This week we come to you from one of Mississippi’s most livable cities and a certified retirement community. We are in the Hinds County Town of Clinton.

The first settlement was founded in 1805 at the junction of the Natchez Trace and Old Vicksburg Road. One of the more prominent settlers was Walter Leake; who would later become the third governor of Mississippi. He built a home and called it Mount Salus, meaning mountain of health. The community adopted this name for some time until it was up for consideration as the capital of Mississippi and they changed the name to Clinton in honor of New York governor Dewitt Clinton. But in 1929 Clinton was defeated in its bid to become the state capital by one vote.

But defeat was secondary. During the 1830's Clinton experienced a building boom, which qualified it as the third largest city in Mississippi.

Today, Clinton continues to be known for its excellent business climate, outstanding educational opportunities and a location that combines metropolitan convenience with historic charm.

Clinton’s historic Old Towne district is sprinkled with book stores, antique and specialty shops and of course its brick streets. It’s a great place to spend a relaxing afternoon.

In our first story we meet a Clinton quartet that takes its name from these same brick streets here in Clinton. The Brick Street Barbershop Quartet has been performing since November, 1996. The group was formed with Tommy Steadman, tenor; Greg Gibson, lead; Dwayne Cooper, baritone; and Brad Feaster, bass. In 2000, Dwayne moved to Texas and was replaced by Bill Bacon. In 2001, Tommy stepped out of the quartet and was replaced by Rob Robbins.

With over 30 years of combined barbershop experience, Brick Street provides quality entertainment guaranteed to make you laugh - and make you groan. Available for corporate outings, anniversaries birthday parties, bar mitzvahs and dog washes, the quartet receives most of its local publicity through its Singing Valentines program. The quartet has performed shows throughout the Southeastern United States.

Education has always been a priority for Clinton residents. Years ago, the city was nicknamed the Athens of Mississippi for its many educational academies and colleges. Today, Clinton is proud to be the home of Mississippi College, the oldest institute of higher learning in Mississippi. M.C. was founded in 1826 and was the first co-educational college in the country to graduate a woman.

In our next story, we visit some land owned by Mississippi College that was once home to a World War II POW camp in the area. We delve inside the history of the camp and uncover some fascinating stories about the prisoners and also the Americans who worked there.

Located on thirty-two acres of wooded land near the Old Towne District, the Clinton Nature Center features hundreds of labeled trees and shrubs plus a two mile nature trail and butterfly garden. The property even encompasses portions of the original Natchez Trace. Visitors can experience the forest as it was seen by Native Americans three centuries ago and by Andrew Jackson’s men almost 180 years ago.

And speaking of Andrew Jackson; in our next story we visit the old courthouse attic in Vicksburg; which holds many stories from the Civil War era, on this weeks edition of Walt’s Way.

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