Rowland's History of Aberdeen, Monroe County, Mississippi

Source:  Rowland, Dunbar, ed.  Mississippi: Comprising Sketches of 
Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in 
Cyclopedic Form.  3 vols.  Atlanta:  Southern Historical Publishing 
Association, 1907.

From: Volume 1, pp. 17-19

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  Aberdeen.  The city of Aberdeen dates back to the early days of Monroe 
county.  During the middle '30s, a little settlement grew up on the west 
side of the Tombigbee river, in the immediate neighborhood of Morgan's 
Ferry.  It was incorporated by the Legislature in May, 1837, and subsequent 
acts relating to its charter were passed in 1838 and 1846.  It was situated 
thirteen miles south of the famous old settlement of Cotton Gin Port, which 
was long the head of navigation on the Tombigbee river.  In the year 1849 
it was made the seat of justice for Monroe county, and in 1857 the present 
large brick court house was erected.

 The shipping facilities of Aberdeen are excellent, as it is at the head 
of navigation on the Tombigbee, and branch lines of three railroads 
terminate here--the Illinois Central, the Mobile and Ohio and the Kansas 
City, Memphis and Birmingham, the latter road now being part of the St. 
Louis & San Francisco system.  Socially and industrially, it is known as 
one of the best cities in the State.  None can boast of better churches, 
better schools, and a more intelligent and prosperous class of people.  
It is situated in the midst of a fertile and highly cultivated farming 
region, with sandy timbered lands on the east and with black prairie 
lands on the west, adapted to the growing of all kinds of grasses, 
grains, fruits, and vegetables, though cotton forms the principal staple 
production of the county.  The prairie lands are also especially adapted 
to the raising of corn.  Lands near Aberdeen are valued from $25 to $50 
an acres; five miles from the city about half this price obtains, except 
the prairie lands, which sell at about the former price.  Aberdeen is 
one of the eleven cities in the State, whose manufacturing and mechanical 
industries were considered of sufficient importance by the officials of 
the Census Bureau of the Twelfth Census, to justify the appointment of 
special agents to collect the statistics.  It is admirably situated to 
develop into a large manufacturing city.  It is located at the head of 
navigation on the Tombigbee, has extensive areas of valuable timber to 
draw upon, is surrounded by a highly productive and fertile farming 
region, and is in close proximity to the rich coal and iron fields of 
Alabama.  Writing of its favorable situation, Prof. Lawrence C. Johnson, 
of the U. S. Geological Survey, has this to say:  "At the head of 
navigation, this is the natural and nearest outlet to a large territory 
of both Mississippi and Alabama.  It should control the coal and iron 
regions of at least Lamar and Marion counties, Ala., and have an equal 
chance at the grand coal fields of Walker. . . . Your position, 
geologically considered, is advantageous.  Situated at the eastern edge 
of what the books call the Eutaw formation of the cretaceous group, you 
have behind you all the wealth of the calcareous soils of the prairie.  
Beyond the Tombigbee you have thin soils, it is true, in the sharp hills 
of what we call the Tuscaloosa formation; but these hills are clothed 
with the finest timber, and when that is removed it becomes the land of 
the mulberry, grape, peach, and all the fruits of our climate."

  Aberdeen boasts of a fine public school building; the Federal building 
here was built at a cost of $100,000.  It has a number of large and 
up-to-date mercantile establishments.  Among its important manufacturing 
industries are:  A clothing factory; a sand-lime brick factory; a button 
manufacturing company; The Aberdeen Oil Mill; an ice factory and bottling 
works; The People's Oil Mill and Fertilizer works; a furniture factory; 
a large cotton compress; several cotton gins; a saw and planing mill; 
iron works and machine shops.  Electric lighting and water works systems 
costing $90,000 are owned and operated by the city, and are said by 
experts to be the best in the State.  There are three strong banking 
institutions--The First National Bank; The Bank of Aberdeen, and The 
Monroe Bank and Trust Co.  Two papers are published here:  The Aberdeen 
Examiner, a Democratic weekly, established in 1866, edited by its founder, 
Maj. S. A. Jonas; The Aberdeen Weekly, also a Democratic weekly, 
established in 1875, and edited by T. T. Deavenporte.

  The city is excellently managed in an official way and is rapidly 
increasing in population; in 1906 the population was estimated at 5,000.  
The Aberdeen Business League is doing a splendid work in exploiting the 
city's many advantages.