Shepherd's Rest
"A Unique Opportunity for You, Your Family, & Your Church!"
News & Notes
From time to time, we'll post some helpful and interesting information here...
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"ARK-A-BUT-LA?"
Arkabutla, our home since 1993, is a small community in northwestern Tate County. The name is derived from a Chickasaw Indian Chief, Arkabutla. In the late 1700's and early 1800's settlers located in the area near Arkabutla Creek. The settlement was known as 'Skull Bone' to the locals, white man and Indian alike, because a notorious outlaw, John A. Murrell, had killed two men and hung their skulls from a tree. This served two purposes--it intimidated other potential settlers, and also kept the Chickasaws from raiding the area due to their superstitions about the dead. Thus, the 'beginnings' of Arkabutla history! In 1872, the village was incorporated and the name was officially changed from Skull Bone to Arkabutla. (In the mid-1900's, Arkabutla was unincorporated in order to get the road through town paved, and it has remained an unincorporated community ever since.)
The longest standing building in the community is the Lodge, which was dedicated in 1867. For 25 years the lower floor of the 2-story structure was used for public school. There are at least two other houses in the community that were built in the late 1800's, and are still used as residences. A few miles west is the Cottonville General Store, built in 1868. Also, east of Arkabutla is Brooks Chapel Methodist Church, built in 1869, and though the exterior is refurbished, the inside of the church remains an on-going testimony to its early days.
At one time Arkabutla was a thriving, self-contained community with several stores, post office, school, cafe, cotton gin, blacksmith shop, churches, hotels, barber shop, etc., and several doctors! A days travel (10 miles) from Coldwater, 15 miles from Senatobia (the county seat), and about 40 miles from Memphis, some of Arkabutla's senior citizens still recall the trips to 'town' via wagon, mule or horseback! Arkabutla's last high school class was in 1957, and the grade school closed in 1970, as consolidation became the norm in public education. The schoolhouse is now used as a woodworking shop. With the arrival of modern travel and communications, the 'self-contained' community tended to end as mobility became easier.
When the Arkabutla Dam project was completed in 1943, 5000-acre Arkabutla Lake was created, and Kelly Crossing, the most direct road towards Memphis, was now underwater--literally! Travel now was east to Coldwater, then north, if you were headed to the big city. The lake drains 1000 square miles of land and flows via the Coldwater River outlet channel (the 'spillway') across the delta to the Mississippi River. Arkabutla Lake offers swimming, boating, hiking, camping, picnicking, etc., in a peaceful, natural setting. The lake separates Tate County from Desoto County, its northern neighbor, and keeps the Arkabutla area a more quiet, rural locale. It is a different world from the busy-ness of Memphis and its neighboring communities!
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"China Trips!" Please click here.
"Mexico Ministry Trips" Please click here.
"Peru Ministry Trip" Please click here.
"Our Name" Please click here.
"Our Recent Opportunities" Please click here.
"The Great Need" Please click here.
"Helpful Resources, Proven Throughout The Years" Please click here.
"A Special Word For Pastors" Please click here.
"Words Of Encouragement, Inspiration, And Challenge" Please click here.
"Something To Consider?" Please click here.
"Neigh Saying" Please click here.
"Dirt Roads" Please click here.
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Shepherd's Rest
PO Box 330 Arkabutla, MS 38602
662-562-6929 662-562-8917
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