The
first Grenada County courthouse was an old storehouse which
the county purchased for $3,000 in 1870 and used until 1833.
In 1878, Grenada County's assessed valuation was $1,303,643.
That same year, the county was struck by a yellow fever epidemic.
The second Grenada County courthouse was built in 1883-1884
at a cost of $17,575. It remained in use for almost 80 years
until it was torn down so a new courthouse could be built
on the same site.
Most of the early
industries in Grenada County were small sawmills. In 1883,
the Grenada Oil and Compress Company opened. The next year
another major fire struck the town, destroying three-quarters
of the bustling town's business.
The Grenada Bank
was chartered in 1890 and opened its offices in a building
constructed in the 1840's in downtown Grenada. The bank moved
to new quarters in 1913, but in 1978, the Grenada Bank System,
now one of the State's largest banking institutions, repurchased
its original home and completely restored the old building,
which in 1979 was added to the National Register of Historic
Places.
Agriculture remained
the mainstay of Grenada County's economy throughout most of
the first half of this century, but from the 1930's on industry
began playing more and more of an important role. Grenada
took advantage of the state's fledgling BAWI program in 1937
to attract a new industry, Real Silk Hosiery Mills. This company,
now known as Pennaco, Inc., remains one of Grenada County's
leading employers today.
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