Mississippi Pilgrimage

Pioneer Day Festival October 7, 2017

Pam Lee — Tue, 19 Sep 2017 20:29:23 +0000

If you like to shop, the Pioneer Day Festival, sponsored by the Carroll Society for the Preservation of Antiquities, is an arts and crafts festival just for you on Saturday, October 7. In addition to shopping, you can learn

about the history of aprons through an exhibit from the Apron Museum in Iuka,
about crayon quilts from the Vaiden Quilters Guild,
about Mississippi John Hurt through an exhibit from the Mississippi John Hurt Museum,
about Mississippi through interactive activities on a giant 16 by 20 foot floor map from the Mississippi Geographic Alliance based at Ole Miss.

All of these activities are free.

More information about the Pilgrimage and Pioneer Day Festival check us out on Facebook or at www.VisitCarrolltonMs.com.

A Walk Through Carrollton with Walt Grayson

Pam Lee — Fri, 15 Sep 2017 01:36:07 +0000

Thanks to a Bicentennial Grant from the Mississippi Humanities Council, you can visit Carrollton on your smart device as well as in person. The annual Pilgrimage and Pioneer Day Festival will be held October 6-7. Five homes will be open for home tours for a fee. But the big excitement will be the free walking tour that you can download to your smart device to learn about the history and architecture of 26 buildings in Carrollton. While the walking tour does not get you in the buildings, it will enhance your walk from home to home.

To Mississippians, Walt Grayson is the voice of Mississippi, taking us along on trips down “Mississippi Roads” for a “Look Around Mississippi.” Now he takes us through Carrollton’s history and architecture. Although the app has been available through the Apple and Google Play stores only a few weeks, visitors are already coming to walk through Carrollton with Walt.”

Pilgrimage homes will be open Friday and Saturday, from 9 am to 5 pm. These are family homes, not museums or staged exhibits. Tickets will be sold at the Town Hall at 701 Lexington Street. Adult tickets are $25. Tickets for students grades 1-12 are $10.

More information about the Pilgrimage and Pioneer Day Festival check us out on Facebook or at www.VisitCarrolltonMs.com.

“Opry on the Square” New to 2016 Carrollton Pilgrimage & Pioneer Day Festival Activities.

CCDA2015 — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 02:15:22 +0000

Margaret Corder as Minnie Pearl

“Opry on the Square” is a new event for the 2016 Pioneer Day Festival. “Minnie Pearl” [Margaret Corder] will host the event.

Featured Opry Musicians

Robert Box

Robert Box – a 5-time Mississippi State Banjo Champion and an International Southern Gospel Instrumentalist of the Year

Donnie Buckner with the Buckner Family Bluegrass Band

Donnie Buckner – both a Mississippi State Fiddle Champion and a Banjo Champion as well as a Mid-South Banjo Champion.

Opry on the Square will begin at 11:00 am, following the presentation of the winners of the Miss Pioneer Day Festival Pageant.

Bring your lawn chairs to the west side of the Carroll County Courthouse in Carrollton to enjoy the wonderful music and fun. Carroll County talent includes Mike Hyde, Bennie Rigby, Jackie McIlwain, LaGatha Abbott, Terry Herbert, Alan Malone and the Cobbins Family.

Come early and shop at the many arts and craft booths, visit the Winterville Mound exhibit, and tour some of our historic homes and buildings.

Carrollton Masonic Lodge Open for 2016 Pilgrimage

CCDA2015 — Wed, 21 Sep 2016 21:30:35 +0000

Carrollton Masonic Lodge F & AM #36 was chartered 3 January 1838. This was the first Masonic Lodge established in Carroll County. The Hall is the second oldest in the state in continuous use as a Masonic Hall.

The Lodge has all but the first twelve years of their minutes. Many of the founding fathers of Carroll County were members of the Lodge. The minutes contain interesting information about the County and Town throughout the years. One being the rates for electricity, the Carrollton Electric Company in 1904 raised the rates from $1.65 per month to $6.00 per month. Members of Lodge felt this was too high and voted to have the power shut off and returned to using oil lamps. This continued for five years when the Electric Company lowered the rate to $1.50 per month.

The cornerstone for the current Masonic Hall was laid in 1899. The cost of the Hall was $1,483.00. John Sidney McCain (Sen. John McCain’s grandfather) served on the Building Committee.

The Carrollton Post Office was located in the north first floor room from 1899 to 1952. In 1919 the Red Cross was located in one of the first floor rooms and in 1946 the State Board of Health rented part of the first floor for the Carroll County Health Department. In 1952 when the Post Office moved out, the Selective Service Board rented space. Through the years the building has housed various Doctor’s offices and a florist shop.

In 1951 the Hall was renovated and in 2005 the Lodge began and extensive renovation/restoration. Work has been done on the foundation, the exterior has been painted, the roof replaced, and the porch repaired. The Lodge room has been painted and the floors refinished. The entire building has been rewired and plumbed. Two years ago HVAC was installed. Work has begun on the first floor rooms.

Carrollton Masonic Lodge

Funding for the restoration has come in the form of grants from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, donations from the general public, and yearly fundraisers. One of which is selling sausage biscuits and coffee each year early in the morning on Pioneer Day during the Carrollton Pilgrimage.

This information has been provided by the Carrollton Masonic Lodge.

Cotesworth Open for 2016 Pilgrimage

CCDA2015 — Tue, 13 Sep 2016 16:32:34 +0000

Your pilgrimage won’t be complete without taking the short drive to Cotesworth, the home of James Zachariah George from 1861 until his death in 1897. There, you can purchase tickets for a tour of the home. George was a major figure in Mississippi government during Reconstruction and a United States senator from 1881 till 1897. It was at his three-legged desk–still at Cotesworth–that George, having taken a leave of absence from his Washington job, drafted a major portion of the 1890 Mississippi Constitution. A few yards away from the home is George’s library, thought to be the only hexagonal structure still standing in Mississippi.

But Cotesworth is more than a destination for historians, architects, and people interested in old homes. Indeed, the stately Greek Revival mansion amid its pastoral setting has caught the eye of Hollywood. In the 2012 movie The Help, nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award, Cotesworth is the home of Celia Foote, played by Jessica Chastain (nominated for an Oscar for this performance), whose maid is Minnie, played by Octavia Spencer (winner of an Oscar for this performance). More recently, James Franco turned Cotesworth into the Compson home in his film adaptation of Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury.

Owned by George’s great-granddaughter Katharine Williams until its purchase by the Cotesworth Culture and Heritage Center (CCHC), the Cotesworth house has recently undergone partial restoration and renovation, including the installation of central heating and cooling on the first floor, as well as an ADA-compliant restroom. Cotesworth is now available for weddings, parties, meetings, tours, and other events. Furthermore, plans are in place for a complete restoration and renovation of the house and library, including the addition of period-appropriate furnishings and accoutrements. The goal of the CCHC is to make the house, library, and grounds not only a site for special occasions, but also an interactive educational arena.

You will definitely be glad you took the time to visit Cotesworth. You may even decide to schedule an event there yourself, or you may want to donate to the CCHC. If so, call 662-237-9600 for all the information you need for planning your own Cotesworth experience.

Pilgrimage Tickets are $10 and will be available only at Cotesworth.

Written by Josephine Neill-Browning, Cotesworth Culture and Heritage Board

Carrollton Historic Pilgrimage and Pioneer Day Festival October 7-8, 2016

CCDA2015 — Mon, 05 Sep 2016 14:30:09 +0000

Mississippi has many beautiful scenes in its landscape but few have as much to offer as Carroll County and Carrollton, in particular. It is centrally located in the middle of the state and is easily. It is only a “stone’s throw” off Highway 82, one of the state’s major highways. As you enter the town of Carrollton, you are instantly transported into an earlier historical era as you view the homes, businesses and churches. This town has a long and interesting history and we would like to share with you.

One of the primary means of doing this is during the yearly Pilgrimage when homes and churches open their doors for a weekend in October. This year the Pilgrimage dates are October 7-8. Four of the churches will be open with a hostess to greet you as you tour our places of worship. Some of the churches began before the Civil War and minutes offer interesting bits of history. A stroll through the business district leads you to the Merrill Museum which contains a number of clues to the history of the town as well as the county.

Wayside

The “crown jewel” of Carrollton lies in its homes which span over a century of architectural styles. The owners have maintained them in top order and look forward to showing you their homes. This year there will be 5 homes open, three of which have never been open for the Pilgrimage before. In addition, Cotesworth, the home of Senator J. Z. George, will be open. Senator George is an author of the Mississippi Constitution of 1890. On display in the home is the desk he used when writing this document.

On Saturday there will be vendors hawking their wares and selling food so you can maintain your energy to take it all in. Also there will be live entertainment throughout the day, our very own “Opry on the Square.” Now, what more could you ask for except to enjoy some of the nicest people in the state who will be glad to show you why we are proud of our hometown?

Comments provided by Barbara Rayburn, chairman of ticket sales. For more information about the Carrollton Pilgrimage and Pioneer Day Festival, visit our website – VisitCarrolltonMs.com or email us at CarrolltonMsTours@gmail.com.

New Homes on 2016 Pilgrimage

CCDA2015 — Tue, 19 Jul 2016 14:47:01 +0000

We are excited to have some new homes open this year. Shades Rest, the home of Bo and Shonda Milton, has never been open for the Pilgrimage. With its beautiful parquet floor in the entry way and its bold color scheme, it will delight pilgrimage visitors. We are glad to have the Miltons in our community and on the list of 2016 Pilgrimage Homes. Another home that has never been on the tour before is Tanglewood, also known to many as the Dr. Costilow House. Steve and Reba Bailey purchased the house last year and began work in January on restoration. As pilgrimage visitors who visited the Bailey’s home Cedar Hill can attest, the finished product will be a great addition to the 2016 list. Wayside, the home of Keith and Amanda Ferguson, has been on tour before but not since several changes have been made to both modernize the home and to return some of its former features. Come see these and our other structures October 7-8, 2016! For more information, email us at CarrolltonMsTours@gmail.com or check us out at www.VisitCarrolltonMs.com.

A Tour In Time

CCDA2015 — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 18:22:03 +0000

“In the sleepy town of Carrollton, Mississippi, when one story ends, another takes hold. Filled with historic structures, both residential and commercial, the town really unfold more like a village, with paved roads meeting the unpaved driveways of charming home which have protected their owners, their histories and their integrity from mass change.”

“Visitors come to Carrollton because of the architecture and stay perhaps, because of a festival or a personal invitation. Getting to know Carrollton takes little money not time. What is required is an
innate curiosity and the ability to carry on a spontaneous conversation over a fence or on a porch. As a destination, it’s a place to go with a picnic basket for a quiet afternoon or during the annual pilgrimage when homeowners open their doors to the public and Pioneer Days attracts the crowds.”

“If anything rivals the rich historic residential area, it may be the churches, Courthouse or the remaining commercial properties. At the corner of Washington and Lexington Streets across from the Courthouse, Gee’s Store serves as the quintessential reminder that time can stand still. Looking through the windows takes passersby back 150 years.”

“Located a short drive from Grenada, Winona and Greenwood, Carrollton offers the removed peace of rural living without the cacophony of daily life. ”

These excerpts are from an article in May 2016 edition of the DeSoto Magazine, written by Karen Ott Mayer. “The Historic Homes of Carrollton” also discusses the Captain Ray House, Wayside and Lum Reek. To learn more about the DeSoto Magazine, go to www.desotomagazine.com.

Carrollton is located at the junction of Mississippi Highways 82, 35, and 17.

The annual Pilgrimage and the Pioneer Day Festival will be held on October 7 and 8. For more information contact us at www.CarrollCountyMs.org, TourCarrolltonMs@gmail.com or 662-237-6910.

Carrollton: Well Worth the Trip

CCDA2015 — Mon, 25 Apr 2016 00:29:27 +0000

Just a mile or so north of modern Highway 82 and a few miles west of Interstate 55, the small town of Carrollton is one of Mississippi’s most perfectly preserved 19th-century communities. So many of its homes, churches and public buildings were constructed before 1900 that it was the logical filming site for William Faulkner’s novel, The Reivers, set in 1904. When Hollywood came calling in 1968, searching for a town that could pass for turn-of-the-century Jefferson, they were astonished to find that all Carrollton needed was some dirt on the streets and a few downtown buildings tweaked. The town’s lone gas station disappeared behind a livery stable facade. Old signs were painted on a few storefronts. Add a few wagons and the star of the movie, a 1904 Winton Flyer, and time stood still.

In the half-century since the movie was made, not much has changed in Carrollton. Visitors still find its 1878 courthouse sitting on the town square, with exterior doors that are never locked. Church designs range from the Gothic Stick Style jewel that is Grace Episcopal to more formal classical buildings used by the Presbyterian, Methodist and Baptist congregations. The 1870s jail survives, as does an entire block of mid-1800s storefronts on the south side of the square. Merrill’s Store, now a museum, dates back to the town’s 1830s origins. Winding residential roads are lined with antebellum showplaces and Victorian cottages, most in excellent condition and some handed down over multiple generations.

There are many historic towns in Mississippi where you can find the old interspersed with modern life. But only in Carrollton can you find a town that truly seems like it has been preserved in amber for more than a century. It’s well worth the trip.

Mary Carol Miller, author of Written in the Bricks: A Visual and Historical Tour of Fifteen Mississippi Hometowns

Welcome to Carroll County!

CCDA2015 — Tue, 16 Sep 2014 17:32:31 +0000

Carroll County is a beautiful place to visit. We hope you have a great time while you are here. If you need information, please feel free to call our Town Halls or the Courthouse. If you are looking for cemeteries, … Continue reading →