Tibbee Documentary Project

Golden Triangle · Clay County, Mississippi

The Tibbee Documentary Project

A community-led effort to preserve Tibbee’s history, families, faith, athletics, and everyday life on film—so future generations inherit more than memory; they inherit context, pride, and proof of what rural democracy can build.

Why this documentary matters

Much of Tibbee’s story lives in elders’ voices, church pews, ball fields, and family plots—not in textbooks. The Documentary Project captures those stories before they are lost.

A community worth preserving

Tibbee—also known as Tibbee Station—is an unincorporated community in Clay County with roots along Tibbee Creek and the former Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad. The one-room Tibbee School (first built in 1861, now restored and listed on the National Register of Historic Places) stands as a symbol of persistence.

The Documentary Project captures Tibbee’s story through interviews, archival research, and community components that honor the people who shaped Tibbee from settlement through civil rights, cemetery stewardship, and today’s community center vision.

Documentary interviews

Watch Tibbee Documentary Project interviews on YouTube—oral history from the community, preserved for future generations.

History & interviews

  • German settlers and early Tibbee Station
  • Religion in Tibbee (multi-part series)
  • Oral history interviews with community elders
  • Civil rights era context and local heroes

Community components

  • Back-in-time family portraits
  • Featured voices: Mr. Reid, Maurice Johnson, Martha Williams, Joe Pool
  • Sports: Jim Blair, Alan Gunn, and Roundhead Stadium
  • Youth perspectives and next-generation continuity

Soundtrack & spiritual heritage

Gospel and sacred music anchor the film’s emotional landscape—reflecting churches that have long held Tibbee together.

Amazing Grace Wade in the Water Order My Steps Precious Lord This Little Light of Mine Angels Watching Over Me

Mt. Pisgah Cemetery preservation fund

Cemetery stewardship is where Tibbee’s modern community movement began. The Documentary Project supports a fundraising campaign to preserve the history and legacy of Mt. Pisgah Cemetery.

Campaign goal

Tibbee Development Club’s earliest organized work grew from cemetery improvement—maintaining sacred ground that churches could not sustain alone. That same spirit drives today’s $100,000 preservation goal by July 1, 2027 for Mt. Pisgah Cemetery.

Documentary proceeds, community donations, and partner support help ensure elders are honored, genealogies remain accessible, and Tibbee’s story stays rooted in place—not erased by neglect.

Rooted in research

The documentary and Tibbee’s original Rosenwald School research reinforce one another: archival findings shape interview questions, and elder testimony points researchers toward records and sites.

Learn more: Explore the Rosenwald School research and Tibbee’s broader heritage and development work on the About page →

Get involved

Have records, photographs, or memories to share? Help us preserve Tibbee’s story for the next generation.