The Old Mt. Moriah Schoolhouse and Church

Several years ago I photographed the old Mt. Moriah school building. This school was established as early as the 1860's (records of the school have been found dating to 1869 when teacher James Harmon gave his annual report to the state) and was located south of Horn's Crossing east of Bull Mountain Creek in the heart of Itawamba's hill country. The land was deeded to Mount Moriah Church in a deed given by Samson McKown on October 8, 1869. In recent years the old building was torn down and the adjoining cemetery enlarged onto the site where the school and church once stood. From the 1869 school report, students who attended the school included George Hampton, Mary Hampton, William Hampton, James Brown, Samuel Brown, Lafayette Brown, Frankling Jones, Virginia Jones, Margaret Perry, John Perry, Martha Perry, Jane Harmon, Mary Harmon, Martha Harmon, Idy Harmon, Louvice Harmon and Elizabeth Boyd.

The adjoining cemetery was established in 1900. The earliest monument in the cemetery is that of M.E. Gentry. She was born in 1838 and died in 1900. According to locals, the family had planned to bury her in the Dyer or Old Bethel Cemetery, a few miles south of Mt. Moriah, but because of high water, they could not get to that cemetery. According to the 1900 Itawamba County Federal Census, she was Mary E. Gentry, born in South Carolina. During 1900 she was living with her son Willie Gentry next to several Horn families.