Jayess, Mississippi: Pictures from the Past

These photos are reminiscent of a time when much of southwestern Mississippi was totally dependent on two things: cotton and timber. Though, the timber industry still plays a vital role in the economy of this portion of the state, only a minuscule amount of cotton is still cultivated compared to what was grown in earlier times.

This cotton gin was located in Jayess, Mississippi and was operated by Mr. Will Rutland. The railroad seen in the first photo, was a spur laid down by the Butterfield Lumber Company in 1892 - the community was named after the company's owner, Mr. J.S. Butterfield - to transport the logs being harvested in the area to the company's sawmill at Norfield, about 13 miles south of Brookhaven.

The sawmill in the picture below was ran in Jayess- long after the great tracts of timber had been cleared by the lumber companies, and the railroad had been torn up- by Mr. Lewis Jackson Beard.