Influential Florence: legends of history and prehistory abound in a Rankin County town.

Positioned at the southwestern corner of Rankin County, Florence is the historical entrance into what is today the third-fastest growing county in Mississippi. The longtime village is rapidly developing into a town with a population of 2,500-plus. It is a bud beginning to blossom. It is my hometown.

Mississippi, the seventh state formed following the American Revolution, is our nation's 20th oldest state and is unique in that it was settled for the most part from west to east. Like a multi-lane highway, the Mississippi River played an enormous role in this development. Because there were no interior roadways, the majority of people who chose to relocate from New England, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and even the Carolinas came by way of the Mississippi River.

When statehood was achieved in 1817, the city of Natchez became sort of an Ellis Island, as thousands of new settlers eventually entered the state at this port. Almost immediately, many began to migrate to the center of the state in anticipation of the state capital being moved from Washington, near Natchez. Consequently, the town of Monticello, the seat of government for Lawrence County, became a boomtown as families, merchants, and professionals moved inland. It was largely from Lawrence and Covington County that the Steens, Enochs, Butlers, Coopers, Williams, and Smiths, to name only a few, moved northward to settle into the southwest corner of what became Rankin County in 1828.

The most favorable homesteading site selected by these pioneers was at the juncture of an ancient Indian crossroads near the confluence of Indian Creek, Butler Creek, and Steen's Creek. This coveted spot was still occupied by scattered families of Choctaws, who would continue to call this area home for several more years, even after the land-ceding Treaty of Doak's Stand was signed in October of 1820. Of the newcomers, the family who had the greatest impact was the Protestant Irish-American family of William and Nancy Lusk Steen. The exact date of their arrival from the Carolinas by way of Tennessee isn't recorded, but it is known that members of the Steen, Enochs, Neely, Cooper, and Williams families fought together to defeat the British at the Battle of Kings Mountain during the American Revolution, and that after the war they traveled in ox-wagon caravans westward in search of more arable soil.

The family of John Romily and Mary Steen Enochs arrived in southwest Rankin county in the second decade of the 19th century, according to a Steen family history written by Captain Isaac V. Enochs in 1893. The family history records that when they built their home near Steen's Creek (now Florence), "he carved on the mantel of the best room 'John R. Enochs--His Home 1817.'" Soon, several other members of the large William Steen family began to build their own homes nearby. Realizing that the teachings of Jesus are a whetstone to the heart and essential to developing Christian character, the family of Silas and Hannah Myers Steen led the way in establishing the First Baptist Church. This church, which dates from 1824, is the oldest church of any denomination in the county.

The present building, the fifth to house the Baptist congregation here, is a six-year-old Colonial-style brick structure with seating for 1,200. The cross-topped steeple stretches skyward for 120 feet and can be seen a mile or more away in almost every direction. The sanctuary houses the second-largest Allen digital organ in the state (the largest is at Christ United Methodist Church in Jackson). However, more important than the sacred music is the Word preached from the pulpit; here, pastor Dr. Dwight L. Smith preaches what many other pastors have lost the ability to say or have never felt. Like the Steens of 10 generations ago, he pleads by example the teaching of Jesus found in the Gospel of Matthew (6:33), "Seek ye first the kingdom of God." This is the theme for which the town of Florence has been known for more than 180 years.

Up until the time of the Civil War, the small community of Steen's Creek was on the map largely due to its post office, which dated from March 16, 1829, and which was located in a small store owned and operated by Orin C. Dow. During these years, the village was not much more than a cluster of shops around the Baptist church.

All that changed in 1858 when a merchant-minded family named Ellis moved here from North Carolina by way of Kemper County. After the war, which almost destroyed the settlement's economy, Gray Ellis gave the reins of his general store to his son William Cofield Ellis, known as "W.C." in the business world and "Cofe" to his friends. During the late 1870s and early 1880s, Ellis applied the knowledge he had gained at the University of Kentucky to become one of the premier businessmen in the state. Although Steen's Creek was his home and his general merchandise store here was the largest in town, he owned similar stores, sawmills, gins, and warehouses in Magee, Crystal Springs, Terry, Hamburg (in Franklin County), New Hebron, and Jackson, along with 2,140 acres of farmland.

In 1881, "Cofe" Ellis married Florence Norrell, daughter of the Honorable Thomas N. Norrell of nearby Richland. Both were of strong Christian character, and together they strove to follow the path inspired by the Steens two generations before. Once while a student at Whitworth College in Brookhaven, Florence--known to her family and friends as "Fonnie"--wrote a term paper on "character." The following quote from the paper gives us an insight into the beliefs of this enlightened college senior of 1879:

"What constitutes true loveliness? Not the polished brow, the gaudy dress, nor the show and parade of fashionable life. A woman may have all the outward marks of beauty, and yet not possess a lovely character.

It is the benevolent disposition, the kind acts, and the Christian deportment.

It is in the heart, where meekness, truth, affection, [and] humility are found, where we look for loveliness, nor do we look in vain.

The woman who can sooth the aching heart, smooth the wrinkled brow, alleviate the anguish of the mind, and pour the balm of consolation in the wounded breast possesses in an eminent degree true loveliness of character.

It is such a character that blesses with warmth and sunshine, and maketh earth to resemble the paradise of God."

In 1852, the citizens of Steen's Creek built a school, which likely was the first to serve the county as its origins dated to the 1820s. It was in the Baptist church that the Steens and others first started to teach both young and old citizens to read. Their textbook was the Holy Bible. The school, a boarding school, was the only high school in the county well into the 1890s.

In 1893, officials hired native Rankin Countian Henry L. Whitfield to serve as headmaster. Under Whitfield's tutorship, the school drew students from as far away as Yazoo City. In his book, The Life of Henry L. Whitfield of Mississippi, Bill R. Baker wrote, "The religious character and interest of Henry Whitfield was very obvious to the students at Steen's Creek School inasmuch as he wanted them to develop in spirit as well as in mind and body." On the front page of the February 23, 1894, Steen's Creek Record newspaper, Whitfield made a plea to the local citizens to help build a school library. He asked that people donate books of "pure moral tone--histories, biographies, etc." The school, Whitfield said, "should be a mental gymnasium where the thinking subject should have every faculty of his mind developed just enough." Whitfield's philosophy of education, wrote Baker, "could not be separated from the ideals of Christian faith."

From that time until now, Florence High School has been ranked in the top echelon of high schools in the state, thanks to Whitfield's early standard. From Steen's Creek, he left to become the state Superintendent of Education, then president of what is now Mississippi University for Women, and finally Mississippi's 42nd governor in 1924.

Even though Florence has had several mills over the years, it has never really been known as a mill town, nor has it gained a reputation for being a gin town even though the W.C. Ellis gin and later the J.H. Alford gin brought scores of farmers to town every harvest season. It also never made a name for itself as a rail town, though the Gulf and Ship Island Railroad, which linked Gulfport to Jackson, played an important role. The last spike driven to complete the rail line was hammered into place at Steen's Creek on July 4, 1900, in a gala celebration complete with speeches, soft drinks, and a fireworks display.

The rail line not only brought the world to the doorsteps of southwest Rankin County, it also brought Steen's Creek--or "Steen Creek," as it had been known officially since January 7, 1892--a new name. How this came about has never been recorded; some locals will tell you that Florence was named for Mrs. Florence Norrell Ellis by railroad officials when the right-of-way through the town was "given" to them by her husband. Others claim that Mr. Ellis specifically asked the railroad men to name the town in honor of his wife in exchange for the right-of-way. Whoever is right, there is no denying that the post office officially changed the name to Florence on February 19, 1901.

On May 30, 1905, the village of Florence, with a population of 300, was elevated to town status in a document signed by Governor James K. Vardaman. Because of this, some think the community of seven Christian churches, including 102-year-old Marvin United Methodist Church, plus the only four-year accredited college in the county (Wesley College, operated by the Congregational Methodist Church) is only about a century old. Nothing could be further from the truth.

New construction of businesses and homes, including eight subdivisions in or near the town limits, is alerting everyone's attention to the future. Even those who have lived here for a lifetime are beginning to see real change. Florence is no longer the sleepy little town it used to be--the high school, middle school, and elementary schools are all being enlarged; a new bank (the town's third) and several other new businesses, including a third strip mall, are in the process of being built.

Land is being cleared to make way for the building boom, and in the process the past is being uncovered. During the last 18 months, I have found several ancient flint points and tools. The oldest point, commonly referred to as an arrowhead, is actually a small spear point. In archeological language, it is a "Cache River point" and is thought to date to around 8000 B.C. The largest point is a "Pickwick point," which likely served as a knife. It was made from Tallahatta quartzite (sugar quartz), possibly quarried from the Meridian area, and is dated to the late Archaic period, 3000-1500 B.C.

Another knife blade, almost opaque, is made from Novaculite, which is found in the Ouachita National Forest area of Arkansas. It is a classic "Gary point" and dates from 2000-500 B.C. It has been suggested that this little blade may have originally been 6 to 8 inches long and was resharpened so many times that it is now only 1 3/4 inches in length. The second-largest point is a "Pontchartrain point," the edges of which are serrated, indicating use as a spear point or knife. It was made from local gravel and dates from 1500-500 B.C.

The newest point, which dates from 500 B.C.-800 A.D., may actually have been an arrowhead. The bow wasn't introduced to the Americas from Europe until around 500 A.D., so this point may have been made to fit an arrow shaft, but, more likely, it too was used as a spear point. It was made from local gravel and was lightly heated to improve flaking during the process of chipping the stone into shape.

The final two artifacts in this group are not arrowheads or points at all. They are tools, which are perhaps more exciting because they conjure up images of settled people. One, which has an arched blade, is actually an Archaic biface fragment. This was made sometime between 6000-500 B.C. It was never finished, perhaps because of a stone flaw, but is believed to have been used as a spokeshave, to shape handles and such. The last item is an Archaic "adze." It is an early specimen dating between 9000-6000 B.C. It obviously has been extensively resharpened, and the edges have been ground smooth to facilitate hafting. When the last resharpening was done, the maker put a graver spur on one edge, making this a multipurpose tool.

In addition to these ancient tools and points, I have also found in the same area a couple dozen small pieces of petrified wood, including palm, cypress, and oak. I have also found more than 100 chunks of seashell-encrusted coral, most of which are rounded smooth, apparently from being tossed about by water. All of these items I have found lying on top of red clay hills near the eastern town limits of the town of Florence.

Some people to whom I have shown these artifacts do not seem to be very amazed. They simply say, Oh, didn't you know much of Mississippi was under water thousands of years ago? My answer is, Of course it was, every state in America was under water about 5,000 years ago, as was every nation on earth. Not only that, but the water was 20 feet deeper than the world's tallest mountains [Genesis 7:20] and it covered the earth for more than a year. As far as I am concerned, these artifacts are visual proof of the written truth. The variety of these prehistoric projectile points and tools, which were found in a one-square-mile area and which are from different stair-stepped eras of time, strongly suggest a permanent habitation by people who lived here long before the Choctaws.

From early man to Choctaws and from pioneers to modern-day citizens, the mantle is about to be passed to the hundreds or perhaps thousands of newcomers who will move to Florence during the next few years. Hopefully, they will continue the heritage of striving to inspire character as left to us by the Steens and Ellises and the many, many others.... only time will tell.

POSTSCRIPT:

Each of the stone artifacts mentioned has been identified, described, and dated by U.S.D.A. Forest Service archaeologist Sam Brookes, a nationally recognized authority in the field of Mississippi Indian tribes and their history. Brookes is the senior archaeological researcher with the Supervisor's Office of the National Forests in Mississippi.