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Between 1833 and 1835, there were a few people settled in the southwestern part of the county.  It is believed that a Thomas Davis and a Dr J.M. Bond from Abbeville, South Carolina settled in the area around the present day Golden Horn Creek.  Thomas Davis' plantation was comprised of about 3,500 acres, extending into Choctaw and Winston counties.  Even to this day, you will find many of his slaves' descendants still living there, as he was the largest slaveowner in this part of the county.  The first settlement here was the village of Whitefield (pronounced Whitfield) in Section 9, Township 17, Range 12 on land formerly owned by the half-Indian, Lewis White. 

A man by the name of Smith also owned much of the land in the area, as well as a J.P. Woodson, living west of Whitefield.  Near the Big Creek Methodist Church two newcomers to the area, a Lige Ray and Dr. Cotton planned to build a church.  With the help of Mr. Smith, who was a minister, Wake Forest Baptist Church was established about 1840.  It is located about one mile north of Sturgis and is one of the oldest in this part of the county.  Other prominent residents were Dr. Davis and Robert Quinn.

A water mill was operated on the Noxubee River and another mill just into Winston County, called White Mill, was where most of the farmers probably ground their corn and wheat.  There was a third water mill on Red Bank Creek, just over the Choctaw County line.  This mill was operated by the Quinns.

Other early settlers included the Sikes brothers, Henry G, Andy, Richard and Smith, Dan Thomas, Newton Daniel, Felix Shropshire and John Oswalt.  George D. Morgan came from North Carolina in 1845, served in the Civil War and settled around Sturgis.  The Hunt brothers, Pilot, John an McDuff came from Greenville, SC.  Fred Sharp served in the Civil War and lived in Whitefield before moving to the area southeast of Sturgis.

In 1849, William Hannah settled about one mile west of Whitefield.  Quite a few settlers served in the Confederacy, and like elsewhere in the South, times were not easy.  After the war, many farmers had serious difficulties, especially when creditors came to collect overdue debts.  Land was lost and some residents moved on.  During Reconstruction, the first mass Exodus took place out of the county, although many of the former slaves chose to remain in the area.  Quite a few white landowners continued to move West, particularly into Texas.  Many former slaves contracted with their former owners and some were even granted land, which they worked on their own with their extended families.  A large number of former slaves also came from neighboring Winston, Choctaw and Noxubee counties.

In 1884, the business enterprises of Whitefield were the workshop of Joe Cain, the grist mill of Dr. Joe Walker, the dental office and general store of Dr. Bill Edwards; the dry goods and grocery store of Will Neal and Jeff Farron; the post office and general store of Dr. W.J. Barron with apocethary supplies in the back and the Masonic Hall above; and the general store of Abb Harrison.  Physicians in the area included J.W. Edwards, a Civil War veteran, and Dr R.K. Prewitt.

In 1883-1885, the Illinois Central Railroad obtained the rights to operate near Whitefield.  One of the stockholders, a wealthy Mrs. Sturgis from Kentucky, asked that the town be named in her honor.  It was done, but the promised funds never came.  Nonetheless, the town of Sturgis was born.  New businesses were established closer to the depot and the Whitefield business center and post office disappeared.  The Aberdeen-Durant branch of the I.C. Railroad was born.

There were quite a few businesses in town now.  Some were the general store of the Fondren Brothers, Jim Quinn, Jeff and Zeke Barron, Dave and Bill Hunt, Abb Harrison and Semmie Oswalt, Dr. Bill Edwards' dry goods store and W.J. Barron's drug store and Masonic Lodge.  Mr Jim Smith ran a boarding house and blacksmith shop.  The brothers Glaceran from Jackson, MS established one of the largest stores in town.  One brother, G.E. Galceran was mayor for a long time.

Peter Quinn was another early settler.  He was a soldier in the Mexican War and a captain in the Civil War.  He was sherriff of Oktibbeha county from 1878-1880.  N.Q. Adams was a Baptist minister preaching at rural churches in this county as well as the surrounding counties for forty or more years.  He was a lieutenant in the Civil War and lost his left arm in the battle of Atlanta, GA.

Sturgis even had two newspapers, in 1884 Henry H. Sikes edited "The Sturgis Record" that lasted about two years.  In 1909, Osie F. Turner established "The Search Light" which ran about a year.  J.S. Foreshand published the "Sturgis Enterprise" for a few months in 1916. 

Sturgis also had some bad luck.  On March 30, 1884 a terrific cyclone destroyed much of the property in the area, one of which was the Presbyterian Church which was rebuilt a year later.  In 1903, a fire left only one business standing, that of Dave E. Rainey.  Modern facilities were then added and more businesses came to town.   In November 1918 and in January 1919 two large and frightening influenza epidemics broke out.  Then, in 1925, the fiery demon broke out once again and left the landscape bare.  The frame buildings were then replaced with brick.

Merchants at the turn of the century included Miss Eliza Hunt, S.P. Morgan, J.B. Drane, J.A. McKinnon, Tom Shropshire, A.L. Livingston, Coy N. Sharp, Miss Cain Hannah, W.F. Gore, H.B. Chandler and A.V. Frazier.  There was also E. Turner's blacksmith shop, Roy Hunt's barber shop, and a garage and filling station of Melbourne Edwards, M. Smith, J.H. Alexander and R.C. Belk.  The telephone exchange was operated by Mrs. Jim Kolb.   A.V. Frazier also had a cream station and grist mill.  Mrs Tommie A. Hamill was the postmaster and Marshall Barron and Mart Ray were the mail carriers.

The few large plantations and farms of the areas turned into many smaller farms.  With the coming of the boll-weevil, it was not financially smart to continue with large scale cotton farming, so the emphasis was moved to dairy farming.  Milk was trucked twice daily to Borden's Plant and the Cooperative Creamery in Starkville.  Leading up to the Depression years, Sturgis experienced a shrinking of the population.  There were actually less residents living here in 1920 than there were in 1910.  The lure of the big cities, particularly in the North were a big draw, especially for the area's black residents.

Today, there are many events that draw folks to Sturgis.  Along with family get-togethers, there is the annual town reunion, organized by some of the descendants of the early settlers of the county.   This reunion not only takes place in Sturgis, but it also alternates each year  to some of the big cities in the North that families migrated to in the 1940s.  There is also an annual Motorcycle Rally that is very popular.  Over 15,000 attended this year!  Next year's rally will be from 23-25 August 2002.  You can find more information at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Website.   Just south of Sturgis is a large 110,000 acre preserve that brings in those who enjoy the outdoors and wildlife.  To the Southwest, enjoy the beauty and history of the Natchez Trace.  And of course to the Northeast, we have the university town of Starkville, home of Mississippi State University.

I truly hope that everyone gets a chance to go back, at least once to Sturgis and Oktibbeha County, a place that is still fond in our hearts.  My grandmother still says, "Now, there was Mississippi and then there was Oktibbeha", always implying that things were just a little bit different and special around here.  I urge you to go out, talk to some of the oldtimers and strive to preserve some of the area's history that lives on in your family:-))










References:  "Historical Sketches of Oktibbeha County" by Judge Carrol
                   "Sturgis:  A History of the Town and Community" by the Eastern Star Chapter
                    279 of Sturgis, Mississippi


History of Sturgis, Mississippi
Between 1833 and 1835, there were a few people settled in the southwestern part of the county.  It is believed that a Thomas Davis and a Dr J.M. Bond from Abbeville, South Carolina settled in the area around the present day Golden Horn Creek.  Thomas Davis' plantation was comprised of about 3,500 acres, extending into Choctaw and Winston counties.  Even to this day, you will find many of his slaves' descendants still living there, as he was the largest slaveowner in this part of the county.  The first settlement here was the village of Whitefield (pronounced Whitfield) in Section 9, Township 17, Range 12 on land formerly owned by the half-Indian, Lewis White. 

A man by the name of Smith also owned much of the land in the area, as well as a J.P. Woodson, living west of Whitefield.  Near the Big Creek Methodist Church two newcomers to the area, a Lige Ray and Dr. Cotton planned to build a church.  With the help of Mr. Smith, who was a minister, Wake Forest Baptist Church was established about 1840.  It is located about one mile north of Sturgis and is one of the oldest in this part of the county.  Other prominent residents were Dr. Davis and Robert Quinn.

A water mill was operated on the Noxubee River and another mill just into Winston County, called White Mill, was where most of the farmers probably ground their corn and wheat.  There was a third water mill on Red Bank Creek, just over the Choctaw County line.  This mill was operated by the Quinns.

Other early settlers included the Sikes brothers, Henry G, Andy, Richard and Smith, Dan Thomas, Newton Daniel, Felix Shropshire and John Oswalt.  George D. Morgan came from North Carolina in 1845, served in the Civil War and settled around Sturgis.  The Hunt brothers, Pilot, John an McDuff came from Greenville, SC.  Fred Sharp served in the Civil War and lived in Whitefield before moving to the area southeast of Sturgis.

In 1849, William Hannah settled about one mile west of Whitefield.  Quite a few settlers served in the Confederacy, and like elsewhere in the South, times were not easy.  After the war, many farmers had serious difficulties, especially when creditors came to collect overdue debts.  Land was lost and some residents moved on.  During Reconstruction, the first mass Exodus took place out of the county, although many of the former slaves chose to remain in the area.  Quite a few white landowners continued to move West, particularly into Texas.  Many former slaves contracted with their former owners and some were even granted land, which they worked on their own with their extended families.  A large number of former slaves also came from neighboring Winston, Choctaw and Noxubee counties.

In 1884, the business enterprises of Whitefield were the workshop of Joe Cain, the grist mill of Dr. Joe Walker, the dental office and general store of Dr. Bill Edwards; the dry goods and grocery store of Will Neal and Jeff Farron; the post office and general store of Dr. W.J. Barron with apocethary supplies in the back and the Masonic Hall above; and the general store of Abb Harrison.  Physicians in the area included J.W. Edwards, a Civil War veteran, and Dr R.K. Prewitt.

In 1883-1885, the Illinois Central Railroad obtained the rights to operate near Whitefield.  One of the stockholders, a wealthy Mrs. Sturgis from Kentucky, asked that the town be named in her honor.  It was done, but the promised funds never came.  Nonetheless, the town of Sturgis was born.  New businesses were established closer to the depot and the Whitefield business center and post office disappeared.  The Aberdeen-Durant branch of the I.C. Railroad was born.

There were quite a few businesses in town now.  Some were the general store of the Fondren Brothers, Jim Quinn, Jeff and Zeke Barron, Dave and Bill Hunt, Abb Harrison and Semmie Oswalt, Dr. Bill Edwards' dry goods store and W.J. Barron's drug store and Masonic Lodge.  Mr Jim Smith ran a boarding house and blacksmith shop.  The brothers Glaceran from Jackson, MS established one of the largest stores in town.  One brother, G.E. Galceran was mayor for a long time.

Peter Quinn was another early settler.  He was a soldier in the Mexican War and a captain in the Civil War.  He was sherriff of Oktibbeha county from 1878-1880.  N.Q. Adams was a Baptist minister preaching at rural churches in this county as well as the surrounding counties for forty or more years.  He was a lieutenant in the Civil War and lost his left arm in the battle of Atlanta, GA.

Sturgis even had two newspapers, in 1884 Henry H. Sikes edited "The Sturgis Record" that lasted about two years.  In 1909, Osie F. Turner established "The Search Light" which ran about a year.  J.S. Foreshand published the "Sturgis Enterprise" for a few months in 1916. 

Sturgis also had some bad luck.  On March 30, 1884 a terrific cyclone destroyed much of the property in the area, one of which was the Presbyterian Church which was rebuilt a year later.  In 1903, a fire left only one business standing, that of Dave E. Rainey.  Modern facilities were then added and more businesses came to town.   In November 1918 and in January 1919 two large and frightening influenza epidemics broke out.  Then, in 1925, the fiery demon broke out once again and left the landscape bare.  The frame buildings were then replaced with brick.

Merchants at the turn of the century included Miss Eliza Hunt, S.P. Morgan, J.B. Drane, J.A. McKinnon, Tom Shropshire, A.L. Livingston, Coy N. Sharp, Miss Cain Hannah, W.F. Gore, H.B. Chandler and A.V. Frazier.  There was also E. Turner's blacksmith shop, Roy Hunt's barber shop, and a garage and filling station of Melbourne Edwards, M. Smith, J.H. Alexander and R.C. Belk.  The telephone exchange was operated by Mrs. Jim Kolb.   A.V. Frazier also had a cream station and grist mill.  Mrs Tommie A. Hamill was the postmaster and Marshall Barron and Mart Ray were the mail carriers.

The few large plantations and farms of the areas turned into many smaller farms.  With the coming of the boll-weevil, it was not financially smart to continue with large scale cotton farming, so the emphasis was moved to dairy farming.  Milk was trucked twice daily to Borden's Plant and the Cooperative Creamery in Starkville.  Leading up to the Depression years, Sturgis experienced a shrinking of the population.  There were actually less residents living here in 1920 than there were in 1910.  The lure of the big cities, particularly in the North were a big draw, especially for the area's black residents.

Today, there are many events that draw folks to Sturgis.  Along with family get-togethers, there is the annual town reunion, organized by some of the descendants of the early settlers of the county.   This reunion not only takes place in Sturgis, but it also alternates each year  to some of the big cities in the North that families migrated to in the 1940s.  There is also an annual Motorcycle Rally that is very popular.  Over 15,000 attended this year!  Next year's rally will be from 23-25 August 2002.  You can find more information at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Website.   Just south of Sturgis is a large 110,000 acre preserve that brings in those who enjoy the outdoors and wildlife.  To the Southwest, enjoy the beauty and history of the Natchez Trace.  And of course to the Northeast, we have the university town of Starkville, home of Mississippi State University.

I truly hope that everyone gets a chance to go back, at least once to Sturgis and Oktibbeha County, a place that is still fond in our hearts.  My grandmother still says, "Now, there was Mississippi and then there was Oktibbeha", always implying that things were just a little bit different and special around here.  I urge you to go out, talk to some of the oldtimers and strive to preserve some of the area's history that lives on in your family:-))










References:  "Historical Sketches of Oktibbeha County" by Judge Carrol
                   "Sturgis:  A History of the Town and Community" by the Eastern Star Chapter
                    279 of Sturgis, Mississippi


This page was last updated on: March 9, 2002

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The main street through Sturgis, looking West towards Ackerman in Choctaw County.
The Early History of the Area Surrounding the Tombigbee River!
Coming Soon!