Final Stop for “Crossroads: Change in Rural America”

On Saturday, April 27, the Smithsonian traveling exhibit “Crossroads: Change in Rural America” will open at its final stop in Mississippi! The exhibit is being hosted by the Pontotoc Historical Society, at the town’s Community House.

“We have scheduled several programs including Leah Kemp from Mississippi State leading a discussion on how a community can work together to change their environment,” said project director Bob McGee. Additional programs include presentations from Gerry Wilson, Pontotoc native, discussing her recent historical novel which takes place 100 years ago in the region, Stanley Wise, a retired Extension Service agent, who will provide an informative history of agriculture in the Pontotoc area, and Pat Ezzell, the official historian of the Tennessee Valley Authority, who will talk about the life changing introduction of electricity to Pontotoc County.

“We also will have a program focused on the song and book, One Mississippi, for more than 600 school children,” said McGee. “Sarah Frances Hardy, an award-winning artist, illustrated the book, and will present the program to the students. Toyota is generously purchasing copies of the book for each of the school children and their teachers.”

Through a mini grant from Mississippi Humanities, the Pontotoc Historical Society generated a local exhibit by designing eight large retractable banners featuring eight aspects of the history of Pontotoc. The banners will accompany a selection of relevant artifacts from the local museum that will focus on those eight areas of Pontotoc’s history.

The exhibit is generously supported by the Tennessee Valley Authority. You can see Crossroads: Change in Rural America on display at the Community House in Pontotoc until June 8, 2024.