natural arrangement the locality has been called The Skillet. After the Civil War Fearn Springs became a thriving place, consisting of a post office, three stores, two churches, a school and several residences surrounded by five water mills and gins. The stores were owned by James and Johnnie Chappell, T. Anderson and J. Moody. A blacksmith shop was run by Ben Rodgers and the two doctors who served the village were Drs. Kirk and Eskridge. The water mills were operated by J. Moody, James Chappell, Captain John Holmes, George E. Haynes and Peter B. Smith. On July 31, 1936 the Choctaw Indians assembled here in hundreds to celebrate the anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek. All night clans and families poured in and the whole town became a camp ground, although Dr. Kirk's pasture had been designated as the official grounds for camping. The festivities, which consisted of mostly eating and playing ball lasted for two days.

Ford

Settled in 1835, eight miles west of Louisville on what was known as the Wire Road, this settlement was formerly known as Simonfield. About 1920 when the school was consolidated the name was changed to Ford in honor of Henry Ford.

Gum Branch

Gumbranch or Gum Springs was established twelve miles north of Louisville in 1845 around the Gumbranch Baptist Church. Early settlers in the community included the Porter, Weeks, Long, Bailey, Gill and White families.

Gypsey

Gypsey was the name of a post office located near the Gumbranch Community twelve miles north of Louisville. This site was settled in 1835 by Allen Neighbors, Ezekiel Barron, William Shaw, Allen Crosby and Samuel Hyde. On the establishment of a post office, William Griffith served as postmaster until the office was discontinued in 1902. An early school in the community known as Shaw Spring was consolidated with Gumbranch in 1925.

Haggard

Part of the Ellison Ridge Community about fifteen miles east of Louisville, Haggard was established in 1850 and named for Robert Haggard who was a prosperous farmer here at that time.

Handle

Located eleven miles southeast of Noxapater, Handle was named for the contour of the surrounding land. The hill in this part of the county forms a large figure in the shape of a skillet and a narrow strip stretching evenly from this point to the Kirk Plantation is called the Handle, giving the name to this neighborhood.

High Point

Located seven miles northwest of Louisville, this site was first called Hathorn for James Hathorn, but the name was changed because of another post office with the same name. When the G M & N Railroad was built in 1905, a station was required in this neighborhood, and here - where the railroad grade was high - was selected as the most suitable place for the town, which was accordingly named High Point.

Hight

Hight, three miles south of Noxapater, was started when the Noxapater Lumber Company established a sawmill here on the G M & N Railroad near the farm of Charles Hight. The lumber company, which was owned by Harry Wright, moved it's mill in the early 1930s, leaving approximately twelve families in this area.

Hinze

Hinze, a country community located fourteen miles southwest of Louisville, was settled about 1872, and took its name from the most prominent family in the community. The community is composed of a group of farm families who live close together along a country road.

Joplin

The site of Joplin, seven miles east of Louisville, was settled in 1837 but was not named Joplin until a post office was established and the Postal Authorities selected the name. The post office did not operate for a long period of time as James Bouchillion was its only postmaster; the office being abolished with the coming of Rural Free Delivery.

Lettie

This location, about thirteen miles southeast of Louisville, was first settled in 1835. A post office operated from 1890 until 1910, which was named "Lettie" - for the wife of John Lovorn, a landowner.

Liberty

Located in the southwestern part of the county about five miles from the Neshoba County Line, Liberty was never more than a small settlement which grew up around the Liberty Consolidated School once located here.

Loakfoma

Loakfoma, a rural settlement located thirteen miles northeast of Louisville is an Indian name, the word meaning Red Clay; a perfect description of the soil in the vicinity. At one time there was a school here which served as a center for a wide area.

Louisville

Louisville was originally platted on a twenty acre tract of land donated by Jesse Dodson who took a leading part in the organization of Winston County in 1833. The town soon became a trading center and was incorporated in 1836, being named for Colonel Louis Winston, an early settler who was once an Attorney General in the Tennessee River Country. The exact beginning of the town is not known but it is certain that a small store and blacksmith shop was created on the site in 1828. The building of the G M & N Railroad in 1905 gave the town a boost in growth but at the same time deprived it of some advantages as a trade center by giving other towns equal railroad facilities.

Louisville has a monument to Winston County's support of the Confederacy, the Spanish American War and World War I.

McMillan

McMillan, better known as McMillan's Switch, was established as a flag stop on the G M & N Railroad five miles northwest of Louisville. Its name was taken from the only white family living here at the time the station was built.

Mill Creek

Mill Creek, established in 1837, is a country community located seven miles northeast of Louisville. There was never a post office or anything of a town here, but years ago on a nameless branch of Nanih Waiya Creek there was located a small portable sawmill from which the name Mill Creek was derived.

Nanih Waiya

Located nine miles southeast of Noxapater, Nanih Waiya is an Indian name meaning Slanting Hill and is the sacred mound of the Choctaw which occupies a unique tradition in Choctaw tradition in that it is connected with both the creation and migration of the tribes. The mound is called Great Mother and is looked upon as the birthplace of the Indian Race; being the center of Choctaw life before the coming of the white man. The Choctaws believe that many years ago the Muskogee first came from the mound and sunning themselves on the rampart until dry went eastward. Next came the Cherokee who after having dried themselves followed the trail of the older tribe. Then came the Chickasaw who settled and made a people to the north. At last came the Choctaw who dried themselves then settled about the mound; their Great Mother who told them that if they ever left her side they would die. When the Government remembered its century-old debt to the Choctaws and established the Indian Agency in 1918, most of the tribe who remained were found to be living near the sacred mound and the legendary promise of protection. About 250 yards north of Nanih Waiya is another mound, a small one where according to Choctaw legend, corn was first presented to the world. Soon after the Choctaw had settled a crow brought a single kernel of corn across the great water (Gulf) and gave it to an orphan child named Tonchi (Corn) and planted it. When it came up he hoed it, hilled it and laid it by; so began the cultivation of maize.

New Prospect

Located about fourteen miles north of Louisville, New Prospect was a small settlement gathered around the New Prospect Baptist Church. Many years ago another church at this location was disbanded but new arrivals in the community, along with older citizens, organized a new one which they called New Prospect.

Noxapater

An old village located nine miles south of Louisville, the name Noxapater is said to be of Latin origin meaning Dark Father. The name is also said to be of Indian origin meaning Trigger. Whichever the origin, the name was suggested by Dr. J.G. Gunn, an early settler. Noxapater was incorporated in 1906 and at that time was a progressive trading center with two cabinet shops and two cotton gins in operation.

Perkinsville (historical)

Perkinsville, a rural settlement about thirteen miles east of Louisville, was settled during the years 1835-1853. The settlement was named for a Perkins family who settled here in 1870.

Plattsburg

Located eight miles southwest of Noxapater, Plattsburg was settled in the late 1840s and by 1862 had become a post office which served an area as far as the northern part of Neshoba County. Life was rough, as were the settlers, and like seems to have attracted like - until the town acquired the nickname of "Fort Growl" because its inhabitants were given to getting drunk, growling and causing trouble to such an extent that a network of feuds sprang up. In spite of this, these people were very enterprising because by 1890 Plattsburg was a thriving town consisting of a hotel, three churches and a printing plant which published The Vigilant, a weekly newspaper. An academy was also located here, consisting of twenty-four rooms which were heated by twelve chimneys. When the railroad was built through this area it missed Plattsburg, and the start of the town's decline began.

Presnell

Presnell was named for the man who operated a sawmill on this site about 1900, six miles south of Louisville. After the timber had been cut the mill moved and Presnell became extinct.

Randall's Bluff (historical)

This area, nine miles southeast of Louisville, was settled between the years 1835-1847 but Randall's Bluff was never a town, it was only the point where a road crossed Nanih Waiya Creek. It is not known why the place was named Randall's Bluff.

Ross

In 1912, Ross was the site of a sawmill and a flag stop on the G M & N Railroad five miles south of Louisville; the place taking its name from a family who owned a farm near the sawmill. Later the family moved away, the mill closed and Ross became extinct.

Rural Hill

Rural Hill, a farm community four miles northwest of Hinze, took its name from its location. Henry Vanlandingham was the first settler purchasing land in 1838. In 1860 the Blaine, Lowery, Williams and Ray families moved into the area. One mile south of Rural Hill is Lobutcha, which merged with Rural Hill to form a large settlement with the consolidated school serving as the community center.

Singleton (historical)

Singleton, thirteen miles northeast of Louisville, was never more than a country post office which became extinct with the coming of Rural Free Delivery in the early 1900s. The origin of the name is not certain.

Sulphur Springs

Sulphur Springs, three miles northeast of Louisville, was established prior to 1850. During the 1850s this was a popular resort town where people came to drink the water and enjoy the accommodations of a twenty-seven room hotel complete with ballroom, bowling alley and pool room. A novel swing at the hotel, which seated eight to ten persons was built to swing out over the marshes below, giving a thrill to those who dared ride it. The hotel burned in 1876 and a smaller one was built, but by the mid-1930s nothing was left of the place except the spring and the large beech trees on the site.

Tampa

Tampa was an early rural post office located eleven miles west of Louisville which was named by the Post Office Department. It became extinct with the advent of Rural Free Delivery.

Tripletts Corner

Tripletts Corner or Tripletts Town, located fifteen miles east of Louisville, was named for the Triplett family who settled here in 1850. There was no school or church in the settlement, the children attending school in Mashulaville and church being attended at Perkinsville.

Vowell

Vowell or Vowell Town, located ten miles west of Noxapater, was settled in 1850 but never consisted of more than a few farm houses built close together.

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