"Gourd house" - near Norfield, Mississippi 

This lovely, sprawling old house, close to the earth, surrounded by pine trees, welcoming and unpretentious, captures the flavor of the South for me much more than does the stately antebellum mansion. The good times and the hard times are written on its walls, the history of the South reflected in its windows that have seen hard times come and go.

Norfield, Mississippi is a few miles south of Bogue Chitto on Highway 51. As you pass through, there is nothing to suggest that a town once prospered here. It is simply what we used to call "a wide spot in the road."

But in 1890, the site which would become the town of Norfield was in the heart of the Southern pine belt. The seemingly inexhaustible supply of yellow pine and cypress, and the proximity to the Illinois Central Railroad promised work and prosperity.

The Norwood and Butterfield Lumber Company, based in Chicago, decided to build a lumber mill between Brookhaven and McComb to take advantage of the abundant forests. They built a mill, laid out the streets and lots of a new milltown to support the operation, and Norfield was born.

The mill became operational in 1893, and with the mill and associated trades, Norfield boomed, and by 1920, was the second largest town in Lincoln County. (In 1915 the mill  was purchased and renamed The Denkmann Lumber Company.) Even in the midst of prosperity, life was not always easy.

"All of these men, up in the hundreds, knew nothing else to do. Most of them lived in shabby frame buildings, with no running water in the house. Their lights were furnished. The water was one hydrant on the edge of the back porch. Their rent was about $2.00 to $6.00 a month. Heat was a wood heater and fire places. Their wood was furnished at $1.00 a truck load. Most of the houses had a small garden where they could grow a few vegetables. Their pay check was $15.00 to $21.00 a month. Their doctor bill was $2.00 a month, flat rate. This was a hard life. I knew for I had been there."  - Lawrence H. Shepherd, Sr. 1978

With the arrival of the Great Depression the mill was forced to close in 1931. Without the mill to drive the economy the town faded away and by the late 1940s there was nothing left except the trace of abandoned  streets and a few piles of bricks. Today, all that is left is a standard green and white Mississippi highway sign that reads "NORFIELD." 

Many thanks to Norfield Publishing and their web page Norfield, Mississippi, and The Denkmann Lumber Company for the information in this article. This site has a fascinating account of the rise and fall of Norfield, along with many period photographs and a first hand account of working for the mill.