Spend any time in Columbus and you soon realize how much the community embraces its history.
That appreciation of history makes the city unique for its size, especially since a city’s past often relies to a great degree on what its residents can remember.
On Thursday, Rufus Ward, Columbus’ unofficial historian, made an appearance at the Columbus Exchange Club’s weekly meeting. His appearance at the luncheon is a reminder of our good fortune in having access to so much of our history.
Ward’s is probably the first name that comes to mind when you think of those who tell the story of Columbus and the Golden Triangle. An attorney by occupation but a history buff since childhood, Ward is well known for his weekly history columns, which he started writing for the Dispatch in 2010 – well over 600 columns and counting.
But Ward would be the first to tell you he is just one of many people who have helped preserve and pass along our history.
Gary Lancaster has also tracked the history of Columbus for years, first as a volunteer and now as an assistant to the local history department of the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library where, among other things, he helped process the 30,000 photo negatives that make up the Carl Brown Photograph Collection. He has also been a long-time volunteer at the Stephen D. Lee Home, one of the city’s most notable historic buildings.
While much attention has been devoted to the city’s history over the years, there was no one devoted to telling the story of our Black citizens. Stepping into that void has been Mississippi School for Math and Science history teacher Chuck Yarborough and his MSMS students. Under his direction, the students expanded their popular Tales From The Crypt program at Friendship Cemetery to Sandfield Cemetery, where early generations of the city’s Black residents are interred. The Eighth of May Emancipation Celebration program at Sandfield follows the form of the Tales From the Crypt, with students in period costumes telling the stories of those buried in the cemetery. The program drew national attention when it was featured in the 2021 HBO documentary series, “Our Town.”
Ken P’Pool was Mississippi Department of Archives and History’s go-to person for historic preservation for 40 years before retiring in 2018. P’Pool has deep knowledge of Columbus history, having headed MDAH’s Historic Preservation Columbus field office until 1979.
There is another person whose contributions in telling the story of Columbus cannot be overestimated.
Mona Vance-Ali has been the archivist for the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library since 2005. A former board member of the Mississippi Historical Association, Vance-Ali is the go-to person for the archival history of the city through the library’s Buckley Genealogy Room and The Billups-Garth Archives. Under her guidance our library has a history department that is the envy of most Mississippi cities. Just about every serious inquiry into the city’s history begins with a visit with Vance-Ali at the Columbus-Lowndes Library.
Quite often, telling the story is a collaboration of all of those who devote their time and energy to this effort and the collegiality shared by these “keepers of our history” provides current and future generations with a knowledge and understanding of local history simply not afforded residents in other communities.
Their passion for history is truly a gift to our community.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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