Picayune Motor Company

Mission Statement of Pearl River County Historical Society

     The purpose of the Pearl River County Historical Society is to collect, preserve, and interpret Pearl River County's past for the education and enjoyment of present and future generations.

There are three general phases or tasks for an historical society: collecting, preserving, and educating. Collecting is the easiest task. Smaller items can just be accepted as a donation, the donor thanked, and the artifacts stored or display in some manner. Collecting old and historic buildings and historic sites is a little bit more difficult. The buildings and/or sites usually require the purchase of the property.

Preservation is a bit more difficult. Here you have to deal with the effects of the environment on the artifacts. Effects such as wind and rain in the case of buildings and sites and sunlight, moisture, and insect damage to objects stored inside.

Every artifact has a story to go along with the object. Some of the stories are historic and significant for the artifact. The story of other objects is too general in nature to be of any historic or significant value. Part of the work of a history society is to determine the story of each accepted artifact and plan how to use the objects as a way of educating our community about our local history.

     In the Biblical account of the Israelites release from Egyptian bondage, God, through Moses, told the Israelites to tell their children about how God had rescued them from Egypt, to post the story on their doorposts and on an epoch on their forehead. The prehistoric native American culture known as the Mississippian Period did not tell their children and the story was lost to future generations. We have learned a little about the prehistory of native Americans through archaeological research.

So, what does this have to do with Picayune Motor Company? I'm glad you asked. If you toured Picayune, Mississippi today looking for Picayune Motor Company it would be a waste of time. The building is still in the same location, but many of the identifying landmarks have changed over time. By the early 1960s the Chevrolet dealership was owned by Jack McNeil and had moved to a new location next to Boley Creek. The original dealership building is across the street from the Crosby Stores building. For a while, it was an auto repair shop and muffler repair shop until a recent facelift and makeover turned it into office space.

Please feel free to comment on this post and of course add any information you may have as to the story of Picayune Motor Co. The Historical Society does not have any information as to the date it opened for business or the name of the dealer.