 |
|
Walls is located in North west DeSoto County near the Mississippi River– a region referred to as “The Delta”, known for its rich, dark soil. A relatively young community, Walls was originally named Alpika, an old Chickasaw Indian word. The name was changed to Walls in 1906.
Walls was named after Captain June Walls who served in the War Between the States. Captain Walls was an early settler and merchant of the region in the 1880s.
The trail of Hernando DeSoto leads through DeSoto County to Walls.
Today, Walls is a community rich in agriculture. Cotton, soybeans, rice and corn are planted each spring. The railroad played a big part in the growth of the area in the early to mid 1900s. The mechanical revolution of the 1950’s and 60’s changed Walls. With the advent of tractors and modern farming equipment, the face of this communitity was changed forever.
Walls is home to a famous Blues singer. Memphis Minnie came from Algiers, Louisiana to play the Memphis Beale Street circuit in 1904. She won top female vocalist in the first Blue’s Unlimited Reader’s Poll in 1973. In 1980, she was elected to the Hall of Fame at the inaugural W.C. Handy Awards. Memphis Minnie died August 6, 1973 and is buried in New Hope Cemetery in Walls. Her headstone was made possible by contributions from Bonnie Raitt and John Fogerty.
Another famous resident of Walls…Sacred Heart School and Scared Heart League, Inc. Sacred Heart League, still located in Walls, raised funds through the sale of a famous statue of Jesus Christ. In the 1960’s, the statue could be found on the dashboards of vehicles across America.
The Town of Walls, which has been a community since the early 1900's, is inexorably connected to the tiny Village of Memphis which was incorporated in the early 1970's and was located just south of the Walls community. In 2003, the Village of Memphis annexed a large portion of the Walls area, thereby giving the Town of Walls the official status of a municipality. Today Walls is experiencing a population and economic resurgence and under the leadership of the Mayor and Board of Alderman.
|
|
|
|