Charleston, the county seat of Tallahatchie County, is a flourishing trading point of four hundred and seventy-five population, situated east of the center of the county, in the forks of the Tillataba. Sharkey and Graball are small trading points. Harrison station on the Illinois Central railroad has a population of three hundred.
Churches abound all over Tallahatchie County, the prevailing denominations being Baptist, Presbyterian and Methodist. The educational advantages afforded are equal to those in other counties, except in those having cities and large towns. The common school system is well sustained. There are in this county thirty-two free white schools and thirty eight colored. The white educable children number one thousand four hundred and forty- one seven hundred and thirteen males and seven hundred and twenty eight females; two thou-sand one hundred and six colored; of these, one thousand and ninety-two males and one thousand and fourteen females. There are two high schools in the county, each with a commodious and handsome building, one at Spring Hill (the Cascilla Male and Female high school, established in 1889), and the other at Cascilla (the Tallahatchie high school, established in 1889). The school at Charleston is also of high grade and prospering.
George Washington lodge No. 157, A. F. & A. M., at Charleston, is the oldest lodge in the county. It was chartered in 1851 and James W. Rhew was its first worshipful master. Glasgow lodge No. 354, at Harrison Station, has a good membership.
Cascilla lodge No. 411 was established in 1890, with Thomas Denman as worshipful master. Tallahatchie lodge once flourished.
Sycamore and Hood lodges have a healthy existence.
A. Mason Leigh lodge No. 3233, K. of H. , at Charleston, was organized in 1886. Charleston lodge No. 108, I. O. O. F., was established March 4, 1880. T. W. White was its first noble grand.
Rebecca degree No. 3 was established in 1891.
Sam Lawrence lodge No. 110, I. 0. O. F., at Cascilla, was established in April, 1890, with H. M. Moore as noble grand.
Rebecca degree No. 2 was chartered in 1891.
Back to: Mississippi Counties, Cities and Towns, 1891
Source: Biographical and Historical Memories of Mississippi, Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1891