Perkinston, Mississippi

Perkinston is an unincorporated community in central Stone County, Mississippi, United States.[2] It is situated along U.S. Highway 49, approximately five miles south of Wiggins. The community is part of the Gulfport–Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Perkinston, Mississippi
Unincorporated community
The main campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College is located in Perkinston, Mississippi
Perkinston, Mississippi
Perkinston, Mississippi
Coordinates: 30°46′56″N 89°8′17″W
CountryUnited States
StateMississippi
CountyStone
Elevation
135 ft (41 m)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code(s)Area code 601
GNIS feature ID675617[1]
Red Creek north of Perkinston

History

Established in 1880, Perkinston is the oldest settlement in Stone County.[3]

The village is named for John C. Perkins (1840–1928), who homesteaded the area after serving in the Confederate Army.[4]

Abundant forests established timber and turpentine production as early industries.[5] The Perkinston community benefited from the Gulf and Ship Island Railroad, which was constructed through the village in the late 1890s. Beginning in 1911, Perkinston served mainly as a campus for the Harrison County Agricultural High School, which developed into Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.[6] Through time, the village had few commercial establishments, but did have a post office, general store, churches, and a gasoline service station.[7]

The WLOX TV Tower in Perkinston, a 1,319 ft (402 m) guyed mast tower, is listed as one of the tallest structures in the United States by height.

In 2005, a 250-acre (100 ha) ATV park opened west of Perkinston.[8]

Education

Transportation

Notable people

References
  1. GNIS (Perkinston, Mississippi) Retrieved 2013-02-23
  2. Hometown Locator (Perkinston, Mississippi) Retrieved 2013-02-23
  3. "BORN TO BE A SOUTHERN TIMBER TOWN". Stone County.
  4. John Perkins Retrieved 2013-06-11
  5. McElvaine, Robert S. (1988). Mississippi: The WPA Guide to the Magnolia State. University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 9781604732894.
  6. A History of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Archived 2013-06-10 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2013-06-11
  7. Blackwell, Len. 2010. The Perk Paperboy. West Bow Press, Bloomington, IN
  8. Miles, Toni (May 24, 2005). "New ATV Park To Open In South Mississippi". WorldNow and WLOX.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.