Oldest Mississippi businesses. These institutions have survived at least a century

• A select group of Mississippi businesses have operated for over a century, surviving economic depressions and technological shifts.
• The Clarion-Ledger, founded in 1837, is recognized as the state’s oldest continuously operating major business.
• Other historic institutions include Neilson’s Department Store, the South’s oldest retail store, and W.H. Jefferson Funeral Home, the state’s oldest Black-owned business.
• These long-standing enterprises demonstrate endurance through community trust, adaptability, and multi-generational leadership.

There is a difference between surviving and standing the test of time.

As the United States celebrates its semi quincentennial with USA 250 celebrations, a select group of Mississippi institutions are marking a level of endurance that rivals the nation’s own.

Long before modern supply chain stores, digital storefronts and multinational corporations reshaped the Deep South, these local enterprises were already laying the groundwork for the state’s economy.

Through economic depressions, global conflicts and technological shifts, these century-old businesses didn’t just stay afloat, they have become the foundations of the state’s commercial history.

At the top of this historic corporate register stands the state’s primary news institution, which has witnessed and recorded every major milestone in Mississippi’s development.

Leading an elite tier of businesses that have crossed the 100-year threshold, the following entities showcase a deep-seated commitment to localized service, community trust and multi-generational adaptability.

Some entities such as Mississippi Christian, formerly Mississippi College, are even 200 years old, but while higher ed is very much run as a business, colleges and universities are generally not for-profit businesses in a traditional context. Same for churches, where Woodville Baptist Church dates to 1809.

Some really old institutions did not survive. King’s Tavern in Natchez opened in 1789, before Mississippi statehood. But it has had periods where it closed its doors, and now gives occasional ghost tours. Jefferson College was the state’s first institution of higher learning, chartered in 1802, and the site of the state’s first constitution. Its doors closed in 1964.

Hattiesburg’s Coney Island Cafe made it more than a century but closed its doors in 2025.

Following is a list of some of the Mississippi for-profit businesses that are still active at more than a century old, including this publication.

The Clarion Ledger (1837)

Often recognized as the oldest continuously operating major business in Mississippi, The Clarion Ledger stands at the top of the state’s media and corporate landscape. The Clarion Ledger traces its immediate origins to 1837, when it was founded as the Eastern Clarion in the community of Paulding in Jasper County.

Born in an era when the state’s interior was largely undeveloped, the newspaper quickly became an indispensable source of information for early residents, proving from its inception an innate ability to weather shifting political and social tides.

Following an initial sale, the operation moved to Meridian where it weathered the disruptions of the Civil War. In 1865, the newspaper relocated to the capital city of Jackson, merging with The Standard to become simply The Clarion.

By 1885, the publication’s offices stood on a newspaper row on Capitol Street in Downtown Jackson, competing with the now-defunct Mississippian and the State Ledger.

The transformation of the Clarion Ledger identity came in 1888, when The Clarion merged with its chief local competitor, the State Ledger, forming the Daily Clarion-Ledger. By 1890, the publication established an uninterrupted daily printing schedule that would endure for generations. Maintaining continuous publication since 1890, the state’s largest newspaper evolved from a frontier political sheet into a statewide daily.

The Clarion Ledger, which dropped the dash in its banner in the last few years, has been honored with numerous awards for its journalism, including the Pulitzer Prize. Today, it has the state’s largest digital audience and is a part of USA TODAY Co., the nation’s largest publisher.

While the Clarion Ledger is the oldest daily newspaper, it is not the state’s oldest publication. That honor goes to the Woodville Republican, which is a weekly newspaper in Wilkinson County first published in 1824. But the Republican served for parts of seven years as a political party tool shortly after the Civil War. By 1876, it returned to a more traditional journalism business.

Neilson’s Department Store (1839)

Just two years after the Eastern Clarion printed its inaugural edition, another foundational piece of Mississippi’s retail legacy emerged further north, embarking on its own journey to stand the test of time. Founded in 1839 on the historic square in Oxford, Neilson’s Department Store holds the distinction of being the oldest retail store in the American South.

Its founder, William Smith Neilson, migrated to Lafayette County in 1838 and established a rudimentary log cabin trading post to serve the newly arriving citizens of Oxford and the nearby university community. In those early frontier days, Neilson’s operated as a comprehensive general store, supplying residents with everything from basic dry groceries to manufactured hardware goods.

The store’s ultimate test of resilience came in 1864, when Union forces set fire to the Oxford Square, destroying nearly every local landmark and commercial structure. Neilson, however, possessed the financial foresight and grit that defines a time-tested enterprise; he converted his liquid capital into gold bullion, which he buried securely beneath the soil before the troops arrived. The hidden reserve allowed the business to rebuild immediately after the conflict, opening a permanent brick structure on the Oxford Square by 1866.

By the turn of the 20th century, the enterprise shifted its focus from raw provisions to high-quality clothing and specialty goods. Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Neilson’s remains an operational anchor of the Oxford Square, demonstrating how localized retail can withstand the aggressive rise of modern e-commerce through an unbreakable bond with its customer base.

Simmons-Wright Company Store (1884)

Simmons‑Wright Company store in Kewanee is the oldest, continuously operating general store in Mississippi. It was founded in 1884 by William Simmons and Tom Wright, according to information from its nomination to the National Register of Historic Places.

The first location, a wood building, burned in 1926. It was rebuilt out of brick the same year and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.

W.H. Jefferson Funeral Home (1894)

W.H. Jefferson Funeral Home in Vicksburg stands as a monument to cultural resilience, holding the title of Mississippi’s oldest Black-owned business.

The business was established by William Henry Jefferson, the state’s first licensed Black funeral director, alongside his wife, Lucy C. Jefferson. Operating during the height of the Jim Crow era, the Jeffersons provided essential, dignified care to a community systematically underserved by mainstream institutions.

The business survived decades of strict segregation, the economic devastation of the Great Depression and major Mississippi River floods by establishing deep roots within local civic and religious networks. Passing through successive generations of the Jefferson family, the firm has maintained its original location and mission for more than 130 years, proving that genuine corporate longevity is forged through service to people and a resolve to stand firm through societal shifts.

Laurel Machine & Foundry Company (1904)

As Mississippi transitioned into the industrial era at the turn of the 20th century, the demand for heavy manufacturing sparked new enterprises, few of which possessed the longevity to survive the economic transformations of the next hundred years. Established in 1904 in Jones County, the Laurel Machine & Foundry Company quickly became a vital engine for the state’s booming timber, oil and manufacturing sectors.

Specializing in manual machining, structural fabrication and iron casting, the company provided the literal hardware that built the infrastructure of South Mississippi. While countless industrial operations folded during the mid-century decline of domestic manufacturing, Laurel Machine & Foundry adapted, proving its timeless relevance.

Now operated by its fourth generation of family leadership, the company recently announced a multi-million-dollar expansion of its facility in Laurel, proving that centennial businesses can remain highly competitive in modern global supply chains by blending historic craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology.

Williams Brothers General Store (1907)

In Philadelphia (Mississippi), Williams Brothers General Store represents an era when rural commerce was the literal lifeblood of the community. Opened in 1907 by brothers Amzie and Erastus Williams, the mercantile began as a modest frame building catering to local farmers, timber cutters and early residents of Neshoba County.

The enterprise carved out its enduring legacy by remaining true to its roots. Long before massive supermarkets and national big-box retailers pushed their way into rural Mississippi, Williams Brothers was already famous for its slab bacon, hoops of sharp cheddar cheese, custom-cut meats and specialized farm provisions. It served not merely as a marketplace, but as a cultural gathering spot where generations of Mississippians stopped on their way to the annual Neshoba County Fair.

Irby (1926)

As Mississippi moved deeper into the 20th century, the rapid push for electrification demanded a new kind of commercial backbone. Enter Stuart C. Irby, who in 1919 founded what would become one of the most vital industrial anchors in the state’s capital city. While Irby worked with a partner for the first seven years, Irby broke out on his own in 1926, and Irby is celebrating its 100th year in business, this year.

Starting as a modest electrical supply outfit in Jackson, the Stuart C. Irby Company quickly evolved alongside the region’s expanding power grid, transforming from a local shop into a powerhouse distributor of electrical components, utility equipment and industrial logistics solutions.

Irby’s true test of time came in its ability to scale its operations to meet the changing needs of American infrastructure without losing its foundational identity. The company survived the lean years of the Great Depression, pivoted to support critical logistics during wartime mobilization and capitalized on the post-war building boom.

Mississippi businesses over 100 years old

• Clarion-Ledger — 1837 — Jackson
• Neilson’s Department Store — 1839 — Oxford
• Natchez Democrat — 1865 — Natchez
• Weidmann’s Restaurant — Meridian — 1870
• Cadence Bank (originally City National Bank) — Tupelo — 1876
• H.D. Gibbes & Sons — Learned — c. 1880
• Simmons-Wright Company — 1884 — Kewanee
• Mechanics Bank — 1886 — Water Valley
• Citizens National Bank — 1888 — Meridian
• Sea Coast Echo — 1892 — Bay St. Louis
• Buck’s Department Store — 1892 — Bude
• The First Bank (originally First National Bank) — Hattiesburg — 1895
• The Peoples Bank — 1896 — Biloxi
• Merchants & Marine Bank — 1899 — Pascagoula
• Guaranty Bank & Trust Company — 1901 — Belzoni
• Bank of Commerce — 1905 — Greenwood
• Williams Brothers General Store — 1907 — Philadelphia
• Peoples Bank — 1908 — Mendenhall
• Jim’s Cafe — Walthall — 1909
• Planters Bank & Trust Company — 1920 — Indianola
• Mississippi Power — 1925 — Gulfport
• Stuart C. Irby Company — 1926 — Jackson

Mississippi’s oldest banks

• Cadence Bank (originally City National Bank) — Tupelo — 1876
• Citizens National Bank — Meridian — 1888
• The First Bank (originally First National Bank) — Hattiesburg — 1895
• The Peoples Bank — Biloxi — 1896
• Merchants & Marine Bank — Pascagoula — 1899
• Guaranty Bank & Trust Company — Belzoni — 1901
• Bank of Commerce — Greenwood — 1905
• Peoples Bank — Mendenhall — 1908
• Planters Bank & Trust Company — Indianola — 1920
• BankFirst Financial Services — Columbus — 1888

Mississippi’s oldest restaurants

• Weidmann’s Restaurant — Meridian — 1870
• H.D. Gibbes & Sons — Learned — 1880
• Jim’s Cafe — Walthall — 1909
• Primos Cafe — Jackson metro area — 1929
• The Mayflower Cafe — Jackson — 1935
• Doe’s Eat Place — Greenville — 1941
• Brent’s Drugs — Jackson — 1946

Mississippi’s oldest churches

• Woodville Baptist Church — Woodville — Original building built 1809
• Trinity Episcopal Church — Natchez — Congregation founded 1822; building completed 1823
• First Presbyterian Church — Natchez — Congregation organized 1828
• St. Mary Basilica — Natchez — Parish founded 1842
• First Baptist Church — Jackson — Founded 1837
• Christ Church Episcopal — Bay St. Louis — Founded 1843
• First Presbyterian Church — Jackson — Founded 1842

Mississippi’s oldest colleges and universities

• Mississippi Christian University (formerly Mississippi College) — Clinton — 1826
• University of Mississippi — Oxford — 1848
• Alcorn State University — Lorman — 1871
• Mississippi University for Women — Columbus — 1884
• University of Southern Mississippi (originally Mississippi Normal College) — Hattiesburg — 1910
• Jackson State University (originally Natchez Seminary) — Jackson — 1877
• Delta State University — Cleveland — 1924

Bonnie Bolden contributed to this story.

Ross Reily is a writer for the Clarion Ledger, part of the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached at rreily@gannett.com or 601-573-2952. You can follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter @GreenOkra1.