Where in Mississippi is ... Paris?

The city of Paris, France, is well-known as a breeding ground for great artistes. The tiny town of Paris, Mississippi, is slightly lesser known, perhaps, but still acknowledged as the birthplace and childhood home of one of the state's most beloved painters. In fact, Theora Hamblett was so inspired by her surroundings here that many of her paintings draw on those early memories of a quiet town where people led simple, honest lives.

Located in southeastern Lafayette County, Paris was reportedly first settled in 1836. One of its earliest settlers was Dr. William Lemuel Paris, who built the first home here, according to Hometown Mississippi by Jim Brieger. Dr. Paris also operated a drug store in the area, and within 20 years of his arrival, the town had grown to include a post office, a Masonic lodge, and two churches. "One of the earliest and best schools in the country" was located in the Primitive Baptist Church here in the mid-1800s and was run by an Englishman named Winterton. Later, in 1889, the Paris Normal School was established with a goal of preparing students to attend the university.

Whether the town was named for Dr. Paris is a matter of some dispute. Another theory is that early settlers came from Paris, Tennessee, and named the Mississippi town in its honor, according to Joan Bratton, a descendant of some early residents. Joan's husband Theron also spent his early childhood in Paris and said he remembers the town as an active community with three stores selling groceries, clothing, and other general wares. He attended the Paris School, which was located near the current intersection of Highways 9 West and 315.

Indeed, Paris did thrive at one time. After being officially incorporated in 1873, the town boasted general stores, a blacksmith, and a horse-powered grist mill and cotton gin, according to the Lafayette County Heritage Book. In 1905, a steam-operated cotton gin was built here, and in 1939, the Oxford Eagle proclaimed that many of the town's residents were now enjoying electricity.

At one time, Paris even had a jail, but according to the Lafayette County Heritage Book, "no one can ever remember it being used" except for one occasion when a man went there to sleep off the effects of inebriation.

Today, a small group of time-worn wooden buildings, which once held those early stores, mark what once was downtown Paris. Just down the road are two churches that are still in operation. But even without the bustle of commerce, the spirit of Paris still lives on, captured forever in vivid colors by perhaps its most famous resident.

Nationally recognized folk artist Theora Hamblett was born in Paris in 1895 and grew up on a farm, according to the University of Mississippi, which now holds the world's largest collection of the late artist's colorful paintings. Hamblett attended a small school in Paris, and after graduation, she became a teacher. She spent more than 15 years educating students in a rural one- and two-teacher school before leaving to care for her elderly mother. In 1939, she moved to Oxford.

Long interested in art and inspired by the beauty of nature, Hamblett's formal art education didn't begin until 1950, when she enrolled in a night class at Ole Miss. Immersing herself in the field, she began to develop her own artistic style and eventually decided not to take on any more training than that very first class. "Unlike her fellow students, she did not see painting as self-expression, but as a means of recording for others her religious visions and the joys and sorrows of a vanished way of life," according to former curator Lucy Turnbull. The life Hamblett had led in the Paris area in her formative years had certainly been a primitive one--no electricity, telephones, running water, or any of the conveniences we now take for granted. She continued to paint until her death in 1977 at the age of 82.

"Perhaps the very fact that her experiences were few and limited kept their details vivid in Miss Hamblett's memory," Turnbull says. "Thus, even after 50 years, she could paint them with a child's directness in all their intense color and emotional power."

Some of Hamblett's favored subjects included children's games and brightly colored landscapes. But perhaps her most notable paintings are part of what is called the "Dreams and Visions" series, as they were apparently based on colorful dreams and visions she had and believed to be messages from God. Several of these "Dreams and Visions" paintings are now on display at the University of Mississippi Museums, located at 5th Street and University Avenue in Oxford. (For more information on the university collection, call 662/915-7073.)

The City of Light it is not, but this Paris is a place that holds its own treasures for residents who cherish its serene lifestyle and picture-perfect scenery.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY TEMPY SEGREST