Editing Wesson, Mississippi (section)

==History==
The town of Wesson was founded in 1864, during the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], by Col. James Madison Wesson. Having lost his mills at [[Bankston, Mississippi|Bankston]], Wesson relocated to the town that now bears his name. There he built the Mississippi Manufacturing Company which produced a fine quality cotton fabric. In 1871 he sold the mill to William Oliver and John T. Hardy who renamed it the [[Mississippi Mills (Wesson, Mississippi)|Mississippi Mills]].

The mills became famous for the quality of cotton fabric produced which was dubbed "Mississippi silk" at the [[Centennial Exposition|Centennial celebration]] of 1876. A product of the Industrial Revolution, the mills in Wesson began to utilize the new technology of the rapidly changing age. One year after [[Thomas Edison]] perfected the light bulb, the Mississippi Mills put them to use. It was said that passengers on the evening train would rush to the windows when passing through Wesson in order to see the marvelous lights.

This prosperity, however, came to an end after the death of Captain Oliver in 1891. Financial difficulties followed by the economic [[Panic of 1893]], family conflict, and labor disputes caused the mills to fall into [[receivership]] in the early 1900s. Eventually, the mills were dismantled and sold for scrap during the [[First World War]].

The first public school in Wesson was built in 1875, and the community college was added in 1928.