Purvis

							Purvis, Mississippi
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                  Purvis, Mississippi
                       — City —




               Location of Purvis, Mississippi
   Coordinates:    31°8′33″N 89°24′28″W / 31.1425°N
            89.40778°W / 31.1425; -89.40778
        Country          United States
         State           Mississippi
        County           Lamar
Government
      - Mayor            Roger H. Herrin [1]
                         Ward 1: Nancy Pylant
                         Ward 2: Vernon Hartfield
       - Alderman        Ward 3: Allen Stuart
                         Ward 4: John W. Jordan
                         At-Large: Milton Bourn
     - State Senator     Tom King (R)
   - State Delegate      Joey Fillingane (R)
       - U.S. Rep.       Gene Taylor (D)
Area
         - Total         3.9 sq mi (10.2 km2)
         - Land          3.9 sq mi (10.2 km2)
        - Water          0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation                387 ft (118 m)
Population (2000)
       - Total           2,164
      - Density          551.0/sq mi (212.8/km2)
       Time zone         Central (CST) (UTC-6)
   - Summer (DST)        CDT (UTC-5)
      ZIP code           39475
     Area code(s)        601
      FIPS code          28-60480
   GNIS feature ID       0676425




Current Lamar County Courthouse in Purvis, Mississippi, circa 1956.

Purvis is a city in Lamar County, Mississippi, United States. It is part of the Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,164 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of
Lamar County[1]. The Town of Purvis was incorporated on February 25th, 1888 [2] and was
founded by and named after Thomas Melville Purves, originally of Marion County, Alabama.
Purves, born March 8th, 1820 was a second generation Scottish-American whose grandfather
immigrated to Charleston, South Carolina in 1765. [3]




   [edit] History
Purves acquired a land grant in 1870 for a parcel of real estate which was located, at that time, in
Marion County, Mississippi. [4] In 1871, Purves moved from his home in Greene County and
homesteaded the 160 acres, along with his wife, Dorothy Abney, born May 14, 1826 in Hinds
County, and their five surviving children, to the rural property. Dorothy, also known as Dollie or
Dolly, was a doctor who tended the sick of the area and delivered babies. Purves built a two
room log cabin for his family with an open fireplace in one room used for cooking and heating.
John, Thomas Purves’ third surviving child, was the town’s first Mayor. [5]
Bust of Purvis' Founder, Thomas Melvill Purves, sculpted by W.N. Beckwith in 1989. See
Historic Purvis Depot to left.

Thomas and Dorothy’s children are as follows:

      Joseph Abney Purvis born 10/28/1845, died 1865 in Jasper County, MS on the way home
       from the Civil War with a case of the measles. Buried in Fillingame Cemetery, Purvis,
       MS.
      Sarah Elizabeth Purvis, born 12/18/1847, died 10/28/90 in Purvis. Buried in cemetery
       next to Methodist Church. Married Andrew J. Clark born about 1850, died about 1890.
      John Boardman Purvis, born 4/2/1850, died 1/15/1921 in Purvis, MS. Buried in Coaltown
       Cemetery, Purvis, MS. Married Nancy Baxter born about 1850, died about 1940.
      Oliver Searcy Purvis, born 6/12/1852, died 4/22/1927 in Purvis, MS.
      Susan Margaret Purvis, born 10/26/1853, died 6/27/1930 in Purvis, MS. Buried in
       Coaltown Cemetery. Married Plummer Ladner, born about 1850, died about 1925.
      Martha Catherine Purvis, born 11/18/1862, died 11/15/1948 in Purvis, MS. Buried in
       Coaltown Cemetery. Married Henry W. Fillingame born about 1850, died about 1930.
      Infant Purvis born about 1850, died about 1860.
      Infant Purvis born about 1850. [6]

In 1884, the New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad gained right-of-way on Purves’ property and a
depot was erected, along with a marker, reading “Purvis”. [7] There were various recognized
spellings of Scottish Clan Purves_(Family_Name) with the two names previously listed being only
a few of many. Purves eventually changed the spelling of his surname to match the town’s depot
marker which you can see evidenced on his tombstone located in Fillingame Cemetery in Purvis.
Purves built and ran the first boarding house for the men who were working on laying rails for the
New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad. This building was called a “section house” because that is
what a house built for railroad crew was termed at that time.[8] Mrs. Anna Bufkin was a member
of one of the first families to live in the section house as her husband was one that helped grade
and build that part of the railroad in Purvis. There were around fifty men in the crew working in
that area and the water supply was inadequate for that many additional people. They found a
second source of water from a spring across the railroad track that was originally used by
Thomas Purves (Grandpa Purvis) years before the town sprang into existence. [9]




                 Historic Purvis Depot. Moved
New Lamar County from original location beside         Purvis War Memorial,
                                                                                 Close up of War
Courthouse.                                            located on the grounds
                 railroad tracks to current                                      Memorial
                                                       of the Lamar County
                 location beside Purvis Public                                   engraving.
                                                       Courthouse.
                 Library.

Lamar became a county on February 19th, 1904 in House Bill 166 and was formed from the
second Judicial District of Marion County. The county was named after the Honorable L.Q.C.
Lamar, who was elected to Mississippi Congress in 1872 and has one county each in Mississippi,
Alabama and Georgia named after him. The town of Purvis was designated as the county seat of
the county Lamar with the depot of the New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad listed as the town’s
center and the lines to run with the cardinal points of the compass. [10]


Purvis began as a sawmill town and is noted to be located on the highest point on the Southern
Railroad between Meridian and New Orleans by James Bounds, land surveyor, MS REG #
L.S.1021.[11] The first homesteaders of the area farmed and would only have to make 2-3 trips
to “town” for supplies a year. The best route and the trading post most used was the Pass Christian
trading post, some ninety miles south of the area which took eleven days in ox-cart to travel.[12]
Mr. James Bounds, surveyor, also states: “It may be of interest to note the location of the old
Pass Christian Road on a map of Stone and Pearl River Counties. This road was used very much
by the early settlers of Lamar County to travel south to the coast for supplies. This road followed
a natural divide between the water-sheds of Wolf River and Big Black Creek, of which the head
waters originate in Lamar County. This road was one of necessity. It crossed no branches or
streams of any kind and was one of the main roads of travel until modern means of transportation
came into use after the Civil War.”[13]


When the town was in its infancy, lumber companies bought large tracts of virgin pine forested
land and erected sawmills at sites along the newly developing rail line. Thus the town was born.
A special meeting of the board of supervisors was held in January, 1905, for the purpose of giving
a contract for a new courthouse to be built for the sum of $43,516 to P.H. Weathers (architect) of
Jackson, Mississippi. This beautiful new two-story brick and stone building would replace the
frame courthouse that in use at the time.[14] The new Lamar County Courthouse was completed in
1905 at a cost of $50,000 only to be damaged by the 1908 Dixie tornado outbreak, then
subsequently demolished by fire in 1934. The building was reconstructed and then expanded in
1956 but has fallen into disrepair in the last few years. [15] According to Lamar County
Administrator Chuck Bennett on December 30th, 2008, the courthouse is slated for a complete
renovation that could cost up to 4 million dollars and could take up to four years to complete.
Preliminary work began in 2006 and some items have already been paid-in-full, such as
engineering services and an asbestos study.[16]

[edit] Geography
Purvis is located at 31°8′33″N 89°24′28″W / 31.1425°N 89.40778°W / 31.1425; -89.40778
(31.142616, -89.407724)[17].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.9 square miles
(10.2 km²), of which, 3.9 square miles (10.2 km²) of it is land and 0.25% is water. Because of a
well known system of aquifers and sand mines, this area was selected for "project dribble" to be
the site of nuclear tests by the US government during 1961 to 1968 to measure seismic activity.

[edit] Climate

Purvis is located in the Deep South, in a humid subtropical area of the country with hot summers
and mild winters. Located in USDA Hardiness Zone 8, the climate supports a large variety of
foliage and plants. Purvis receives about 62 inches of rain annually, January being the wettest
month averaging 6.63 inches, which provides for the lush growth of native plants and trees.
January is also the coldest month of the year with an average temperature of 60 degrees during
the daytime and 36 degrees at night.

Summers are long with 80 degree temperatures beginning in May or sometimes sooner and
lasting normally until the first weeks of October. Night temperatures do not usually vary greatly
from daytime temperatures, usually dropping only 21 -24 degrees. Heat indexes can soar during
the summer months due to high humidity and long hours of sunshine, causing a 93 degree day to
feel as if it were 101 degrees. Afternoon showers and thunderstorms are to be expected during
summer months but are often short lived. July is, on average, the hottest month of the year at 92
degrees, without counting the varying heat index.

Snowfall is rare and when it does occur it usually is only 3 inches or less. Purvis averages
freezing temperatures only a few times a winter. The record high was in 1951 at 106 degrees and
the record low as in 1985 at 4 degrees.[18]

[edit] Major Highways

         Interstate 59
         US 11 (MS)
         Mississippi Highway 589

Purvis is part of the area known as the Pine Belt (Mississippi) due to overwhelming number of
longleaf pine trees that populate the forests.


[edit] Demographics
As of the census[19] of 2000, there were 2,164 people, 786 households, and 577 families residing
in the city. The population density was 551.0 people per square mile (212.6/km²). There were 844
housing units at an average density of 214.9/sq mi (82.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was
70.84% White, 27.68% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.23% from other
races, and 0.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.06% of the
population.

There were 786 households out of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with
them, 48.2% were married couples living together, 20.2% had a female householder with no
husband present, and 26.5% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of
individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average
household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.16.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.6% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24,
27.2% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The
median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 90.8 males. For every 100 females
age 18 and over, there were 82.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,938, and the median income for a family
was $35,000. Males had a median income of $27,571 versus $17,500 for females. The per capita
income for the city was $13,727. About 11.3% of families and 14.6% of the population were
below the poverty line, including 20.0% of those under age 18 and 13.6% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Education
The Purvis School System’s mascot is a tornado as a testament of the courage of those who
endured the Tornadoes of 1908, which changed the face of the emerging town, and in honor of
those who lost their lives that day. The city of Purvis is serviced by the Lamar County School
District which includes the following:

      Purvis Lower Elementary School K-2
      Purvis Upper Elementary School 3-5
      Purvis Middle School 6-8
      Purvis High School 9-12

Private Schools include:
      Lamar Christian School
      Bass Memorial Academy




[edit] Noteworthy Facts
[edit] Military Contributions




Marker dedicating the Purvis City Park to those who served in World War II.

The citizens of the city of Purvis has contributed greatly to the various branches of the United
States Military beginning long before the town was incorporated. The War Memorial located on
the grounds of the Old Lamar County Courthouse holds testament of the heartbreakingly selfless
sacrifices the families of the area have made. The Purvis City Park is dedicated to the men and
women who served in World War II and one of the main thoroughfares through the city is named
in honor of one of its decorated servicemen.

[edit] Tornadoes of 1908




Marker placed by the State to remember the Tornado of 1908, located in front of the Purvis
Public Library.
On Friday, April 24, 1908, three F4 (207-260 mph) tornadoes left a line of destruction from
Livingston Parish, Louisiana northeast to Wayne County. This line of storms left 143 people dead
with 83 dead in Purvis alone. From the reports of Dr. H.R. Hermesch, Assistant Surgeon U.S.
Navy and the Relief Committee at Purvis, we know that there were 83 dead, 340 wounded and
1935 destitute in the town of Purvis. The large “Town Clock” in the domed tower of the
Courthouse of the time, sustained damage from flying debris and was stopped at 2:13 in the
afternoon.




Front of the Centennial Tornado Marker, placed by the Lamar County Historical Society on the
grounds of the Old Lamar County Courthouse.

An excerpt from the booklet “The Purvis Tornado” by the Lamar County Historical Society,
2004:

“The first thought was of Hattiesburg for help. All the wires were down, and they could not
telegraph this city for help, so Mr. C.W. Holleman saddled his horse and W.B. Alsworth
mounted the steed, and started across the country for Richburg, 10 miles distance toward
Hattiesburg. Mr. Alsworth urged the horse for all he was worth, dashing three veritable creeks,
and over rough roads. He made the trip in less than fifty minutes. A second messenger was sent
behind Mr. Alsworth, so that if anything happened, the other man might reach the goal and send
the news. The other messenger was J.C. Calhoun. Both men reached Richburg about 3 o’clock,
Mr. Alsworth sometime ahead of Mr. Calhoun.

Alsworth wired direct over the telephone to Mayor J.D. Donald, asking for physicians to come to
the relief of the stricken town.

Mayor Donald immediately made the fact known in the city. A special train over the North
Eastern was the result. Thus the new of the terrible disaster was communicated to the outside
world.”
Back of the Centennial Tornado Marker, placed by the Lamar County Historical Society on the
grounds of the Old Lamar County Courthouse.

The depot of the New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad, which was responsible for the success of
the bustling, growing town, was one of the first public buildings demolished by the twisters and
was thrown across the tracks. Railroad cars standing in front of the depot were carried away by
the winds. Over 115 businesses, buildings and homes were completely demolished or partially
destroyed and the entire African-American section of town was wiped out. The Purvis High
School graduating Class of 1904’s commencement exercises were due to start the night the
tornado hit and part of the exercises had been previously performed the morning of the tornado.
The morning exercises were completed at the two story brick schoolhouse on Mitchell Street just
one hour before the storm hit and had it lasted one hour longer, the death toll would have been
far greater for the entire second floor of the schoolhouse was removed by the twister.



[edit] Hurricanes

Purvis has felt the winds of quite a few tropical systems over the years; especially considering
how many miles from the Mississippi Gulf Coast the city is located. Category 5 Hurricane Ethel
came in 1960 but died down to a tropical storm by the time she had reached the area. Hurricane
Hilda in 1964 was not a Category 4 but an extratropical low when she deposited rain in Lamar
County. Due to the close proximity of Lamar County to Louisiana, Hurricane Betsy in 1965 also left
Purvis some rain. The eye of Hurricane Camille came directly over Lamar County in 1969 and
was the largest, costliest and most deadly hurricane to hit the Mississippi Gulf Coast until the
monster storm Katrina in 2005. Hurricane Edith came in 1971, followed by Hurricane Carmen in
1974 that drenched us with 7 inches of rain before heading off to Texas. Hurricane Bob made an
appearance in 1979 but was quickly forgotten when Hurricane Elena made her way over the area
in 1985 as a Category 3 storm. That same year, Purvis received more rain than wind from
Category 1 Hurricane Juan. Hurricane Florence passed by in 1988, leaving only rain as a weakening
Category 1 storm. In 1992, Hurricane Andrew had thankfully died down from its original
Category 5 when it came over and dropped 5 inches of rain. Hurricane Georges gave Purvis 5-7
inches of precipitation in 1998, and also some wind before curving back over Alabama. Hurricane
Allison oddly stayed together long enough to still have an eye like feature over Purvis after
traveling from Texas and Louisiana in 2001 and dumped 10-15 inches of rain on Lamar County.
Mississippi felt the effects of The Hurricane in 2005, Hurricane Katrina, which hit the area as a
weakening Category 2 hurricane after reaching Category 5 strength in the Gulf of Mexico. This
storm killed 1836 people, 238 of them in Mississippi. The effects from this hurricane can still be
seen four years later in the forests around Purvis. Hurricane Gustav passed a little south of the area
in 2008 but was close enough to leave wind and rain in its wake. [20]

1960's Vela Uniform/Project Dribble Nuclear Tests

Vela Uniform was an element of Project Vela conducted jointly by the United States Department of
Energy (DOE) and the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA). Its purpose was to develop
seismic methods for detecting underground nuclear testing.

The Project Dribble program involved two nuclear detonations called Salmon and Sterling that
were conducted within Tatum Salt Dome southwest of the Hattiesburg/Purvis area in the late 60's.

The Sterling Event was the fourth nuclear detonation involved in a study, identified as Project
Dribble, sponsored by the Department of Defense's Advanced Research Project Agency. Project
Dribble involves the recording and identification of seismic signals from underground
detonations. These studies are part of a seismic research program called Vela Uniform which is
designed to improve the United States' capability to detect, identify, and locate underground
nuclear detonations.

Project Dribble's purpose was to give U.S. scientists experience in detecting underground nuclear
tests in the Soviet Union. The first blast, a 5.3 kiloton bomb, took place in 1964 at the bottom of a
2,710-foot shaft 28 miles southwest of Hattiesburg and four miles northeast of Baxterville. The
second bomb, much smaller, was exploded two years later within the cavity created by the first
blast. (To be sure, these were only two of well over a thousand documented nuclear tests by the
United States, with the vast majority taking place in Nevada.) [34]

[edit] Notable Residents (Past & Present)

      Lacey Chabert, film and television actress.
      Billy Hudson Sr., CEO of Hudson Salvage (retired) and State Senator.
         31°8′32″N 89°34′12″W / 31.14222°N 89.57°W / 31.14222; -89.57Coordinates: 31°8′32″N
       89°34′12″W / 31.14222°N 89.57°W / 31.14222; -89.57
      Salmon Site is a 1,470-acre (5.9 km2) tract of land in Lamar County, Mississippi, near
       Baxterville. The tract is located over a geological formation known as the Tatum Salt
       Dome and is the location of the only nuclear weapons test detonations known to have
       been performed in the eastern United States.
      Two underground detonations, a joint effort of the US Atomic Energy Commission and
       the US Department of Defense, took place under the designation of Project Dribble, part
       of a larger program known as Vela Uniform (aimed at assessing remote detonation
       detection capabilities). The first test, known as the Salmon Event, took place on October
       22, 1964. It involved detonation of a 5.3 kiloton device at a depth of 2,700 feet (820 m).
       The second test, known as the Sterling Event, took place on December 3, 1966 and
       involved detonation of a 380 ton device suspended in the cavity left by the previous test.
    Further non-nuclear explosive tests were later conducted in the remaining cavity as part
    of the related Project Miracle Play.
   In October 2006 responsibility for the site was transferred to the US Department of
    Energy's Office of Legacy Management. A plaque mounted on a short stone pillar marks
    the site.