Editing Seminary, Mississippi (section)

===1846–1890===
The area was sparsely populated prior to the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]. In the same location as where the town sits today, Covington County resident and [[Presbyterian]] pastor A. R. Graves opened Zion Seminary, a boarding school for men and women, in 1845. The seminary offered courses in law, medicine, and religious studies. At its largest, the seminary had more than 500 students. Dormitories and cottages housed them. During the Civil War, all but one building of Zion Seminary burned. Local legend has it that the buildings were burned by [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] sympathizers, but it is not clear if this is true. The seminary was in operation until it burned again in 1890. The site of the Zion Seminary was then used to build Seminary Attendance Center; the school still sits today upon this location in the center of town.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.covingtonchamber.com/in/index.php/tutorials/2011-09-07-21-17-00 |title=Seminary |publisher=Covington County Chamber of Commerce |accessdate=January 5, 2013}}</ref>