Starkville’s 175 Birthday Committee will host a speaker series this spring to share insight and stories on the history of Starkville and Oktibbeha County.
Starting Jan. 24, seven speakers are scheduled to speak and review Starkville’s rich history in the Grisham Room in Mitchell Memorial Library.
Paige Lawes, chairman of the Hooray Birthday Committee, said the inspiration began with last year’s birthday party for the city.
Starkville chartered as a town on May 11, 1837. Last May, the Starkville Greater Development Partnership hosted celebration featuring guest speakers, and Lawes said the event carried over into the summer when guests spoke at the speaker events at Starkville public library.
Speakers for this semester’s event include Roy Ruby, mayor Parker Wiseman and Harvey Johnson and will be Thursday evenings at 7 in the Grisham Room.
Lawes said this year’s speaker series will connect current residents and students to the history of Starkville.
“It’s really interesting if you’re a Mississippian to kind of look back and see how we’ve evolved from little small towns where everybody was in everybody’s business, and the caring and sharing which is a lot of the gist of this, and the funny little stories about this town,” she said.