In August of 2017 the town of Mathiston broke ground on its new town hall. After years of failed grant applications, Mayor Jimmy Carden and the board of aldermen felt the town could finance the building on its own.
They moved into the completed facility in June of 2018 and have been pleased with it since Day 1.
The building houses the town clerk, deputy clerk, mayor, police chief and officers, and water and waste departments. It has safe storage space, a boardroom, document storage, a break room and a dedicated municipal courtroom. Before this, meetings and court were conducted in the town’s library.
“It’s a vast improvement for us,” said Town Clerk Rachel Robinson. “We came from two offices about the size of one of these. It’s open and airy and beautiful. Central heat and air conditioning are a big help, also.”
With the increase in housing construction, the new town hall reflects the progressive era the town is entering. The East Webster Elementary School was built to house K-6 but grade 6 goes to the high school because of the number of classes in K-5.
Volunteer help
Robinson is quick to brag on the community.
“If people see you are in need, they will step up to help. We have had plenty of volunteer help to get this building completed. The furniture in the courtroom was donated anonymously,” she pointed out. “We welcome new families to the subdivisions under construction here and want to do all we can to help them become part of Mathiston.”
The building was designed by the late Bill Mann, a graduate of Mathiston High School. In front of the building is the bell from the old schoolhouse and a plaza of pavers marking names of donors will soon surround it.
Court meets the first and third Thursdays of each month, and Judge Buchanan Meek presides. Inmates are housed in both Webster County Jail and Choctaw County Jail, because the county line runs through the town.
But the town hall is also used as a central location for the Mathiston Youth Association. Youngsters who want to register for spring sports can stop by there to do so.
Mathiston began as a railroad town. In 1888 Bill Mathis donated land for a depot there and train lines crossed just south of the current city park. The Rebel Line of the GM&O railroad crossed the Delta Line of C&G railroad there. Trains no longer run through the town.
