PICAYUNE, Miss., March 5, 2010 — I have been wondering what to do with this blog since I have gone to work for the “Picayune Item.” I originally began it, I think, in April 2009, wrote mostly about politics for about four months, covering the Picayune City Council mostly, and then put it in abeyance when I went to work as a reporter at the “Item” in August 2009.
However, I think I will crank it back up, mostly as a blog on local history. I can roam At-Large in Pearl River Co., Picayune, Poplarville and Mississippi history, which I love anyway. I have always been interested in local history and can become mesmerized by a good history book, especially on local history. I have always sometimes just stared at places, wondering what was there before, and how certain spots must have looked 100 years ago.
I just recently did a story for the “Item” on Picayune Main Street’s history committee preparing to put historical plaques on businesses in the downtown historical district, and I went around town taking pictures of the businesses in the downtown district that will probably be recognized first. There is some interesting history there.
I was mesmerized while at the corner of Curran and East Canal, looking west at First National Bank and Harrison Financial. That section to me is ground zero for history of Picayune. It all began right there in 1904, and even across the tracks at West Canal and North Main, too, because right where Stonewall’s Barbecue is now was located Laban Megehee’s Mercantile Store, what according to Lovell, they used to call the brick store. It was probably the first brick building ever constructed in Picayune.
Also where the First National Bank is now located in around 1900 was Anne Megehee’s home, with flower beds in her front yard and a large field in the back of her house where her cows grazed, in what is now First National’s parking lot. Don’t you wish you had a time machine to go back and view it?
Laben Megehee had a brother named A.P. Megehee. He had a son named Louis D. Megehee, a great football player on the 1925 Picayune state champion football team. I am doing a story on that and Megehee, which will run next week in the “Item.” The old A.P. Megehee place was located out on old Hwy. 43 near where it intersects with Inside Road. I have been told that A.P. also owned a store right where the old Bank of Picayune was constructed, now Harrison Financial. I have not verified this. Louis D. Megehee went to LSU two years — 1926 and 1927 — with Dobie Holden. Both played on the 1925 state championship team, where named to the All-State No. 1 team, and won scholarships to LSU.
Coach Holden remained at LSU even after he graduated and coached the LSU Freshman team. He then was named head coach at Picayune and build a dynasty here in the 1930s. He then went to Pascagoula in 1945, 46 and 47, where he won a Big Eight Conference championship. He also coached Coach Frank “Twig” Branch at Pascagoula, and “Twig” followed Holden to Pearl River Junior College and played for Holden. After that “Twig” went to Mississippi State for two years, coached at Bogalusa, La., for a season and then was head coach at Picayune from 1956 to 1963. I played for “Twig” in 1963. Coach Branch left coaching after the 1963 season and became a businessman. He now lives in Picayune retired, at age 72. His son is a Rear Admiral in the U.S. Navy.
Megehee left LSU after two years and went to play at USM in Hattiesburg for two years, 1928 and 1929. When he played for USM, it was know as the State Teacher’s College, STC. They played in Kamper Field. Megehee was noted as the football player with an “educated toe.” He was tall, lanky and strong like all the Megehees. He once punted the ball 85 yards, a fete verified by Clarion-Ledger old-time sports writer Purser Hewitt who covereed the game on Sept. 29, 1929, against Mississippi College at Kamper Field in Hattiesburg in which the punt was made.
Picayune on Dec. 11, 1925, beat Leland high school, the north division champions, in a state championship game played before 3,000 fans also at Kamper Field in Hattiesburg, a neutral spot. The game, according to a press dispatch run in the “Hattiesburg American” after the game, said that the game was filmed. Man! Could you imagine what finding and watching that film would be like. I wonder if it still exists and where? Maybe someone out there might know, or have some ideas on how to find that film. Anyway, Picayune beat Leland 18-0, and the nail was put in Leland’s coffin when Megehee blocked a field goal attempt by Leland, scooped the ball up and ran 85 yards for the final TD. It was all over. Picayune ended the year 1925 with an 8-0 record, and had scored 317 points to the opponents 19, a record in the South. The previous record was 250 points. {You can read an additional story below in another blog I did on Coach Holden. Just click on “History” category and scroll down.}
Anyway, I want to reproduce some facts out of Lovell’s book here about early Picayune. Lovell played on the 1922, 1923 and 1924 football teams, and in his books he recalls those years. He played left end. He tells that he left Picayune in 1924, and just missed being on the 1925 team. He worked for the railroad, even while attending school, and moved on up the railroad line working for the railroad. He, after the Great Depression hit, moved on up to Chicago where his sister lived, hunting for a job. There he remained until 1968 when he retired and moved back to Picayune. He later married Edna Russ, former wife of Denny Russ, and lived his last days here a happy man.
As I said, I interviewed him in 1968 when he returned to Picayune, and I asked him why he came back after living so many years up North. “Well,” he said, “the years I spent in Picayune where the happiest of my life. Although I left and worked all my life away from Picayune, it was always home to me because I loved it so much.” Lovell died a number of years ago, I think in the late 1980s. Maybe some of you know, so write a comment at the end of the this story.
Also I want to encourage people to comment on these stories. There is no limit to your comments either. So sound off. If you see an error let me know. The more information I get on Picayune, Poplarville and Pearl River Co., the better. That is really all I am interesting in is generating information on the history of this place I call home.
Next time we will explore Lovell’s remembrances of the first football teams in Picayune and how it all got started. Picayune has always had a fine football tradition. (Go to Part II)
#1 by John Marquez at March 10th, 2010
Keep um coming David. I think those of us who have been gone for a while and returned seem to appreciate the history of Picayune maybe more than those who remained here. I never had an interest in history while being educated but now I have developed a keen interest in my heritage.
#2 by Ruth Stockstill Walker at March 22nd, 2010
David, Nat died Nov. 5, 1987. (from his tombstone at New Palestine Cemetery. I enjoyed your articles; Nat wrote several times about my father in his two books. Also, the Telephone switchboard office was once in the old Stovall building, upstairs. I saw it there myself while visiting Dr. Woodward’s office on the back corner.
The “old Cammack House”, the large high-built house on the corner of 2nd St. and Curran Ave. was built by M.D.Tate .
Mr. Tate sold to The First Baptist Church in 1918 for use as a Baptist parsonage and the church sold to W. D. Cammack for $3000. in 1926.
Mr. Tate built a smaller house just behind this one and gave it to Lorena and S.G. (Grandpa) and I think that must be where Grady was born. It was later torn down for the Item office to be built. My parents lived diagonally across the street, behind the M.D.Tate house in the Alex Martin house (Tate’s daughter and Lorena’s sister) and mother told me of seeing Grady and his twin sister there as babies, and across the street were the Grices with twins, James and Jane Ann.
But Grady Jr. was born in 1924 while it was the Baptist parsonage.
Ruth Walker