Prairie, Mississippi
Unincorporated community in Mississippi, United States
33°47′48″N 88°40′03″W / 33.79667°N 88.66750°W / 33.79667; -88.6675039756[1]
Prairie, (formerly known as Prairie Station), is an unincorporated community in Monroe County, Mississippi, United States.[2]
Prairie is located west of Aberdeen on Mississippi Highway 382.[2]
History
Prairie is located along the Kansas City Southern Railway and was incorporated in 1908. It was disincorporated at an unknown date.[3]
In 1900, Prairie had a population of 122.[4]
A post office operated under the name Prairie Station from 1860 to 1895 and began operating under the name Prairie in 1895.[5]
Prairie is served by the Prairie Community Center.[6]
The Lenoir Plantation is located outside of Prairie and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is the only surviving example of a Classical Revival home in Mississippi. The home was the site of a skirmish between Union Army soldiers under the command of George E. Waring Jr. and Confederate forces during the American Civil War.[7]
Gulf Ordnance Plant
From 1942 to 1945, Prairie was the site of the Gulf Ordnance Plant, one of the largest ammunition manufacturing plants of World War II. The plant was managed by Procter and Gamble. Up to 10,000 workers—mostly women—were employed at the plant, which manufactured 20, 40, 57, and 67 millimeter shells, rocket launchers, 100-pound bombs and naval tracer ammunition.[8]
During World War II, the ordnance plant was the second-largest employer in the state, behind the Ingalls Shipyard.[9]
The plant was abandoned following the war. Mississippi State University runs an experimental cattle ranch on part of the former plant, while the rest lies in ruins.[10]
Notable people
- Ezekiel C. Gathings, member of the United States House of Representatives from 1939 to 1969[11]
- James Gilreath, pop singer[12]
- William G. Roberds, justice on the Supreme Court of Mississippi from 1940 to 1960[13]
References
- ^ "Prairie ZIP Code". zipdatamaps.com. 2022. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
- ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Prairie
- ^ Howe, Tony. "Prairie, Mississippi". Mississippi Rails. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
- ^ Rowland, Dunbar (1907). Mississippi: Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form (PDF). Vol. 2. Southern Historical Publishing Association. p. 463.
- ^ "Monroe County". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
- ^ "Community Centers". www.monroems.com. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
- ^ "The Lenoir Plantation". hmdb.org. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
- ^ "Gulf Ordnance Plant". hmdb.org. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
- ^ Wilson, Chris (July 22, 2005). "Former police chief chronicles history of Gulf Ordnance Plant". Daily Journal. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
- ^ Woodrick, Jim (June 6, 2012). "The Gulf Ordnance Plant". Andspeakinofwhich.
- ^ Morgan, Sam. "Ezekiel Candler "Took" Gathings (1903–1979)". encyclopediaofarkansas.net. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
- ^ "James Gilreath and His Only Hit "Little Band of Gold"". mentalitch.com. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
- ^ "Ex-Justice Roberds Succumbs". The Biloxi Sun Herald. Associated Press. July 19, 1963. p. 1.
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Municipalities and communities of Monroe County, Mississippi, United States
County seat: Aberdeen
communities
‡This town also has portions in adjacent county or counties
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