Where in Mississippi is ... Crystal Springs? The former "world tomato capital" is no garden-variety municipality.

The roots of Crystal Springs' prosperity are burrowed deep within this fertile north Copiah County farmland, forever intertwined with the seeds of the tender red tomatoes that once dominated the small town's landscape.

Drawn to the flesh water that once flowed from this area's natural springs, a Methodist preacher named Elisha Lott was one of the first known settlers here in 1823, according to a local history article. Lott originally chose a site three miles west of the current town, but when a railroad was built from New Orleans to Jackson in 1858, the entire citizenry of the young town decided to move east to be closer to the new transportation system. It was a wise decision. By the end of the century, Crystal Springs developed into one of the nation's most important agricultural areas and shipping hubs for produce.

According to "The History of the Crystal Springs Tomato" by Dorothy Moore Alford, a Crystal Springs resident now remembered only as "N. Piazza" first received a few tomato seeds from his native Italy and decided to plant them. His scientific approach to producing the crop was instantly successful, and since cotton farming had begun to fall out of favor, other local farmers decided to fill their fields with the fruit. Crystal Springs tomatoes quickly became popular with retailers in the northern and eastern United States. Many local farmers made names for themselves during this time: Augustus Lotterhos conceived the idea of shipping tomatoes by rail carload, Charles Morris Huber's company was the nation's largest shipper of tomatoes, W.H. Barron was one of the first to ship wrapped green tomatoes, and S.R. Evans' growing success gave him the nickname "tomato king."

So many tomatoes were grown and shipped from here that the town became known as the "Tomatopolis of the World." Produce packing sheds lined the local railroad tracks and employed thousands of people, and children were pulled from school during the growing season to help with pruning and picking. Farmers prepared hotbeds each December, broadcast seeds in January, transferred plants into cold frames and fields in February and March, and finally picked the green mature tomatoes later in summer. The growing process "required many hands, hard work, and a great number of hours," wrote Alford.

After the tomatoes were picked, they were loaded onto trucks and hauled to town, where they were shipped to far-flung cities by rail. During these days, "a festival air prevailed as the long lines of trucks and wagons filled the streets," Alford wrote. "The drivers and helpers made a picnic of the occasion as, gathering in knots near their conveyances, they swapped tales and drank soda pop."

Meanwhile, in the northern part of town, another fertile land was drawing people from all over the country to Crystal Springs. With its many natural reminders of God's gifts, including rolling green hills and a 35-acre lake, the property now known as Chautauqua Park was chosen in 1892 as the home of the Chautauqua Assembly, an institution aimed at leading the "intellectually and spiritually blind." The Assembly at Crystal Springs attracted prominent scholars, actors, and evangelists from around the United States for programs designed to enlighten attendees. Once these visitors arrived via the 10 trains that stopped here daily, there was no need to leave--they stayed in the park's 88 cottages and 40-room hotel, dined in its restaurant, worshiped in the park's tabernacle, and even shopped in an onsite grocery store. The first motion pictures ever shown in the South were reportedly screened here at the park, accompanied by a stringed orchestra. The Crystal Springs Chautauqua Assembly remained active until 1917, when interest in the programs waned and organizers closed the site.

The tomato trade continued to thrive in Crystal Springs until after World War II, when the trucking industry took off and produce farming became less popular among landowners. Rail shipping began to decline, and the town gradually lost its tomato fame.

The heart of Crystal Springs still surrounds the railroad tracks, though produce shipping has now entirely ceased. Downtown stores and businesses are positioned to take advantage of the view of the passing trains and of the small green park located alongside the tracks. Nearby, the 1859-built Wisteria Inn Bed and Breakfast offers overnight visitors a taste of what life was like during the "tomatopolis" days.

Inside the post office on Marion Avenue, visitors can view an artistic reminder of the town's tomato history. A large handpainted mural that spans one wall of the main room depicts the full cycle of tomato growing and shipping, from farmers working in a field full of newly sprouted plants to vines weighed down with mature fruit to women carefully wrapping tomatoes in paper and packing them into crates for shipping.

On the last Saturday in June each year, Crystal Springs residents remember their agricultural past at the Tomato Festival, a throwback to the early celebrations held here in the 1930s. The modern event features contests for biggest, ugliest, and tastiest tomatoes, along with tomato art contests for children and adults, a tomato museum, a farmers' market, and plenty of tomato-based dishes to sample. The highlight of the weekend, as with any proper Southern festival, is the crowning of the Tomato Queen before a standing-room-only crowd at Railroad Park.

Today, visitors still enjoy the natural beauty of Chautauqua Park, though most of the structures built for the Chautauqua Assembly are long gone. In their place are three miles of hiking trails, picnic spots, an amphitheater, a playground, and even an outdoor classroom. Inside the park's Visitors' Center, a small museum shows off the highlights of Crystal Springs' history.

On May 6 and 7, the park will host the Robert Johnson Blues Foundation's second annual Spring Music Festival, which aims to raise funds to help struggling and aging blues artists while preserving the Delta's blues heritage. Johnson, called the "king of the Delta blues singers," was born in nearby Hazlehurst on May 8, 1911, and the foundation is based in downtown Crystal Springs. The community's latest cultural offering is the Chautauqua Players Theatre, founded in 2004 in the spirit of the stage performances held at the park a century ago. The theater group has put on two plays so far, says president Charlotte Johnson Puckett, and plans are in the works for two more: "When God Comes for Breakfast, You Don't Burn the Toast" and "Arsenic and Old Lace." Meanwhile, the group continues to search for a proper theater in which to establish a permanent home.

Creating cultural opportunities is also the goal of Camp Windhover, located east of the bustle of town on hilly forested land that still claims some of Crystal Springs' namesake running streams. The Christian-based facility is the only deep South camp designed to let children explore fine and performing arts along with traditional camp experiences, says Celia Wood, who owns the camp with her husband Frank. The 7- to 14-year-old campers can spend their days playing musical instruments, practicing photography, dancing, or acting, without giving up outdoor activities like riding horses, canoeing, and mountain-biking. "Here, we attempt to place children and young adults in a position to see the wonder in life and to begin to develop their individual vision for their art or their life journeys," say the camp owners.

And even though Crystal Springs' tomato boom may be over, there's still plenty growing at Mississippi State University's Truck Crops Experiment Station just south of downtown. Researchers at the 175-acre facility, which was established in 1938, study everything from organic crop production to plant disease control, and they perform field variety trials and cultivar evaluations on a variety of fruits and vegetables, including blueberries, muscadines, squash, and, yes, tomatoes.

The station is open to the public each weekday, but most visitors stop by in October for the annual Fall Flower and Garden Fest. This al fresco affair, which offers home gardeners the opportunity to see three acres of fall vegetables, herbs, and flowers along with educational exhibits and demonstrations, draws more than 6,000 people each year, making it the largest home gardening and horticulture event in the Southeast. Garden Fest attendees also get the rare chance to view outstanding new varieties of flowers and vegetables in the All-America Selections Display Garden; the Crystal Springs facility is one of only two test sites for new vegetable varieties in the southern United States.

Like its famous red and juicy export, the community of Crystal Springs has thrived in these fertile Mississippi fields. After more than a century and a half of growing, this unique small town is still bearing great fruit.

IF YOU GO:

Chautauqua Park is located on Highway 51, about one mile south of Highway 27. For more information, call 601/892-0007.

The Robert Johnson Blues Foundation Spring Festival will take place May 6-7 at Chautauqua Park. For details or to contribute to the foundation, call 601/892-7883 or see www.robertjohnsonbluesfoundation.org.

The 2006 Tomato Festival is set for Saturday, June 24, in downtown Crystal Springs. The festivities actually begin on Friday evening with the crowning of the Tomato Queen at Railroad Park, followed by a street dance. Saturday's activities will include a kiddie parade, a tour of homes, and live entertainment. Call 601/892-2711.

The MSU Truck Crops Experiment Station, located off Highway 51 south of downtown, is open to visitors weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. This year's Fall Flower and Garden Fest will be held October 20-21. Call 601/892-3731 or see www.msstate.edu/dept/cmrec/truckcrops.htm.

The new Lake Calling Panther opened to fishermen in March. The 500-acre man-made lake, stocked with bluegill, redear, largemouth bass, crappie, and catfish, is located off New Zion Road at Caddy Lane. Call 601/835-3050.

Wisteria Inn Bed & Breakfast is located at 106 W. Railroad Ave. and hosts weddings and receptions while also accommodating overnight guests in eight bedrooms and suites. Call 601/892-2526.

The Chautauqua Players Theatre will present two plays in coming months. For an updated schedule, call 601/892-5049 or e-mail [e-mail].

Camp Windhover, the only independent camp in Mississippi that is American Camp Association accredited, is located at 2092 Six Mile Rd. For details, call 601/892-3282 or visit www.campwindhover.com