In 1830, a small plot of land along the banks of the Yazoo River in the
state's largest county was developed as the village of Manchester. The
name didn't stick.
When it was incorporated in 1839, the town was renamed Yazoo City. When fire destroyed more than 200 homes and businesses in May, 1904, a legend was spawned that a witch had done such a deed. It's the kind of folklore that has entranced visitors such as George Clooney, who was recently in town to star in a movie. By the end of 1905, the town's 3,000 or so residents had rebuilt Yazoo City and its entire downtown business district.
When farmers desperately needed fertilizer, Mississippi Chemical Company was established in the late 1940s. Owen Cooper, then director of Mississippi Farm Bureau, was responsible for initiating the largest stock sales drive in the history of the state when $4 million was raised to start the first farmer-owned fertilizer cooperative in the world.
More than 1,500 employees; about 600 in Yazoo City; are on Mississippi Chemical's $65 million payroll, including subsidiaries located elsewhere. The late comedian Jerry Clower worked there for a brief time before his career in entertainment flourished. Last year, net sales totaled $519.9 million.
"Mississippi Chemical has been one of the economic leaders in this community, providing jobs for our people for the last 50 years," said Wardell Leach, mayor of Yazoo City.
The recently built minimum-security federal prison is Yazoo City's second largest employer with about 350 employees. When the second phase of the federal prison is complete and another 400 employees are hired, it will be the top employer in town. The federal prison system in Yazoo City will eventually consist of four sections; a work camp, minimum, and medium security prisons. A minimum-security federal prison was recently completed and a 120-bed minimum-security work camp will soon be constructed, said Phil Williams, vice president of the Bank of Yazoo City and president of the Chamber of Commerce.
Other top employers include: Simmons Farm Raised Catfish, producers of fresh and frozen catfish, employs 210; Southern Bag Corp., Ltd., maker of paper bags and uncoated multiwall has a payroll of 156 employees,` Yazoo Uniforms, manufacturer of surgical attire, lists 100 workers; Yazoo Industries, contractor of electrical wiring assemblies, employs 326.
Yazoo City has generated strong, national leaders, such as motivational speaker Zig Ziglar, Hall of Famer Willie Brown, the late writer Willie Morris, and Haley Barbour, former head of the National Republican Party. Former secretary of agriculture Mike Espy and current state economist Jimmy Heidel hail from the river city.
The land of the kudzu has also charmed filmmakers. Yazoo County native Jefferson Davis recently wrapped up shooting in the area for "John John in the Sky." The Coen Brothers, famous for the dark comedy, "Fargo," spent a few days in the area filming "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?"
"When people come back to make their first feature films, it speaks well of the community," said Ward Emling, director of the Mississippi Film Office of the Department of Economic and Community Development and president of the Association of Film Commissioners International, a 268-member organization of film commissions from 21 countries around the world. "The film industry spends anywhere from $25,000 to $250,000 a week, which gives an instant economic boost to the community in which they are filming."
The Bank of Yazoo City, which was opened Oct. 11, 1876 by a group of merchants and businessmen headed by then alderman Robert Clayton Shepard, was the first bank in the southeast U.S. to offer credit card transaction information via the Internet, said Williams, also vice president of the Bank of Yazoo City.
"Eighteen months ago, we were one of the first banks in the state to offer our customers Internet banking," Williams said. "Most banks require dialing in to their computer and putting software on your PC. While you're surfing the Internet, you can stop by our web page. One reason we hooked into that so early was because so many students moved off and wanted to continue to do banking with us. This makes it easy. It has helped us maintain some of those younger customers."
Griffin Norquist, president of Bank of Yazoo City, said the county seat is good ground for growing businesses.
Bee Estes, owner and founder of Estes Office Equipment of Yazoo City, has seen double-digit growth every year since he opened his shop in 1991. The company has seven employees to cover Yazoo City and part of Jackson, he said.
Mary M. Jones turned a community newsletter into a national treasure. Jones, who, along with her husband, established Mijo's Lithographics in Jackson in 1949, moved the business to Yazoo City in 1952. After an illness kept her from working fulltime for a brief time, her husband suggested that she start her long-dreamed of newsletter. In 1981, the first issue of Main Street Stationer was published and soon caught the eye of George Griffin, a feature columnist for an international trade magazine. About 800 copies of the Main Street Stationer are printed monthly, and the newsletter is frequently mentioned in various trade publications.
"Main Street Stationer points out good things about Yazoo," Jones said. "People have been extremely receptive to it and many have asked us to send it to their grown children who live out of town."
The downtown revitalization process is well underway, said Kip Carroll, past president of the downtown association.
"A major paving project and restoration work in the historical district has been completed," he said. "Some very nice ten-foot apartments are being readied for the downtown district. The Triangle Cultural Center has recently been renovated, which will house a museum. Our downtown library, which is very unique in its structure and offerings, will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2001. Every May, we have a festival that celebrates the rebuilding of Yazoo City. Because the entire downtown was rebuilt at the same time, it's very unusual to have all buildings the same age as opposed to other cities that were built up over time. Instead of just retail stores, the downtown district has diversified with offices and specialty shops. Renovated apartments and houses will be a nice addition."