Berclair is an
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
located in
Leflore County, Mississippi, United States. Berclair is approximately west of
Itta Bena
Itta Bena is a city in Leflore County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 2,049 at the 2010 census. The town's name is derived from the Choctaw phrase ''iti bina'', meaning "forest camp". Itta Bena is part of the Greenwood, Mississipp ...
. It is part of the
Greenwood, Mississippi micropolitan area
The Greenwood Micropolitan Statistical Area is a micropolitan area in the northwestern Delta region of Mississippi that covers two counties - Leflore and Carroll. As of the 2000 census, the USA had a population of 48,716 (though a July 1, 2009 ...
.
History
Berclair is located along Blue Lake. In 1905, Berclair was home to the Schuh-Miller Lumber Company. In 1910, Berclair had five general stores,
sawmill
A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...
, and
cotton gin
A cotton gin—meaning "cotton engine"—is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, enabling much greater productivity than manual cotton separation.. Reprinted by McGraw-Hill, New York and London, 1926 (); a ...
.
[ Berclair sits on the ]Columbus and Greenville Railway
There have been two uses of Columbus and Greenville Railway, both for the same rail line.
Original Columbus and Greenville
The first Columbus and Greenville Railway was formed by the sale of the Southern Railway operated Southern Railway in Mi ...
.[
A post office operated under the name Berclair from 1890 to 1894 and from 1899 to 1920.]
Notable person
Blues guitar player B.B. King
Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shi ...
was born just outside Berclair in 1925, and lived there until the age of four when he went to live with his maternal grandmother. This event is commemorated by a Mississippi Blues Trail
The Mississippi Blues Trail was created by the Mississippi Blues Commission in 2006 to place interpretive markers at the most notable historical sites related to the birth, growth, and influence of the blues throughout (and in some cases beyond) t ...
marker in Berclair.
Gallery
File:NewZionChurchBerClair.jpg, New Zion Church in the Berclair community
File:BerclairHouses.jpg, Homes in Berclair along Leflore County Road 167
File:BirthplaceOfBBKingMississippiBluesTrailMarker.jpg, Mississippi Blues Trail
The Mississippi Blues Trail was created by the Mississippi Blues Commission in 2006 to place interpretive markers at the most notable historical sites related to the birth, growth, and influence of the blues throughout (and in some cases beyond) t ...
marker located south of the Berclair community
References
Unincorporated communities in Leflore County, Mississippi
Unincorporated communities in Mississippi
Greenwood, Mississippi micropolitan area
{{LefloreCountyMS-geo-stub