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Laurel, A thriving town in Jones county, 7 miles northeast of Ellisville, the county seat. The name was derived from the dense laurel thickets growing within its limits. It is the junction point for three railroads: the New Orleans & North Eastern, the Mobile, Jackson & Kansas City, and the Laurel branch of the Gulf & Ship Island. It is watered by the Tallahalla creek, an excellent logging stream. The manufacturing of lumber is the chief industry. It has four large saw mills, a wagon factory, a machine shop and foundry, a large brick plant, a cotton compress, a cotton mill, and an oil mill. The Bank of Laurel, now the First National Bank, was established here in 1899 with a capital of $60,000; the Peoples Bank, now the Commercial Bank & Trust Co., was established in 1900, with a capital of $20,000. The Chronicle, a semi-weekly, Democratic newspaper, edited by A. W. Noble, was established in 1897; and the Ledger, a Democratic weekly edited by W. R. Hardy, was established in 1902. Few towns in the State have had a more rapid growth within recent years. Its population in 1900 had reached 3,193, and in 1906, the population was at least 5,000. It has excellent schools, having five public school buildings for white scholars and one building for colored people. The capacity of the central public school building has recently been doubled. (Vol. II, p. 59)
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