Though there are no historical markers on the property, this is the area that General Ulysses S Grant passed through with his troops in the seize of Vicksburg during the Civil War. Reeling from their defeat at Champion Hill and retreating west toward Vicksburg, the Confederates under Lt. General John C. Pemberton reached the Big Black River railroad bridge the night of May 16, 1863 and the Union forces captured almost 1,800 troops at the Big Black River, a loss the Confederates could ill-afford. The battle sealed their fate at Vicksburg and Pemberton’s army was now bottled up in the city. All of this happening just a few miles from this land on Newman Road. On the highest hill of the property on a clear day you can seeVicksburg in the distance and a hint of Jackson looking to the east.
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Our journey to this land started after the Civil War when a young Mother named Harriet Mace made her way to Mississippi with her infant son, George by her former slave master in Kentucky.
Harriet married into the Mozique family and they became farmers in the area. Harriet’s son George and George’s son George, Jr. also were farmers and started purchasing small plots of land in the area. For example, George Sr. purchased 238 and 3/4 acres of land in 1890. George, Sr’s and George, Jr’s family and his siblings all lived and farmed this land for many yearsraising cattle, growing vegetables, fishing, hunting, managing the timber and occasionally selling sand and gravel. The number of acreages owned by George, Sr’s family grew and today it is around 500 acres.
George William Mace
After hearing of Beau’s passing, Congressman Bennie G. Thompson entered a statement into the congressional record on May 17, 2017:
Mr. Speaker, today, I give honor to Mr. George William Mace of Edwards, Mississippi located in Hinds County, Mississippi. Mr. George William Mace was born in Edwards, Mississippi, in the Learned Community. Mr. George William Mace was the 7th child born into a family of 8 children. He was the baby boy.
He was born to George Mace, Sr. and Pattie Marie Sublett Mace. He got the nickname, Beau, because he had a gentleman reputation with the ladies, where he never disrespected one.
Do not resist growing old, many are denied that privilege. In 1904 when Mr. Mace was born, the average life expectancy in the United States was forty-seven, there were only eight thousand cars and one-hundred and forty-four miles of paved roads; only fourteen percent of the homes had bathtubs, and along with Alabama, Iowa, and Tennessee, Mississippi was more heavily populated than California.
Having defied all life expectancies in the history of the United States, George lived to be 104 years old. A man’s educational start is directly connected to his future. Mr. Mace attended Elementary School in the Edwards Community. He attended Belmont/Popular Grove School and Oak Ridge School. He also attended Alcorn Agriculture College in Lorman, Mississippi. He returned home from Alcorn, to help work on his family’s farm.
Come let us bow down and worship, let us kneel before the Lord God our maker. Mr. Mace joined Old Oak Ridge M. B. Church (formerly known as Oak Ridge Church), where he served as an usher.
Faithful and hard work is rewarded. Mr. Mace’s lifelong journey was extensive. He left home as an adult and applied for work with Illinois Central Railroad as a Pullman Porter. He worked in this position from 1933 until his retirement in 1972. Being the gentleman that he was, he was excellent in this chosen career. He was also a self-employed businessman while residing in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
He owned his own barber shop and employed others to work with him. Doing nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility he considered others before himself, while making a difference in society. When George retired from the railroad, he returned home to his family’s farm. He became a cattleman along with his other siblings. He was also a member of the Masonic Family, Newman Lodge No. 522.
He became a part of and joined the Mississippi Soil Conservation Association. He was a blessing to this community, touching the lives of family and friends. He was a compassionate man always willing to lend a helping hand and going the extra mile to make life better for others. Reputation is what men and women think of us, but the family is the vessel of hope, that it may transcend the boundaries of earthly days and continue throughout endless eternity.
Character is what God, and his angels know of us. This is what the community knew of George ‘‘Beau’’ William Mace. He served his family and community well. His nieces and nephews thought very highly of him.
Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring, Mr. George William Mace of the Mississippi Second Congressional District.
Under Construction
Our property is located on a beautiful track of rolling hills, forests and gulleys, some open flat areas with small streams.
With the help of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) we maintain several tracks of pine trees which is managed through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NCRS).
Gravel pits on the property have been mined for gravel and sand for many years.
Wildlife including deer, turkey, rabbits and various fowl freely roam the property. There is a three-bedroom brick ranch home on the property currently being leased and there is also a hunting lease.
Under Construction
Mace Family Properties, LLC 