Pike County, MS Real Estate, Homes For Sale, School & Area Information

Folks around here are excited about the lake at Percy Quin State Park reopening for fishing. It was ready for use again on September 24, 2016 although the weekend prior did offer fishing for youth. Boats are expected to be stretched for miles trying to get their lines wet. Great news for residents of Pike County!

We may be a small southern town but we still have all the amenities you may need. McComb-Pike County Airport, also known as John E. Lewis Field, is a public airport located four miles south of the central business district of McComb. We have the small town hospitality with the big town equipment!

If you want a place that you can enjoy and have great benefits for golf, tennis, fitness, pools, and meals Fernwood Country Club is the right stop. It's a great place to enjoy all your activities and the fellowship with others. A great place in the south.

In the mid-1800s, Pike County was born as a result of commerce coming to the area when the first railroad tracks were built. Pike County was created by act of February 9, 1815, out of a part of Marion County, and named in memory of Gen. Zebulon M. Pike, American Brigadier General, General Pike was an explorer for whom Pikes Peak in Colorado is also named. After the Illinois Central railroad from New Orleans came through the county in 1857, new towns developed throughout the county, such as Osyka, Summit and Magnolia.

Ole timers in Osyka tell the story that Osyka was intended to get the main railroad depot stop - which would have altered the size and population of the quaint town. Osykans didn't want change. So, therefore, growth in population, commerce and the major railroad depot moved to McComb. Till this day, Osyka is one square mile and approximately 450 citizens. McComb, the largest municipality in Pike County, carries much railroad history and is displayed in the McComb Railroad Museum in downtown McComb at the Railroad Depot.

Percy Quin State Park, located just off of Hwy 55 at 2036 Percy Quin Drive in McComb, is an ideal spot for a family vacation. The drive into the park is breathtaking with mature Loblolly pines, magnolia trees, and rolling hills. This is one of the original state parks cleared and constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930's, and still standing is the rustic old lodge next to a new convention center. The park is a hot spot for RV campers and many times there are no vacancies. There are cabin rentals for comfortable camp life and the tent sites for the primitive camper.

Outdoor activities are plentiful for campers and locals alike. The park is 1,700 acres of hiking trails, bike trails, golfing, camping, and picnic tables with covered pavilions. There is also a swimming pool with life guards on site.

Lake Tangipahoa is approximately 550 acres - an excellent lake for fishing, water skiing, and swimming along the sand beach areas. The convention center and lodge are available for parties or weddings. For more information call: (601)684-3938

If you are looking for a retreat that brings you to a time of prayer, silence, and solitude, it is available in the quaint community of Chatawa, MS. The location is at St. Mary of the Pines at 3167 Old Hwy 51 South in the outer limits of Osyka, MS. The retreat is a ministry of the School Sisters of Notre Dame of the Central Pacific Province, and staffed by Sisters Helen Roper, Dorez Mehrtens and Joan Schaefer.

The retreat center grounds are surrounded by woods, providing a place of peaceful serenity. The grounds are pleasant for walking, use of an outdoor swimming pool, a meditation well, a labyrinth, outdoor Stations of the Cross, and a small lake. You can also book a private retreat without a director.

For more information and to inquire about the 2015 upcoming retreats or reserve your private retreat, contact: Sister Helen Roper, SSND
Office: 601-783-0801.

Interstate 55 runs through the heart of Pike County, and serves as a gateway for safety to the southern coastal areas. MDOT coordinates with other states in providing traffic control by way of a Contraflow of traffic during evacuation.

The Pike County Supervisors in conjunction with the Pike County Economic Development District built the "Community Safe House" for disaster housing available to hundreds of people traveling through Pike County.

The facility is 12,000 square feet, and has another building that can be utilized for additional space of 1,000 square feet. The "Safe House" can house up to 900 people and be "self-contained" for 36 hours. The facility is also available as a rental for special occasions, such as weddings, parties and reunions.

Parklane Academy is grades K-12. It is a Private School located here in the city of McComb, MS. I love the fact that it is a Christian based school with high values on learning. This school gives students every avenue to excel in todays competitive world.

See the video below that I filmed, featuring Parklane Academy Administrator Jack Henderson as well as Jill Jackson giving you a little information about what this school has to have to offer. Hope you enjoy!

Looking for a day trip with the children? Located at 1092 Scott Furr Road, just north of Chatawa, is a petting farm called Critter Crossing. There are lots of activities for children including baby goats, ducks, baby calves, and more. There is a playground for the children to enjoy. There are other activities available such as private parties and summer camp. On site is the Country Store for snacks, beverages and souvenirs. Restroom facility available.

It is not an unfamiliar scene to put your eyes on a whitetail deer in the backyard. Whitetail deer are bountiful in Southwest Mississippi, and draw hunters to large tracks of leased property for the man-cave kind of retreat. They are becoming immune to people - will pose for the camera.
During garden season, whitetail can be a nuisance. Their taste buds draw them out of the woods for those butterbeans, peas and corn.
Locals share their ideas of how to ward off the deer to save their garden vegetables. Some might use the ole scarecrow, pie tins flying in the wind, or a radio left on outside. These whitetail have caught on - so - there goes my garden!

One more staple gone in the sleepy little town of Chatawa - the post office. The zip code for a century represented the location of Chatawa. The post office tracked mail coming and going as far as South America to the families of boarding students at St. Mary of the Pines. Getting mail was a daily activity - a walk down the curved Chatawa Road and over the bridge to the destination of a social hangout.

After the suburban flight from the rural area, and desire for the convenience of delivery at the door, the Federal Government moved to close the little post office.

The people of Pike County will open their doors with a Southern hospitality that will warm your heart. The Pike County scenery is beautiful from the quaint little town of Osyka in the south, up to its highest point in Summit in the north. The Tangipahoa and Bogue Chitto Rivers pass through a landscape of bluffs, hills, pastures and towering pine trees.
We are known as a sportsman's paradise, with an abundance of outdoor activities, from hunting to baseball.

Percy Quin State Park offers lodging from primitive campsites to lakefront cabins. The 700-plus acre Lake Tangipahoa provides the ideal spot to boat or swim. If you enjoy a game of golf, Quail Hollow Golf Course, located inside the park, will give you that relaxing day of golf you have been needing. Outside the park, you may choose to spend a day canoeing or tubing down the Bogue Chitto River, or take a short drive to Lake Okhissa located in the nearby Homochitto National Forest.

There is a variety of shopping destinations from antiques, specialty shops, flea markets and crafts. We have a variety of retail stores located in the Edgewood Mall in McComb, where you can fine the latest wares.

If your taste buds are calling for something special on the menu, Pike County has it all, from home-style cooking to fine dining. You can choose from a Southern-style atmosphere around a lazy susan at the Dinner Bell, Britney Spears' favorite restaurant - Nyla's Burger Basket in Osyka - or relax at The Caboose in McComb, an upscale restaurant with an exquisite menu.

The calendar of events is full all year long. You can enjoy one of the many annual seasonal festivals or parades. In October, you can enjoy the Osyka Fall Festival and stroll through the Osyka Veterans Park in the south part of the county, or go to the north end to enjoy the Summit Fall Festival, which kicks off with a pancake breakfast. It is in the center of the county where our county seat, Magnolia, is located. "Laissez les bons temps rouler" is the theme in town when it hosts its annual Mardi Gras parade and festival. McComb opens its doors to many festivals and activities, including; the Ironwood Market, Art on the Tracks, and the Pike County Little Theatre has a variety of plays to enjoy.

In the month of March the entire county participates in the Azalea Festival, featuring lighted trails of spring beauty, tours of historic homes, and railroad history.

Pike County takes pride in its state-of-the-art health care facilities. We have easy access to medical care at Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center, the Mississippi Cancer Institute, the Cardio Vascular Institute of Mississippi, all in McComb, and Beacham Memorial Hospital in Magnolia. Not to mention, we have quality long-term care facilities, home health services, hospice care and programs for seniors.

Educational opportunities are plentiful with Southwest Mississippi Community College, three public schools, a private academy, and special arts school. As Pike County is the center hub to several metropolitan cities, within a 90-minute drive, you can easily attend many universities for higher education.

If you are considering a move or visit to our area, let's share a glass of tea. Whether you come to live and raise your children here in a safe hometown atmosphere, to retire in a Certified Retirement Community, or to enjoy the natural scenic beauty - Pike County welcomes you!

Approaching the "Gateway to Mississippi" is the Town of Osyka. Osyka, an Indian name meaning, "Soaring Eagle", is one square mile in size and a population of approximately 450 give or take a little.

The Osyka Veterans Park began as a vision to honor and remember our military history. After hard work of volunteers and donations, the Osyka Veterans Park was dedicated on Armed Forces Day, May 21, 2005. Bricks with names of men and women of every military service rank lay around the American flag. The rich roots of the town and surrounding areas are veterans who lead in patriotism and military service since World War II to the present.

Osyka claims the national distinction of having produced a greater number of commissioned officers than other comparable communities.

Hidden like a diamond in the rough there is a small, quaint community named Chatawa - a name derived from Indian origin. The iron strong bridge is visited by many locals and tourist as a must photo spot for every occasion in one's life.

The Tangipahoa River flows peacefully south, and looking out over the bridge stirs many memories of days gone by. Our bridge is a landmark with many mysterious stories surrounding it. A spot for meditation, prayer, fishing, and walking will give comfort to any soul.
Many a teenager through the years dared to walk the bridge at night for fear of the "Chatawa Monster". True or not, the locals know there walks through the swamps something not human, but as legend has it -the Chatawa Monster.

If your day trip to the bridge keeps you after dust dark, and you get stopped by the train, put those windows up and lock the car doors. Many strange things have happened at the Chatawa Bridge.

Floating or canoeing the Bogue Chitto River is one of the best attractions in Pike County during the summers "hot" months for the whole family. Floating the river in an inner tube has always been a favorite of mine. There are numerous tube/canoe rentals in the area, next to the opening of the Bogue Chitto Water Park. They will load your "float of choice", and drive you and your party to the drop off point. You spend a relaxing day on the river, and according to how many stops you make along the way, can take you three hours to all day. You can take your coolers with snacks and lunch, and make a day of it. The rental tube/canoe people will be waiting to pick you up at the end and bring you to your vehicle. Lots of fun, and I have a lot of great memories that we still laugh at to this day. Alcohol is still not permitted, but you don't need it. It's always a great time! The park has RV/Camper spots as well as cabins to rent.

The Dinner Bell is located in a colonial structure with the best southern cooking in the country. The amazing food is served on spinning lazy susan tables with huge quantities of comfort food including the house specialty; fried eggplant. Come enjoy all the south has to offer with southern cooking and ice cold sweet tea.

The rocking horse is a common picture to see these days in the Pike and Amite County areas. We have seen a good bit of new business interest and people moving to this area due to the oil and gas drilling that has been going on in the last year or so. Change is coming.