Miss Arizona Roxanna "Duck" Wall - newspaper editor and business woman in early 1900s Purvis, MS.

With a nod to Women’s History Month, I want to share the story of Purvis resident, Arizona Roxanna “Duck” Wall. She was the last of thirteen children of Micajah Wall and Mary Ann DePriest. She was born 25 Nov 1879 in Jasper Co. MS and died 16 Jan 1953 in Florida. By 1900, Miss Wall was in Purvis with most of her family, where she lived most of her life.

 Duck Wall grew up at a time when it was rare for women, other than teachers and nurses, to work outside the home; and especially rare for women to run a business. Miss Wall was an exception. In 1900, at the age of 22, she published a newspaper called the Purvis Echo from her office in Purvis.

 Tragedy struck on April 24, 1908 when a devastating tornado hit Purvis. Her office and all of her printing equipment were destroyed and Miss Wall barely escaped injury or death. In December, 1908, Miss Wall leased the Lumberton Headblock and published that paper for several years.

 I believe Miss Wall lived on a farm just outside Purvis in 1916 with two brothers and a sister. In the early 1900s it was kind of a big deal for farmers to lay claim to the first cotton bloom of the season. On June 22, 1916, Miss Wall claimed the “first cotton bloom of the season in Purvis.”

 During the teens, Miss Wall was the local correspondent for several metropolitan newspapers. In 1916, she became the editor of another Purvis newspaper called the Progressive Star. This paper was previously published by Mr. Wiley A. Blackburn, who was murdered in 1915 by Dr. Samuel Rees, the rival publisher of another newspaper called the Purvis Booster.

 The 19^th Amendment to the U. S. Constitution, giving women the right to vote, was ratified in 1920. Just two years later, Miss Duck Wall was a candidate for mayor of Purvis. She was defeated by the incumbent mayor, T. C. King. This 1922 election was notable for the fact that a record 258 people voted and 100 were women.

 In 1924, Miss Duck Wall returned to Lumberton to again become the publisher of the Lumberton Headblock. In 1932, she was named as one of the directors of the Paramount Oil and Gas Corporation.

 About 1935, Miss Wall moved to Hattiesburg. Mr. and Mrs. Curtis Nation moved into the Duck Wall house in Purvis, where Mrs. Nation opened her music studio. (Many of you will remember Mrs. Evelyn Nation who gave private piano lessons for many years).

 About 1944, Miss Wall moved to Tampa, FL where her niece, Mrs. James R. Graham lived. After a long illness, Miss Wall died in Tampa on 16 Jan 1953. She was buried in Oaklawn Cemetery in Hattiesburg, MS near her mother who died in 1909.

Below are newspaper clippings that I used to write this article.