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,

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