Where in Mississippi is ... Liberty?

If you look closely at a Mississippi map, you'll discover more than one answer to our title question this time around. There are actually four towns named Liberty in the state; the others are in Kemper, Newton, and Winston counties. This Liberty--the largest of the four but still a small town by anyone's definition--is located west of McComb along Mississippi Highway 24. It's a place that's made quite a name for itself over the last two centuries, with famous residents, historic events, and national achievements. And as we celebrate Independence Day this year, it's a town that still offers a taste of old-fashioned American life like something straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting.

The town of Liberty didn't come together haphazardly, as many early settlements did. Rather, it was the result of careful planning by leaders of the Mississippi Territory in 1809, according to current Amite County chancery clerk Ronny Taylor. That year, officials set out to divide what was then Wilkinson County, naming the eastern part Amite County. Five appointed commissioners were assigned to establish a town on no less than 50 acres in the center of the new county; this town would be called "Liberty." None of the documents relating to the town's formation offer any "hint or clue as to why the town of Liberty was given its name," according to Taylor. "Reflecting on the fact that the War of Independence had just recently been concluded with the treaty signed in 1783, followed by the French Revolution of 1789 with its slogan of 'Equality, Fraternity, and Liberty,' the expression was certainly current in our area."

A two-acre plot in the center of Liberty was earmarked for a new county courthouse; the first was built of logs in 1810. The current courthouse, the state's oldest in continuous use, was built between 1839 and 1841, according to Taylor. The large front lawn of the two-story building is spotted with monuments and memorials along tree-shaded paths. One of these monuments is the town's very own "Liberty bell," a ship's bell that sailed on the U.S.S. Diamondhead between 1945 and 1973. Also on the square is a historical marker pointing out the location of "Three Chopped Way," a road forged in 1807 and marked with three axe notches on trees. The road extended from Natchez to Milledgeville, Georgia, and was used as a post road. On this trail, Samuel Dale, for whom a park in Lauderdale County is named, "became famous as a scout and guide," according to the marker.

Through the years, many prominent people have passed through Liberty, some for a short while and others for many years. During the early 1800s, Amite County was considered a "jumping-off point" for people moving to Texas; apparently, many criminal cases of the time were marked "GTT," or "Gone to Texas." Colonel William Travis, commander of the Alamo when it fell to Mexican forces, and a brother of Jim Bowie, also of Alamo fame, were reportedly among those who fled to Texas from here, leaving behind criminal charges on the county books. Other notable early visitors to the town included Shakespearean actor Edwin Booth and "Swedish Nightingale" Jenny Lind, both of whom performed at the now-defunct Liberty Opera House.

One of the most famous longer-term residents of Liberty was a man named Gail Borden, who moved to the town with relatives in the early 1800s. While here, Borden served as county surveyor and taught school nearby. When he was at home, he spent much of his time dreaming and working oil new inventions, and according to local legend, it was here that he came up with the first formula for condensed milk. Borden later moved to Texas, where he made a name for himself by creating the state's first topographical map, surveying and laying out the site of Galveston, and coining the term "Remember the Alamo," according to FoodReference.com. He never gave up on the condensed milk formula, however, and in the 1850s, the product was patented. Eventually, Borden, Inc. grew into the largest dairy company in the United States.

George Tichenor, another entrepreneurial spirit, also found himself in Liberty in the mid-1800s. Here, he began experiments on an antiseptic formula that would eventually become a household staple around the country. In 1863, Tichenor was wounded in a battle while fighting for the Confederacy, and army surgeons ordered that his leg be amputated. He refused and used his antiseptic to save his leg. He went on to pioneer the use of antiseptic surgery during the war. According to Hometown Mississippi by James Brieger, Tichenor reportedly said, "I will use my antiseptic freely for Southern soldiers, but not one drop for 'damn yankees.'" Tichenor obtained a patent in 1883, and in 1905 the Dr. G.H. Tichenor Antiseptic Co. was founded in New Orleans. According to the company, more than 425 million bottles have since been sold.

Liberty's most beloved native son was acclaimed "country comedian" Jerry Clower, born here in 1926. After high school, Clower joined the Navy and served in World War II, according to the University of Mississippi's Mississippi Writers Page. After the war, he earned his degree from Mississippi State University in agriculture and served as an assistant county agent in Oxford, then as a fertilizer salesman in Yazoo City. During his 18-year career with the Mississippi Chemical Corporation, he was known for warming up prospective customers by telling them funny stories about his childhood. One day, a friend sent a recording of a few of these stories to a Nashville record company, and a star was born. Clower's first comedy album, "Jerry Clower from Yazoo Mississippi Talkin'," was released in 1970 and sold more than 500,000 copies within a month. His rise to success was swift. In 1972, the state legislature designated the section of Highway 24 from McComb to Liberty "Jerry Clower Highway." In 1973, Clower began appearing on the Grand Ole Opry; he would eventually record more than 25 albums and write four books, including the 1975 volume Ain't God Good?, which was the basis for an award-winning documentary film. After returning to his hometown to live for a decade, Clower died in 1998 after undergoing heart bypass surgery.

It's easy to see why Clower would return to live in this quiet town, even after so many years of worldwide success. Liberty's Main Street today is alive with beautiful churches and inviting storefronts. A barber shop with a spinning pole still attracts a regular crowd of loyal customers. Nearby, Liberty Drug Store looks like something straight out of a movie set with its painted orange Rexall logo and large stenciled message, "Sewing Amite County since 1903." The store's side wall boasts of what customers might find inside: "veterinary supplies, sick room supplies, cosmetics, watches, and photo supplies." Other landmarks around town include the state's first Confederate monument, dedicated in 1871; Liberty Presbyterian Church, which sewed as a wartime hospital for both Union and Confederate soldiers; the more rurally located Ebenezer Baptist Church, considered the oldest active Baptist congregation in Mississippi; and a host of elegant antebellum homes--perhaps the most of any town in the state, according to Taylor.

With all it has going for it--yet with only about 600 residents today--Liberty may just be one of Mississippi's best-kept secrets. But it's a secret we think is well worth spreading.