MSM 631 Donald Hemphill - The Homochitto Lumber Company - a podcast by USM Center for Oral History

In the late 1920s, Donald Hemphill’s father took a job with the Homochitto Lumber Company and the family moved to Bude, Mississippi. In this episode, he shares his memories of growing up in the thriving sawmill town.   At that time, many sawmills provide free company housing for their employees. Hemphill recalls the move to Bude and the primitive conditions in which they lived.

For Hemphill, growing up in Bude was a pleasant and carefree life. He recounts walking home from school to eat lunch and working at the local service station. He also discusses Bude’s prosperous times, and the important role passenger trains played in the people’s lives.

While the Homochitto Lumber Company was in business, life in Bude revolved around the mill’s work whistle.  Hemphill describes the sawmill’s last day and how they tied the whistle down after the last board was cut.

PHOTO: MS Dept. of Archives and History

Further episodes of Mississippi Moments Podcast

Further podcasts by USM Center for Oral History

Website of USM Center for Oral History