Residents to celebrate Bemis Heritage Days amid deconstruction

JACKSON, Tenn. — The Bemis community is coming upon a 117-year anniversary and will celebrate its heritage this weekend.

“It is an old town which started in 1900, so there are a lot of old roots and over a century here,” Joel Jackson with the Bemis Historical Society said.

Rich in history, it is known for the mill where its residents worked. “We didn’t make the bags. We just made the products to ship it to be made into bags,” Jackson said.

The museum boasts its founders, festivals and fighters. Bemis residents have fought for their heritage to stay alive outside of this museum as well.

Although coming back to Bemis Heritage Days does bring some great memories, there is still some frustration over what is to come of the mill as it has taken four times longer than expected to deconstruct.

“Once they get the site cleared, it should be up and going in six or eight months,” Jackson said. A park will be constructed in the mill’s honor and is spearheaded by the city of Jackson.

City council members said insurance adjusters were expected to come out this week to see if the Bemis water tower can be insured.

Jackson said this controversy has brought past and present Bemis residents together. “Now we find out that a mill can come down, and so when that happened people got excited again and coming and looking at it.”

Bemis Heritage Days began at 4 p.m. Friday and continues until Saturday afternoon. For a full history of the mill and more details about the event, visit www.bemishistory.org.