Who was the first person to die of the Yellow Fever Epidemic in Holly Springs?
Mayor Goodrich was the first person to die of the epidemic. He died on August 31st, 1878. You may visit the The Yellow Fever Martyrs Church and Museum (circa 1841) East College Ave., Holly Springs, MS 38635, 662-252-3669, Museum dedicated to preserving the legacy of seven Catholic martyrs who gave their lives during the Yellow Fever epidemic of 1840. Open by appointment only. Would you like to take a Virtual Tour of the Yellow Fever Martyrs Church and Museum? Click Here .

Who was the first African American Senator?
Hiram Rhodes Revels. (1827-1901) He served from February 23, 1870 until March 3rd, 1871. He was the first African American Senator, Secretary of State ad interim of Mississippi in 1873. President of Alcorn Agriculture College, Rodney Mississippi from 1876 to 1882; moved to Holly Springs, Marshall County Mississippi and continued his religious work. He died in Aberdeen Mississippi January 16, 1901. He is buried in Hillcrest Cemetery, Holly Springs, Mississippi

Who founded Holly Springs?
Holly Springs was founded by a group of Virginia entrepreneurs headed by Sephus and Jack Randolph who bought this land from the Chickasaw Indians. Indian royalty actually lived here.

What is Kudzu and where did it come from?
Kudzu's History: Up and Down the Power Pole Kudzu was introduced to the United States in 1876 at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Countries were invited to build exhibits to celebrate the 100th birthday of the U.S. The Japanese government constructed a beautiful garden filled with plants from their country. The large leaves and sweet-smelling blooms of kudzu captured the imagination of American gardeners who used the plant for ornamental purposes. Florida nursery operators, Charles and Lillie Pleas, discovered that animals would eat the plant and promoted its use for forage in the 1920s. Their Glen Arden Nursery in Chipley sold kudzu plants through the mail. A historical marker there proudly proclaims "Kudzu Developed Here." During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the Soil Conservation Service promoted kudzu for erosion control. Hundreds of young men were given work planting kudzu through the Civilian Conservation Corps. Farmers were paid as much as eight dollars an acre as incentive to plant fields of the vines in the 1940s. "Cotton isn't king in the South anymore. Kudzu is king!" Channing Cope

Does Holly Springs have Museums or Art Galleries?
Yes, Holly Springs has the Marshall County Historical Museum located on Van Dorn Ave, you can reach it by dialing 662-252-3669. We also have two art galleries, the Museum Ida B. Wells Family Art Gallery on Randolph Street, 662-252-3232 and the Kate Freeman Clark Art Gallery on College Ave, Gallery there number is 662-252-5300

Can you tell me about the climate in Mississippi?
The climate of Mississippi is subtropical in the southern part of the state and temperate in the northern part; the average annual rainfall is more than 50 in. (127 cm). Mississippi has a warm, humid climate, with long summers and short, mild winters. Temperatures average about 28° C (about 82° F) in July and about 9° C (about 48° F) in January. The temperature varies little across the state in summer, but in winter the region near Mississippi Sound is significantly warmer than most of the rest of the state. The recorded temperature in Mississippi has ranged from –28.3° C (–19° F), in 1966 at Corinth in the NE, to 46.1°C (115° F), in 1930 at Holly Springs in the N. Yearly precipitation generally increases from N to S. Thus, Clarksdale, in the NW, gets about 1270 mm (about 50 in) of moisture annually and Biloxi, in the S, about 1550 mm (about 61 in). Small amounts of snow fall in N and central Mississippi. In the late summer and fall, the state is occasionally struck by hurricanes moving N from the Gulf of Mexico. Mississippi is also struck by tornadoes, especially from February to May.

What is the State bird?
The state bird is the Mockingbird. Holly Springs is fortunate in having an Audubon Sanctuary located 3 miles north of town where we have an annual Hummingbird Migration Celebration in early September. To find out more information about it, you can call 662-252-1155 Strawberry Plains Audubon Center.

In what county is Holly Springs located?
Holly Springs is located in Marshall County.

Who was the first Mayor of Holly Springs?
Though little is known about him, the first Mayor was Atlas Dargan.

What year was Holly Springs incorporated?
Holly Springs was incorporated in 1837, one year after Marshall County was organized.

Can you tell me how many historic homes are in Holly Springs?
There are about 175 homes and buildings in the Holly Springs/Marshall County area. A few of them are listed below. You may click here for a complete listing of homes.

Dunvegan (circa 1845) 154 West Gholson Avenue, Holly Springs, MS 38635, 662-252-2943, Unusual English Basement style home filled with Regency and Empire antiques.

Grey Gables (circa 1849) 390 College Street, Holly Springs, MS 38635, 662-252-2943, Originally begun as a simple dwelling then embellished in the 1870's with flamboyant Italianate features. Shortly after "The Late Unpleasantness", the owner was killed by a band of military stragglers who invaded his home. Furnished with outstanding antique furniture including pieces by Mallard and a vast collection of Sevres porcelain.

Montrose & the Montrose Arboretum (circa 1858) 335 East Salem, Holly Springs, MS 38635, 662-252-2515, Two-story columned Greek Revival built as a wedding present for the daughter of Alfred Brooks. Now operated by the Holly Springs Garden Club as a house museum. The aboretum contains over 50 different specimens of trees native to the area.

Terrace, The (circa 1844) 315 West Chulahoma, Holly Springs, MS 38635, historic downtown, 662-252-2943, This pioneer cottage is where the first baby in Holly Springs is said to have been born.

Walter Place (circa 1858-59) 330 West Chulahoma Ave., Holly Springs, MS 38635, 662-252-2515, Used by Union General Ulysses S. Grant and his family during the Civil War. Architecturally unique combination of Gothic and Greek Revival.

Do you know what the original name for Holly Springs was?
Holly Springs was originally called Suavatooky.

Can you name the movies that have been made in Holly Springs?
Cookie's Fortune was made here in Holly Springs. The movie is set in the deep South. Actually, let me amend that - it's set is a world that is a gentle caricature of the deep South, a place which is manufactured from a combination of reality and the outsider's preconceptions. Take the atmosphere from Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, add a dose of comic exaggeration, shake everything up, and you get Holly Spring, Mississippi. The result may remind some viewers of the setting devised by the Coen Brothers for Fargo - an off-center habitat where all sorts of unusual events can transpire. In both films, people adhere to quaint customs and traditions. Here, for example, the way to get the true pulse of a friend or neighbor is to go fishing with them. Producer was Robert Altman. Robert Altman also produced M.A.S.H. Several of the stars of the above movie lived here in Holly Springs during the filming, including Robert Altman, Patricia Neal, Glen Close, Lyle Lovett, Liv Taylor, Ned Beatty, Juliann Moore and Charles Dutton to name a few.

Big Bad Love was made here in the year 2000. It was produced by Debra Winger and directed by Arllis Howard. Both actors starred in the movie. (Our own Lisa Liddy and Dr. Monaghan had small parts).

Heart of Dixie was made here in 1989. Directed by Martin Davidson, starring Ally Sheedy, Phebe Cates, Treat Williams.

Did you know we have some famous people that are from Holly Springs?
One comes to mind, Shepard Smith. 'Shep Smith' is a news personality of the FOX News Network.

We also have a few authors currently living in Holly Springs. Lois Swanee and Milton Winters. Both have written books about this area.

Do you know about the 'Mitford Series' books?
The Mitford Series books are written by Jan Karon and she choose Holly Springs as the place that the fictional person in her series, Father Tim came from. Jan Karon visited Holly Springs as recently at February 2006.

At Home in Mitford, Karon's first book in the Mitford series, was nominated for an ABBY by the American Booksellers Association in 1996, 1997, and again in 1998

I took this from one of the letters she received and this is her response. A reader wrote, “I’m looking for my own Mitford. I wish for a place where everyone knows each other and loves each other. I want a Father Tim to tell my fears to . . . ” Her reply was "We must look for Mitford in every simple courtesy, in every funny thing that people say or do, in all our connections with others, and in the kindness we show them and that they show us. We must almost always go out of our way to make Mitford happen, for it requires true involvement with others."

What college did Ida B. Wells - Barnett attend?
Ida B. Wells was born in Holly Springs, Mississippi in 1862 and died in Chicago, Illinois 1931 at the age of sixty-nine.
She was the oldest of eight children. When her parents died in 1880 as a result of a yellow fever plague in Holly Springs, Wells took it upon herself to become a teacher in Holly Springs in order to support her younger siblings.

In spite of hardship, Wells was able to complete her studies at Rust College in Holly Springs, and in 1888 became a teacher in Memphis, Tennessee.

What do we have in common with Elvis Presley?
I am sure you will find lots of local people who have either met or have seen Elvis in concert. But we also have Graceland Too Paul McLeod is the curator and creator of Graceland Too. It's a manic floor-to-ceiling (including the ceiling) tribute to The King. It is all hand done, with none of the burrs sanded off. Paul drinks lots of Coca-Cola and only sleeps four hours a night. The museum is open 24 hours a day -- he says to just knock louder at night.

Are there many great places to eat in Holly Springs?
We have a multitude of places that are great to eat in town. This link will take you to the Visit Holly Springs website. Then choose restaurants from the left coloumn. This has a great list of places to choose from.

Where can I find a list of towns and cities in Marshall County?
You can click here and get an updated list of cities and towns in Marshall County

What groups of Indians lived in MS?
Three major groups of Native Americans lived in the Mississippi region when European exploration of the area began. The Chickasaw lived in the north and east, the Choctaw in the central part, and the Natchez in the southwest.

Did the Great Depression affect Mississippi?
During the Great Depression (1929-1939), thousands lost their farms in Mississippi. The price of cotton fell from twenty cents a pound in the 1920s, to five cents by 1931. State legislature created a program called Balancing Agriculture With Industry (BAWI) in 1936. These laws freed new businesses from paying certain taxes and provided bond money to build factories for new industries. The discovery of petroleum at Tinsley in 1939 and Vaughan in 1940 also helped the economy in Mississippi.

Is the Magnolia the state flower or the state tree?
Yes it is! The answer to both is yes.

Adopted on February 26, 1952.

Although no specific species of magnolia was designated as the state tree of Mississippi, most references recognize the Southern Magnolia, Magnolia grandiflora, as the state tree. The large, lustrous, evergreen foliage makes the Southern Magnolia a desirable ornamental plant. Its flowers are produced more abundantly in southern areas than anywhere else.

Mississippi school children were allowed to vote for their state flower on November 28, 1900. The magnolia, cape jasmine, and yellow jasmine were favorites. In all, children voted for forty-two flowers. Out of 23,278 votes, the magnolia received 12,745. It was not made official by the legislature. In 1935, Mississippi's Director of Forestry started a state tree movement, again allowing school children to vote. The magnolia again won by a landslide. It was adopted on April 1, 1938. On February 26, 1952, the magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) was finally officially adopted as Mississippi's state flower.

Native to Asia, the magnolia was named for the great French botanist Pierre Magnol, who died in 1715.