This text was obtained via automated optical character recognition.
It has not been edited and may therefore contain several errors.

---

Six flags flew over two Mississippi comities
IF you coUd bavedriwm the present route of IJ ;>’■«> 1 * own through Mfcassippi in 1810 you wouhl have passed ut«f tbe UniM Stales aaad into another nation when you rtrve through what is bow Lumberton.
As you drove on sooth through what is ww PoptinriBk. (cNeiK. Canure, Picayuw, Nicholson. IVarl River and lideU you maid have bem trawling through the in cpevvdnt nation of West Florida. You woUd bave coo-rued on throqgh West Florida until you n-achwJ Ihe lktdfe ef L*ke Ponehartrarsk, when you would have re-utered tbefcerrilmy of U>e United Slates Tbe kisiflry of that p«t oi Scutb Mississippi iying swill* f the •qgt degree of latitude is very different (ram the art of (be stale north of this line and Is very different tmh tfct history of any other section uf tbe U n t-ed Sta tes Hie rid fine of demarcation between the English ossejniions, amiUvtPrcDdi and then the Spanish, was Ihe 1st eetf falitode, which is the present nort)tfni oub , of Pearl River County.
By righl of diaowery. Prance had long laid rtajm to nil us regkui btit not until January K99 was uny mc>vp made ) possess add occupy rL At that time DTbrrville arv bored off what a mm the Blissieaipp» Coast HolotJIiwi ent by the French gorcftiment Io explore and colwia« Mosiaoa. He established his headquarters at Hifcwi, rhich became tbe first capital td^osisna In 1717 Louisiana was handed over In a company of reach speculators, beaded by John I-aw This company slabitshed their headquarters at Jliioci Ih*e lo bad wnaj^went and improper undereitandina of rwnlitmns in ie new vnrld the Law Scheroe tailed n»e whole area remained under Uie doimmuti of Fiaiu-* ntil an March 10, 1X6S, fay the Treaty of Pans, hrarcc jrrendered to England a(( her pa>^sstons m North menfii east of the Mississippi Kivn At Ur >,duje lime pain ceded Io England W colonies or Fast and West lortda.
A! about the same time the Islarvd o# New Orleans arwl
ilic Fr*.*?>• - '< 11 iiui ■>, v t >1 ol 1l»i• Mess11	:
t^t«*d Ijy Kiarice Io -Spam There iMd fcK'en ,i great realigmenl til territories AlinoftT oMtsJ^iit wars in J jurupe and l lie ucnixKne ol the?*- wars brought great charges in the history of this part of I he world: IVhcri Spaui became involved in a itew war wilh England and id 17<W, I)od Bernard De the alert Sftanish governor of l-<xrisJ ana, attacked ar»d captured British forts at Baton Rouge, Mobd<* and Pen SiLcola. bringing Wrsl Florida which inc toll'd uh.u are now Pearl River and JlancorK Coutdvs, again under tho flagotSp^m
The Spaniards I tel d ljuui-aana, atat^g with Wesi Florida., until 1300 when all this area was ceded by Spam to Napolera Boeapartr with all its metes and hoivxis, whtch carried it to lb Perdido River in Flared*
Napoleon, with hatf of Europe at war wifb hun and Itircaiened with 9 iue sea power of England, found himsetf unable to take possession of Ixnn&iana which ai that time mckideri Pearf Hjw r and Jla«>cock («ui^ics Napolesn seqyfly senthis brother	f\* try £Q wnrk up
a rebelhon iri favor oi fVaocc. but the bnrihrr faded to amuse am interesi Hir pmpimr\ hrcrfhfr inadp
Kadquarters. while chi this inh>sum at whal is jww kpown as Kapol^tm on the liver betow IVayune lhat is whal gave WRpoinl its rsme Topievent the seizure of aJI (his great territory by tl*e British. Na|>oleof» sold UxiKtana <o
Ihe United Stales w Ap>ril30,lttin-
Uniler the Njuixana t*yrch;fee Ihr l.i»it«J 5Uateji clairTHilaU thii cosi'sJ icgwn of .Sotith Misistssjppi motion over eastward tu Ihe Perdrdo Itiver Finl th«* Sjwmards in*>jsled thal F!a->r )NljiI lti\^r was the easlern .%mr<L-ry or	and	rrrt <he Pcniido In uu»(mjU> rhr
^ifaaciuirds jjrwftN.'r':’ :o iK.rup> all of f'!i^r;tla .i:Lh strong military lories The Urutrd Slates ai lhat lime A-a-* not pirparrd lo io w;tr, il lr*»*l to set tie li»e djs^njie thro<f;»h dipl<in>;»ljc i5etn»4iali«n TTirs matter remained
uasetlfedaml jmkujN rwitil tWf!^
West Munda. iiirKviing l*enrl Hiver and Hancock Counties, was b«nulled <*n ttw ixnlh i^1 llw* jUst decree u;' IsLitudr fJr okl line ot dejnarral rnn on the soulh by the Cuif of Mexico and an imaginary line drawn through lakes PVHHiiartjaifi and Maurpas and the rivers orf rtjnile aj»d H-mrhae Io Itie Mi5^>iss.rpfK Itimr and at IhaL time nctmded Iron (he ApalarhkwJa Kivwr io Kkurkla to the Mississippi, indodmp rd ctnirve. Eaton Ptoaj^e Over (lie years many thmsacdbi of Anipricans had &ettleri up and rtown h»j*h sides of Pcswl Hiver and n tlie h'rritay between the PeaH and Ihe Mississippi under gran Is from botlitrthe Sparash and Hritish ^ovemnieskls These hardy sellers, practkally all fiew. the thiilnl Slates, became more »nd owe dissatisfied viith. t>u? fretfievl ctanges in |$overnaimBl and with the many ronflk*h)|' land cUiius. They liked neither She Spanish or Ihe British. Nrnimnis rich tracts	lax«l were (l»itned by
inure t>«t nne pei?«oo. When Hie Krelish caine in. Ihry reused lo rer^of.nize certain Lind claws tbat bad beeti granted by Spain and vice versa.
Tbe title to iw of the nW daims Jit Walktah, a place worth much money, was. so unrertaio that a man named ~T'Aifcer, wIki had spent much mouey initroving this place, sold hns claim^ wheo a itspnte arose, far $is ir cash and left, saymj* that he was jwne to where he ro»dd huy a piece n! I^ndand il woniki l»e.l<w^» lo Itim fVTfiianl lawyers from 141 east moved mlo Wes4 Fkj« ida hcrauseof the great ainoont <rfWigatioiof,er land claims On,-’ maasaidof hiftcJairo, “Thfrf arp eiifMJgh lawsuits in it to cost me morelhan il is worth.”
Jn^teod of j^llin^ better, conditions got wmv* In IrtJD nf Jhese setSlrrs Ijanded tu«ylh**r seize the Tort at Hat on Rous>e Thev oj-pani7ctt a ron .chuocl, adopted a flag aixl deciareil tJwir iridejxwdiifw witb Ibe iwme of the new nation as West Florida They •n! mil military lucres to foire allegiance lo the new - f?irkr> 1 -aler 00 that *«avne cear they applied as a snverign
state for <vdmrssKMi as a stale to iu ihnted States. President Nadrsnri o>	m	Oi V.** KIO, of* kmfer
leann}; M^v.;irtin£ |* vi «/ Sfnain. 'V-**e«'i ^ ^troc L«rii^.tn«J. dixHaria^ lhat West Florida was wrthin tb».* hmits of" LuHiLMaDa whea ceded by France to Ibr I tailed litates and Erected Governor Claiborne, of Orhnans t«*rritnry, lo Like-1 civd and military pctss«s5ki<ja of same.	;-‘-j
In purMLnni'e of Jhese ontlers <ri>vernor tlaitnorae twrff j over West Florida wilhoui opptesilton The Amuocan. settlers had accontfished tbar main ntijcctivc • Uie' placing orf their tern lory under tbe jurtsdirlion of the United States
For a time rkans reigned in this arrJi liands oi Jay— hawkers, hr^ands pnd robbers roamed this saertiim. At one time there were big warehouses, IabII by bcjrcaneenv, •*. at G&inesvflle for the sloric^ of goods 0/ all kinds which. hadljeemtii jackedfmmshipsro lhe<kitfo/Mexico	;
A scramble mvw <ieve4oped as to what tvntudd be rJure-^ with th»? territory comprising Wt-d Flori<la George Ponndejtter, a nun ol great ability and later ^iKnmr tjf*» Wississip^, was Mississippi's terriTorial rcjnrsentatii^r in	He imi «ill possible rjjodf.urcs lv> Rrt ,i]| ol *
Wtst Honda adiled lo th* ternlnry rJ Missrs;,ippt In Ihts .. be was oppo:>ed by Louisjan* inlrr^i- «-Ih» wnnletl il {ill added lol-ou»s*arw. Some few phq'ft+'d for a ntw sia(e A compromise was rearl*ed with Ihe line-.* that now’ prevail. Mississippi getting all Ihe ti'irilory l«M?n East-Pearl Itiver lo SL Stephens Mendum which is the' ftLvussvppi Alabama lirM‘loHL«y.
With raismp, ol the United Sfar-fj. 11^^ ovei 11ms t«*w territory’, fne	had f]**wn over thr I r-^nrh. t>.e
Sjiani?»h. tl’C- iinfish Wt«sl Klfiui.i .>nd the sLu**. jnd bJripM-> ihf» V mtnl Sf.^trs Thk*n \n litt.t Ihe Koneuo P.life Kr."?g of !he t.'o;if’rdt.‘ral^	j.-a was uniur iesi.
ickib)n^ sit fla£s mjill to fly tvx'er whal is n<w our home '
No oiner sec*i<ui in <<11 America h^s si«S\ .in mt^estin^ history non I-her ?vec(ionhas history likr otirs
)