Visiting Here
Historical Information
Original Bullfrog Corner
In 1924, the Northwest corner of Highway 51 and Highway 302 (Goodman Road) was filled in with dirt hauled in by mules and a 40’ x 40’ building with gas pumps was constructed on the site owned by C.P. Winn, Depot Agent, later Senator of this area.
Mr. Price Hurt, Mrs. Winn Brown’s grandfather, stopped at the site on his way from Senatobia to Memphis to inquire about the construction. Mr. Winn said, “Filling in dirt to build a Pig Stand,” Mr. Hurt replied, “Nothing but bullfrogs could stay around here.” Thus the name Bullfrog Corner was born.
Mr. And Mrs. Roger Latimer opened the Bar-B-Que – Grocery Store, Service Station on August 2, 1924 in partnership with Mr. Winn, selling Bar-B-Que sandwiches 2 for $.25 and Coca Colas for a nickel with Uncle Dick Christopher doing the cooking.
A bullfrog from the creek was killed and propped up as a model for the bullfrog signs that were painted and hung on the corners of the building by Balton Sign Company.
The building was taken in 1978 with the widening of highways.
Old Hurt’s Store
Hurt’s Store, built in the early thirties, served as farm headquarters, as well as a supply source for the community. The office was in the rear, and, as in most country stores, customers found dry goods, shoes, groceries, hardware, feed, a “lunch counter,” gas, kerosene, cold drinks, and a place to visit.
Old Log Home (The Walker House)
The log house that five generations of the Walker family have occupied was finished in 1846 and restored in 1929. There are two bedrooms upstairs, and two bedrooms downstairs along with living room, dining room, kitchen, hallway, and screened porch. The home is furnished with antiques that had belonged to the original family of Dr. Joel Walker, who died, leaving his widow and children to make the move from middle Tennessee alone.
Latimer House
The “Latimer House” was built in 1910 for Mr. And Mrs. C.P. Winn, who lived there until their heirs sold the place to Roger and Lucille Latimer. After this transaction, the Latimer’s enlarged the home in 1951 by adding a den and an extra upstairs bedroom for their family of two children (Alan, now 4th District Supervisor, and Rocille, a teacher at Sacred Heart School.)
Enhanced with its glazed-tile fireplaces and mahogany mantels boasting beveled mirrors, the original structure’s wrap-around porch offered welcoming hospitality to friends from far and near.
HISTORY OF HORN LAKE, MISSISSIPPI
A mushrooming city in the most northwestern county of Mississippi; Horn Lake is a five minute drive from its metropolitan neighbor, Memphis, Tennessee. It sits astride Mississippi Highway 302 and Highway 51 and borders Interstate 55.
IN TIMES PAST
Horn Lake takes its name from an ox-bow lake, lying three miles west, which was a former riverbed of the Mississippi River. The river changed course in the late 18th century leaving a stranded body of water resembling a cow horn. It became known as Horn Lake.
In historical times the Chickasaw Indians inhabited the area. Hernando DeSoto and his party, the first Europeans to encounter the Chickasaws, wintered with them at the time of his discovery of the Mississippi River. The French Explorer, La Salle, solicited their help on his journey down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico. The area passed through successive Spanish and English rule, finally coming under American governance after the Revolutionary War. In 1832, the Chickasaws relinquished all claims to land east of the Mississippi River by the terms of the Treaty of Pontotoc.
Settlers moving into the area cleared the wilderness and began cultivating subsistence crops. Cotton became the major cash crop. The building of the railroad, the Memphis and Grenada (now the Illinois Central), stimulated growth in the area. Freight marked “Horn Lake”, intended for the lake region, was dropped off on Goodman Road and delivered by horse and wagon. Eventually, the freight stop acquired the name “Horn Lake” and a community grew up as residents built stores, cotton gins, a stockyard, black smith shops and gristmills near the tracks. The first post office was opened December 13, 1853.
Two homes of the period exist today. The Walker Home, c. 1844, is made of hand-hewn logs and bricks handmade on the site. The Octagonal Home, 1844, is a three-level, eight-sided house, which was elegantly appointed in its day.
Many early church organizations still exist. They are: Hinds Chapel (United Methodist Church) established 1843. The Edmondson Presbyterian Church Cemetery, 1844. The New Bethlehem Church (Cumberland Presbyterian Church), 1849.
WITH INDUSTRY…CAME GROWTH
The awakening occurred in 1963 when Dover Elevator Corporation bought land in Horn Lake on which to relocate one of the world’s largest elevator plants; this was the first of many industrial developments to come into the area. In 1968, Flavorite (today, known as Newlywed Foods) a food products company, opened for business in the vicinity. Today over 500 industries, manufacturers, service companies and major retailers make Horn Lake their home. Recently other businesses looking for available space, growth potential and a favorable economic environment have located in the Horn Lake area. Leadership by City Officials and a favorable tax climate have combined to attract new businesses and are reflected in the tremendous growth the city enjoys today.
Today with the City’s booming growth, work to expand its infrastructure, roads, sewers and water lines continues to meet both existing demand and future growth.
GROWING…GROWING…GROWING
A sophisticated travel network of Interstate, State and local highway systems meets the requirements of the residents and businesses of Horn Lake and provide modern highway access to all points across the Southeast and the Nation.
By highway, Horn Lake adjoins Interstate 55, which connects to Interstates 40 and 20. Highways 51 and 302 are five lane crossroads in the city that tie or cross Interstate 55. An estimated ninety-four trucking lines serve the Memphis Commercial Trucking Zone, Horn Lake and DeSoto County.
By air, Horn Lake is well served by the Olive Branch Airport, which can accommodate small executive jet aircraft, and Memphis International Airport, only a ten-minute drive away, is used by most commercial airlines and is a major cargo distribution hub.
By water, the River Port of Memphis, the largest inland port on the Mississippi River, is the most cost efficient means of transporting bulk goods and commodities to both domestic and foreign markets.
By rail, Horn Lake is served directly by the Illinois Central and Burlington Northern Railroads. In addition, four other lines serve Memphis, with terminals only 15 minutes away.
A QUALITY OF LIFE…BUILDING ON THE TRADITION
The residents of Horn Lake share a quality of life founded on traditional values reflected in its neighborhood communities, schools and churches.
Horn Lake offers its residents a wide variety and selection of quality homes and affordable housing, including new and existing starter homes, patio homes, apartments and upper scale homes. A senior citizen complex is available for the elderly with a new complex already under construction to meet the growing needs of the elderly in the community, low crime rate, great schools, lower property taxes, no property taxes for the elderly and 100% disabled, and reasonable interest rates are just some of the reasons why Horn Lake is enjoying tremendous growth. Although adjacent to a metropolitan area of over one million people, it is the quality of life, along with financial incentives, that bring new citizens to Horn Lake.
EDUCATION…A COMMITMENT TO QUALITY
Properly educating its people is firmly rooted in the tradition of Horn Lake. Early settlers brought their classical and scholarly textbooks to their new homes and set about educating their children in a series of private schools.
In 1910, upon petition of five small schools to consolidate, a bond issue was passed and the Horn Lake Consolidated School was formed.
Today, Horn Lake’s public schools include two elementary, a middle school, intermediate school, and a high school in addition to Catholic and Protestant private schools. The public schools are well respected and we are proud to say that we have an excellent public school system. Horn Lake Elementary School has been commended for high achievement of its students. Among the innovative programs offered at this school is the Writing to Read Program, a computer-based system to teach reading and writing to kindergarten and first-grade students. Flex-grouping students according to interests is offered in second through fifth grades.
High standards continue in the Horn Lake Middle, Intermediate and High Schools as evidenced by the 1994 induction of a high school teacher into the Mississippi Hall of Master Teachers. The high school offers college-prep, vocation-technical and general curriculums, accelerated classes, special education and gifted student’s programs. Mature students continue to enroll in college level courses and have become a substantial percentage of enrollments in the area. Over one-half of high school students continue their education at the collegiate level. In the vicinity these students have a choice of Northwest Mississippi Community College/Ole Miss (DeSoto Center, 2 + 2 Program) Rust College (Holly Springs), University of Mississippi (Oxford) and five colleges located just minutes away in Memphis, Tennessee.
Because a well-educated work force is the best asset a community has, every effort is made to encourage continuing education. At present a 35 million dollar school expansion program in underway in DeSoto County, much of which has been earmarked for Horn Lake schools, including new middle and high schools.
Another center of learning and source of pride in Horn Lake is the newly expanded M.R. Dye Library. In addition to the thousands of books and materials on site, users find additional resources rapidly available from other First Regional Library branches. The Children’s Hour, Summer Reading Programs, Photocopy and fax services and the Library Learning Link, an electronic computer network designed to provide literacy and basic education instruction, are just a few of the many services offered at the popular Public Library.
HEALTH AND RECREATION
Medically, Horn Lake residents are well cared for with full service, Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto, a 199-bed hospital in nearby Southaven, Mississippi, which opened in 1988. Compassionate care, award-winning services, leading-edge technology, renowned physicians, and with access to groundbreaking research at Baptist Memorial Health Care, families can rely on some of the best treatment available in the Mid-South. Construction is underway on a $175 million, 10-story bed tower that will add 140 beds to the facility allowing it to offer all private rooms. The project also will add a new and expanded emergency department, more operating suites, and space for future additions. December 2002 was the opening of the Baptist DeSoto Outpatient Diagnostic Center and Women’s Center. Both centers offer advanced equipment designed to diagnose a variety of illnesses. In 2001 Baptist DeSoto completed an expansion project that nearly doubled the size of the hospital and added much-needed services. A new critical care unit opened on Valentine’s Day and brought open-heart surgery to DeSoto County for the first time ever. In April, the hospital’s labor and delivery services expanded with the opening of the 34,000-square-foot Women’s Pavilion. And DeSoto County’s first radiation oncology unit, the Baptist Center for Cancer Care-DeSoto, opened in December.
For recreation, the City of Horn Lake offers several neighborhood playgrounds and fourteen parks. Our newest park, Latimer Lakes Park Complex, sits on 120 acres and provides a Nature Walking Trail, four-lighted tennis courts, nine baseball fields, two football fields, three lakes, playground and outdoor skating. It also offers picnic and fishing areas and a pavilion for rent that is great for birthday, anniversary and even wedding ceremonies.
DOWN HOME CELEBRATIONS
Each year, our annual Christmas parade is held, usually the second week of December, when the whole town turns out to welcome Santa to Horn Lake. Local high school bands, marching units, student groups, floats and antique cars make this an event not to miss. This year, we had our first night parade, which was a huge success! People came from all over to enjoy over ninety entries along with lots of candy thrown to the children. We will also be having breakfast with Santa for children ages ten and under. On April 22, 2006, we will be having our first ever Arbor Day Festival “Picnic in the Park”. We are hoping to add this to our hometown tradition each year.
LEADERSHIP…PAVING THE WAY FOR PROSPERITY
The Mayor and Board of Alderman coordinate the governmental functions of Horn Lake. Through City and Community leadership our citizens enjoy a mix of business opportunity and pleasure. Residents can grow, prosper, and worship together, while taking pride in the community’s quality of education, recreation, and commercial growth.
The City of Horn Lake invites you and your family to discover for yourself why Horn Lake is “An Old Community with New People and New Ideas”.
For more information on how to make your family or business home in Horn Lake contact:
City of Horn Lake
3101 Goodman Road West
Horn Lake, MS 38637
Phone: 662-342-3502
Fax: 662-342-3503
Email: fwilliams@hornlake.org
Web Page: cityofhornlake.ms.
Or
Horn Lake Chamber of Commerce
3040 Goodman Road West, Suite 2A
Horn Lake, MS 38637
Phone: 662-393-9897
Fax: 662-393-2942
Email: info@hornlakechamber.com
Web Page: www.hornlakechamber.com
Mayor: ………………………………………………………… Nat Baker
Alderman Ward 1 ……………………………………………… Amy Lay
Alderman Ward 2 ……………………………………………… Chris Sheley
Alderman Ward 3……………………………………………… Tim Smith
Alderman Ward 4 ……………………………………………… Tom Polzin
Alderman Ward 5 ………………………………………………. Derek Downing
Alderman Ward 6 ………………………………………………. John E. Jones, Jr.
Alderman At Large …………………………………………….. Donnie “Chigger” White