A Kaleidoscope of History
Raymond in the 1840s and 1850s The decision had been made as to "where" to build the new town - Raymond - the town that would become the county seat for Hinds County. Big plans were laid and the building began immediately. At this point in the history of Raymond we see two of Raymond's earliest settlers, James Callahan and William S. Little, arriving in town. The two men formed a building company and records show that many of Raymond's earliest buildings were built by this company. The first two buildings to be erected in town were essential ones - the jail and the courthouse.
Try to imagine what Raymond must have looked like during these formative years! A small and newly built town located on a dirt road that ran from Clinton toward Utica. The Natchez Trace ran about two miles from the center of town. Stagecoaches passed thru town daily on a regular basis and horses were changed at the top of the hill - near the present location of the water tower. Large and beautiful homes were being built! In 1948 the Hinds County Gazette published a portion of a letter written by an early citizen, Mrs. Eggleston, in regard to her mother's pioneer days in Hinds County... "When the first families came and made their homes in Hinds County, which was then called "The New Purchase", they did not come exactly as the usual pioneers. They brought their servants, their carriages, and those things which make life comfortable, even in a new country. They built good homes, some of them exact replicas of the Old Virginia or South Carolina homes that they had left behind. They set up a standard of living and society that was second to none. Raymond, at one time, was larger and more sophisticated than Jackson." (History of Raymond, Jane Brent). As for the town itself most of the activity was centered around the area of the old Hinds County Gazette Building. Behind this building - facing the Clinton Road - was the Post Office. Next was a long building with a wide porch which was known as "Professional Row". This building housed the offices of the town's doctors, lawyers and dentists. This vivid description of "early Raymond town" was given in a Raymond Gazette newspaper dated August 16, 1871. (researched by Beth Ferguson).
Even now, for those with a creative imagination, it's fun to look around the town square - stop a minute - and visualize what life must have been like back during those early days - the days before electricity - the days before the Civil War. Copyright © 1998-2005, all rights reserved |