Zama, Mississippi
Unincorporated community in Mississippi, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Zama (also, Ayres) is an unincorporated community in Attala County, Mississippi, United States.[1]
Zama | |
|---|---|
Zama Fire Station | |
  Zama Zama's position in Mississippi. | |
| Coordinates: 32°58′30″N 89°22′48″W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Mississippi |
| County | Attala |
| Elevation | 417 ft (127 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| GNIS feature ID | 691172 |
| U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Zama, Mississippi | |
History
A post office operated under the name Ayres from 1891 to 1908 and under the name Zama from 1918 to 1964.[2]
Zama is named for a daughter of one of the community's founders. The first school building in Zama was constructed in 1907. The school was replaced in 1949 by a building designed by Edgar Lucian Malvaney. The community was once home to two hotels, a railroad depot, jail, bank, and multiple churches. The National Youth Administration assisted in constructing a vocational building and gymnasium in Zama in 1937 and 1938.[3]
The W. P. Brown & Sons Lumber Company operated a band saw mill in Zama. The company maintained a railroad, the Kosciusko & Southeastern Railroad, which connected Zama to the Illinois Central Railroad in Kosciusko.[4] The mill closed in 1931.[5]
On April 27, 2011, a tornado hit the Zama area as part of the 2011 Super Outbreak, causing heavy tree and power line damage.[6] The tornado was rated EF1, with estimated wind speeds of 95 mph (153 km/h; 83 kn). The tornado destroyed a barn in its path of destruction of 50 yards (46 m) wide as it travelled a path of 1 mile (1.6 km).[7]
