George Washington Chiles

George Washington Chiles, “Wash” as he was known, came to this county as a slave for the W.H. Chiles family in 1840.   During the Civil War he served in the Confederacy with his owner as a servant and cook.  When his owner was badly injured in the Battle of Nashville, he saved him under great danger to himself.  His battlefield actions, brought him prominence in Oktibbeha County and also a Civil War Pension, which was often difficult for a black soldier to receive.  After the war, he married Henrietta Outlaw, and records show that he was a mail carrier, a member of the Oktibbeha County Board of Education Commissioners and Election Commissioners, a member of the Police Board, and a Mason.   As a successful cook and employee in the hotel business, he was able to purchase land, and he used part of it to improve education and religious centers in the African American community. First, a school was built on the corner of Gillespie and Washington streets, and later a larger school was built where Henderson Ward Stewart is now located.  Also, the 2nd Baptist Church was built on property that he owned, and today his name remains on the cornerstone of the church.   Additionally, he contributed to the effort to build a railroad to connect Starkville to the Mobile & Ohio railroad, a major railroad in the South and the Midwest.   This railroad connection had a positive effect on the growth of Starkville, and helped to bring Mississippi State University to Oktibbeha County.  Finally, his wife later said that he knew more about the history of the county before, during, or after the Civil War than any other person in the area.   He is unknown to most citizens of this county, yet he had a great influence in its development.