Bill Text: MS SC510 | 2017 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Recognize 150th Anniversary Celebration of Incorporation of Town of Terry, Mississippi.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-2)
Status: (Passed) 2017-01-31 - Enrolled Bill Signed [SC510 Detail]
Download: Mississippi-2017-SC510-Enrolled.html
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2017 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Blount, Dearing, Fillingane, Frazier, Kirby, Simmons (12th), Barnett, Jackson (32nd)
Senate Concurrent Resolution 510
(As Adopted by Senate and House)
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION CONGRATULATING AND EXTENDING THE GREETINGS OF THE LEGISLATURE ON THE OCCASION OF THE SESQUICENTENNIAL (150TH) ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION OF THE INCORPORATION OF THE TOWN OF TERRY, MISSISSIPPI.
WHEREAS, Terry, Mississippi, is celebrating its 150th Anniversary, a great occasion in the life of the community and its officials and citizens; and
WHEREAS, the area that would eventually become known as "Terry" was first settled in 1811 by settlers from Virginia. Terry as a town was established in 1856 when the railroad was built through that part of the state. W.D. (Bill) Terry donated land for the town site with the provision that it be named for him. He gave land for the school and churches and built his home there in the early 1840s about one mile west of the present townsite. His home served as the first stagecoach stop on Jackson Road. Terry was formerly known as New Town, being located a short distance north of the present site; and
WHEREAS, for a number of years, Terry was the home of Albert Gallatin Brown, the 14th Governor of Mississippi. Governor Brown was considered progressive for his time in that he was instrumental in the establishment of public education and mental health treatment. Brown Street in Terry is named in his honor. Governor Brown organized Brown's Rebels during the Civil War, taking them to Virginia. Before the soldiers left they were presented with a flag by Miss Margaret Green; the flag was accepted by Lieutenant Willard Seavey, the first Commissioned Officer to be killed in the ranks of the Confederacy, dying in the initial Battle of Manassas; and
WHEREAS, perhaps one of the most notable efforts of modern times is the reclamation of the Terry Depot. The Depot was built by the Illinois Central Railroad in the early 1880s and was moved from Terry to Parham Bridges Park in Jackson in the 1950s. A group called the Friends of Terry was formed, whose mission, among others, was the reclamation of the Terry Depot. In the early 1990s the Friends of Terry, with the assistance of the Hinds County Board of Supervisors, were successful in bringing the Depot building back to Terry. The Friends of Terry have conducted a number of fundraising efforts toward the continued restoration of the Depot to its original splendor; and
WHEREAS, the first church to be erected in New Town was the Friendship Baptist Church, which moved to Terry when the town was established. The Church of the Good Shepherd (Episcopal) was erected in 1859, having been organized in 1856 as Zion Church but when the building was dedicated the name was changed; and
WHEREAS, the Simpson Mercantile Company is credited with the promotion of the Truck Crop Industry in Terry, that started in 1910. It was said that as early as 1872 Dr. Goodlet raised the first tomatoes in that area, shipping them to New Orleans; and
WHEREAS, Terry is the birthplace of influential Blues Musician Tommy Johnson, who had claimed to have sold his soul to the devil at a secluded Mississippi crossroads in exchange for fame and fortune. This legend was later popularized by its attribution to Bluesman Robert Johnson. Terry was the adopted home of Luster Willis, a Folk-Art Painter whose works were in such demand for collectors of "outsider art" that he drew copies by tracing the images from plexiglass; and
WHEREAS, the Terry Headlight Newspaper was named for the Head family, who operated a pharmacy downtown for generations, and was the town's newspaper for many years. With the growth in the community, it was decided that the town was in need of a publication that informed residents specifically about business services available and other happenings in Terry, and in June 2010, the first issue of the Terry News Community Newspaper began monthly publication; and
WHEREAS, there are two parks in Terry. The Village Square located on Cunningham Avenue, and also the Community Center. The County Park is located on Morgan Drive, but is within the corporate limits of the town. The County Park was spearheaded by Terry's Hinds County Supervisor George Smith; and
WHEREAS, Terry is proud of its heritage and service to the community and to the State of Mississippi, and it is with great pride that we join the local officials of Terry in celebrating the pioneers, planners and citizens of this progressive area as it continues to move forward:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby congratulate and extend the greetings of the Legislature on the occasion of the Sesquicentennial (150th) Anniversary Celebration of the Incorporation of the Town of Terry, Mississippi.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to Mayor Joseph O. Kendrick, Jr., be displayed in the Terry Community Center and forwarded to the Board of Aldermen of Terry, and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.
