In November 1887, the Kansas City, Memphis & Birmingham Railroad (KCM&B)later the St. LouisSan Francisco Railroad, or Friscoestablished a new town as a halfway point on its route between Memphis and Birmingham. The town was named Amory in honor of Harcourt Amory, a prominent Bostonian and railroad executive. The 500 acres the railroad purchased from Amanda Owen were surveyed and drawn into plots parallel to the railroad tracks, creating Mississippis first planned community. Amory prospered as men like E.D. Gilmore and Archibald Dalrymple moved to town and opened up shop. Businesses and homes from nearby Cotton Gin Port on the Tombigbee River were moved to Amory to be part of the growing town. The garment industry played a vital part in Amorys development, as the Glenn and Longenecker families established factories that made the town known as the Pants Capital of the World. Today, the community is home to a regional medical center, top-rated schools, and a diverse mixture of retail and industrial businesses.

comp. and written by the Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration.

Mississippi: The WPA Guide to the Magnolia State was part of a nationwide series of guides in the 1930s that created work during the Depression for artists, writers, teachers, librarians, and other professionals. This classic book is a lively collaborative project that covers a distinct era in Mississippi from the hills to the Delta to the Gulf Coast. Even today this guide is an engaging look at the Magnolia State and includes driving tours featuring many of the state's treasures. Along these old roads, the heart of Mississippi comes to life. The guide explores Deep South folkways, frontier hamlets, vanishing homesteads, burgeoning communities, and the local points of pride. In a way that perhaps may never be duplicated, these authors capture state heritage, portray the trying economic systems and challenges Mississippi faced, and hint of a revolution in roadways and in mobility for its citizens. An introduction by Robert S. McElvaine places this historic volume in a modern context.