Woolworth, Mississippi
Encyclopedia
Woolworth is a ghost town
located in rural northeast Lincoln County
, Mississippi
, United States
.
to the west and Silver Creek
(a settlement north of Monticello
) to the east. With the rise of automobiles, roads were built that by-passed Woolworth. The town's sawmill
closed, and the train stopped running.
The only visible remains of Woolworth are the old general store and the old blacksmith shop. Both are next to the train tracks on the east side of the road and are currently used as storage by the owner of the property.
There are two houses at Woolworth that were built after the town dried up. The house just north of the train tracks was built by Luke Smith, the owner of the old sawmill, for his daughter, Dorothy. Dorothy and her husband, John Cotton, lived in the house until their death in the 1980s. The house is owned by their child, Dennis.
The house to the south of the train tracks was where Smith lived. His house was built from wood that was reclaimed after the old train depot
was demolished. The house was built and then later moved to its current location. The floor beams holding up this house used to be the ceiling beams of the old school from the community of Hueck's Retreat, which sits along the same train tracks 10 miles west of Woolworth.
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
located in rural northeast Lincoln County
Lincoln County, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 33,166 people, 12,538 households, and 9,190 families residing in the county. The population density was 57 people per square mile . There were 14,052 housing units at an average density of 24 per square mile...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
Woolworth was once a major train stop between BrookhavenBrookhaven, Mississippi
Brookhaven is a small city in Lincoln County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 9,861 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lincoln County...
to the west and Silver Creek
Silver Creek, Mississippi
Silver Creek is a town in Lawrence County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 209 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Silver Creek is located at ....
(a settlement north of Monticello
Monticello, Mississippi
Monticello is a town in Lawrence County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,726 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lawrence County.-Geography:Monticello is located at ....
) to the east. With the rise of automobiles, roads were built that by-passed Woolworth. The town's sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
closed, and the train stopped running.
The only visible remains of Woolworth are the old general store and the old blacksmith shop. Both are next to the train tracks on the east side of the road and are currently used as storage by the owner of the property.
There are two houses at Woolworth that were built after the town dried up. The house just north of the train tracks was built by Luke Smith, the owner of the old sawmill, for his daughter, Dorothy. Dorothy and her husband, John Cotton, lived in the house until their death in the 1980s. The house is owned by their child, Dennis.
The house to the south of the train tracks was where Smith lived. His house was built from wood that was reclaimed after the old train depot
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
was demolished. The house was built and then later moved to its current location. The floor beams holding up this house used to be the ceiling beams of the old school from the community of Hueck's Retreat, which sits along the same train tracks 10 miles west of Woolworth.