Water Valley Revival

Artists and entrepreneurs have brought new life to this old town where visitors and locals alike will find plenty to see and do all year round.

Written by Dawn Denham | Photographed by Joe Worthem

Water Valley, Mississippi, 15 miles south of Oxford off Route 7, is enjoying a renaissance. A historic railroad town, this artist enclave of less than 4,000 people was once the division office for the Illinois Central Line with a bustling Main Street, including a hotel and grand opera house. Casey Jones rented an apartment when he engineered the Cannonball Express between Jackson, Tennessee, and New Orleans.

After the flood of 1927 and the demise of the cotton industry, the town fell into the oft-told plight of a time and place left behind. The rails were removed in the 1980s, and much of what is left of this rich history is housed in the CASEY JONES RAILROAD MUSEUM at the center of town (105 Railroad St.). From the Great Depression and up until the late 1990s, the Valley

saw little economic development or growth.

All that began to change when folks, looking for a reasonable cost of living, quiet and a place to make and promote art, brought their passions and an entrepreneurial spirit to downtown.

By the mid-aughts, Mickey Howley had established and directed the new Main Street Association and his wife, Annette Trefzer, a professor of American Literature and art curator, opened Bozarts Gallery (403 N. Main St.). Artists Bill Warren and his wife Pati D’Amico arrived post-Katrina and with new neighbors Cliff Lawson and Ramona Bernard launched the Water Valley Arts Council and the annual Art Crawl, now in its 16th year. 

In 2012, writer Alexe van Beuren; writer, photographer and arts promoter Erin Austen Abbott; and visual artists Megan Patton and Coulter Fussell were featured in The New York Times for restoring their old houses and launching new businesses and arts ventures in town. Those include van Beuren’s B.T.C. Old Fashioned Grocery, Coffee Roaster, and Diner (301 N. Main St.), named for the Ghandi quote “Be the change you want to see in the world,” and Fussell and Patton’s Yalo Studio and Gallery, now Violet Valley Bookstore (303 N. Main). In 2016, van Beuren’s husband Kagan Coughlin opened Base Camp Coding Academy now housed at Everest, Mississippi’s First Rural Education & Innovation Hub (802 Central St.), and Patton’s husband who is the bassist for the band Drive by Truckers launched the recording studio Dial Back Sound (1204 Bergland St.).

Today, Main Street — from Crawford’s Sports Complex to the newly restored Civic Center — is bustling again with eateries, arts and crafts, shopping and live entertainment. If you’re looking for a getaway day of retail therapy, history and good food, come check out all that a Saturday in Water Valley has to offer.

Start your morning in the center of town at the funky Southern eatery Sweet Mamas (205 N. Main St.), where local chef Dixie Grimes serves up an elevated, reimagined and twisted take on good ole southern cooking in honor of mothers everywhere. Breakfast favorites include The Royale, a crispy fried rice base with crumbled country sausage, smoky bacon and maple syrup-kissed caramelized onions and melted cheese, topped with your choice of eggs; Donna’s Diner Cakes; and The Hollywood Swinger-Hipster Avocado Toast. Check out the rest of the menu at sweetmamaswatervalley.com.

Two blocks north, find the best sourdough based bagels, breads, scones and chocolate croissants at Best of Mississippi 2025 finalist Hummingbird Bakery in the old Hendricks Building (102 Main St.). On the way, check out The Stitchery (32 S. Main St.) for all your needlepoint supplies and inspiration.

Head around the corner from Hummingbird Bakery to True Blue Boutique and Decor, and then visit the Casey Jones Railroad Museum. Shop local at the Farmer’s Market every first Saturday at Railroad Park.

For antiquing and great finds, visit Backtrack Antique Station (200 Railroad St.), and then cross Blackmur St. at the mini mall across from the city’s courthouse and visit Mulberry Lane, (220 Blackmur) a thrift, vintage and antique shoppe. For lunch, grab aptly named sandwiches at the Courthouse Cafe (224 Blackmur), including the “Peanut Butter and Justice” Southern Living magazine called the best PB&J around. Next door, visit painter Jonathan Kent Adams’ studio.

Back on Main Street, eat in or take out Shimmy Shake Shrimp Tacos and hand-cut fries with comeback sauce at the B.T.C. or BBQ and burgers from Main Street Treats (formerly Dunn’s) (111 N. Main), and have a picnic in the Pocket Park under Bill Warren’s wave mural. Catch painter Kate Donovan’s studio above the B.T.C. before heading to the only LGBTQ bookstore in the state, Violet Valley Bookstore heralded in O, The Oprah Magazine. Down the block try GG’s Flowers and Gifts (213 Main) for funky home decor, and step into history at the family-owned and operated Turnage’s Drugstore (323 N. Main), where you can sit at the soda fountain for a cream soda.

Looking for more art? Visit Bozarts Gallery (403 N. Main) and The Blue Melon Rendevouz (500 Main). Next door, on the ground floor of the old Blu-Buck Mercantile Hotel, you can rejuvenate with a homemade lemonade or specialty coffee and baked goods at The Magnolia Coffee Company. Just up the hill, visit artist Hannah McCormick’s studio (1629 N. Main). 

If it’s some exercise you’re looking for, walk the 1.5 miles of the Yalobusha Greenway. Play pickleball on the refurbished court in City Park. Tour the city’s murals along Main Street.

On your way out of town, hit South Main Boutique (310 Main) for women’s apparel and MelonVine Marketplace (817 Main) for thrifting.

If you stay for dinner, visit any one of the city’s mainstays: El Charrito (119 N. Main), The Crawdad Hole (129 S. Main), Yukon Ice BBQ (327 A S. Main), Hometown Pizza (407 Main) or Chopsticks Chinese Restaurant (502 N. Main).

End your Saturday in the Valley with an art opening at Bozarts, live music at Voyager’s Rest (129 S. Main) or an annual arts and crafts festival event. See our list of events (at right) and follow the Water Valley Area Chamber of Commerce on Facebook to keep up with more upcoming events.

Historic Creekmore Literary Society

Hubert Creekmore, born in Water Valley in 1907, was a notable Mississippi poet, novelist, playwright, critic and editor. Creekmore’s family lived a block from Main Street at 114 Panola St. You can’t miss the two-story Victorian built by Creekmore’s father thanks to its historical marker erected in 2015. In 2023, University of Mississippi Press reissued Creekmore’s 1948 novel “The Welcome,” a story loosely based on his experiences in Water Valley and its people. The cover was painted by Jonathan Kent Adams. The HCLS honors Creekmore’s life and works by offering literary events for Water Valley year-round. Read more at creekmorelit.com.

Upcoming Events in Water Valley

You’re So Water Valley, Saturday, September 27

Water Valley Book Fest, Saturday, September 27

Annual Art Crawl, Saturday, October 4

Christmas Parade, Friday, December 5

Crappie Drop, Wednesday, December 31