The Beauty of Ole Brook

With historic roots extending back to its founding in 1818, remnants of Brookhaven's well-preserved past remain evident throughout the Southern Mississippi town even today. So it makes sense that Ole Brook can claim “Mississippi's Most Victorian Street,” a winding trail of elegant nineteenth century homes exuding charm and character lining South Jackson Street and the surrounding area.

For over fifty years, Brookhaven Little Theatre has entertained audiences with an array of musical and dramatic classics, as well as modern Broadway hits, making it the longest continually running community theatre in the Magnolia State. In addition to producing six plays annually, the entirely volunteer-led troupe holds summer camps for area youth each year, inspiring generations of young performers to take to the stage.

Brookhaven is also home to the Mississippi School of the Arts, an upper high school dedicated to the literary, visual, and performing arts for creatively gifted students. Located on the grounds of Whitworth College—a four-year, all-female college from 1858 until 1928—the historic campus was restored by the state and reopened in 2003 as an arts institution. The campus is also on the National Register of Historic Places as a designated Mississippi Landmark.

Speaking of historic structures, the Lincoln County Historical and Jewish Heritage Museum was first constructed in 1896 as the Temple B'Nai Shalom. The Lincoln County Historical and Genealogical Society held its first meeting in February 2008; and right from the start, its founders hoped to create a museum dedicated to area history. The members of the temple, with the help of the Institute for Southern Jewish Life, decided to combine their interest in preservation with that of the historical society and in March 2011, two collections, housed in one building, opened to the public. The museum features artifacts and exhibits relevant to Lincoln County. Foster-Smith Log Cabin was built in 1825 and eventually moved to its current location on South Whitworth Avenue in downtown's Railroad Park in 1997. The hand-hewn logs and simple furnishings exemplify the country home typical of the pioneer period.

Located in the Old Train Depot, the Military Memorial Museum houses a trove of photos, artifacts, and personal items of local veterans, as well as authentic military equipment dating back to World War I. The Depot itself is part of the fabric of local history; in the early 1900s, Brookhaven was a hub between several railroad lines, and in 1907, the Tudor-revival brick building was constructed as the Union Station and freight house in downtown Brookhaven. visitbrookhavenms.com

Sponsored by the Brookhaven Tourism Council