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All around the nation, whether it be the only road, or the 271st, every town city has a Main Street that defines it. Usually, Main Street is just a road or just a name for a place that doesn’t have a specific Main Street. But in Simpson County, Main Street is more than the name of a road. Main Street in Mendenhall is what binds the city of 2,199 together.
At the north end, Main Street starts at an intersection with Circle Drive, by Mendenhall High School. Next, it splits around the magnificent Simpson County Courthouse, and then down the economic center of Mendenhall, where historical places such as Stephens and the Alice Davis Park. Crossing the railroad tracks, you see the old Revolving Table Hotel, which was once a major attraction well known throughout the area. You then cross Sellers Creek, which is a major waterway through the city of Mendenhall, then you pass the Mendenhall Sports Complex.
Proceeding south, you will pass Main Street Baptist Church, founded in June 1966 by former members of Mendenhall FBC. Main Street keeps proceeding to an intersection with Peacock Road. If you turn left, you’ll head towards Macedonia Baptist Church, while right sends you to Highway 13. You then cross the Rials Creek bridge, and then just 2 more miles south, Main Street “ends” at an intersection with Boggan Ridge Road.
If you notice, I used quotes around the word “ends.” This is because Main Street does not stop at the end of the pavement. When Main Street Baptist was founded, it brought a sense of unity to people who lived that far south of Mendenhall. It gave them a place to gather, and a big community was built around the church, and is still there today with people on Main Street, Green Avenue, and Downs Avenue.
If you don’t visit Mendenhall much, I suggest you at least make the trip down Main Street, and at least experience the beauty and community of this Simpson County Road.
By Andy Baeuerle
MageeNews.com is an online news source serving Simpson and surrounding counties as well as the State of Mississippi.
I’ve recently moved to Mendenhall and I love this place. I’m able to walk to Main Street from my house. I feel like I live in Mayberry.