At the beginning of the Twentieth Century, Italian emigrants were encouraged to come to the Mississippi Delta to farm. In this episode, John Bassie of Bolivar County shares his family’s story of coming to America and how they taught him to love their adopted country.

For those Italian emigrants who made a home in the Mississippi Delta, the Fourth of July was always a big deal. Bassie recalls how his family celebrated with lots of eating and singing. He remembers those Independence Day celebrations as a cultural melting pot of food, music, and fun that involved the entire community.

Photo: Digital Public Library of America

Dr. Rodney Bennett was named President of The University of Southern Mississippi on February 7, 2013. In this episode, he discusses how he felt when an EF-4 tornado decimated the campus three days later.

Bennett was happily serving as Vice President of Student Affairs at the University of Georgia when he was selected as USM’s 10^th President. He recalls accepting the position with a sense of purpose.

The morning after the tornado struck, Bennett addressed the 900 students, faculty and staff that had gathered to assist with the cleanup. He remembers searching for the right words to say on the ride over.

Podcast Extra:  Bennett credits USM’s recovery since the storm to loyal alumni like Chuck Scianna.  He stresses the importance of graduating eagles returning to the nest.

Stone Barefield of Hattiesburg ran for the State House of Representatives in 1959. In this episode, he remembers his campaign committee and the only speech he ever wrote. He also discusses the days before televised debates, when politicians relied on “stump speeches” to get their message to the voters.

Running for state representative of Forrest County meant doing a lot of walking.  Barefield remembers meeting good folks and eating good food.

According to Barefield, South Mississippi was not being fairly represented in those days.  In this podcast extra, he discusses House Speaker Walter Sellers and the fight for reapportionment. 

In later years, Barefield pushed legislation for the establishment of the Longleaf Trace fittness trail, a rails-to-trails conversion of 41 miles of abandoned railroad track between Hattiesburg and Prentiss.

Prior to 1936, Highway 49 was a narrow, twisting, gravel road. In this episode, Chrysteen Flynt of D’lo, recalls learning to drive on Old 49 back in 1922.

For years,  Flynt served as the unofficial historian for the town of D’lo. She notes that the rocky banks of the Strong River there were home to a water-driven sawmill as well as a meeting place for the Choctaws.

The origins of the name D’lo have always been a source of debate for residents and visitors alike. Flynt, attempts to set the record straight.

The D’lo’s largest employer was the Finkbine Lumber Company. In this podcast extra, Flynt remembers the YMCA the company built for the town and the silent movies that played there.

On September 29^th, 1915, a category four hurricane made landfall near Grand Isle, Louisiana, killing 275 people. In this episode, Jim Kelly of English Lookout recalls the town’s largest employer and the aftermath of the storm. He remember how the factory used to produce crushed oyster shells by the trainload and how the hurricane changed all that.

Kelly was 10 years old when the hurricane destroyed the school and most of the homes in English Lookout.  He explains why he wasn’t able to return to school until two years later.

In this Podcast Extra, Kelly describes how they would unload oysters from the schooners and roll them in railcars into the factory steamers.