Como

History

In the 1830s when Dr. and Mrs. Mrs. George Tait of Georgia came to Panola County and bought all the land that is now the site of Como. He sold a small number of lots to other settlers, but they had to travel to Sardis to get their mail. In order to have their mail delivered, their settlement needed a name. There was a store located near a small pond, and it is believed that this inspired the name of Como, after Lake Como, Italy.

The little community of Como quickly became a major area of commerce that centered around the railroad that went straight through the center of town. From the late 1880s until the Great Depression, Como had more millionaires per capita than almost anywhere in the U.S. W.C. Handy used to ride the train from Memphis to perform up and down Main Street.

Steps in the garden next to the library

Como Today

Como is a historic community that has seen dramatic changes in recent years as it has evolved from a farming center into a popular entertainment destination and artist community known for its numerous and famous blues artists.

Tourism

Como’s Main Street is lined with popular restaurants (some with live music) that attract visitors from throughout the Mid-South. The Como Opera Guild pulls talent from Memphis and North Mississippi to present full-length operas, recitals and an annual free-to-the-public outdoor performance of Broadway show tunes and arias every fall. Famous as the Home of Hill Country Blues, its Main Street recording studio brings in major Rock, Blues and Country Music performers

Additionally, Como has organized a walking/drive tour which includes such landmarks as the Mississippi Fred McDowell gravesite, the Como Gin, Holy Innocent’s Episcopal Church (with its exquisite, authentic Tiffany window), the domed Como United Methodist Church, and the Fredonia Methodist Church (the county’s oldest standing pioneer church), plus such historic homes as Four Oaks, Oakhurst, and the Ada Sledge Bankhead House (home of actress Tallulah Bankhead’s mother)…among many others.

Como is one of only a few locations along the Mississippi Blues Trail to have three Blues Trail Markers. Mississippi Fred McDowell, Napolian Strickland, and Otha Turner were honored with the installation of Blues Trail Markers on Downtown Como’s Main Street.

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