Walls, Mississippi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Walls, Mississippi | |
| Nickname: Where the Delta Meets the Bluff | |
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| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | Mississippi |
| County | DeSoto |
| Town | 2003 |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Gene Alday |
| Population (2005 estimate) | |
| - City | 452 |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| Website: http://www.townofwalls.com | |
Walls, is a town located in northwest DeSoto County, Mississippi near the Mississippi River, part of the larger region known as “The Delta”, and known for its rich, dark soil.
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[edit] History
A relatively young community, Walls was originally named Alpika, an old Chickasaw Indian word. The name was changed to Walls in 1906.
Walls was named after Captain June Walls who served in the War Between the States. Captain Walls was an early settler and merchant of the region in the 1880s.
The historic trail of Hernando de Soto leads through DeSoto County to Walls.
Today, Walls is a community rich in agriculture. Cotton, soybeans, rice and corn are planted each spring. The railroad played a big part in the growth of the area in the early to mid 1900s. The mechanical revolution of the 1950’s and 60’s changed Walls. With the advent of tractors and modern farming equipment, the face of this community was changed forever.
The town is home to noted blues singer Memphis Minnie, who came from Algiers, Louisiana to play the Memphis Beale Street circuit in 1904. She won top female vocalist in the first Blue’s Unlimited Reader’s Poll in 1973. In 1980, she was elected to the Hall of Fame at the inaugural W.C. Handy Awards. Memphis Minnie died August 6, 1973 and is buried in New Hope Cemetery in Walls. Her headstone was made possible by contributions from Bonnie Raitt and John Fogerty.
A significant part of the community is the Sacred Heart League, operator of the Sacred Heart School in Walls. The league raised funds through the sale of a famous statue of Jesus Christ. In the 1960’s, the statue could be found on the dashboards of vehicles across America.
The Town of Walls, which has been a community since the early 1900s, is inexorably connected to the tiny village of Memphis which was incorporated in the early 1970s and is located just south of the Walls community. In 2003, the Village of Memphis annexed a large portion of the Walls area, thereby giving the Town of Walls the official status of a municipality. Today Walls is experiencing a population and economic resurgence under the leadership of the Mayor and Board of Aldermen.[1]
[edit] Geography
[edit] Demographics
[edit] Education
The Town of Walls is served by the DeSoto County School District.
[edit] Secondary Schools
[edit] Elementary Schools
- Walls Elementary
[edit] Future Development
Riverbend Crossing in DeSoto County to include a 200-acre MGM entertainment district, three hotels, four golf courses, a 600-acre lake, 6,750 single family houses and 2,750 multi-family housing units including townhouses, apartments and condominiums; and a 300-acre technology/light industrial park.[2]
[edit] References
1. http://www.townofwalls.com
2. http://www.memphisdailynews.com/Editorial/StoryFocus.aspx?&id=90813
[edit] External links
- Town of Walls, Town of Walls Official Website
- DeSoto County Schools
- Go DeSoto, DeSoto County's premier online community portal
- http://www.desotoms.com, official DeSoto County website
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
