Video: Eupora Celebrates 125th Anniversary

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EUPORA, Miss. (WCBI) – Eupora has one hundred twenty five reasons to celebrate this week. The Webster County town will be 125 years old on Thursday.

“The city of Eupora was incorporated on May 14, 1890,” says Hugh Gibson, Eupora Alderman from Ward 3.

Eupora Corkem Eudy was known as one of the most beautiful women in town. After a group of railroad workers saw her, they decided Eupora would be a great name for the new Mississippi town.

“Eupora came to be because the C & G Railroad was building a railroad between Greenville and Columbus Mississippi. It was determined that where the railroad went would be where industry and population went,” says Gibson.

Today, Eupora’s population is about 2,000 and was once home to over 3,000 manufacturing jobs. The police department was established in the 1940s. They had never lost an officer in the line of duty until 2013, when Officer Keith Crenshaw was killed, as bank robbers attempted to escape. Chief Gregg Hunter has been with the department for 25 years.

“We have grown. We have eight officers now serving Eupora. Back in the 50s and 60s I think there were probably 2 or 3. It was not a 24-hour coverage back in those days. We now serve 24 hours a day 7 days a week in Eupora,” says Hunter.

There will be a community celebration to honor the city’s growth and future.

“We’re hoping that we have a large group of people. We’re going to have a birthday cake big enough to serve hopefully everybody that wants cake and punch and music. We hope to have a great day,” says Gibson.

Eupora will hold it’s 125th anniversary party Thursday at 1pm in Eupora Depot Park.