MCCOMB, Miss. ( WJTV ) – They say a city is only as good as its people, and there are some great people in McComb.

Mayor Quordiniah Lockley said the downtown area of the city is coming back to life.

"We saw a revitalization in our downtown. Here in the downtown area, we have seen the opening of Fox Pizza, Summit Street Wine & Spirits. The Palace Theater was built by Mr. Terry Solomon for a number of years. It was one of the many theaters that we had here in McComb. In the early 70s, it shut down. And now, it's a venue where some of the best entertainment and best events occur there," said Lockley.

The city has also seen an interest in their industrial park where Coca-Cola, John Deere and AGUP have come and will be setting up distribution centers.

The city is also home to the McComb Railroad Depot Museum. Back in 2021, the depot was destroyed by a fire, but that did'nt stop the directors Ganeath and Sam Daniel.

"An arsonist on May the 30th, 2021, set fire to our beautiful old 1901 depot. And the depot housed not only the Amtrak waiting area, but our McComb Railroad History Museum. It was the heart of McComb. And we had to stay in there that Sunday and watch it burning. And everyone was just so devastated. So we have had quite a task getting things put back together," Ganeath said.

The museum has since reopened at a temporary location on 3rd Street until the depot has been restored. Some items were able to be restored.

"We've had a number of artifacts given to us since the fire. Wonderful things, very generous people, people from Louisiana, Tennessee, all over Mississippi, and a lot of local people as they clean out grandmother's house, as they clean out their own houses. They're finding things that we just cherish to have here at the museum," stated Ganeath.

"Some of the folks who probably had a number of artifacts, but didn't know what to do with them. It's been three and a half years since we had the museum, so they're bringing those to us. And one lady whose father died 38 years ago, he was a conductor on the railroad. She kept his uniform in a closet. She dry cleaned it right after he passed away 38 years ago. And she wondered a number of times what she should do with that particular uniform. Should she throw it away? Who do you give it to? They don't wear them like this anymore. So now, when she comes to McComb, she stops by to see her dad," said Sam.

In the 1800s, Henry Simpson McComb was a Union colonel. After the Civil War, he became interested in railroads and purchased the Mississippi Railroad. McComb was looking for land to further expand his growing railroad company and to create a new repair facility to service railroad cars and locomotives.

"The connection with the railroads goes back to the 1870s. McComb was officially incorporated in 1872, and actually in April of 1872. Prior to that, this was just an area that had forest and clearings and a few little houses throughout this area. But when the railroad came through, when Colonel McComb decided to build the shops here in this this area that was between Summit and Magnolia, he built the shops, he built the round houses, and this became a central location for that mainline of America from Chicago to New Orleans," said Ganeath.

The museum is open on Thursdays and Fridays. Visitors can also make arrangements to visit on Saturdays.

Percy Quin State Park reopens with new renovations

Another place in McComb that's filled with history is the Black History Gallery. Hilda Casin started the gallery more than 20 years ago. She said the gallery was created to go beyond what's being taught in classrooms. Casin was an educator with the McComb School District for 50 years.

"My background was to educate our people to be the best that you can be. And so, I set out trying to get the place together so we would have history, so we would know where we came from, what we brought to this country. And we have got so much talent just so much," she said.

Inside the gallery, there are personal narratives, artifacts and much more. You'll find books, videos and other unique items. The gallery is filled with history from Africa, as well as important civil rights leaders and historical figures.

The Black History Gallery is located on Wall Street.

Schools in McComb are also making strikes. The McComb School District is on a mission to become a premier, world-class school system. From the many programs put in place to ensure students succeed to the people who pour their heart and soul into helping students, they're determined to make the mission a reality.

"I feel like this is a calling, and this is what we do. I think when God tells us to be stewards of the things that he's given us, when he gives us a kid to have an impact in their life, that he's asking us to have a touch that only he can do better, because it's our responsibility to make sure that we provide a stable environment for them to be successful. And that thing that seed that we plan those scholars that will grow for the rest of their lives," said Robert Lamkin, assistant superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction at the McComb School District.

Dr. Tiffany Hicks, the superintendent of the McComb School District, said molding students into productive citizens is a major goal.

"But my most important thing I want is to produce productive citizens. We want to make sure that we're making accountable good grades. We want to make sure that we're taking care of academics. We want to make sure that we're pour more into kids that they can take for them for life, and that just for state testing," she said.

Parklane Academy also has a lot going for it, including its STEM classes.

"We have children that are that come in from K-3 all the way up to 6th grade. And depending on what age they are, depends on what type of project they get to do. So, they are constantly collaborating. They are building together. They are working together as a team. They are problem solving. And I think what sets us apart is that we are asking them to come together, to collaborate, to find the answer to a problem, work together to get to a solution. We're bringing in the best technology that we can. We're encouraging them to work together like a family because that's what Parkland Academy is, is a big family, and we are teaching them the next level of electronics here," said Sara Delong, principal of Parklane Elementary.

The high school at Parklane Academy puts just as much effort into academics as they do faith.

"A lot of the students that we have in the high school have been on this campus since they were in kindergarten. They're in the same place. Everybody's comfortable. We have pep rallies together. We have assemblies together. They get to know each other. The high school football player gets to, you know, open the car door for the kindergartners. And they love that. Just that collaboration," said Jill Jackson, principal of Parklane High School.

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