ACME
Acme, established in 1823, was located twelve miles east of Bay Springs. It was named for its location as it stood on the highest point in a range of hills in the area, and is now extinct
ALTO
Alto was located eighteen miles east of Bay Springs. It was formed in 1854 and was named Alto for the musical term because of its elevated position. Alto became extinct in 1909.
BAXTER
Located seventeen miles northeast of Bay Springs, Baxter was named for a pioneer family. The Baxter Post Office was established in 1893 but became extinct along with the settlement in 1916.
Some names of early families were: Alexander, Baxter, Cole, Neil, Abney, Cheek, and Bayless.
BURNS
Located nine miles north of Bay Springs, circa 1918, Burns was a switch connecting the logging road of the American Lumber Company with the G M & N Railroad. There was never any settlement at Burns, the switch being merely designated as a flag stop and freight delivery point for the lumber company and was named for a member of the company. It is now extinct.
DUSHAN
Located eleven miles northwest of Bay Springs, Dushan was formed in 1919 as a mill location of the Eastman-Gardner Lumber Company. It was named for a representative of the company. At one time there were several stores and a group of company houses there, which gave the town a population of 125. The mill closed about 1927 and by 1929, Dushan was extinct.
FELLOWSHIP
Located fifteen miles northeast of Paulding, Fellowship was settled in 1839. Soon after settlement was established, a post office was opened in the store of Joe Buckley and the settlement was known as Buckley's Store, with Richard Huff as post-master. Years later the post office was moved to Massengale's Store with C.B. Massengale serving as postmaster until the office was abolished in 1900. The settlement became known as Massengale during this period.
After the closing of the post office, the Community became known as Fellowship, and was divided later into New Fellowship and Old Fellowship, some two miles apart.
FOUKE
Located five miles northwest of Paulding, Fouke was a mill town which sprang up in 1917 with the arrival of the Gilcrist~Fordney Lumber Company and was named for a member of the company. The town was located at the termination of the M & W Railroad, which was built by the company for temporary use. The place was listed among the extinct towns in 1930.
GARLANDSVILLE
Located eight miles south of Newton near the Newton County Line, Garlandsville is one of the most historical towns in the state. During the French rule of Mississippi Territory, the French came from Mobile, Biloxi and New Orleans to Garlandsville to trade with the Indians. It was the capitol of the Sixtowns and a great part of the time, the capitol of the Choctaw Nation. Pushmataha was living at Garlandsville, then later was the Chief of the Choctaws. During the war of 1812, he lead a force of Choctaws to the aid of General Jackson, who was about to be surrounded by the fierce Creeks. He later followed Jackson to Washington and secured the grounds for the City of Jackson.
The first settler was John H. Ward who, in 1835, operated an inn in a small house owned by John Garland, a half-breed. The Indian gave the place to Mrs. Ward, who named it Garlandsville in his honor.
The John Garland house was soon replaced by a three-story frame building which served as a relay station on the stage coach line from Enterprise to Jackson. Among the inn's early guests were the Commissioners of the Federal Government who came to make arrangements to move the Choctaws to the Indian Territory. Ward, being familiar with the Choctaw Language, acted as interpreter for the them.
Mail was delivered to Garlandsville by stage coach and was handled by Mrs. Ward. In 1845, her son-in-law, J. M. Williams, was appointed postmaster. Williams held this position for thirty~eight years except for a short time during reconstruction. Upon the death of Williams, his daughter, Miss Josie Williams was appointed postmistress, serving continuously for forty-five years until her death in 1928.
In 1855 when a railroad was being built from Vicksburg to Jackson and on to the east, the railroad company wanted to build through Garlandsville and Enterprise but the citizens of Clarke and Jasper Counties would not lend their support to the project so the line was built through Newton and Meridian. This proved to be the death blow to Garlandsville as most of the businessmen moved to Newton or Meridian.
Prominent citizens included: Albert J. Brown, the first white child born in Jasper County. He became a prominent merchant here before moving to Newton where he wrote "The History of Newton County from 1834 to 1894."; Judge John Watts a pioneer lawyer and Judge of the region who served as strict Attorney for eleven years and as Circuit Judge for twenty-two years. He was a State Senator from 1871 until 1873 and was also a Methodist Preacher for thirty years.
GILCRIST
Located nine miles northwest of Bay Springs, Gilcrist was established in 1919 with a location of a mill on this site by the Gilcrist-Fordney Lumber Company. The place never grew to more than a population of one hundred and that declined sharply when the mill moved away about 1931.
GRIDLEY
Formed in 1889 and located seven miles northeast of Paulding, Gridley was another mill town, this one taking its name from a farmer who lived here when the Gilcrist-Fordney Lumber Company built their temporary railroad through this section to tie into the G M & N at Bay Springs. At that time Gridley grew from a farm home into a group of mill shacks filled with workers.
HAMLET
Located four miles north of Bay Springs, Hamlet was established in 1895 as a flag stop on the railroad. A post office established in the home of J. Holder was later moved to the home Dr. A. Windham. In l900 the office moved to the commissary of Water's Sawmill in the home of J.P. McLaurin but the office was discontinued in 1908.
HEIDELBERG
Located about twelve miles southeast of Paulding, Heidelberg was formed in 1882 being named for T.C. Heidelberg, founder of the town. Heidelberg became thickly settled in 1882 when work first began on the Southern Railroad. Before this time there were a few settlers scattered about the area but no community had been formed.
HER0
Located four miles east of Garlandsville, the first store in Hero was established in 1908 by C.G. Foley. Before that time there was a farming settlement located here; the population in 1900 being twenty-four people. The origin of the name is uncertain and seems to have no bearing on the settlement origin.
In 1912 after several years of petitioning by the people, a post office was opened but was discontinued in 1917 in favor of R.F.D. from Newton. The only postmaster the office ever had was J.W. Bonner who operated the office in his store.
H0SEY
Hosey, an extinct post office, was established about twelve miles southeast of Bay Springs and was named for the Hosey family who along with the Risher family settled here about 1890.
JAMESBURG
Located ten miles northeast of Paulding, Jamesburg was named for a James family who operated a farm here in 1915 when the M & W rail road was put through this section. The depot which was located here and called Jamesburg became extinct in 1930.
KELONA
Located four and one-half miles north of Heidelberg.
LAKE COMO
Located five miles east of Bay Springs, Lake Como is one of the oldest settlements in the county, being first settled by the Indians. The name was derived from an Indian phrase, "Lak Coma", meaning Lacking in Timber.
The first white settler was a man named Killing who moved here in 1840. Bill Thigpen is thought to have been the second settler, coming in 1846.
In 1880 the Lake Como Academy was regarded as one of the best schools in this section, drawing students from Georgia, Tennessee and other nearby States.
LOUIN
Located seven miles north of Bay Springs, Louin started as an intersection of two county roads where the Ishee, Bassett, Land, Simmons, Wilkins, Greyson and Eickman families had settled.
A trading center developed around this settlement and in 1890 a post office was opened and named Louin for Louin Ishee; the name being submitted by his father, Zack Ishee.
The Mount Vernon Baptist church was built on this site in 1848, the town was incorporated in 1994 and in 1906 the railroad was built through the town.
MCNEAL
Located seven and one-half miles northeast of Bay Springs.
MISSIONARY
The site of missionary, five miles north of Paulding, was once occupied by a tribe of Indians known as the Six Town Tribe. The Six Town Mission Station was established in 1825 by a man named Bardwelll who began a road from Mobile to Jackson, erected a log house, a church and a school house.
It has been said that this valuable tract of land was first purchased from an Indian by Colonel John H. Horne of Wayne County for the price of a cart and a horse. Colonel John Johnson, and Indian Agent, also bought a claim form an Indian, but the titles to these lands became so entangled that no real purchase was made until almost thirty years after the departure of the Indians. Following the Civil War, Judge John W. Fewell finally succeeded in clearing the titles.
In 1860 this land was purchased by Alec Russell of Newton County who operated a store with his son S.D. Russel,Sr. The store did a thriving business, over a thirty mile radius; from Montrose to Enterprise and from Hickory to Vossberg.
A community of white settlers had formed here in the late 1840's but a post office was not secured at Missionary until 1875. The settlement was listed as being extinct when the post office was abolished in 1905.
MONTROSE
Located four miles northeast of Louin, Montrose was settled by a colony of Scotchish people in the 1830's and was named for James Montrose a Marquess of Scotland.
The establishment of Montrose Academy in 1841 by Reverend J.N.Waddell marked the beginning of the town's prestige as the "Oxford of Jasper County." For seven years Montrose was recognized as a seat of learning, then Dr. Waddell was elected Professor of Ancient and Modern Languages at the University of Mississippi and the Montrose Academy was abandoned.Jasper County was practically destitute of schools until 1869 but Montrose boasted a high school in the early 1860's which was one of the first if not the first in the county.
A weekly newspaper, "The Jasper County Review," was published here by W.W. Moon from 1890 until 1917 at which time it merged with the Bay Springs News.
MOSS
Located fifteen miles southeast of Bay Springs, Moss was formed in 1840 and was named for Captain B. F. Moss.
Captain Moss had visions of a great town on this site; giving the railroad right-of-way in 1900 to further its development and draw settlers. Captain Moss gave the right-of-way on condition that the railroad would establish a station, keep an operator or agent here, have all passenger trains stop and have a town plat drawn. All these requirements were met at the time, but for some reason, the document was never filed and the railroad company eventually removed the agent from Mossville.
The railroad station was named Mossville, but the post office was named Moss and the town shows up on Mississippi maps as Moss.
MOSS HILL
Located nine miles east of Montrose.
ORANGE
Located six~miles southeast of Rose Hill.
PENANTLY
Located six miles northeast of Paulding, Penantly was settled in 1896 and was named for nearby Penantly Creek.
This office was established in 1896 but before that time there were several large farms in the surrounding area and Penantly served as the community center for the farmers. The post office was discontinued in 1906 and in 1(940 the Penantly School was consolidated with Montrose and Rose Hill.
RAS
Located ten miles northwest of Paulding, Ras grew up in 1914 as a result of the Fouke Lumber Company coming into this area. Ras, which took its name from one of the residents of the community. It remained on the map after the lumber company moved away due to a consolidated school being located here.
ROSE HILL
Located ten miles northeast of Paulding, Rose Hill was settled about 185O by Irish settlers who named the place Rose Hill for the abundance of wild roses which grew on the nearby hills.
Tradition has it that when the men of Rose Hill went off to the Civil War their wives began visiting with the women of Paulding who were predominatly Catholic. When the men returned, they found that there wives had converted to Catholicism, so they became Catholics also.
STAFFORD SPRINGS
After the Civil War Captain Stafford returned to his plantation four miles east of Heidleberg to resume his farming. During a very dry summer when the water supply became exhausted, he discovered that his cattle were drinking from a freely flowing spring in his pasture. Cutting away the underbrush in order to locate the stream's source, he located a large spring; the present Stafford Mineral Spring.
As water was scarce in the whole community people of the area made use of the spring's supply. It was soon discovered that the water had strange medicinal powers and ill people began to drink it for its curative powers.
As the people gained confidence in the water its fame spread and eventually fell into the hands of unscrupulous persons. such money was provided with even more being spent but after a great deal of harangue and a few tragedies, Stafford Springs emerged into a favorable health resort.
Dr. Rudolph Schiffman of St. Paul, Minnesota bought an interest in the springs, owning stock until 1918 when it passed into the hands of A.L. Staples of Mobile. In 1925 Staples and his associates sold the property to a syndicate of Meridian businessmen and later, Dr. E.M. Gavin purchased the property and began to build up its run-down condition.
STEVENS
Stevens was established in 1904 as a switch station located three miles north of Bay Springs on the G M & N Railroad. Named for a member of the Fouke Lumber Company, there were never any homes at Stevens, the only building to mark the site being an open depot structure.
When the mill ceased operations the depot was removed and Stevens became extinct.
STRINGER
Located nine miles south of Day Springs, in 1880 Stringer was comprised of a combination store and post office which was operated by a man named Stringer. Prior to 1904 when the G M & N Railroad was built through the county the post office was called P.K., but on the building of the railroad a depot was erected about half a mile from P.K. A new post office was built on this site and the town which sprang up around it was called Stringer.
SUCCESS
Located six miles northwest of Montrose.
TURNERVILLE
Established five miles east of Bay Springs in 1916, Turnerville began as a rural community centered around Antioch Baptist Church, which was served for a number of years by the Reverend Martin Turner. When the post office was established in 1916, it was called Turnerville.
The place later became a sawmill settlement of the Gilchrist-Fordney Lumber Company and was listed as being extinct in 1931.
VERBA
Located two miles east of Mounters.
VERNON
Vernon was established in 1895 as a post office near Bay Springs and was named for the son of the first postmaster, Bill Hosey. The office was abolished in 1920, and the place became extinct along with the store and cotton gin which once operated there.
Some originals settlers were families by the name of: Hosey, Graham, Wade, Massey, Cox, and Courtney.
VOSSBURG
Located two miles north of Stafford Springs, Vossburg was formed about 1882 and was named Mr. Voss, who operated a hotel near the New Orleans & North Eastern Railroad.
There is also a mineral spring located at Vossburg with much the same qualities as the one at Stafford Springs.
WALDRUP
Waldrup was established in 1908 as a post office located twelve miles northeast of Bay Springs. It was named for an early landowner in the community. Before the post office was discontinued, it was kept by Mrs. Leonard Pittman.
Main Source: "History of Jasper County" by J. M. Kennedy, as appeared in County News, Bay Springs, Mississippi, Thursday, May 30, 1957.
A Hand Drawn Map of Jasper Places