Traveling north on State Highway 23 in eastern Itawamba County, the visitor goes through the scenic Bounds Crossroads community. One of the older communities in northeastern Itawamba, it was named for one of the early settlers of the county, George Bounds.
George Bounds was born in the Richmond and Anson County, North Carolina area around 1773. He was the son of Jesse Bounds (born about 1752 Frederick County, Virginia, died about 1827 in Pickens County, Alabama) and Mary Ann Webb (born about 1752 in North Carolina, died about 1827 in Pickens County, Alabama). George Bounds patented several quarter sections of land in 1843 and 1844 and purchased additional acreage as well. During 1844 he purchased the southeast quarter of Section 2, Township 9 South, Range 8 East and built a residence upon this land. This large hewn-log dog-trot structure was about two miles due west from the Franklin County, Alabama line on the west side of Briar Creek just east of the intersection of the old Maxcy Mill Road (current-day Mt. Gilead Road) and old Russellville Road (current State Highway 23). The community surrounding this intersection became known as Bounds Crossroads during the 1800’s and continues to be known by that name even today.
At the age of 83, George Bounds died on August 16, 1854 and on February 24, 1855, a public sale of his property was held when E. J. Chastine (Edward Jordan Chastain) purchased the George Bounds homestead, which at the time of the sale, consisted of the southeast quarter and south half of the southwest quarter of Section 2, Township 9 South, Range 10 East, containing 240 acres (Deed Book 15, Pages 7-9). The title of the property was transferred to Chastain by William R. Bounds, the administrator of the George Bounds estate on April 7, 1856.
An interesting fact about the old pioneer log home is during 1960 it served as the first home of a young married couple from the area named Euple and Wynette Pugh Byrd. Wynette Pugh Byrd later became known as Tammy Wynette, the “First Lady of Country Music.” The old home at the time was owned by Tammy Wynette’s grandfather, Chester Russell and was just north of where she was born on May 5, 1942. Her grandfather had purchased a part of the old Bounds place in 1949.
Larger Full View of 1844 Structure
Traveling north on State Highway 23 in eastern Itawamba County, the visitor goes through the scenic Bounds Crossroads community. One of the older communities in northeastern Itawamba, it was named for one of the early settlers of the county, George Bounds.
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