As I've mentioned previously on this thread (at large), I have property not far from Courtland. I had never paid much attention to that area, but I decided to go stay at my place this past weekend. I don't get cell service out there, so I've had to do a lot of catching up last night and this morning, so I'm a little delayed in sharing.
Courtland is out of the way from almost any route of travel, situated along Hwy 51 between two interstate exits, Batesville to the north and a rural exit to the south labelled for Pope and Courtland. There is basically nothing west of Courtland; the communities in that direction are far enough away that anyone from there would travel to either of those interstate exits on other roads that don't come close to Courtland. Therefore, Courtland truly is an island separated from the outside world by an interstate to the east, country to the west, and interstate exits both north and south that pull drivers in those directions and prevent passers by. Herron Rd is only travelled by people living in the country, people having business/recreational reasons for visiting somewhere in the country, occasional and routine law enforcement patrols, joyriders, and apparently once an arsonist(s).
My excursion through the area was this past Saturday night around 9 PM. Not having a big dog or cute female legs to flash locals (I'm just teasing you, GreyMatter), I decided it would be imprudent to get out of my car anywhere, and I also didn't want to visit the scene on Herron Rd because I didn't have confidence that I would find anywhere to quietly turn around for miles.
I got gas to the south in Grenada County. I saw a deputy parked at that station and drove over to say hi and offer encouragement. I did so, and our conversation was friendly. He was good friends with the Panola Co sherif and shook his head about the negative statements people were making about the law enforcement effort. This deputy said the sherif was a really good guy. I changed the subject because I didn't like the guy and didn't want to pry and then left. My impression was that this deputy was as good ole boy as they come, bordering on redneck, and definitely would be close minded and a know if all. IMO I can extrapolate that impression to his colleagues.
Driving up interstate 55, I exited at Pope/Courtland. Nothing. Dark. I got on Highway 51 and turned right going north. This is not a big highway. This is a very small two lane road in the country that is called a highway ONLY because it was built by the federal government years ago as one of the only vehicular conduits from New Orleans to Chicago. If you didn't know it was a highway, you would just call it a road. The asphalt is good quality, but there really is not much on either side. You would not want to have a flat tire or run out of gas because it's in the middle of nowhere, or so it feels.
Very quickly, I mean very quickly, the terrain becomes picturesque hills with pretty hardwood trees and homes dotting the landscape. It reminds me more of rural Pennsylvania than Mississippi. You come to a stop sign, and there is a green sign indicating that Courtland is to the left. This is Main Street and the only forced stop in "town." It didn't really feel like a town, more like a loosely grouped bunch of small homes and nice trailers and simple inexpensive structures for houses, businesses, and local government services. It strikes me as the size of what I have always considered to be a community or village rather than a town.
A very short distance later, in a mostly undeveloped stretch, I saw the gas station on my left. The front of the store was well lit, but everything else was pretty dark. There was only one car. This was a Saturday night around 9 o'clock, and there was nobody outside hanging around. Granted, it was like a cold Mississippi 38° (a biting humid cold). I did not dare to stop. The buildings attached looked so so creepy. Lights off, curious structures that really had no clear identity of purpose. Maybe an old motel? Just weird. But not necessarily nefarious. There were a handful of structures in and around the community that were just old and empty, but do not get the impression that the town was dried up… It was not: it just had a few rundown structures like any town in America.
I kept driving north, and the terrain BRIEFLY returned to empty country, and then all of a sudden there was Batesville. Very close. I saw gas stations, and then I turned right and I found myself on the typical bright lit strip of fast food places, strip malls, banks, and gas stations that are typical of all cities that size. Kept going, and I crossed over the interstate and saw more development.
In all, my impression of the Courtland area was really nice. From my limited vehicular browsing at 9pm on a Saturday night in December at 38°, it looked quaint, peaceful, and very well kept for an area without much visible home or vehicle wealth. It seemed like the town took care of itself. I wouldn't be happy there because the people are probably not very cosmopolitan (lol) or intellectual, but they looked like "good folk."
All IMO. Note to mods: If any portion of this post is impermissible, I ask that you only snip that portion rather than deleting the entire thing.
