Historical Society hears of new "Mississippi Encyclopedia," honors local Pilot Club -

Members of the Union County Historical Society learned about a newly published “Mississippi Encyclopedia” during their annual meeting Friday.

Ted Owenby, Director, Center for the Study of Southern Culture

Speaker for the event at noon at the First United Methodist Church was Ted Owenby, director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at Ole Miss. Owenby said “The Mississippi Encyclopedia” is over 1,400 pages and has 2,000 articles. The articles are alphabetized by subject and are about “the people, places, and themes of the state’s history, literature, art and architecture, music, politics, religion, folklife, and much more.”

Part of large crowd that attended luncheon meeting.

Mississippi Encyclopedia goes on sale May 20th

Owenby and Charles Reagan Wilson are the principle editor’s of the single volume book, which has a suggested retail price of $70.00. Owenby and Wilson were also involved with the creation and publication of “The Encyclopedia of Southern Culture” in 1989.

Jill Smith, Director, Union County Heritage Museum

Museum Director Jill Smith introduced Owenby.

Smith also presented an award to the Pilot Club of New Albany for the group’s exceptional service over several decades.

First row L to R: Betty DuVall King, Jill Smith, Carol Riddell. 2nd row, Sarah Cook, Charlotte Reid, Rheta Ann West.

The Golden Hammer Award was presented to the Pilot Club for their long-standing support and volunteering at the Union County Museum. “The club has purchased exhibit cases, donated to programming, volunteered for events and hosted exhibit receptions. They assist in the monthly New Haven workshops and have worked in cataloging the museum’s photograph collection,” said Smith.

Jim Henson, Vice President, Union Co. Historical Society & Museum

Jim Henson, vice president of the Union County Historical Society and Museum, presided at the luncheon meeting.

The society operates the Union County Heritage Museum on Cleveland Street in New Albany. It is considered among the finest small city museums in the United States. The Union County Historical Museum is near the end stages of a major construction project in which a new addition was built for exhibits and meeting space. The older portion of the building is undergoing extensive renovation.