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77 lines
3.1 KiB
77 lines
3.1 KiB
<html>
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<head>
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<title>History of the Olive Branch Area</title>
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<base target="_self">
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<link rel=stylesheet href=/styles/chamber.css type=text/css>
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</head>
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<body>
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<div class="title">
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History of the Olive Branch Area
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<hr>
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</div>
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<div class="intro">
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What a unique name, you say... And you're right! Only one other<br>
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community in the United States has the name, Olive Branch.
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</div>
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<br>
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<div>
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<table width="299" border=0 align="right">
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<tr><td>
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<img src="graphics/36b.jpg" width="299" height="194"
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alt="The Wesson House (circa 1885-1890)" border=0>
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</td></tr>
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<tr><td>
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<span class="caption">
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The restored Wesson House (circa 1885-90), home of Olive Branch's
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first Mayor B.F. Wesson, anchors the downtown area. It is designated
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Mississippi Landmark and is available for a variety of community uses.
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</span>
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</td></tr>
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</table>
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<p>
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Like many other cities, Olive Branch had a different name when it was
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first founded near where several old Chickasaw Indian Trails crossed.
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It was originally called Watson's Crossroad. Then, in 1846, when the
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first Post Office was established, Mrs. Frances Wilson Blocker - a
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descendant of one of the community's founders - suggested the name Olive
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Branch. She thought, it is said, that the new name symbolized a dove
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bringing a Branch to the seagoing Noah.
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<p>
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Whatever the reason for her choice, the name was informally adopted by
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the 185 residents. On May 1, 1874 Olive Branch was incorporated as a
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town and on March 6, 1888 it progressed to Village status.
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<p>
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But there was a lot of history before Olive Branch was formally named.
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Mississippi had become a State on December 10, 1817. Until then it had
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been known as Mississippi Territory and included what is now Alabama.
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<p>
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Fourteen years before the Olive Branch Post Office opened, President
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Andrew Jackson was just beginning his second term. He decided that
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extensive Indian-held land east of the Mississippi River should be given
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to frontier settlers for clearing and farming so he dispatched General
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John Coffee to northern Mississippi. General Coffee's assignment was to
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persuade the Chickasaw Indians to sell some of their land. He succeeded
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when in October, 1832 the tribal chieftains signed the Pontotoc Treaty
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which allowed them to keep certain designated lands. The remainder was
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opened to settlers.
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<div class="left">
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<p>
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<b>A Spanish Explorer Leaves His Mark...</b><br>
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Seventeen counties were created soon after the Treaty including, in 1836,
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DeSoto County. The name was derived from the famous Spanish explorer
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Hernando DeSoto. And Hernando, Mississippi became the DeSoto County Seat.
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</div>
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<br clear=all>
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<div class="footer">
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<hr>
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<a href="page.php3?content=location"><img src="nav.php3?label=PREV" alt=prev border=0 align=left></a>
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<a href="page.php3?content=about"><img src="nav.php3?label=NEXT" alt=next border=0 align=right></a>
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All page contents are the properties of their respective owners<br>
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All questions & comments should be directed to:
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<a href=mailto:webmaster@olivebranchms.com>webmaster@olivebranchms.com</a><br>
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