Brookhaven history buffs Kay Calcote and Patricia Jacobs presented a new addition to the local history museum on Monday with their contribution to preserve Brookhaven’s history.

Long-time friends Calcote and Jacobs took their love for their community and its heritage and created a book encapsulating everyday life in Brookhaven at the turn of the century.

Calcote and Jacobs presented the rights to their book, “Lincoln County at the Turn of the Century, 1999-2000,” to the Lincoln County Historical Society and Genealogical Museum and Jewish Heritage Museum for the community to access. The two said the book depicts every facet of life in the years 1999 and 2000, from architecture and history to sports and culture. Jacobs said certain photos featuring prices of gas or groceries at the time are particularly interesting.

“It’s amazing to see the changes that have taken place in the community,” she said. “There is a photo [we took] of someone with a cell phone because it was kind of a big deal at the time.”

Museum Curator Rita Rich said she appreciates the ladies’ addition to the museum.

“They are two hardworking ladies,” Rich said. “Brookhaven means so much to both of them and I am so glad they preserved this history. It’s very easy to forget how things were, and the photographs help us remember by bringing the past to life.”

Homer Richardson, friend of Calcote and Jacobs and fellow Brookhaven history lover, said he thinks the book is a great read – and one that shows just how quickly things are moving this millennium.

“It’s an absolutely wonderful book,” Richardson said. “And I think [the] interesting thing is that even in the 15 years since they produced it, all of the changes that have occurred.

“When we were young, 15 years didn’t seem to make much difference,” Richardson said. “But now [things change] faster and faster, and whatever had been there five years ago has changed completely.”

Richardson said he considers the book a nice reminder that things do change, and, in the case of Brookhaven, for the better. He said this is particularly evident in the Mississippi School of the Arts.

“You can see what it was when they wrote the book and now you drive by and see this beautiful school with all these people moving in and going from class to class, it’s just lovely,” Richardson said. “They were just making the initial approvals to get things in place at that time [the book was written].”

Originally from Texas, Calcote was a docent at a museum in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, when she met Jacobs, who had brought a group to tour an exhibition. Eight years later Calcote moved to Brookhaven, where Jacobs showed true Southern hospitality.

“She made me feel very welcome and at home in Brookhaven,” Calcote said. “We were kindred spirits and have been friends ever since.”

The two said the process of making the book was a big undertaking, but they had fun in the couple of years it took to create – particularly in taking photos around town.

“We would get in the middle of the street to take photographs of architecture,” Calcote said. “There are photos of people dining out and grocery shopping and of some people’s homes. We wanted to record life as it was happening at the millennium.”

“Lincoln County at the Turn of the Century, 1999-2000,” can be purchased at the museum, and Calcote and Jacobs said they feel it presents a special and unique opportunity to see the city during such an interesting time.

“Our history is important, and there’s no other way to show people what everyday life was like back then,” Jacobs said.

Calcote and Jacobs said the book was a labor of love for the community they proudly call home.