MACON, the county capital, came into being in February 1833 as Taladega. The name was changed in 1835 to honor American politician Nathaniel Macon of North Carolina. The town was incorporated in 1836 and became a thriving trading center for the surrounding territory. Macon, a staunch defender of slavery, served several terms in the U.S. Congress, opposed ratification of the U.S. Constitution, Federalist economic policies and the 1820 Missouri Compromise.
AUBREY, located 15 miles east of Macon, was formed with the establishment of a post office in 1900. The town is now extinct.
BIGBEE VALLEY, first known as White Hall, was established as a plantation flag stop in 1850 and named for the Tombigbee River Valley.
BOUNDSTOWN was established in the 1830s by a white settler named Jesse Bounds. The town became extinct in 1850 after he moved away.
BROOKSVILLE, established as early as 1833, was named for settler Jarred Brooks. In 1940, Simeon Orr was recognized nationally for raising the largest hog and the largest ox in the world.
CALYX, located 12 miles southeast of Macon, was named by postal authorities at the request of C.S. Fields. An early school, The Lick Skillet Academy was founded there by Eugene Ferris in 1840.
CLIFTONVILLE, settled about 1834, was a prosperous community because of its strategic location 14 miles from Pickensville, Alabama, which was a major cotton shipment hub on the Tombigbee River.
COOKSVILLE, settled in 1834, was first known as Pleasant Ridge. It was named for Peter Cook, a shoemaker/liquor dealer who built the first cabin.
DEERBROOK is one of the oldest settlements in Noxubee. It was established in 1830 by a colony of settlers from Georgia, including Colonel T.C. Billups and John and William Baldwin.
DINSMORE, located 16 miles east of Macon, was established as a plantation post office in 1898. It was named for G.S. Dinsmore, an early settler. The town became extinct when the post office was abolished in 1911.
FOXTRAP, located 14 miles east of Macon, was settled in 1840 and was considered part of the Prairie Point neighborhood. It is now extinct.
FUTVOYE was never more than a lumber mill and camp located on a siding of the Mobile & Ohio Railroad, five miles south of Shuqualak. It was likely named for the owner of the mill -- W.C. Futvoye.
GHOLSON was known in 1845 as Summerville. It is located 11 miles southwest of Shuqualak on the old cotton route to Memphis, Tennessee. Sometime before 1860, the name was changed to honor U.S. Congressman Samuel J. Gholson.
LYNNN CREEK, located about 10 miles west of Brooksville, was settled in 1832 and was originally named Buck Snort.
MACEDONIA, located 6 miles southeast of Mashulaville, was settled in 1840. Named for the Macedonia Church, it never gained the status of being referred to as a town. First settlers included Hank Thomas, Billy Pickett, Wash Clearman and Captain Charles Thomas.
MASHULAVILLE, located 11 miles southwest of Macon, was once a famous Choctaw community. It was named for Chief Mashulatubbee, who vigorously opposed The Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek. His descendants continue to reside in the area, where they maintain a family graveyard and a commemorative stone that acknowledges the Treaty.
McLEOD, located 7 miles east of Macon, is one of the oldest communities in Noxubee County. It was named for brothers Dr. John and Randall McLeod, who settled the area between 1830-1840.
NUNN, located 4 miles south of Shuqualak, was a plantation flag stop. It was named for Major E.F. Nunn, who settled in the area in 1835. His mercantile business -- Nunn & Anderson -- continued in existence well into the mid-twentieth century.
PAULETTE, formerly known as Tarbore, was established in 1850. The post office was located in the commissary of the Paulette Plantation Company. Today, it is known as the Circle M Ranch, which is a hunting lodge.
PRAIRIE POINT, located 10 miles northeast of Macon, is a latecomer to the history of Noxubee communities. It was created in 1898 by L.W. Smith, Dr. R.R. Wyatt, Raleigh Brewer and J.A. Dinsmore.
PRETORIA, located 15 miles north of Macon, was a plantation flag stop established in 1900 and named for Pretoria, South Africa. The community became extinct in 1908 and was then locally known as Pugh's Store.
RAVINE, located 3 miles south of Bigbee Valley, was a plantation stop and post office founded on the homestead of John Q. Poindexter.
SHUQUALAK, located 9 miles south of Macon, was founded in 1857. It is named for Shuqualak Creek. Early settlers included Constantine, Bates, Tyson, Slaughter, Fields, Edwards and Beasley families.
TOGO, located east of Brooksville, was a plantation flag stop established in 1895 on the homestead of Dr. Anderson Cunningham. It is now extinct.
SOURCE: Hometown Mississippi by James F. Brieger (Town Square Books: 1980, 1997, 2001)
