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Article: Where in Mississippi is ... Crystal Springs? The former "world tomato capital" is no garden-variety municipality.(SMALL-TOWN SPOTLIGHT)
- Article from:
- Mississippi Magazine
- Article date:
- May 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Downhome Publications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The roots of Crystal Springs' prosperity are burrowed deep within this fertile north Copiah County farmland, forever intertwined with the seeds of the tender red tomatoes that once dominated the small town's landscape.
Drawn to the flesh water that once flowed from this area's natural springs, a Methodist preacher named Elisha Lott was one of the first known settlers here in 1823, according to a local history article. Lott originally chose a site three miles west of the current town, but when a railroad was built from New Orleans to Jackson in 1858, the entire citizenry of the young town decided to move east to be closer to the new transportation system. It was a ...