Mississippi Roads winds over to eastern Mississippi in Jasper County to the tiny hamlet of Louin.
Louin began as an intersection of two county roads where a trading center later developed. In 1890 a post office was opened and named Louin for Louin Ishee, the postmaster’s son.
In 1906 the MG and Kansas City Railroad was built through Louin and at that time the town had a bank, a school, a church, a general store and sawmill.
Today, not a whole lot has changed in the small town of Louin. The population of around 300 has stayed pretty much steady over the past one hundred years and there are still a few shops and stores in the town.
The Banjo Shop is one store in Louin that attracts customers from around the world. The shop and its owner M.B. Green are the subject of our first story.
M. B. Green of Louin first heard fiddle music played live when he was just a boy one evening while visiting a relative’s house. And that night at bedtime, he prayed a silent prayer to somehow, “Be a part of that.” Little did he know his childhood dream would be answered like this. Not only does he play multiple instruments, Mr. Green crafts expert violins, guitars and banjos; truly making him a music maker.
Mark Ishee of Louin has a passion for classic cars. Two of his prized possessions are a 55 Chevy Belair and a 69 Chevy pick-up. He has spent more than fourteen hundred hours restoring his 55 Chevy, taking it down to the frame and completely refurbishing the entire car. He has won numerous awards at various car shows but it is not just a show piece. Mark loves to drive his classic cars as much as he loves restoring them.
In our next story, we meet a Brandon man who is also passionate about classic cars but his are on a little smaller scale.
Robert Jackman is a Brandon man who has a passion for collecting cars, both large and small. He bought his first car at age 13 and his first die cast car model too. Since then, he has increased his car and model collection enormously. What started as a hobby over 50 years ago has grown to a collection of a half a dozen cars and over 4000 models. It is estimated that just his model collection alone is worth over $400,000.
If you get down to Louin and get hunger pangs drive a few miles north of town on Highway 15 to Davey’s Restaurant.
Davey’s serves up some of the best home cooking that you have ever had. They have fried chicken, fresh tomatoes and don’t miss the peach cobbler. Also don’t forget to sign the guestbook inside Davey’s; people from around the world have eaten at this tiny country restaurant and they heap on the complements. They even have a letter from former first lady Barbara Bush singing the praises of Davey’s.
In our next story, we visit another business in Louin which is also drawing praise for creating art from junk.
Dave Heflin taught at Delta State for years and then retired to his wife’s home at Louin. But retirement doesn’t mean a sedentary life for him. For his birthday one year, his children presented Dave with a welding machine. And he hasn’t found an end for its uses yet, bonding himself tightly to the Mississippi Craftsman’s Guild as a folk artist; making new things by recombining old things with his welder.
Jasper County is Mississippi's #1 producer of gas and oil, and it also leads the state in timber, cattle, and poultry production. Wild game and fish are also abundant in the area. The Tallahala Wildlife Management Area outside Louin is a great example of that. Here you can hunt deer, rabbit, turkey and even camp provided you follow all the rules of the property.
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