As in many
communities, the depression-era WPA brought the first public library to Osyka.
Among the librarians were Mrs. Lillie Bergold and Mrs. Kate Ott.
All WPA libraries closed when WWII began in 1941. In 1956, the leaders
of Osyka gave support to efforts for establishing a tax structure supporting a
public library. The effort failed. In July 1960, the I.C.R.R. Park
building was vacated and offered as a possible library site. The Mississippi
Library Commission approved the site, the first public library in Pike County
under the Commission. The library formally opened August 19, 1961 under
librarian Mrs. Lucy Varnado. In a time when many public buildings lacked
air conditioning, Joseph Bancroft of Croft Metal Products, Inc., donated one
to the newly formed library. Subsequent librarians include Mrs. Brewer
Wall, Mrs. Julia Lee Cutrer, Mrs. Genevieve Price, and Mrs. Jennie H. Jones.
|
 |
Nancy DeVoss has
served at the Osyka Library since 2002. She enjoys the town's friendly
atmosphere. The Amtrak and other trains pass daily within a few feet of
the library.
|
| The name
Osyka, as legend has it, was the name of a Choctaw maiden whose early death
forestalled her marriage plans. Her father requested that the founding
fathers name the little settlement after his beloved daughter. Osyka's
first white settler was Jesse Redmond, who came into the area from South
Carolina in 1812. The Varnados, along with Leonard, Samuel, Moses, and
George, and Samuel and Charity Carter, had settled near Osyka in 1809.
After fighting in the Battle of New Orleans, Redmond married the Carter's
daughter, Elizabeth. The State of Mississippi was created in 1817.
The Choctaw Chief Dancing Rabbit, who is thought to be buried at Chatawa,
ceded more land in 1830, bringing in an increasing number of settlers.
After the railroad came to Osyka in 1854, new settlers began pouring into the
Osyka area. Osyka was chartered in 1858. A Yellow Fever epidemic in 1878
took the lives of 53 Osyka residents and hundreds of other Pike County
residents. In the great fire of 1891, town records and many
businesses were destroyed. Despite wars, fires, and epidemics, the small
town named for an Indian maiden has survived. |
|
Hours of Operation
|
|
Mon.-Tues.
|
Wed.
|
Thurs.-Fri.
|
Sat.
|
|
1:00-5:00
|
Closed
|
1:00-5:00
|
Closed
|
|
|
Osyka Library
568 W. Railroad Ave.
Osyka, MS 39657
601-542-5147
osyka@pawls.lib.ms.us
|
|
|
