Continuing its tradition of keepsake Christmas ornaments featuring area landmarks, Lincoln County Historical and Genealogical Society has announced its 2024 offering — City Hall.

Brookhaven was incorporated as a town on Nov. 15, 1858 in Lawrence County. In 1870, Lincoln County was formed from Lawrence, Pike, Franklin, Copiah and Amite Counties. Brookhaven became the county seat for Lincoln County that year. Prior to the construction of the City Hall Building in 1910, the mayor’s office and others were in various buildings downtown. 

The circular porcelain ornament features the 1910 City Hall building. Previous ornaments in the series were the Warren Avenue Bridge, 2016; the Mary Jane Lampton Auditorium, 2017; The Coffee Pot, 2018; The Haven Theatre, 2019; the Butterfield Mansion, 2020; the Union Station in 2021, the Brookhaven sign, 2022, and the Jewish Synagogue/Museum in 2023.

The City Hall ornament is the seventh produced from paintings by hometown artist Derek Covington Smith.

 “We’re very appreciative to Derek Smith for his continued support and beautiful artwork” said Joe Brown, board member for the society. 

A few of The Haven, Lampton Auditorium, Union Station, Butterfield Mansion, Brookhaven sign and Synagogue ornaments are still available.  

“We have created a second edition of the Warren Street Bridge. We are completely out of the Coffee Pot ornaments,” said Brown.

A large portion of the Society’s budget goes to insurance on the building and its contents, as well as utilities and maintenance. All money raised or donated is used for the society or historical projects. The museum is a 501(c) 3 non-profit, run strictly by volunteers, operating on membership dues, donations and fundraising.  

The ceramic ornaments are $25 and can be purchased at the LCHGS museum at 227 South Church St. when it’s open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

The first ornament sold by the LCHGS depicted the Warren Avenue Bridge, a wooden structure that sat at the intersection of South Railroad and East Warren avenues for more than a century. Built in 1903, the historic bridge was pictured on the 3-inch round ceramic ornaments. Only 100 of the commemorative ornaments were ordered and sold out in one afternoon. A second edition is now available for sale. 

The second ornament featured the Mary Jane Lampton Auditorium, which was constructed during the years leading up to World War I and was originally part of Whitworth College. Dr. Kim Sessums’ original sketch of the building was used.  

The third ornament was of the Coffee Pot on South First Street. Constructed in 1931 by James J. Carruth and his wife, the two-story stucco Coffee Pot Inn was Brookhaven’s first drive-in restaurant, according to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. The building also served as the Carruth family home and as a Greyhound bus stop in 1933. In 1936, Eddie Hinnant played a piano on top of the building nonstop in an attempt to break his record of 110 consecutive hours. 

The Haven Theater graces the fourth ornament in the series. According to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, the Haven building was built before 1925 and was a movie theater first. A photograph in 1939 shows the Haven marquee as a three-sided canopy extending over the sidewalk. The Haven was remodeled after World War II and included a curved glass block half-wall in the ticket booth. The Brookhaven Little Theatre bought the theater in 1983 and produces plays and other events in the building. The Haven is significant for its art deco architecture and for its continuing contribution to the arts in Brookhaven and Lincoln County.  In 2006, the Haven was recognized as a registered Mississippi Landmark.  

In 2020, the offering was a circular porcelain ornament featuring the Butterfield Mansion on Storm Avenue. Completed around 1911 by Charles Butterfield, the mansion has passed hands through such owners as Dr. Harry Hannon and David Lovell. The current owners, Jeff and Stacie Cross, began restoration on the home in 2017 and converted it into a special events venue. 

For many families, amassing Christmas ornaments is a time-honored tradition, and the Lincoln County Historical and Genealogical Society continues to created something unique for folks to add to their collections.