Onward 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 Sharkey County,

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

, at the junction of

Mississippi Highway 1 Mississippi Highway 1 (MS 1) is a state highway in Mississippi that runs south from U.S. Highway 49 near Lula to U.S. Highway 61 south of Cary, roughly paralleling the Mississippi River. It travels approximately , serving Sharkey, Issaquena ...

and

U.S. Route 61 U.S. Route 61 or U.S. Highway 61 (U.S. 61) is a major United States highway that extends between New Orleans, Louisiana and the city of Wyoming, Minnesota. The highway generally follows the course of the Mississippi River and is designated ...

. Onward is approximately south of

Cary Cary may refer to: Places ;United States * Cary, Illinois, part of the Chicago metropolitan area * Cary, Indiana, part of the Indianapolis metropolitan area * Cary, Miami County, Indiana * Cary, Maine * Cary, Mississippi * Cary, North Carolina ...

and approximately north of Valley Park. Onward had a post office from about 1879 to 1975. The post office was housed in Onward Store in the early to mid-twentieth century.
state historical highway marker
on the grounds of Onward Store commemorates the creation of the

Teddy Bear A teddy bear is a stuffed toy in the form of a bear. Developed apparently simultaneously by toymakers Morris Michtom in the U.S. and Richard Steiff under his aunt Margarete Steiff's company in Germany in the early 20th century, the teddy bear, ...

. In 1902, former

United States President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United State ...

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

refused to shoot a captive bear during a bear hunt at nearby Smedes Plantation. Subsequent political cartoons inspired the creation of the Teddy Bear. A map from 1873 shows Onward located approximately west of its current location, at the confluence of Black Bayou and Deer Creek, with the towns of "Reality" and "Good Intent" located to the south.

Gallery

File:Onward, Mississippi.jpg, The Onward Store

References

Unincorporated communities in Sharkey County, Mississippi Unincorporated communities in Mississippi {{SharkeyCountyMS-geo-stub