We ease on down the road to southwest Mississippi to the oldest settlement in Amite County; we are in the county seat of Liberty.
http://amitecounty200.com/
Probably the most recognizable name to come out of Liberty Mississippi is that of country comedian Jerry Clower. He was born here in 1926 and released his first album in 1970. In 1973 he became a member of the Grand Ole Opry. He continued spinning his humorous tales about Marcel Ledbetter and the gang and perfecting his craft with live performances and recordings about his Mississippi roots until he passed away in 1998.
Today you can visit the Jerry Clower Museum in Liberty to get an idea of how popular and humorous this Liberty legend had become. The museum is open Monday through Friday 8:30 to 3:00 by appointment only.
In our first segment we introduce you to another Liberty resident who has been working hard to perfect his chosen form of art.
Berry Creek Bowls are hand-chopped bowls, custom-made from southern hardwoods such as pecan, cherry, cypress, poplar, magnolia, beech, wild plum, sweet bay, and elm, just to name a few!
Robbie Robertson who makes the bowls harvest downed timber, allowing the wood to dry and season for months before crafting a bowl using an adz and a hatchet. Once the bowls are chopped, they are air-dried slowly for weeks, then sanded to a silky-smooth finish and hand-rubbed with food-safe Danish oil, a special blend that creates that soft sheen of yesterday’s antiques. Because these bowls aren’t machine-made on a lathe, they don’t have that “manufactured” look, but instead are full of character.
http://berrycreekbowls.com/
The Confederate monument in Liberty was erected in 1871. It was the first in the state of Mississippi and among the first in the nation to honor the Confederate soldiers who died during the Civil War. The statue is inscribed with the 279 Amite county men who lost their lives during the War Between the States.
In our next story, we introduce you to a decorated World War II veteran who has many honors of his own.
Imagine lying in a hospital bed recovering from the effects of a grenade exploding underneath you, and being grateful the second one in your hand did not go off. You remember that you had just turned 17 five days before you hit the beach at Iwo Jima, and that you had jumped on two grenades to save the lives of four other Marines in your company. Most of all, you remember that you are very lucky to still be alive.
Now, imagine being selected as the youngest soldier in Marine Corp history to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor. That’s the true story of Captain Jack H. Lucas, of Hattiesburg. A true American hero if there ever was one. He’s quick to tell you he’s no hero, and that there are many others that deserve the honor more than him. Today, he proudly wears the Medal of Honor to show respect for his country, and the Marine Corp, but, most importantly, to honor the memory of all those who never came home.
http://www.homeofheroes.com/jacklucas/3_mcl_story.html
In 1853, Rev. Milton S. Shirk came to Liberty from New York State. He was with the Baptist Association and came as an educator.
Rev. Shirk started the Amite Female Academy with his own funds. He built three buildings joining the school. They housed pupils, teachers and a music building.
The Civil War started in 1861. In 1863, a small detachment of Union soldiers came to Liberty to pillage it. The school was torched, 11 pianos were burned and the music room was to be next.
The Union Commander, Colonel John Scott was to give the order. He looked up, saw Rev. Shirk who stood by watching his school bum, and said, "Oh, Goodness, I know you. We were classmates".
So the order to torch The Little Red School House was never given. It was the only building left standing and serves as a museum in the town of Liberty.
In our next story, we introduce you to an Amite County man who prides himself in creating and preserving a few things of his own.
One of the two most likely places you’ll find Kenneth Kennedy is out in his workshop carving fishing lures, or either out on the lake trying them out. It’s a combination of a couple of passions of Kenneth’s. His love for wooden lures includes a collection of sure enough old lures. Although a fresh lure several decades old still in the box may be more valuable, they’re not Kenneth’s favorite. But the point of all of this carving and sanding and painting and stuff isn’t so much to catch fish, it’s to make life fulfilling.
The Amite County courthouse was erected in 1841. It is the oldest courthouse in continuous use in the state of Mississippi. It was built primarily with the use of slave labor at a cost of approximately $4,000 in 1840. Amite County was created in 1809 thus in 2009 they are planning a huge bicentennial celebration to mark this landmark event. So stay tuned for more information on the festivities.
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