By: Glenda Wadsworth

Indians who first established a settlement at Red Bud Springs along the Natchez Trace asserted that the great chief Tecumseh stamped his foot and brought forth the bubbling water.  By the late 1700’s, Red Bud Springs was in overnight station on the 440-mile trail, the site of a tavern and inn for weary travelers. Returning to Tennessee from their defense of New Orleans, Andrew Jackson and his troops pitched camp at Red Bud Springs because of the abundance of clean water.

Today, the springs are dry, but the settlement remains.  Now known as Kosciusko, it is one of the oldest surviving settlements on the Natchez Trace.  The town had several other names –Peking, Paris, Parrish, and Perish—before the present name was chosen in the 1830s by state representative William Dodd.  His grandfather, a Revolutionary War veteran, served with and admired Polish General Tadeusz Kosciuszko, who was one of the first foreign military leaders to come to the aid of the colonists. In submitting the name “Kosciusko” to the Legislature, Dodd inadvertently omitted the “z” and thus the city was named.

As a recent visitor to the town said, “The happiest people in Mississippi must live here.”  That’s the feeling one has driving from the Trace to the courthouse square.  Benches for sitting and visiting dot the sidewalks and courthouse lawn.  The neat appearance and slow pace of the downtown, the friendly citizens, courteous drivers, and handsome homes and businesses bespeak a town that is cared for—indeed, loved—by those who live here.

The square itself is a joy to behold.  “Thank goodness we took down all that urban renewal stuff from the 1970s and restored the original fronts of the buildings on the square,” said Jayne Gunter, owner of a store on the square.  “Our small-town charm is our strength.” And charm Kosciusko has.

Stop first at the Kosciusko-Attala Development Corporation, located on the square.  Steve Zea, President, is a veritable fountain of information and willingly shares his time and knowledge of the area with inquirers.  Numerous pamphlets at the chamber guide the visitor through the history and points of interest of Kosciusko and Attala County.

For the lover of historic homes, antebellum and Victorian houses sprinkled near the square are a treat for the eye.  The oldest house in Kosciusko, the Wells-Roby house, was built in 1840 just off Natchez Street (the original Trace) near the old 1830 John Allen tavern.  A downtown walking tour passes 28 houses built before 1900 that are lovingly restored and maintained.

Mary Ricks Thornton spearheaded the purchase of the First Presbyterian Church building in 1987 for use as headquarters of the Attala Historical Society.  The building, renamed in Thornton’s honor, contains exquisite stained glass windows and is being renovated by enthusiastic members of the society for use as a cultural center.  “We now use the facility for club meetings. Weddings, recitals, and lectures,” said Judy Bell, president of the historical society.  “Our Delta Gamma Memorial Room honors the memory of the three Kosciusko women who founded the Delta Gamma Fraternity in 14873 – Mary Comfort Leonard, Eva Webb Dodd, and Anna Boyd Ellington.”

The public buildings, especially City Hall, should not be missed.  City Hall is housed in the former town post office, built in 1931 in Georgian Revival style.  The city fathers in an act of imagination and foresight, in 2000 exchanged land on Highway 35 Bypass for the East Washington Street building.  A handsome renovation transformed the brick structure into attractive city offices.

The county courthouse stands witness to one of the town’s nicknames, “Beehive of the Hills.”  Decorative beehives adorn the four corners of the property.  Built in 1897 to replace an earlier structure destroyed by fire, the present courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been designated a Mississippi Landmark.

“Beehive” is also descriptive of the economic activity of the area.  The Kosciusko Museum and Information Center on the Trace features an exhibit of local products from Msports, Hillside Vineyard, Dream Wax Candle Company, Rose’s Gourmet, LuVel Dairy Products, Normmurry Springs Water and Moller Vandenboom.

The town is also a “beehive” of social and cultural activity.  Six festivals are held annually.  The best known is the Natchez Trace Festival, held the last weekend in April each year.  In 2006, the 37^th festival was set to feature a family street dance, more than 200 arts and crafts and food vendors, children’s activities, a motorcycle rally, entertainment stages, 10k and 5k runs, and the crowning of Miss Natchez Trace Festival.  An annual poster is commissioned, and a competition is held for T-shirt designs.

Lovers of history must stop by the City Cemetery on Huntington Street to see the 66-foot-tall sassafras tree growing there, 18 feet in circumference.  Other than the tree the most imposing structure in the cemetery is the statue of young Laura Mitchell Kelly.  Local legend has it that Kelly’s husband had the statue crafted in Italy from photos of his bride in her 1890 wedding gown.

For shopping, visitors need go no further than the square.  A variety of shops surround the courthouse, offering food, antiques, gifts, Mississippi art, jewelry, and clothing.  The interiors of some stores are as fascinating as the merchandise.  Claude and Jayne Gunter opened Claude Julian’s clothing store 27 years ago, restored their building, and furnished it with period cabinets and display cases collected over the years.  “We wanted to do something different, something that would attract customers from a wide are, plus give them service they don’t get at the malls.”  Jayne said.  “Like Kosciusko, we try to be more.”

Pause at Seasonings, a lunch spot just off the square, for a sandwich and salad meal, and view the bird carvings by owner Harlan Reynolds.  “I’ve always been a bird man from youth, “he said.  “I used to paint wild birds, but in 1979 I started my carving.  I show at craft shows all over the Southeast, and I give programs on birds for clubs and libraries.”  While at Seasonings, take a peek at Barbara Harvey’s manicured yard next door.  A retired nursery owner, Harvey grows colorful blooms in all seasons.

Another noteworthy native may have left Kosciusko at age five, but Oprah Winfrey still belongs to this community which is proud to embrace her.  Buffalo Road, where her home once stood and where her childhood church is located, is now called “ Oprah Winfrey Road.”  The town has been the recipient of Winfrey’s considerable generosity.  “She is funding the building of a new Boys and Girls Club and has provided and will continue to provide support for the club for and undisclosed number of years” Divulged a city official.

Red Bud Springs may be gone, but it is not forgotten.  At the town’s centennial celebration, children from Poland sent small packages of dirt taken from their homes to be mixed with dirt from Kosciusko children brought from their homes.  The dirt forms a mound where the springs once flowed and which a statue o f Taduesz Kosciuszko stands.

Jimmy Cockroft, mayor for nine years, explains Kosciusko’s warm and welcoming aura this way: “The people here are special.  They pour their hearts and souls into this town.  They work hard for no recognition.  Our citizens and a good Board of Alderman make my job easier.  We have excellent public schools, a safe community which offers a fine quality of life, and good homegrown businesses.  Our future looks great.”