Solve the Mystery

In each issue of Mississippi Farm Country is a Mystery Photo. Everyone who solves the mystery will have his or her name entered into a drawing for a weekend getaway at a Mississippi Bed and Breakfast Inn sponsored by Farm Bureau. When all correct guesses have been received, we will randomly draw 20 names. These 20 names will receive a prize and have their entry placed in the hat twice for the drawing at the end of the year. This procedure is to accomodate members who receive their magazine at a later date than others. Families may submit only one entry. Federation staff members or their families are ineligible to participate in this contest. Good luck!

Answer the question correctly and you will qualify for the random drawing that determines our top twenty winners. You will also qualify for the bed and breakfast drawing at the end of the year.

This month's mystery

Our mystery town is located near Hattiesburg in Forrest County. The first American settlers arrived here in the early 1800s, drawn by logging and farming opportunities. Until recent years, agriculture was a major industry. Today, the retail and service sectors are booming.
Our mystery town is named for the infant daughter of the first postmaster. The child died at the age of two of diphtheria. No other town in the United States has this name.

Name this town.

Here are your clues from the magazine:

Our mystery town, which was incorporated in 1974, boasts 10,574 residents. Many of them are descendants of the original settlers. This town is a close and caring community, and its motto is “The Friendly City.”

Our mystery town is committed to education and to providing citizens with a family-friendly environment. It was the first town in the United States to offer Excel by 5, a program that works with children from birth to age five, encouraging them to learn. The town has a top-ranked school district and the only dedicated dyslexia school, privately owned, in the state of Mississippi.

Our mystery town offers plenty of parks and recreational opportunities for both kids and adults. It is home to the Robert E. Russell Sports Complex (City Park) and a $7.3-million football stadium that will celebrate its third anniversary in August. The town boasts a Veterans Walk of Honor located in a park behind the Library/Civic Center/Chamber of Commerce Building. It also has its own YMCA.

Our mystery town is the hometown of football legend Ray Perkins; Washington Redskins safety Tom Walters; and Jerry Edwards, retired executive vice president of The Home Depot. It is the home of photographer, musician and motivational speaker Vaughn Wilson, who has published a book, entitled “Tell Me about that Horse: Stories from Exceptional People about Treasured Horses.”

From 1979 to 2007, this town was home to the International Checkers Hall of Fame. The building burned in 2007, but citizens are working to restore it. The town is also home to Snap Cookie bakery and shipping facilities and to Red Maple Gifts, which is housed in one of the town’s oldest homes.

Name this town.

To enter the contest:

Write your answer on a piece of paper and include your name, address and phone number. Send your entry to:


Solve the Mystery Contest
Attn: Glynda Phillips, Editor
P. O. Box 1972
Jackson, MS 39215-1972

Or you may e-mail your entry to farmcountry@msfb.org.

Deadline for entries is May 31.