Where in Mississippi is ... Red Lick?

Just off Highway 61 south of Port Gibson at the town of Lorman, a weathered wooden building looms large even among the towering oak trees. The Old Country Store is worthy destination in its own right, but for over a hundred years it has also served as a marker for travelers searching for the even smaller town of Red Lick. For at the site of the old store lies the winding road's intersection with Highway 552, the road to Red Lick and, some say, a road that takes travelers back in time,

Along Red Lick Road, as the highway is more commonly known to locals, visitors encounter two significant historical sites. The first is Rosswood, an 1857 Greek Revival-style mansion that once was the centerpiece of a thriving cotton plantation. The original owner, Dr. Walter Ross Wade, kept a journal that current owners Colonel Walt and Jean Hylander cherish as a reminder of early life here. According to the Hylanders, the volume describes parties and balls held at Rosswood, a Civil War battle during which the mansion was used as a hospital, the rumored presence of two ghosts, and other details of the plantation's management.

Today, the home and 100 of its original 1,250 acres are again in use, this time as a bed and breakfast inn. Inside the mansion, the details of yesteryear are everywhere, from the 14-foot ceilings and 10 fireplaces to the carefully restored rooms filled with period antiques. Outside, a stocked lake and nature trails offer additional diversions for overnight guests.

The second place worth stopping here, not far from Rosswood, is a small church building perched on a hill. Originally known as Red Lick Presbyterian Church or the "Brick Church," the cornerstone for this house of worship was laid in 1846. "Mr. John Catlin was the builder, and he was said to have burned the brick himself with which he constructed the 43 x 30-foot building," writes Rev. Michael Herrin, current pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Port Gibson. In fact, Port Gibson's church has always had strong ties to the one in Red Lick--the small Red Lick church was first dedicated by the Reverends Zebulon Butler of Port Gibson and S.S. Templeton of Kentucky. Around the time of the Civil War, Red Lick Presbyterian ceased having a resident pastor to serve its some 25 members; various part-time ministers went on to serve for more than a hundred years, according to Herrin. By 1977, there were only four members remaining, and sole surviving elder Anon Killingsworth gave permission for Red Lick Baptist Church to use the building, Herrin says. "On June 18, 1978, the membership was transferred to the roll of the First Presbyterian Church in Port Gibson," he notes.

To learn where Red Lick got its name, one must delve even deeper into the past. The town was reportedly settled around 1800 and named for the deep red soil, which was rich in mineral deposits. "Early settlers brought their cattle to this site to lick the soil, and deer and other wild things carne from the forest for the same purpose," writes James Brieger in Hometown Mississippi.

Life in Red Lick has always been a fairly quiet existence, according to A.W. Killingsworth, nephew of the surviving church elder, who grew up in the small town. When he was a child in the 1930s, there were only "two or three little stores" there, along with the Red Lick United Vocational High School, which served about 120 students in 12 grades, Killingsworth says. The school closed in 1957, and the students began attending classes in nearby Fayette. "There isn't much of a town," he says. "People always talk about Red Lick, but it's really just a name."

Today, people all over the world hear the name "Red Lick," thanks to a British mail order music company that has specialized in "the blues and other related stuff" under the name Red Lick Records for more than 20 years. The firm's website notes, "... When we were looking for a name for our fledgling company, we shut our eyes and stuck a pin in a map of Mississippi and were delighted with the result!"

It just so happened that one "notable blues man," John Byrd, actually came from the small town. According to the music magazine 78 Quarterly, Byrd's accomplishments included appearing as an accompanist for Mae Glover in 1929 and as a recording partner for Washboard Walter the following year. "(Jackson bluesman Johnny) Temple recalled that Byrd played his 12-string guitar with an unusual flat pick: 'He had a great big old pick, look like a toothpick, you know ... He could play it though,'" the article notes.

With a name and a legacy like that, Red Lick Records couldn't help but become Europe's leading blues specialty company. As blues writer and broadcaster Tony Russell says, "Blues people use Red Lick the way rural Americans used Sears Roebuck."

Rural Americans in Red Lick, however, have long had their own local source for many of their daily needs--one that's been around since 1875. The Old Country Store mentioned earlier is another spot travelers to Red Lick today won't want to miss. Established by brothers Lehman, Heiman, and Joseph Cohn, the store offered residents of this community a place to sell their cotton and other crops and to buy everything from coffee and sugar to work boots and overalls. Over the years, a post office and bank also operated here, according to an article in the newspaper Deep South Jewish Voice. The upstairs was at some point converted into a museum, featuring relics of the store's early days. After then-owner E.T. Breithaupt died in 1995, much of the antique collection was sold at auction.

Today, though weathered signs outside still advertise hardware, souvenirs, and groceries, the store's latest incarnation is actually as a restaurant operated by Arthur Davis. Reminders of the building's original purpose still cover walls and shelves, sharing space with crafts, jellies, cakes, and other goodies made by locals.

"The only thing that's not local here is me," Davis tells us. "I was born and raised in south Florida, and I moved to Mississippi eight years ago. It was the best thing that ever happened to me."

Davis proudly serves up a Southern-style buffet seven days a week, including peach and blackberry cobbler and "the best fried chicken in the world," to a loyal local clientele and tourists from all over the world. But the long days have begun to take their toll for Davis, who had already retired from another career before opening the restaurant. The store is now for sale, but Davis says he hopes to find a buyer who will continue to serve the Southern fare that has become so popular with travelers on this highway.

In the meantime, Davis vows to continue to welcome visitors who've read about the old store in travel books, who want to see the state's only remaining (but non-functional) four-door outhouse, of who just want a taste of real Southern hospitality. That's what the Old Country Store and places like Red Lick do best.

RED LICK FOR THE RECORD

Mr. D's Restaurant at the Old Country Store, 18801 Hwy, 61 S., serves a Southern-style buffet from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week. For details, call 601/437-3661.

Rosswood Plantation, 2313 Red Lick Rd. (Hwy. 552 E.), is open for tours and overnight guests February through November. The inn offers tour guest rooms with canopied beds and antique furnishings. For more information call 800/533-58889 or See www.rooswood.net

Red Lick Records offers a bimonthly catalog of hard-to-find blues music, as well as a comprehensive website at www.redlickrecords.co.uk. The company ships worldwide.