The Early Days — Pioneers of Old Brook on the Bogue Chitto
(Enlarge) The town of Brookhaven wasoriginally settled in 1818 by Samuel Jayne who migrated from New York State with his
brothers, Brewster and Anselm, one year after Mississippi was granted statehood.
Samuel Jayne was originally from the town of Brookhaven on Long Island, New York,
and legend has it, the naming of the town was to honor his former home.
Samuel Jayne established a trading post called "Old Brook" (Image) 2, 3, 4 which was
a mile southeast of the present town of Brookhaven where the Bogue Chitto River and
an old Choctaw Indian trail met, which consisted of a gristmill and a small store. New
information uncovered by the Lincoln County Historical and Genealogical Society shows
that James A. Bull, who had moved to the area in 1824, sold 160 acres to Jayne, who
in 1833 established the mill and a post office. Historical records have confirmed that the
location of the post office was the origin of pre-railroad Brookhaven, where a marker
has been erected, 2 at the corner of Dale and First Street South (Old Hwy 51).
The territory on which Brookhaven was founded was originally Choctaw Indian land. The
Choctaws ceded it to the United States government in 1805 in the Treaty of Mount Dexter.
This established the 13 counties of Covington, Davis, Forrest, Greene, Jefferson, Jones,
Lamar, Lawrence, Lincoln, Marion, Perry, Pike, Walthall and Wayne.
Wherever you look in this charming small town of 13,000, you’ll find vestiges of its past;
whether it’s the pioneer era Foster-Smith Log Cabin, 2, 3, which is now located in
Railroad Park, although built by John Foster in 1825 in Copiah County near Wesson
— or the Victorian and Colonial homes in the 'Old Towne' section of Brookhaven.
An Agrarian Society — Lincoln County farmers - the most valuable citizens
President Thomas Jefferson saidit best, "Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens. They are the most
vigorous, the most independent, the most virtuous, and they are tied to their country
and wedded to its liberty and interests by the most lasting bonds. Agriculture is our
wisest pursuit, because it will in the end contribute most to real wealth, good
morals, and happiness."
The entire region remained invested in the plantation system (Image) throughout
the early years, and most settlers in those days grew cotton. But transporting their
goods to market was an arduous task, either by river rafts or mule drawn wagons.
But that would be forever changed with the coming of the railroad.
The first settlers migrated to Lincoln County almost two hundred years ago and
came mainly from Tennessee, North and South Carolina, Georgia, and Kentucky;
and were Protestants of English, Scots-Irish and African heritage.
But soon after, new settlers brought a variety of ethnic and religious backgrounds.
The nationalities represented were Irish, Dutch, Jewish, French, German, Italian,
Scandinavian, Greek, etc. Their religions were Roman Catholic, Presbyterian,
Calvinist, Wesleyian and Anglican Protestant to form a population which made
for a more flavorful and resilient community than Lincoln county might have
had otherwise.
The families noted below are some of the founders who settled Lincoln County
— one such pioneer was Benjamin Paxton (1802-1872), who in 1831 migrated
from Orangeburg County, South Carolina with his wife Frances and built his
homestead in Lincoln County.
Other early arrival families were Baggett, Bayliss, Bethea, Bule, Burns, Carruth,
Casey, Coker, Davis, Dickerson, Dunn, Ellzey, Godbold, Hoskins, Hux, Kees,
Lovell, Magee, Mason, McCree, McGrath, McLaurin, Millsaps, Nalty, Nations,
Newell, Perkins, Price, Reeves, Stewart, Warren, Watson, Welch and White.
These pioneer planters believed in the right to provide for their own subsistence as
they built their own homes, cultivated their land, raised their children, contributed
to the vibrancy of the county, with their interment in various family plots throughout
Lincoln County.
Family Cemeteries of Lincoln County: Paxton [2], Applewhite, Adams, Boling,
Brewer, Brister, Case, Coghlan, Covington, Davis, Diamond, Douglas, Ellzey, Greer,
Frazier, Fuller, Furlow, Gunnell, Hodges, Hux, Jackson, Leggett, McDavid, Moak [2],
Minton, Montgomery, Price, Rawls, Richardson, Sasser, Scott, Smith [2] [3] [4] [5],
Thomas, Welch, Williams.
Farm products, principally cotton, raised on the surrounding family farms were
available for trade so many farmers brought their produce to Brookhaven's
"furnishing businesses" such as John McGrath and Sons (Image) and Seavey
and Sons (Image) 2 who would extend credit on farm land mortgages, equipment,
crops and livestock. These enterprises provided virtually all of the farmers’ needs
for their farm operation or household maintenance. They also served as their
banker and broker which eventually evolved into commercial banks in town.
John McGrathThe Daily Picayune of New Orleans reported in 1900: "John McGrath
and Sons is one of the largest concerns of its kind in the state and does a
tremendous business. This firm receives between 7000 and 8000 bales
of cotton annually and enjoys the confidence and trade of a large number
of customers."
Cotton bales handled by the furnishing businesses would in turn be shipped
to nearby Mississippi Mills 2, 3 in Wesson MS for processing. The mill was
established by Col. James Madison Wesson and made every cotton product
imaginable as it operated from 1866 to 1906. The mill was the largest industry
of its kind in the South during its heyday in 1888 covering several city blocks
and employing 1200 workers. However, during its history the plant suffered a
devastating fire in 1873, Reconstruction-era hell and the financial Panic of 1893,
finally ending its operations in 1906.
The Railroad Era — Steam Whistles Through the Piney Woods
During the 1850s the New Orleans, Jackson and Great Northern Railroad (Later the Illinois Central) planned to build a
continuous rail line from New Orleans to Jackson, Tennessee, the first leg reaching
to Canton, MS. While the early residents welcomed the coming of the railroad and
the advantages it would provide, the original survey would route tracks across
acreage owned by the Jayne brothers.
But Milton Jacob Whitworth, a Methodist minister, had anticipated that the railroad
would eventually come through the Bogue Chitto river valley. He already owned a
sizeable plantation west of the Jayne settlement, and had been acquiring additional
land through the 1850s. As negotiations were begun by agents of the railroad to
purchase the right-of-way, Whitworth was prepared to capitalize.
According to a story told in 1909 by one of the early settlers, Abraham Nations
(1833-1914) the original 320 acres where the present city of Brookhaven now stands
were acquired from the U.S. government by Ezekiel Hudnall (1827-1864) for $1.25
an acre (Total: $400). The land was covered with yellow pine, and Hudnall built a log
cabin near the present location of the Lincoln County Courthouse (old Image), 2, 3.
Whitworth had promised to pay Hudnall $1,000 for the land if the railroad ran through
the property. And Hudnall eventually got his $1,000, a handsome profit of $600 on
his investment.
Meanwhile, the Jayne brothers, Samuel and Brewster, had declined to sell their right-
of-way, so in 1856 Whitworth persuaded the railroad to come through his property
despite a steep upgrade. Whitworth began laying out the town, giving the railroad a
strip of land 300 ft. wide and 2,000 ft. long in the center of town provided that every
passenger train would stop at the station there. Other stations in the county were
Hazlehurst, Bogue Chitto, Summit, and Osyka. But by 1857, a name had to be
chosen for the new railway terminal.
There is some confusion as to whether the town of Brookhaven was named from
Samuel Jayne’s 'Old Brook' settlement along the river or if the town was named for
W F C Brooks (1832-1867), who built the first house at the corner of E. Cherokee
and First streets. For that matter, the town could just as easily had become
'Whitworthville,' but Brookhaven was certainly a better choice.
Regardless, it was called Brookhaven when the first train steamed into town on March
31, 1858. The train left New Orleans at 7am and reached Canton at 11pm, changing
the lives of these early pioneers. Milton Whitworth built a sawmill to cut the native
yellow pine into lumber to build houses for the many settlers flooding to the new town.
They soon learned that wherever the railroads went, development was sure to follow.
Whitworth also donated land for the Railroad Station (1-28-1903) 2, 3, 4, Amtrak 2.
The stations were updated throughout the years and have had a significant impact
on Brookhaven's vitality, from the earliest station to the new Godbold Transportation
Center which was completed in August of 2011. Brookhaven became one of ten
stops of the Illinois Central Railroad (ICRR) featuring their famous trains — the
City of New Orleans, 2 and the Panama Limited, 2.
The ICRR was preceded by the New Orleans, Jackson, and Great Northern, the
Brookhaven and Pearl River Railroad, the Mississippi Central, and the Meridian,
Brookhaven, and Natchez Railroad. In 1907, the ICRR constructed a depot and
freight house in downtown Brookhaven; and this historic depot adjacent to the
new facility now serves as a local Military Memorial Museum 2, 3, 4, 5.
Whitworth College — Mississippi School of the Arts
(Enlarge) Milton Jacob Whitworth 2,and his family were originally from Tennessee, settling first in Lawrence County, and
eventually to Lincoln County. The elder Rev. Milton Whiitworth was a Methodist minister
and established the first church in Old Brook. The pioneering Whitworth and Jayne
families were instrumental in the development of Brookhaven before and after the
arrival of the railroad.
Milton Jacob WhitworthThe younger Rev. Milton Jacob Whitworth (1811-1870) was also a Methodist minister,
and is best remembered as the founder of Whitworth College (Image) 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
7, 8, 9) in 1858. It's important to note that this was the first college for women in
Mississippi and one of the first female colleges in the U.S. He donated land for the
college which is now the present location of the refurbished Mississippi School
of the Arts which opened in 2003.
Whitworth College had been a four-year, all-female college from 1858 until 1928. At that
point, the school became a liberal arts junior college within the Millsaps College system,
but the campus was eventually abandoned in the late 80s. The town eventually donated
the campus to the state, which in turn brought it back into commerce offering advanced
programs of study in visual arts, vocal music, theatre, dance, and literary arts for
"artistically gifted" 11th and 12th grade students from throughout the state.
Both the elder Rev. Milton and the younger Milton and his wife, Sarah were buried at the
Old Brook church cemetery. In the late 1800's this cemetery was vandalized, bodies left
exposed and tombstones turned over. At that time there was a wave of grave robbing
to find jewelry. As a result, several of the bodies were removed and brought into town
for reburial in what is now known as the Hoskins-Whitworth cemetery, across the street
from Rose Hill, 2 cemetery, the Brookhaven city cemetery.
War for Southern Independence — Brookhaven Light Artillery Brigade
(Enlarge) With Mississippi’s valiant effortto secede from a rapacious federal government, in 1861 the war came to Brookhaven.
Three companies of Brookhaven residents were sent into battle, and Whitworth College
(Now Mississippi School of the Arts) was converted into a Confederate military hospital
and training facility. The town sent 104 enlisted men (Roster) into battle — formed
May 11, 1861 as the Brookhaven Light Artillery, but better known as "Hoskins' Battery."
Led by Captain James A. Hoskins, they fought at the Battles of Ponchatoula, Port Hudson,
Woodville, Demopolis, Chickamagua, New Hope Church, Ezra Church, Kenesaw Mountain
and the Yazoo County village of Mechanicsburg. The Battery also served with distinction
in the Battle of Jackson 2, the Atlanta Campaign 2 and the Battle of Nashville 2 before
surrendering at the end of the war in Murfreesboro, Tenn., in 1865. Capt. Hoskins would
return to Brookhaven after the war, and was honored as he became one of its earliest
mayors.
Hoskins' Battery most noted achievement may have come during the General Ulysses S.
Grant's Vicksburg Campaign 2, 3, 4, 5. The Battery was stationed at Grand Gulf 2, 3, 4
and Captain Hoskins invented the world's first "armored car" by loading two of his #12
cannons onto a boxcar and armoring its sides. They then would roll it out onto a bridge
span and fire on the Union's shipping fleet in the Mississippi River until the ironclad
casement gunboats were out of its range. It would then retreat back to the shoreline.
This tactic wrecked havoc with Admiral Farragut's fleet in 1863.
On April 29, 1863, the town was attacked by a Union Cavalry force led by Colonel
Benjamin Grierson. Known as Grierson’s Raid, three Union regiments spent 16 days
slashing through Confederate territory to create a diversion for General Ulysses Grant's
Vicksburg Campaign. The town fortunately escaped destruction during the war, but
the railroad was taken over by the Northern troops when they captured New Orleans.
But the raiders destroyed Brookhaven's training facilities, and imprisoned the town's
Confederate soldiers. The raiders also cut the telegraph lines, destroyed rails by
bending them into "Sherman’s neckties" and burned depots, water towers, and
bridges. These measures rendered the railroad impassable until the railroad was
repaired after the war allowing new citizens to flood into town. On April 7,1870,
Gov. James L. Alcorn signed into law a new county - Lincoln - with Brookhaven
as its county seat. In 1872, the town’s first school was built.
Twenty-two unknown soldiers died and were buried on the Whitworth College campus,
as no family came to claim their bodies. The bodies were exhumed in 1896 and carried
a half-mile down Monticello St. to their final interment in a mass grave at Rose Hill
cemetery. The grave site was honored 30 years later, on Dec. 19, 1926, with a marker
placed by the United Confederate Veterans, United Daughters of the Confederacy
and the Sons of Confederate Veterans. The marker was donated by George Bowsky,
co-owner of Bowsky Clothier, to honor his brothers' and other soldiers' service in
the Confederate Army during the Civil War. The marker continues to stand today,
near the section of the cemetery known as Editor's Row.
In November of 2002, Brookhaven honored their Confederate veteran ancestors at a
special marker dedication ceremony with a few family descendants as guest speakers.
The historical marker was placed in Railroad Park at the intersection of Whitworth Ave.
and Chickasaw St. "We wanted to put it at the railroad park because when the guns
came in they were brought in by rail and when the unit left they left by rail,"
spokesman Roy Wooten said.
The War Between the States forever changed the face of Mississippi and the entire
South, and their respective histories are measured in relation to the four years of strife
that effectively ended an era. To this day, the name of William Tecumseh Sherman
inspires anger in the hearts of Southerners, whose ancestors witnessed his march to
the sea. With a contingent of 100,000 men, Sherman cut a wide swath from Virginia
to Georgia, laying waste to the land and burning Atlanta to the ground. The years that
followed saw the struggle to rebuild a devastated economy under the Union occupation
and carpetbag rule. The South did recover, however slowly, but reminders of the War
are everywhere, from battlefields to Confederate flags to holidays honoring Robert E.
Lee and Jefferson Davis. (History and bios of 33rd Mississippi infantry)
In 1887 the fortunes of the town changed. A local option (prohibition) controversy led to
political disagreement that hurt the community’s economy while a vigilante organization
terrorized the area and threatened governmental authority. Perhaps worse, the cotton
market depressed significantly, as well as the lumber market from 1883 to 1888.
The state was forced to suspend Brookhaven’s charter for five years and place the
municipal government under direct gubernatorial control.
Lumber Industry — Where the culture of masculinity was celebrated
(Enlarge) After the war Yankeedemand for southern yellow pine led to the opening of a number of sawmills in
the area that annually shipped more than 10,000 carloads of lumber. By the early
1900s Brookhaven had overcome its earlier difficulties, and was again prosperous,
led by the local yellow pine barons who brought growth to the region as the
timber industry flourished.
The Brookhaven area had two major sawmills, the Pearl River Lumber Co. 2, 3, 4,
(operating from 1889 to 1910) with A. E. Moreton 2 as president in the adjoining
town of Pearlhaven, and the East Union Lumber and Manufacturing Co. (Image),
(operating from 1886 to 1895) with John B. Nalty as president. The mills collectively
had a daily production of 400,000 feet.
John B. NaltyThese two mills provided substantial payrolls which spurred area growth, and
influenced the doubling of the population of Brookhaven and Pearlhaven in a
few short years. Brookhaven's population grew from 2378 in 1900 to 5293
in 1910.
J. B. Nalty extended his operations to Hammond, LA in Tangipahoa Parish and
established the Hammond Lumber Co. 2 which operated from 1903 to 1929.
He was president of the Empire Lumber & Manufacturing Co. of Jackson MS,
and the Jackson Lumber Co., located in the same city, the latter being the
largest retail yard in the State. He was also president of the Grenada Lumber
Company, which operated a large retail yard in Grenada, MS, and had several
investments in other businesses in Brookhaven and throughout the State.
In James E. Fickle's book "Mississippi Forests and Forestry" he wrote: "Another
noteworthy operator in the Brookhaven area was John B. Nalty, who moved back
and forth between Mississippi and the Florida parishes of Louisiana from the late
nineteenth century until about 1930. Among his operations were the East Union
Mills south of Brookhaven, which cut out in 1895, and a sawmill at Hyde, LA that
cut out in 1903.
Nalty also had a planning mill in Brookhaven as well as several additional sawmills;
including the Hammond Lumber Co. in Hammond LA, and he became, according to
The Lumber Trade Journal, the "largest producer of yellow pine piling ... Nalty furnished
over 65% of the piling used in the Panama Canal: Book — Video — Video — Video,
with some pilings as long as 132 feet."
The French, flush with their success from digging and opening the Suez Canal in
1869, started work on the canal in Panama in 1881. This project, though, turned
out to be much harder. Tropical diseases and accidents led to the deaths of more
than 20,000 men. In 1904 the U.S. under President Teddy Roosevelt bought the
rights to finish the canal. The canal project was the first major undertaking of
President Theodore Roosevelt, and his first directive was to “make the dirt fly.”
The President then turned to J. B. Nalty to provide the immediate need for timber
from Hammond Lumber Co. — to rebuild railroad trestles, docks and wharves for
the project. The contract called for tons of piling to be supplied to the government,
and was shipped on Hammond Lumber's company trains for several years until
the canal's completion in 1914. Hammond Lumber Company controlled 27,000
acres of timber and had tens of miles of railroad track throughout the Florida
Parishes of Livingston, Tangipahoa and St. Tammany.
Other sawmills in the area were the Homochitto Lumber Co. 2 at Bude, Franklin Co.,
operated by Samuel E. Moreton from 1913-1936, the Butterfield Lumber Co. 2, 3
at Norfield, Lincoln Co., which operated from 1884-1918, and the B. E. Brister
Saw Mill Co. Bogue Chitto, Lincoln Co., operated by the Brister brothers from
1893-1914. J. E. McDavid 2 also operated a small sawmill in the nearby
Fair River community.
Alfred E. MoretonPearl River Lumber Co. 2, 3, 4 was formed by Alfred E. Moreton and associates,
who earlier was a partner in the firm of Moreton and Helms which had formed in
1889. They acquired 150,000 acres of longleaf pine in Copiah, Lincoln, Lawrence,
and Simpson counties and built a three band-saw mill in Brookhaven. Control of
of the company was acquired by the Goodyear 2 interests in 1905. At that point,
the Brookhaven mill was closed and moved to Bogalusa, LA. where it operated
the largest lumber mill in the world from 1908 to 1938 as the Goodyear family's
Great Southern Lumber Co. 2, 3, 4.
Alfred's son, Sam E. Moreton, later organized the Central Lumber Co. in Brookhaven
and the Homochitto Lumber Co. with 125,000 acres of timberland in Amite and
Franklin Counties as well as a large sawmill at Bude.
In 1902 the Denkmann Lumber Co., which was part of Weyerhauser empire,
acquired five mill properties in Mississippi and the Natalbany Lumber Co. near
Hammond, LA. And in 1915 the Denkmanns purchased the Butterfield Lumber Co.
making the Denkmann operation one of the largest in the South.
The Butterfield firm originated during the 1880s in Chicago as Norwood & Butterfield,
a lumberyard specializing in southern pine. It bought a mill near Brookhaven to fulfill
orders, then three years later moved to Norfield, eventually controlling 50,000 acres
in Lincoln, Lawrence, and Pike Counties before selling their holdings to Denkmann
Lumber.
The Merchant Community — A vibrant Business District
(Enlarge) The Central BusinessDistrict is the heart of any metro area, and Brookhaven is no exception. From it's
earliest days, family owned businesses have given Brookhaven the vibrancy it
needed to flourish through the economic ups and downs. These business and
cultural leaders provided reasons for area residents to come downtown to shop,
conduct business, and to socialize.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, these two 'furnishing companies' were the best
examples of yesterday megastores — A. C. Seavey and Sons (Image) 2 and
John McGrath and Sons (Image).
Both department stores were very competitive, as they were the largest stores
between New Orleans and Memphis. And much like the big box stores of today,
these family-run operations provided everything imaginable under one roof.
John McGrathIn 1878 John McGrath opened the original McGrath department store located
at 201 S. Railroad Ave. (Image) at the corner of E. Cherokee St. 2, 3, 4 staff,
and operated for 50 years before closing in 1938. The McGrath stores were
managed by the elder John and his sons Thomas J., John W., and Martin D..
The McGrath store in Canton, Madison County (Image) was managed by
the youngest son, James. John McGrath's other retail partnerships were
the Hubbard-McGrath store in Hazlehurst and the Becker-Lyell-McGrath, 2
store in Wesson.
Farm products, principally cotton, raised on the surrounding family farms were
available for trade so many farmers brought their produce to Brookhaven's
"furnishing businesses" such as John McGrath and Sons (Image); who would
extend credit on farm land mortgages, equipment, crops and livestock. These
enterprises provided virtually all of the farmers’ needs for their farm operation
or household maintenance. They also served as their banker and broker which
eventually evolved into commercial banks in town.
The Daily Picayune of New Orleans reported in 1900: "John McGrath and Sons
is one of the largest concerns of its kind in the state and does a tremendous
business. This firm receives between 7000 and 8000 bales of cotton annually
and enjoys the confidence and trade of a large number of customers."
Martin McGrathFor many years Martin McGrath oversaw the Brookhaven location, and was
recognized as being very innovative in the marketing of his store. He employed
many of the methods used in retailing today, eg. — entertained customers with
a live orchestra that would play all day with loudspeakers piping music throughout
all departments, salesmen handing out free samples, bargain days and contests
with cash prizes enticing large crowds. And to draw the rural folks to their store,
Martin McGrath would hold contests to see how many people could fill their
wagons while coming to town.
As Martin closed the original McGrath's on S. Railroad Ave. in 1938, his nephew
"Jay" McGrath opened McGrath's Department Store nearby at 210 S. Whitworth,
(now The Inn on Whitworth) (Image). "Jay" McGrath operated the new store for
an additional 26 years before closing in 1964, ending a 76 year "McGrath"
presence in downtown Brookhaven.
Both buildings exist today, and are on the National Register of Historic Places in
downtown Brookhaven. The buliding at the 210 S. Whitworth Ave. location is now
a hotel-apartment hybrid named The Inn on Whitworth 2, 3, 4, which underwent an
extensive renovation in 2011. The tastefully restored building at 201 S. Railroad Ave.
is now the Brookhaven ENT Allergy & Facial Surgery 2, 3, 4, 5.
McGrath's primary competitor, A. C. Seavey and Sons furnishing store (old Image)
2, 3 (as Woolworth's 60s - Image) on W. Cherokee St. was owned and managed
by the Seavey brothers, John E. and Willard H.. Seavey also started the first brick
manufacturing company, the Seavey Brick Plant, which preceded the more
advanced Brookhaven Pressed Brick Co. (Image) 2 owned and managed
by Ferdinand Becker.
Ferdinand BeckerFerdinand Becker was one the most enterprising of the town's early residents, having
founded the Commercial Bank (Image) 2 which contributed to the growth of the
entire area. He helped organize the Pearl River Lumber Co. and was owner of the
Brookhaven Cotton Compress Co.(Image), the Brookhaven Creamery Co. (Image)
and the Brookhaven Pressed Brick Co. (Image) 2
Before the advent of the automobile, repairs to wagons and buggies, as well as
stabling your horse, was provided by Z. Z. Turnbough Horse Palace, 2 located
on present-day Brookway Blvd. one block north of the Inez Hotel (old Image),
2, 3, 4 (recent).
The Inez Hotel opened as a hotel in 1904 at the corner of Monticello St. and Railroad
Ave, and was named in honor of Inez Lenore Fass Scherck, the daughter of one of the
original owners. The three-story Romanesque Revival styled hotel has been converted
into luxury apartments, and this landmark is included in the National Register.
Other merchants in the early 1900s were Daniel Willoughby Cash Store, Kelly Store,
R. M. Nalty Co. 2, Rebekah's Dry Goods, Max Priebatsch 2, 3, Louis Cohn & Brothers 2,
Abrams Mercantile Co. 2, 3, Brookhaven Steam Laundry, Bowsky Clothier, Travis Cafe,
Thomas C. Barge Co., E. B. Guess Arcade 2,
There were a number of family-run pharmacies over the past century, and in recent
years the chain stores arrived — C. E. Grafton Drug Co. 2, 3, Lewinthal Druggist 2,
Hoffman's Drug Store 2, 3, Brookhaven Drug Store, Walley-Field 2, 3, Price Drugs,
Sellers & Sellers, Bane Drugs 2, 3, 4, 5, Pope's, Baker's, Clint's and Fred's.
In the 1940s through the 60s, the automotive needs of the community were met by
businesses like Penn Motors 2, Entrican Motor Sales 2, Case Tire & Supply 2,
Brookhaven Auto Parts, Cheiftain Pontiac, Chester Burnham Auto 2, Clark Ford 2,
Ulmer Company 2 and Goodwill Used Cars.
Other notable retailers were: Sasser's Grocery 2, Boston Shoes 2, Steel Magnolias
Salon, Serio's Grocery, The Posey Place, Staffler Jewelers, Brookhaven Barber Shop,
Jitney-Jungle, Your Glory Hair Shop, Samuels Furniture 2, Progressive Men’s Shop,
Brookhaven Frozen Food Locker, Pure Service Station, Buddy's, Country Peddler,
Lofton's 2, 3, Shirley Slipper Shop, and the Haven Movie Theatre 2, 3, 4, 5
(Little Theatre 2, 3, 4, 5).
Examples of branches of national companies located in Brookhaven were the
Singer Sewing Co., Johnston Lawn Mower Corp. (1952-60) and the Coca-Cola
Bottling Co., 2, 3. There was a unique business called the The Coffee Pot (12 ft
coffee pot sits on rooftop - Image) which was located on South 1st St., corner
Manson; built in the 1920's by James J. Carruth and operated by his sons, Lester
and Bubba. This iconic enterprise could have been a prototype for a national
franchise, and has been touted as the first fast-food restaurant in the South.
The Perkins family has always had a strong presence in the merchant community,
with the C. B. Perkins Hardware Store 2, the Perkins Funeral Home (now
Brookhaven), as well as the only family business surviving all these years, the
T. H. Perkins Furniture Co. (Image), 2 founded by Thomas H. Perkins which
has proudly served the Southwest Mississippi area since 1887.
Aren't there anymore! The signages of merchants come and go over the years,
but their historic buildings still stand. All of these stores have long closed, but
their wonderful edifices fortunately still remain.
The Dairy Industry — Lincoln County 'Got Milk' Alright
The dairy industry has alwaysbeen an important part of the community for over a century, and in the early
1900s Ferdinand Becker's Brookhaven Creamery Co. (1914) and John B. Nalty's
Dixie Creamery Co., 2 3 (1915), later the Purity Ice Cream Co. played a major
role fulfilling a basic community need.
For most of his career John B. Nalty's primary involvement was with the lumber
industry as president of the East Union Lumber and Manufacturing Co. in
Brookhaven, as well as president of the Jackson Lumber and Grenada Lumber
Companies. But concerned with the development of cut-over lands, J. B. Nalty
turned his attention to the needs of the dairy industry, stock raising, and truck
farming by organizing the Dixie Creamery and a complimentary business,
the Crystal Ice Co..
John B. NaltyBefore the Dixie and Brookhaven creamery pasteurization plants were built,
John B. Nalty first experimented with ice cream to be served in the Price,
Hoffman and Grafton drugstores. In a 1977 interview with Larkin Baggett by
Mrs. Frances Oberschmidt, both reminisced how the concoction was more
like frozen vanilla custard than ice cream we have today.
Oberschmidt: Well, I can remember as a child going down to Price Drugs
and a man would be out on the side of the Brookhaven Bank churning five
gallons of ice cream. Well, it had a little floury feel or something or....
Baggett: A mushy taste....Oberschmidt: More like frozen pudding, but
we thought it was good....Baggett: Yes!
An inauspicious startup like many, nevertheless Purity Ice Cream Co. 2
was born, and its ice cream was enjoyed by Brookhavenites until 1976.
Ferdinand Becker, who pioneered the dairy industry with John B. Nalty, formed
the Brookahven Co-Operative Creamery Assoc. in 1911, and encouraged farmers
to get into the dairy business by lending them $50 to buy a cow. Farmers would then
put a big can of milk out on the road each day. The co-operative would pick it up,
and make butter out of it mostly.
Becker later formed the Brookhaven Creamery Co. in 1914, and with the assistance
of his sons, built it into one of the strongest business assets in southwest Mississippi.
He traveled the county, preaching modern methods to the farmers – diversification of
crops and better sanitary conditions. He was honored by the State of Mississippi for
his monumental contribution to the dairying industry in the area. The Kiwanis Club 2
honored the creamery for its contributions to Lincoln County.
The Brookhaven Creamery also encouraged the dairy industry by helping to finance
stock-buying and by providing glass-lined tank cars, the first to be used in the territory.
By the end of World War I a receiving station was established at Wesson in Copiah Co.
through which the milk was shipped to the Cloverland Dairy Company, then to the
Dixie Creamery Company in Brookhaven.
At a reception in 1916 with the then Mayor Charles F. Heuck presiding as speaker
The St. Louis Lumberman reported: "Perhaps there is no one in Mississippi who
is better known than John B. Nalty of Brookhaven. He has been in the lumber
business so long down there that his name is inseparably connected with the
yellow pine industry, but in addition to that he has been mixed up in mostly every
other kind of an enterprise that makes for the progress of Brookhaven and the
county roundabout. Nalty's most recent enterprises are the Dixie Creamery and
the Crystal Ice plant which is something Brookhaven is duly proud ... In regard
to the creamery, it may also be mentioned that, in addition to converting the
cream into butter, the company has installed a first-class mixer feed mill which
will put the forage of its patrons in concentrated and nutritious form for dairy
cattle, and the dairymen in that vicinity are expected to give the enterprise
their hearty support.
Every ounce of milk received at the Dixie Creamery is pasteurized. A pasteurizing
plant is the first essential in the making of butter, and is the only system whereby
milk can be made absolutely pure. When the Dixie Creamery started in business
there were only fifty farmers who would send in their milk regularly, but today the
Dixie Creamery is receiving milk from between 450 and 500 farmers."
In 1917 The Lumber Manufacturer and Dealer wrote: "The operation of Dixie Creamery
has been a great financial help to Brookhaven and the two banks in Brookhaven have
reported large increases in their deposits owing to the large amount of money which
are now distributed among the farmers in that community."
"Many of the farmers, customers of the creamery who did not have a single hog
a year ago, now have dozens of them, and thereby create a sub-side line which
is also proving profitable. The farmers get back all of their skimmed milk and this
is fed to the hogs so that raising hogs is becoming popular in the vicinity more
so than it ever has been. Another condltion which has been brought about by the
workings of Nalty's creamery is that there is more real crop diversification in
Lincoln County now than in any other section of Mississippi, due largely to the
Dixie Creamery operations where over 1,000 pounds of butter are shipped each
week from the Dixie Creamery to the New Orleans Housewives League, and
everybody is thoroughly and completely satisfied with the butter which they
are receiving there from."
A third generation dairy farm, Ard’s Dairy Farm sits on 1,200 acres of property at
Ruth, 17 miles southeast of Brookhaven. It offers a unique experience for visitors
to see firsthand the daily operations of a working family farm. Visitors can visit
the milk parlor and learn about pasteurization. Guests can take a wagon ride
around the property and get the opportunity to bottle feed a dairy calf. Today
the Ard’s have over 200 Holstein milk cows. Their cows are milked twice daily,
7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Brookhaven Today — A Homeseeker's Revitalization
(Enlarge) Like our fellow Americans,Brookhavenites have weathered Obama's failed economic policies 2, 3 and the rising
tide of tyranny; however, that didn't prevent our motivated citizens in this charming
town to continue to invest in the future of Brookhaven. The trend towards downtown
living for both young and old has been embraced in Brookhaven as a part of urban
renewal, and investments in living space made by a number of local entrepreneurs
have contributed to an active and dynamic central business district.
The revival of the Haven Theatre 2, 3, 4, 5, the Upper Room 2 apartments in the
100 block of S. Whitworth, the beautifully restored retail space 2 in the 100 block
of W. Cherokee, The Inn on Whitworth 2 boutique hotel, The Crossing event center
on S. Railroad, and the restoration of the historic Perkins Building are prime
examples of what can be accomplished when local government and partnerships
have a common goal — a revitalization having both a cultural and economic
impact on the entire community. These "smart growth" projects have made a
significant contribution for those wishing to retire here, returning natives, or
those who have choosen this wonderful town to raise their families.
A refurbished City Hall and the Godbold Transportation Center, 2 have put
taxpayer confiscations to good use, each receiving high marks from our citizens.
And the recently approved liquor law permiting restaurants to serve alcoholic
beverages until midnight can only help the bottom line for these vital businesses.
Congrats, and continued success! We'll all drink to that, conservatively of course!
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Tour of 'Old Towne' Homes of Brookhaven
(View vintage images to more recent ones - URLs contain additional home information)
The 'Old Towne' neighborhood of Brookhaven was modeled after New Orleans' 'Garden District'
— featuring South Jackson Street, considered to be the most Victorian street in Mississippi.
(Enlarge 1) (Enlarge 2)
3 → 4 → 5 → 6 → 7 → 8 → 9 → 10 → 11 → 12 → 13 → 14 → 15 → 16 → 17 → 18 → 19 → 20 → 21
22 → 23 → 24 → 25 → 26 → 27 → 28 → 29 → 30 → 31 → 32 → 33 → 34 → 35 → 36 → 37 → 38 → 39
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View Brookhaven's Streetscape Past and Present
(Enlarge 1) (Enlarge 2)
3 → 4 → 5 → 6 → 7 → 8 → 9 → 10 → 11 → 12 → 13 → 14 → 15 → 16 → 17 → 18 → 19 → 20 → 21
22 → 23 → 24 → 25 → 26 → 27 → 28 → 29 → 30 → 31 → 32 → 33 → 34 → 35 → 36 → 37 → 38 → 39
40 → 41 → 42 → 43 → 44 → 45 → 46 → 47 → 48 → 49 → 50 → 51 → 52 → 53 → 54 → 55 → 56 → 57
(Recent Scenes 1)
2 — 3 — 4 — 5 — 6 — 7 — 8 — 9 — 10 — 11 — 12 — 13 — 14 — 15 — 16 — 17 — 18 — 19 — 20 — 21 — 22
23 — 24 — 25 — 26 — 27 — 28 — 29 — 30 — 31 — 32 — 33 — 34 — 35 — 36 — 37 — 38 — 39 — 40
(Snow Scenes 1)
2 — 3 — 4 — 5 — 6 — 7 — 8 — 9 — 10 — 11 — 12 — 13 — 14 — 15 — 16 — 17 — 18 — 19 — 20 — 21 — 22
(Car Scenes 1) → 2 → 3 — 4 → 5 → 6 → 7 → 8 → 9 → 10 → 11
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The Naltys and McGraths of Brookhaven
Prominent Lumbermen and Merchants
This landmark home at the corner of S. Jackson Street and W. Chippewa Street
(Google Map), in the "Old Towne" section of Brookhaven is still recognizable as
the same house in the postcard below.
Mississsippi and Louisiana lumberman John Bernard (J. B.) Nalty built the home in
1897, but even after several remodeling projects over the past century, it still looks
essentially the same. Originally the front entrance was on W. Chippewa St, but has
been changed to S. Jackson. A key feature of the home, the conical 'witch's hat' has
been removed as well as the picket fence; and is need of better upkeep by its
present owner, leaving the home a far cry from its original grandeur.
John Bernard (J. B.) Nalty Home
S. Jackson St. and W. Chippewa St. — Brookhaven MS (Enlarge)
John Bernard (J. B.) Nalty (1857-1936) was the son of Patrick Nalty (1825-1870),
a native of Cong, County Mayo Ireland, who had migrated to the United States in 1848,
and settled in the South before the Civil War, becoming the owner of a large cotton
plantation in Copiah County, before moving to Lincoln County in 1864.
John B. Nalty married Mary Cecilia "Mamie" Halpin (1867-1948), a native of St. Louis, MO
and built this Victorian home on S. Jackson St. in 1897 with lumber from his East Union
Mills Sawmill Co. which was purchased a few years earlier. J. B and Mamie raised
six sons and one daughter in this lovely home.
— The Naltys and McGraths —
Nalty - McGrath Family Connection
The Nalty - McGrath family connection originated with the marriage of the second son
of John B. Nalty — William Halpin "Will" Nalty (1888-1904) to Ellen Isabelle McGrath
(1890-1919), the daughter of Martin McGrath (1865-1943), owner-manager of
McGrath and Sons, which were family owned department stores with locations in
Brookhaven, Wesson, Hazelhurst and Canton Mississippi.
(See Nalty family history below)
In a bit of serendipity, Mary "Mamie" Halpin, who married John B. Nalty and whose son
Will Nalty married Martin McGrath's daughter Ellen Isabelle -- worked for John McGrath
& Sons as a grain transfer agent handling shipments on the Illinois Central Railroad.
So in other words, Will Nalty married his mother's boss' granddaughter.
Will and Ellen McGrath Nalty (Enlarge)
Following their January 11, 1911 wedding in Brookhaven Will and Ellen, 24 and 21
years-old respectively, moved to Hammond, LA where Will was vice-president and
manager of the Hammond Lumber Company which had been established in 1904
by his father, John B. Nalty. The Naltys built this home at 600 West Church St.
years-old respectively, moved to Hammond, LA where Will was vice-president and
manager of the Hammond Lumber Company which had been established in 1904
by his father, John B. Nalty. The Naltys built this home at 600 West Church St.
which was designed by local architect Albert E. Tolle. Will and Ellen raised their
Nalty Home - 1906 - (Enlarge) Nalty Home - 2016 - (Enlarge)
William Halpin "Will" Nalty (1888-1964) and Ellen's (1890-1919) two children —
Lorraine Nalty Gambel and William H. Nalty Jr. were raised in Hammond, LA.
Will reared his two youngsters after Ellen's death a month before her 29th
birthday, a casualty of the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-1920.
The next generation of the Nalty–McGrath Clan
Both Lorraine and William, after attending schools in New Orleans,
decided to settle in the New Orleans metropolitan area. Both married
and cared for their families, and as good fate would have it — their
families grew up on Hector Avenue in Old Metairie, the historic
neighborhood of Jefferson Parish, LA.
Lorraine and Charles L. Gambel
Lorraine married Charles L. Gambel (1909-1980) 2 and reared their five
children — Charles L. Gambel Jr. (1937-2014) 2, 3, 4 – Ellen Gambel Simon
(1939-2019 ) 2, 3, 4 – William C. Gambel (1942-2009) 2, 3 – Raymond H.
Gambel (1945-2015) 2, 3, 4 and Gregory F. Gambel (1952– ).
Isabell and William H. Nalty, Jr. (Enlarge)William H. Nalty Jr. (1913-1948) married Isabell Kingsmill Nalty (1924-2001) 2, 3.
He preferred to be called Bill, although family called him by his middle name Halpin.
He was a 4-year Navy veteran of WWII. He was an avid golfer, and a skilled pilot
who often would fly over his relatives homes and tip his wings. Isabell and Halpin
had 2 children, but sadly, they lost their father too young to have known him,
and Isabell was called upon to rear their two youngsters when Bill died from a
cerebral hemorrhage at 35. Their children are William H. "Bill" Nalty III (1946– )
2, 3, 4, 5 and Jane E. Nalty (1948– ) 2 3.
The Life and Times of John Bernard (J. B.) Nalty
John Bernard (J. B.) Nalty (1857-1936) was the son of Patrick Nalty (1825-1870), a
native of Cong, County Mayo, Ireland, who had migrated to the United States in 1848 and
settled in the South, becoming the owner of a large cotton plantation in Copiah County.
John Bernard (J. B.) Nalty
May 23, 1857 — March 16, 1936
Patrick Nalty met Bridget Hiland (1830-1896), who had also migrated from Ireland,
and were married April 4, 1851. On May 23, 1857 John Bernard (J. B.) Nalty was
born, their second of three sons.
Patrick Nalty was an owner of a large plantation in Copiah County — but at the
height of the Civil War, Patrick gave up his plantation in 1864 and moved to
Brookhaven, MS; where he engaged in mercantile business, becoming one of
the early merchants in the town. Patrick died at 45 years, leaving Bridget to
care for their three sons. John Bernard was 13-years-old at the time of his
father's death. At the age of 66 years, Bridget died a sad and unusually horrific
death when her clothing accidently caught fire.
In a profile piece of John B. Nalty, American Lumberman Magazine wrote:
"When nature sees fit to place him in an atmosphere which is not hostile
to his character and endows him with ample potential and latent energy,
he may be said to enjoy a capital of greater value than money, and he has
only to make use of his opportunities and surmount obstacles, which, to an
ordinary man would be fatal, to reach the goal of his ambition."
"Many of the prominent lumbermen of the United States have been sons of
lumbermen, but still more have been reared in a lumber atmosphere. Of the
latter class J. B. Nalty of Brookhaven, MS, may be considered an example."
J. B. and Mamie Nalty at their S. Jackson St. home in Brookhaven
(Photo taken in 1934, J. B. at age 77, Mamie at 67).
John Bernard (J. B.) Nalty (1857-1936) married Mary Cecilia "Mamie" Halpin
(1867-1948) of St. Louis, Missouri, in 1885, and the couple raised six sons and one
daughter. The sons were Louis D. (1886-1964), William Halpin "Will" (1888-1964),
Eugene A. (1893-1967), Raymond J. (1899-1954), J. Bernard (1904-1968),
Leonard A. (1906-1955) and their daughter Naomi, Mrs. C. Arthur Provost (1901-?).
John Bernard (J. B.) attended the St. Francis School run by the Sisters of Notre Dame,
and after graduation from high school J. B. entered Soule Commercial College and
Literary Institute in New Orleans. Founded in 1856, Soule was one of the oldest private
business schools in the South. After graduation from that institution in 1878, J. B.
returned to Brookhaven, and made his first business venture the following year,
operating a store which catered to the sawmill trade.
Brookhaven was fast becoming an important lumber town and with J. B.'s association
with people engaged in the lumber business, he became knowledgeable of the inner
workings of the logging industry.
J. B. continued in the mercantile business in downtown Brookhaven for seven
years, but at 29 years old J. B. made his first business venture by buying the
East Union Mills in 1886; a sawmill located four miles southeast of Brookhaven
near the Cam Community.
The plant at that time was sawing railcar sills and railroad timbers exclusively,
and J. B. continued this production for the next four years fulfilling railroad
orders for longleaf yellow pine logged by oxen teams. Nalty was involved in
the day-to-day operations of the mill until 1890 it was moved eastward two
miles in the vicinity of Fair Oaks Springs. (Enlarge)
(Logging Images) (Logging Images) (Southern Pine Vid) (Southern Pine Vid)
Before the advent of modern chainsaws and logging machinery, the hard work
of the lumber industry was done by men known as lumberjacks. Working out
of remote camps, lumberjacks developed a process and division of labor to
transform a mighty tree into kindling by hand. “Fallers” did the actual job of
felling a tree with axes and saws. Once felled and delimbed, a tree was either
cut into logs by a “bucker,” or skidded or hauled by oxen teams to a railroad
or river for transportation.
Logging scene near Covington in St. Tammany Parish, LA
The brawny culture and curious practices of lumberjacking captured the popular
imagination: log flumes inspired amusement park rides, 2 and log rolling, 2
— balancing atop a floating, rolling log — became a competitive sport. With the
invention of motor vehicles, chainsaws and other machinery, the old culture
faded. Modern workers in the lumber industry are now known simply as loggers.
Several important developments in the early 1900s made possible the growth
of the lumber industry in Mississippi and Louisiana. Labor-saving equipment
introduced soon after the turn of the century joined with railroads to spur growth.
By 1905, the ox-driven two-wheeled wagon called the Caralog, an invention
by a former slave from Pearlington, MS; was replaced by the Lindsey 8-Wheel
Wagon, 2, 3 invented by the Lindsey brothers of Laurel, MS. In turn the McGiffert,
Barnhart and American steam log loaders replaced the 8-Wheel Wagon. Such
mechanizations cut logging costs and allowed for year-round operations.
In September 1890 J. B. Nalty's East Union Mills built a large lumber shed on the
Illinois Central rail at the southern edge of Brookhaven. By 1897 this shed had been
supplemented by a planing mill with a capacity of 30,000 feet per day. And by 1902
this planing mill was producing 100,000 feet per day and employing 100 men. It
worked up stocks from both the company's own sawmills and those from other mills.
Incorporated as the East Union Lumber and Manufacturing Co. in 1890, it grew to be
one of the two largest sawmills in the state, the other being the Pearl River Lumber Co.
2, 3, 4, located in Pearlhaven, near Brookhaven.
East Union Lumber and Manufacturing Co. - 1890
(Enlarge)
As his timber supply was again being exhausted, in 1900 J. B. bought a planing mill
in Brookhaven, which he operated in connection with the sawmill at Hyde, and also
bought stocks from other mills along the Illinois Central Railroad.
At the time of purchase this planing mill had a capacity of 10,000 feet daily, but it had
been improved and modernized and its capacity increased to 75,000 feet a day, this
accomplished by the installation of the most modern machinery and by systematizing
its operation. In connection with this plant he inaugurated a city retail trade, which
had grown to large proportions and had became a prominent factor in the lumber
industry of Brookhaven.
When the timber tracts were exhausted for the East Union Mills; in 1895 Mr. Nalty
moved his operation to Hyde, in Tangipahoa Parish, LA, about 50 miles south of
Brookhaven, where he operated a sawmill as the Louisiana branch of the East
Union Lumber Manufacturing Co. until 1903.
By now an entrepreneur, J. B. Nalty expanded his lumber business to Hammond, LA,
and also served as President of the Dixie Creamery Co. established in 1906, later the
Purity Ice Cream Co.. Nalty was also president of Crystal Ice Co.
Crystal Ice Co., Brookhaven, MS - 1907
Dixie Creamery Co., Brookhaven, MS - 1906
Hammond Lumber Company, Ltd. - 1904
Seeking another plant to take the place of the Hyde mill, in 1903 Mr. Nalty bought a
controlling interest in the Hammond Lumber Company, Ltd located in Hammond, LA.
It was a recently built sawmill, and finding the plant ideally suited for his plans, the
following year J. B. purchased all of the remaining stock of the company. He served
as the company's President, and his son William H. "Will" Nalty (1888-1964)
served as its Vice-President and General Manager.
The Hammond plant, which has been in operation since that time, had a daily capacity
of 60,000 feet and the stock was shipped to the Brookhaven planing mill for dressing.
J. B. and his son Will exercised direct supervision over both the saw and planing mill
plants and spent much of their time in the personal direction of these operations.
The Hammond Lumber Company was located on the east side of the Illinois Central
Railroad tracks directly across from the present day campus of Southeastern Louisiana
University. Originally founded by the June Brothers, the mill was purchased by
John B. Nalty and operated by him and his son Will until all timber holdings were
cut out in 1929.
The company also had a logging camp located at Lorraine, LA (named after Will
Nalty's daughter) situated on the Baton Rouge, Hammond & Eastern railroad near
the St. Tammany parish line.
Dr. A. B. Carter (Plant's physician), Will and John B. Nalty (Enlarge)
aboard pine pilings headed for the Panama Canal project.
In James E. Fickle's book Mississippi Forests and Forestry" he wrote: "Another noteworthy
operator in the Brookhaven area was John B. Nalty, who moved back and forth between
Mississippi and the Florida parishes of Louisiana from the late nineteenth century until about
1930. Among his operations were the East Union Mills south of Brookhaven, which cut out
in 1895, and a sawmill at Hyde, LA that cut out in 1903.
Nalty also had a planning mill at Brookhaven as well as several additional sawmills,
including the Hammond Lumber Co. in Hammond LA, and he became, according to
editor James Boyd of The Lumber Trade Journal, the "largest producer of yellow
pine piling ... Nalty furnished over 65% of the piling used in the Panama Canal:
Book — Video — Video — Video, with some pilings as long as 132 feet."
Panama Canal: World’s Greatest Engineering Project (1881 - 1914)
The French, flush with their success from digging and opening the Suez Canal in 1869,
started work on the canal in Panama in 1881. This project, though, turned out to be much
harder. Tropical diseases and accidents led to the deaths of more than 20,000 men.
President Teddy Roosevelt(Enlarge) (1906 photo-op of Teddy running an American steam-shovel on his visit to the canal)
In 1904 the U.S. under President Teddy Roosevelt bought the French machinery and
the rights to finish the canal. With a new army of workers, the latest in steam-powered
machinery and an intense focus on keeping workers healthy, the Americans battled
through the muddy ground, digging deep and constructing gigantic concrete locks to
raise and lower ships. But when the Americans arrived at the Canal in 1904, they
found that little useful infrastructure had survived from the French effort. The directive
from President Roosevelt was to “make the dirt fly.”
John B. NaltyThe President then turned to J. B. Nalty to provide the immediate need for timber
from Hammond Lumber Co. — to rebuild railroad trestles, docks and wharves for
the project. The contract called for tons of piling to be supplied to the government,
and was shipped on Hammond Lumber's company trains for several years until
the canal's completion in 1914. Hammond Lumber Company controlled 27,000
acres of timber and had tens of miles of railroad track throughout the Florida
Parishes of Livingston, Tangipahoa and St. Tammany.
Mammoth yellow pine docks transported Map of the 50-mile-long Panama Canal —
upright by tugs through canal (Enlarge) depicting its three major locks (Enlarge)
Pile drivers at work on railroad trestles during construction of the Panama Canal.
Hammond Lumber Co. furnished over 65% of the piling used in the project.
Bucyrus driver working in Gatun Lake region (Enlarge) RR trestle of Hammond Lumber's pilings (Enlarge)
'Endless' longleaf pilings headed for wharves at the Port of New Orleans
Operations manager Will Nalty stands beside a flatbed railcar loaded with pine pilings destined
for Panama. The Hammond Lumber Co. supplied pine timber for construction in the early 1900s;
including the building of the Panama Canal, which opened for passage on August 15, 1914.
The first ship to formally steam through those locks from ocean to ocean was the S.S. Ancon.
Locomotive, tender with American steam log loaders shown with sales manager E. H. Williamson
(Enlarge) (Enlarge)
New Orleans Wharves Project
To give some idea of the productivity of the mill, in 1918 The Lumber Trade Journal reported
that Hammond Lumber Company received the largest piling contract ever awarded for a
construction project in the South. The contract was with the The Port of New Orleans to build
the largest warehouses yet built by the city. William H. "Will" Nalty opened an office in the
Whitney Central Bank (now Hancock Whitney) 2 in New Orleans to handle these shipments.
Cotton wharf in New Orleans - 1919 (Enlarge) Harry Houdini atop cotton bales at NOLA wharf (Enlarge)
Hammond Lumber Company, Ltd. - 1917
'Flying the Flag High' has special meaning when the longleaf
pine pole reaches 10 stories high.
One month after the United States declared war on Germany, J. B. Nalty held a flag raising
ceremony to show his support for entering World War I. The Denham Springs brass band
provided music for the occasion.
In May of 1917 The St. Louis Lumberman reported: "J. B. Nalty is a prince of a fellow, as
everyone who knows him is well aware. He's one of those old-fashioned patriotic fellows
very much at home at this splendid affair. And on this day he shut down the plant so all
employees could enjoy the festive event." J. B. gave a rousing speech which went in part:
"Fellow citizens, it belongs to us with strong propriety to celebrate this day, a day
which we declare our loyalty to, and love for our country. It's only when our sacred
institutions are threatened are we reminded of the love that we bear for this,
the greatest of all republics ..."
At the conclusion of Mr. Nalty's speech, the flag was unfurled and released by its keepers
— little Miss Lorraine and her brother William Halpin, children of Will and Ellen Nalty.
Oxen team pulls log wagon near Hammond Lumber Co.'s depot circa 1918
Hammond Lumber's 1913 railroad maps: Livingston, Tangipahoa & St. Tammany Parishes
(Enlarge) (Enlarge)
The railroad maps above show Hammond Lumber's track routes (Red) allowing access to timber
acreage in the parishes of Livingston, Tangipahoa and St. Tammany. Hammond Lumber Company
controlled 27,000 acres of timber and had tens of miles of track throughout the three parishes.
Hammond Lumber Co.'s "Special Excursion Train"
A Hammond Lumber Company "Excursion Train" with passengers crosses the Tangipahoa
River. The Hammond and Eastern RR was a private railroad owned by Hammond Lumber.
The company sponsored the company's baseball team; and transported the team, coaches
and fans to games in St. Tammany Parish. The trestle was located east of the intersection
of River and Vineyard Roads.
Hammond & Eastern Railroad Locomotives
Shown below are four of the locomotives that served Hammond Lumber's mill site until
after World War II. The company's railroad was known as the Hammond & Eastern Railroad.
Will Nalty (far left), operations manager of the Hammond Lumber Co., Dr. Richard Carter
(second from left), inventor; and several workers stand beside the newly delivered #20
locomotive in this 1911 photograph. Dr. Carter was an inventor of steam-powered engines
and owned a steam engine manufacturing plant in Gulfport, MS.
Hammond Lumber Company #20
Hammond Lumber Company #1 (Enlarge) Hammond Lumber Company #3 (Enlarge)
Hammond Lumber Company #2 (Enlarge)
While much of his time had been occupied with his extensive operations at Brookhaven,
MS and Hammond, LA, J. B. Nalty had investments in several other verntures. He was
president of the Empire Lumber & Manufacturing Company of Jackson, MS, and
the Jackson Lumber Company, located in the same city, the latter being the largest
retail yard in the State. Also, he was president of the Grenada Lumber Company,
which operated a large retail yard in Grenada, MS, and had several investments in
other businesses in Brookhaven and throughout the State.
J. B. Nalty and his family attended St. Francis of Assissi Catholic Church in Brookhaven.
(Enlarge)J. B. Nalty was a member of the "Benevolent Protective Order of Elks" and was an
officer in the "International Concatenated Order of Hoo Hoo" lumberman's association
that counted Presidents Teddy Roosevelt and Warren G. Harding among its members,
and whose motto was "Health, Happiness and Long Life," In the latter order he was
vicegerent for the State of Mississippi in 1897. The Order was limited to having a
maximum of 9,000 members, and J. B. was one of its earliest members, #380.
The International Order of Hoo Hoo, the oldest industrial fraternal organization in the
United States, recognized John B. Nalty for securing the lucrative lumber contract for
the Panama Canal after President Teddy Roosevelt's takeover of the project in 1904.
To honor J. B. the organization made him a member of the Osirian Cloister; and
elected him High Priest of Isis in 1904, and of Anubis in 1905.
J. B. was honored by his fellow citizens of Brookhaven, who had shown their
confidence in him by making him president of the School Board of that city, an
office he held for five years. He belonged to a few social clubs, but found that
his unoccupied time was better spent with his family. His passions were fishing
and traveling,and he had in a measure, gratified his desire for travel by visiting
practically every part of the United States. He died in Brookhaven on
March 16, 1936 at the age of 78. ■
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The Life and Times of John McGrath
John McGrath
July 14, 1822 - January 11, 1902
John McGrath and Sons' founder was John McGrath (1822-1902), who was
born in County Limerick, Ireland, and migrated to the United States in 1845, met
and married Ellen Flood (1831-1909) who had migrated from County Wexford,
Ireland. (See McGrath family history below)
John was a civil engineer and for most of his career supervised the laying of
railroad track from New Orleans to Brookhaven. From his savings he initially
invested in retail partnerships in the Hubbard-McGrath store at Hazlehurst
and the Becker-Lyell-McGrath, 2 store at Wesson.
In 1878 John McGrath opened the original McGrath department store located
at 201 S. Railroad Ave. (Image) at the corner of E. Cherokee St. 2, 3, 4 staff,
and operated for 50 years before closing in 1938. The McGrath stores were
managed by the elder John and his sons Thomas J., John W., and Martin D..
The McGrath store in Canton, Madison County (Image) was managed by
the youngest son, James.
Farm products, principally cotton, raised on the surrounding family farms were
available for trade so many farmers brought their produce to Brookhaven's
"furnishing businesses" such as John McGrath and Sons (Image); who would
extend credit on farm land mortgages, equipment, crops and livestock. These
enterprises provided virtually all of the farmers’ needs for their farm operation
or household maintenance. They also served as their banker and broker which
eventually evolved into commercial banks in town.
The Daily Picayune of New Orleans reported in 1900: "John McGrath and Sons
is one of the largest concerns of its kind in the state and does a tremendous
business. This firm receives between 7000 and 8000 bales of cotton annually
and enjoys the confidence and trade of a large number of customers."
For many years Martin McGrath oversaw the Brookhaven location, and was
recognized as being very innovative in the marketing of his store. He employed
many of the methods used in retailing today, eg. — entertained customers with
a live orchestra that would play all day with loudspeakers piping music throughout
all departments, salesmen handing out free samples, bargain days and contests
with cash prizes enticing large crowds. And to draw the rural folks to their store,
Martin McGrath would hold contests to see how many people could fill their
wagons while coming to town.
As Martin closed the original McGrath's on S. Railroad Ave. in 1938, his nephew
"Jay" McGrath opened McGrath's Department Store nearby at 210 S. Whitworth,
(now The Inn on Whitworth) (Image). "Jay" McGrath operated the new store for
an additional 26 years before closing in 1964, ending a 76 year "McGrath"
presence in downtown Brookhaven.
Both buildings exist today, and are on the National Register of Historic Places in
downtown Brookhaven. The buliding at the 210 S. Whitworth Ave. location is now
a hotel-apartment hybrid named The Inn on Whitworth 2, 3, 4, which underwent an
extensive renovation in 2011. The tastefully restored building at 201 S. Railroad Ave.
is now the Brookhaven ENT Allergy & Facial Surgery 2, 3, 4, 5.
John McGrath & Sons - 201 S. Railroad Ave., corner E. Cherokee St.
(Enlarge)
1907 -- McGrath Building at 201 S. Railroad Ave. 2019 -- Brookhaven ENT Allergy & Facial Surgery
Christmas Eve: 1890's on S. Railroad Ave. — McGrath building in the distance
Campaign rally draws a large crowd in front of McGrath building circa 1895
(Enlarge)Snowy Day: January 1948 on E. Cherokee St. — McGrath building in the distance
McGrath's Department Store (1938-1964) at 210 S. Whitworth Ave. is now a boutique hotel called
The Inn on Whitworth which underwent an impressive renovation in 2011 (Enlarge)
How John McGrath and Ellen Flood Met . . .
John McGrath (1822-1902) was born in County Limerick, Ireland, and migrated to the
United States in 1845; met and married Ellen Flood (1831-1909) who had migrated
from County Wexford, Ireland.
Ellen and John McGrath
Ellen's father, William Cullen Flood of Wexford, Ireland, preceded his family in leaving
his beloved native country to settle in the United States in Savannah, Georgia. After
he became established there, he sent for his family, which included his daughter Ellen,
who was born in 1831. Encountering fierce storms on the voyage, their ship was long
overdue when it finally landed. During those days, Ellen's father had waited anxiously
at the docks, so torn with grief and anguish that he died before the ship arrived.
There were quite a few Irish in Georgia at that time and among them was John W.
McGrath, born in Limerick, Ireland, in 1822. John and a friend consoled the grief-stricken
Ellen, and John's friend believed he had won Ellen's affection. He headed west to
establish himself and John headed South. John promptly landed a job with the Jackson
Railroad in Mississippi and returned to Savannah to claim Ellen for his own.
John, a civil engineer, was working for the railroad and laying the track from New Orleans
to Brookhaven. He and Ellen moved north as the railroad progressed. By the time the
railroad reached Brookhaven, Ellen put her foot down and said she would not go any
further. John purchased a whole block, including a house, from the Mason family, the
property facing on Cherokee Street. They loved to tell of their first night in the house.
Hearing a noise upstairs, they went up to investigate. The Masons had forgotten to
take their goat!
(The above biographical information was written by Adine Becker Hill for the 1994 Becker Family
Reunion, and provided to the Ellen Flood McGrath memorial courtesy of Bettie Hatcher Cox)
John and Ellen had four sons and four daughters - Thomas J. S. (1855-1888),
John W. (1861-1922), Martin D. (1865-1943), and James J.(1872-1935).
John McGrath Martin D. McGrath John W. McGrath
The daughters — Mary Ellen McGrath (Mrs. Ferdinand F. Becker) (1859-1951),
Josephine "Josie" McGrath (Mrs. Samuel N. Storm) (1866-1942), Katharine "Katie"
McGrath (Mrs. J. H. Johnson (1870-1962), and Margaret "Maggie" McGrath
(Mrs. F. B. Moodie) (1876-1968).
Mary Ellen "Nellie" McGrath Katharine "Katie" McGrath Margaret "Maggie" McGrath
Josie Storm, Nellie Becker, Martin McGrath, Maggie Moodie, Katie Johnson
(1930's - Photo courtesy of Caroline Passmore - (Enlarge)
Martin D. McGrath (1865-1943)Martin D. McGrath was considered perhaps the strongest and most accomplished
chess player in the South at the beginning of the 20th century.
He won the Mississippi State Championship four times, tied three times and placed
second twice: 1899, 1900 (tied), 1901, 1902 (tied), 1903 (tied), 1904 (2nd), 1905 (2nd),
1906 and 1907.
Martin McGrath, prior to his first championsip in 1899, saw an opportunity to test his
skills against the greatest chess master of the era, Harry N. Pillsbury (Image) 2. Pillsbury
was the current American champion, having won the U.S. Chess Championship in
1897, a title he held until his death in 1906.
Martin traveled to New Orleans to compete against Harry Pillsbury at the New Orleans
Chess, Checkers and Whist Club, 2, 3, 4, at the corner of Baronne & Canal streets.
The club's membership reached 1000 at one point and was the predecessor of the
Paul Morphy Chess Club which formed in 1928.
"The Harry Pillsbury tour," as reported in the Daily Picayune of New Orleans on Feb. 21,
1899, "will have an influence on the popular interest in the game greater than anything
that has ocurred since the triumphal return of Paul Morphy (Image) from Europe in 1859,
or Harry Pillsbury's return from the Hastings' tournament in 1895, whose victory made
the 22-year-old chess prodigy a celebrity in the United States and abroad."
Many younger players are often given the impression that all chess began with
Bobby Fischer. Actually, Fischer's great strength arose from his complete mastery
and study of the early masters. Harry Pillsbury of Somerville, MA established himself
as Paul Morphy's successor, and astounded the chess world by winning first prize
against twenty-one superstars (Image) like Mikhail Chigorin, and the new world
champion Emanuel Lasker. Pillsbury's lifetime record against Lasker stood at 7-7.
Incidently, Paul Morphy, who died from a stroke in 1884 at the age of 47, was recognized
as the greatest American chess master of the 1800s. He was a revered New Orleans native,
raised in the mansion of the present-day Brennan's Restaurant on Royal St. in the French
Quarter. Paul Morphy was a frequent attendant at the New Orleans Chess, Checkers and
Whist Club until his death, and in memory of him a bust was placed in the club-room.
Harry Pillsbury played tweny-two players during his exhibition at the New Orleans Chess,
Checkers and Whist Club, winning twenty and drawing two with two visiting players:
Martin D. McGrath of Brookhaven, MS and William Fell of Manhattan, NY. The draw
against McGrath was reported in the February 22, 1899 issue of the Daily Picayune.
The 34-year-old Martin McGrath was considered one of the 26-year-old Pillsbury's
toughest opponents during his tour. McGrath would be featured a few months later
with a fine portrait in the August 1899 issue of the American Chess Magazine, and
the experience likely helped him win the first of seven victories or ties in the annual
Mississippi Chess Association event later that year.
An eyewitness described Harry Pillsbury for that day's Picayune: "Remarkable it was to
watch the American master's countenance while calculating the moves. Not a muscle
moved on lip and eyelid; not an irritable or nervous tendency was anywhere exhibited;
not a whisper stirred among the players, or in the interested gathering of spectators;
and Pillsbury calmly and thinking deeply and smoking a cigar. The beardless young
man who can smile and ponder at the same time must have enjoyed the exhilarating
pleasure of steadily gaining point by point on each player, forcing all but two, Martin
McGrath and William Fell, to succumb to his great skill."
"Said Mr. Martin McGrath, of Brookhaven, MS, himself a player of extraordinary ability,
in speaking of Pillsbury last evening: 'Harry is a marvel. His technique is superb, and he
grasps in a moment a difficult situation, which takes others several minutes to figure out.
He is undoubtedly a master hand at the game,' the Picayune reported the following day."
Harry Pillsbury had a meteoric rise in world chess competition, but poor mental and
physical health, the result of a syphilis infection, would prevent him from realizing
his full potential throughout the rest of his life. He succumbed to the illness in a
Philadelphia hospital in 1906 at the age of 33.
Martin McGrath, on the other hand, at the age of 45 was honored in the August 1908
edition of The British Chess Magazine: "We have much pleasure in presenting this
month the portrait of Mr. Martin D. McGrath, of Brookhaven, Mississippi, one of the
best known and probably the strongest player in the Southern States of America."
"McGrath became interested in chess when about seventeen years of age, and by study
and persistent practice was soon able to play the local champion on equal terms.
When about twenty-one, he took up correspondence play, of which he is an ardent
devotee today. He considers this method of play an excellent training for developing
accuracy and sound tactics. We present two of his correspondence games, which
we are sure will give pleasure to all who go through them, and hope shortly to publish
some of his games played vis-a-vis against strong opponents." The British Chess
Magazine featured these two games for chess buffs to study here.
John W. McGrath (1861-1922)
(Enlarge) (Enlarge)
The John W. McGrath monument was erected by friends following his death in 1922
to honor this Brookhaven businessman and civic leader. It's located in Railroad Park
in the 200 block of Whitworth Ave, facing the former location of the McGrath store.
The inscription reads,"I pray thee then, write me as one, that loves his fellow men."
J. W. McGrath, one of the best known businessmen and Civic leaders in Mississippi, died at 2:30 pm
at his New Orleans home, 2256 Carondelet Street, after an illness of four months. Mr. McGrath
maintained his legal residence in Brookhaven, Ms., but spent much of his time in New Orleans where
he resided with his family.
Mr. McGrath is survived by his wife, Mrs. Lillie Thurber McGrath; one son, John W. "Jay" McGrath;
two brothers, James J. McGrath of Canton, Miss.; and Martin D. McGrath of Brookhaven; and four
sisters, Mrs. F. B. Moodie, Mrs. Samuel N. Storm, Mrs. Ferdinand F. Becker, and Mrs. J. H. Johnson,
all of Brookhaven. He was a member of the Pickwick and Boston Clubs of this city and a life member
of the Brookhaven Elks' Lodge.
Funeral services will be held from his home on Carondelet Street at 4:00 pm today. Interment will be
in Metairie Cemetery. All the surviving members of his family are here for the funeral.
Mr. McGrath was prominent in the business life of Mississippi. He was secretary-treasurer of John
McGrath & Sons of Brookhaven and president of John McGrath & Sons Company of Canton, two
large mercantile enterprises. He also was a director in a number of other concerns in the state.
In spite of his large and varied business interests, Mr. McGrath found time for much charitable and
civic work. He was Chairman of the Mississippi division of the American Red Cross and took an
active interest in other public charitable enterprises. In addition to these activities, he was president
of the Chamber of Commerce of Mississippi with headquarters in Jackson, and president of the
Mississippi division of the American Cotton Association.
(Obituary, as published in The Times-Picayune, New Orleans, October 21, 1922, page 12, columns
6 & 7 and provided by Barbara Munson, Volunteer Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness)
Local Brookhaven Memorabilia Collector Was High Bidder
on Sign from the Old McGrath's Department Store
A piece of Brookhaven history will now become even more of a piece of Brookhaven history
after falling into the right hands in the silent auction at Thursday's Taste of the Trust.
Carroll Montgomery, a local Brookhaven memorabilia collector, was the high bidder on the sign from
the old McGrath's store at the Thursday night event, winning the marker of what used to be the
biggest department store from Memphis to New Orleans on a bid of $500.
Montgomery said he has been interested in the sign for quite some time, but that at one point it
disappeared.
"Well I tried to buy it several months ago, and then it disappeared," he said. "Then Terry Pappas
chased it down for me, and told me it would be up for silent auction, and I think it's important to
keep all this stuff at home where it belongs."
It was a big deal to locate the sign, Montgomery said, especially considering his hobby of collecting
things that commemorate the history of his favorite town.
"I love Brookhaven, and I love stuff that relates to Brookhaven, and I was afraid someone would sell
the sign for scrap iron," he said. "When Terry said Cameron Smith had it and it was going to the
Brookhaven Trust, I got my hopes back up."
And the sign will be put away for future generations to enjoy, Montgomery said, which is exactly
where it needs to be. He said he will be donating it to the Brookhaven museum that is in the process
of being established in the old synagogue.
"That was the only thing I bid on. That was my main goal, that sign," he said. "That's where
it should have been all along — the museum."
Montgomery said he's just grateful for the chance to get his hands on the big sign that
commemorates the big store. "I'm happy to find anything I can that relates to the tradition
of what Brookhaven ought to be," he said. "And we're long overdue a museum and I'm
really glad they gave us the synagogue - Temple B’Nai Shalom (Image), so we can go
ahead and get started."
Source: The Daily Leader article Trust Event Draws Enthusiastic Crowd by Therese Apel (11-6-2009)
McGrath's Department Store Staff - 1927 (Enlarge)
Front Row: L. D. Davenport, Pearly Young, Ben Ratcliff, J. W. (Willie) Brennan, Mrs. F. B. (Maggie McGrath) Moodie,
J. W. (Jay) McGrath, Arthur B. Middleton, Claude L. Bowen, John W. Boone, Clifton Dye, Joe Storm.
2nd Row: John Williams, Mrs. Homer (Lutie) Powers, Tom (or Sam) N. Young, Winnie Bell McGrath, Robert Brown,
Mrs. Joe Storm, Wilfred Allen, Albert Castilaw, Tommy Decell, Kent Bowen, Leander (or Sarappy) Johnson, George
Lovell, Frank Massengill, Ira "Snow" Thompson, Sally Cupit, M. L. Goodwin Johnson.
3rd Row: Loretta Taylor, Perala Bowen, unidentified, Mabel Cameron, Ida Mae Dye, Genevieve Watson (Hoffman)
Mrs. Dewey (Watson) Farrell, unidentified, Helen Know, Whitfield McGrath, Ralph "Skinner" King.
4th Row: Evelyn Kees, Bess Williams, Ruth Penn, Mrs. Dennis Turnipseed, Mrs. Sim Firth, Mr. and Mrs. Millard
Smith, Jack Bowen, Fulton Mills, Nan Ashford, C. L. Bowen Jr.
5th Row: Mrs. John Taylor, unidentified, Bessie Blake, Mary Hartman, Janie Oberschmidt, Harry Tibbs, Frances
Decell, Walter Smith, Ilene Gwin (Aileen McDaniel), Mrs. C. L. "Lady Claire" Bowen.
The above photo was taken on the steps of First Baptist Church.
McGrath Family Gathering - 1900 (Enlarge) McGrath/Becker Reunion - 1956 (Enlarge)
The McGrath family lifestyle was recalled by Brookhaven's stellar historian and
life-long resident, Henry Ware Hobbs, Jr. in a 1986 interview, "I remember as a
child my grandmother envying the weekend partying going on up at the McGrath
houses and wondering why the Catholics could have all the fun while we
Protestants were restricted to sitting on the gallery, singing and praying."
116 Years Ago: Paper Recognizes 26 Brookhaven Leaders
(Enlarge Top Rows ▼)
O. Newton Jr. - Julien H. Willoughby - Inman W. Cooper - Henry G. Hawkins - Martin D. McGrath - Edward F. Brennan
Loren H. Bowen - John M. Wood - John W. McGrath - J. W. Bennett - Walter E. Price - William D. Davis
(Enlarge ▲) John McGrath — Eben E. Seavey — Dr. Harvey F. Johnson (2)
Ferdinand F. Becker - Benjamin T. Hobbs - Dr. Josiah B. Daughtry - Willard H. Seavey - Charles E. Grafton
David Cohn - Larkin H. Baggett - Louis H. Cohn - Emil Cohn - Capt. Alfred E. Moreton, Sr. - Thomas H. Perkins
(Enlarge Bottom Rows ▲)
