By JOE FERNALD

SPECIAL TO THE DAILY LEADER

 

Imagine a quiet Sunday morning in the comfort of a Mississippi fall, the final days before Christmas. Citizens of the community are coming home from church for a family lunch at home. A quiet Sunday in Mississippi.

As the family sits for lunch, the peaceful calm is broken by a sudden radio bulletin by CBS newscaster John Daly that the United States Navy Base at Pearl Harbor has suffered a surprise attack by forces of the Empire of Japan with great loss of life and property. The mighty Pacific Fleet, anchored at Pearl, has been bombed with “Battleship Row” decimated, destroying the Navy’s ability to mount an adequate defense.

Thus, the United States was at war and the world, the United States and Lincoln County would never be the same.

On Thursday, May 25, 2023, at 6:30 p.m., the Lincoln County Historical and Genealogical Society will host the program “World War Two in Lincoln County,” in conjunction with the Lincoln County Military Museum. The free program will take place at the museum.

“The program is our attempt to showcase the role that Lincoln Countians played in the war and to accentuate the work of the Military Museum in preserving the military history of our nation,” said Cathy Bridge, Historical Society president. “The program also serves as a Memorial Day tribute to those Lincoln Countians who served in the defense of their country.”

The Military Museum features displays and documents surrounding past events and the people who lived through them. Randall Smith, one of the curators of the Lincoln County Military Museum, advised that the members of the museum have spent a significant amount of time and effort to refurbish the museum and its artifacts. Along the artifacts and exhibits, the museum features newspaper photos of many Lincoln County residents that answered “the call to duty.”

The Lincoln County Historical and Genealogical Society is a non-profit organization created to preserve the history of Lincoln County and to provide citizens with a glimpse into the past of the communities of the county. It is located on the corner of West Chickasaw and South Church streets in Temple B’nai Shalom. The museum is open on Tuesday, Thursday and the first Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., or by appointment.

The Lincoln County Military Museum, located on South Whitworth Avenue in the Brookhaven Train Depot, is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. or by appointment.