A southern tradition occurs every third Sunday in October at the Pleasant Ridge Cemetery in Attala County west of Kosciusko, MS, on Old Highway 12. Some people in Mississippi call it Homecoming; some call it Decoration Day. Descendants of the earliest settlers in Attala County return to the local church and cemetery that were established in 1837, just four years after the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit deeded the Choctaw lands to the United States.
Cemetery Association members and their families spread a feast under the ancient oak trees that have overlooked church celebrations for over 184 years. The younger generation boys engaged in a pickup game of football while the ladies laid out the feast for lunch. Last year's meal was omitted due to the pandemic, but this year, friends and family members renewed old connections armed with vaccines and face masks to protect them. A Cemetery Association business meeting always follows the meal. Those who attended this year's event included Frank Hughes; Chad and Leslie (England) Grantham and Seth; Nicholas and Hayley Upchurch with children Milly and Stafford; Charles and Brenda England; Pam Upchurch and grandson Alden Baten; Steve and Dianne (McCrory) Sosebee; Eugene and Patsy McCrory; the McMillan sisters: Faye Tackett, Janette Frazier, Juanita Guntharp, and Millie Lester; and Mary Sanders Dalton.
The McMillan family returns to their childhood home in Attala County every year to celebrate Homecoming at their old family church at Pleasant Ridge. The McMillan sisters are (l. to rt.) Janet Frazier, Milly Lester, Juanita Guntharp, and Faye Tackett.
All the attending families can trace their ancestry back to the original Attala County settlers. The original church was located three miles north of its present location. Pleasant Ridge (according to Extinct Towns and Villages of Attala County) was settled in 1837 near Apookta Creek with families meeting together in a log church at that time for their worship services. The church was formally organized on May 25, 1847, as a Baptist Church. A new church building was built at its present location in 1877 using original logs from the first building's foundation as “sleeper” logs. Those logs contained wooden pegs and square nails. In 1937 the church celebrated its 100th Anniversary of its founding.
Most residents of the area made their living as farmers growing cotton, wheat, vegetables, cattle, horses, chickens, and hogs. Turpin Atwood opened a manufacturing plant to make gin stands. He also ginned cotton and milled flour and meal. Residents hauled dirt with wheelbarrows to dig out a spring-fed lake called Caine's Lake which was later named Crawley's Lake. Caine's grist mill operated from 1874. Jim Dodd, foreman for the Atwood Factory, settled near the Steeds area. Charlie England was another early settler. Ed Hughes built a horse drawn gin, sawmill, and grist mill that operated from 1885-1895. The church is no longer operating as a Southern Baptist Church because the numbers had dropped, and the remaining membership decided to deed the church and land to the Pleasant Ridge Cemetery Association. The last pastor was Rev. Freddie Tanksley. Gone is the outdoor john that sat behind the church, but today a portable restroom was rented for use just for this yearly event. The Cemetery Association has seen to the upkeep of the properties. They added a ramp for handicapped visitors, have done painting and repairs, and even evicted thousands of honeybees from the back of the building with the help of a beekeeper.
Association officers are President Frankie Hughes, Vice President Eugene McCrory, and Secretary and Treasurer Leslie Grantham. For many years, former Attala County Chancery Court Clerk Charles England served as the secretary/treasurer, but his daughter was elected to replace him last year. Trustees include Butch McMillan, Mary Sanders Dalton, and Nicholas Upchurch.
Pleasant Ridge Cemetery Association Vice Pres. Eugene McCrory discusses finances with Secretary/Treasurer Leslie England Grantham.
Patsy Bowden McCrory is the wife of Trenton Eugene McCrory, Jr., one of the descendants of the early families of the church. She is a former reporter, photographer, and news editor for the DeSoto Times newspaper in Hernando, MS. She is also a retired teacher with 42 years of service teaching English and substitute teaching in DeSoto County Schools. She does freelance articles for newspapers and magazines across the state.
