The Taste of the Trust will offer not only tantalizingrefreshments, but also a chance to buy a piece of Brookhaven’shistory.

The sign from McGrath’s Department store, which in the early1900s was the largest department store between New Orleans andMemphis, will be a part of a silent auction at Thursday’s Taste ofthe Trust. Trust members are excited about the possibilities.

“I think it’s going to be what they call a hot item as far asthe bidding, because it is truly an antique, and it is truly apiece of Brookhaven’s history,” said Trust board member RitaRich.

The sign was on the old McGrath building, and then when itbecame the Progressive Men’s shop, it was stored in the building,Rich said.

“It’s the sign that was up over the business that advertisedit,” she said. “There’s a lot of interest as far as someone wantingthat.”

McGrath’s was at its peak in the 1920s, according to DurrWalker’s Pictorial History of Lincoln County.

Walker wrote that the store closed in 1938, before reopening fora short time. Rich said she believed it closed again for good inthe 1960s.

In addition to the McGrath sign, there are also roof tiles fromthe original Lampton Auditorium up for bidding at the gala. LamptonAuditorium was built on the Whitworth College campus in the early1900s as well.

“When they put up the new roof at Lampton, those tiles are fromthe original,” Rich said. “They were taken off when the roof wasrestored, possibly in the 1990s.”

Brookhaven band Ghost Town will provide entertainment, and arearestaurants and caterers will provide samples of tasty treats forguests.

Tickets to the event at the Brookhaven Recreation Department are$25, and may be purchased at We Frame It at the intersection ofHighway 51 and Chickasaw Street, or by calling Brookhaven Trustboard member Sloane Smith at 601-757-4725.