Amory is a small city located in northeast Mississippi in Monroe County. Home to dedicated and gifted student-athletes, brilliant and inventive youth, and community-involved citizens, Amory is also a railroad city at heart.
A recent EF-3 tornado devastated parts of Amory two weeks ago. With the motto “Amory Strong,” Mississippians from far and wide, plus friends and neighbors of Amory, have come in droves to support the historical city and its residents.
The city of 7,000 began as a planned railroad town. The Kansas City, Memphis & Birmingham Railroad needed a midpoint between Memphis, Tennessee, and Birmingham, Alabama, for their locomotives, so they laid out the new town of Amory in 1887. People from nearby Cotton Gin Port on the Tombigbee River abandoned their city and moved to Amory.
Home of The Amory Railroad Festival, typically held every April in Amory’s Frisco Park, the Southeast Tourism Society has named the annual festival as one of the “Region’s Top 29 Events.”
Locals and visitors enjoy visiting Amory because it is full of history, delicious local eateries, and charming shops. British royalty, presidents, Hollywood stars, famous musicians, and athletes have also visited the quaint railroad town.
Amory is also home to the National Guard Old Armory. This historic building in Amory was built originally for the National Guard and later served as a venue for artists to perform.
Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Elvis Presley were known to perform at the National Guard Old Armory multiple times during the 1950s.
The Dalrymple Foundation was critical in restoring and renovating Amory’s Frisco Park by creating a splash pad for children to play and a stage that encourages musicians to share their talents with everyone.
Frisco Park is home to the Frisco Engine 1529. This engine carried President Franklin D. Roosevelt to Amory in 1934. The park is also the heart of many Amory High School parades and community events.
Amory native Sam Haskell created Stars Over Amory (later known as Stars Over Mississippi). This concert has brought stars such as Dolly Parton, Sela Ward, Ray Romano, and many others to Amory to support education by raising funds for the Mary Kirkpatrick Haskell Scholarship Foundation.
Notable residents include John Dye, Rufus French, Lt. Col. Herman Carter of the original 33 Tuskegee Airmen, Will Hall, Taylor Spritzer, Priscilla Barker, Gary Grubbs, Lucille Bogan, Floyd Mayweather, Sr., Mitch Moreland, John Milstead, Kit Thorn, Frank Swan, James Whitfield, Roger, and Dudley McKinney, The Top Hats, Al Rachel, Michael Freeman, American Idol season 15 winner Trent Harmon, and two current American Idol contestant Zachariah Smith and Colin Stough.
Amory is also part of The Mississippi Blues Trail. The marker can be found just north of the world-famous Bill’s Hamburgers (damaged by the recent storm), right past Vinegar Bend on Main Street in what’s known as the city’s “Pocket Park.”
Amory is Amory Strong. The industrious city will undoubtedly continue to rebuild and restore what was while maintaining what’s already there..an incredible spirit of community, kindness, and strength.
