December 21, 2011 4:37:00 PM
MERIDIAN -- A historic marker that denotes the importance of Meridian as a railroad hub has been moved to the Union Station depot from Interstate 20.
The marker was issued by the Mississippi Historical Commission in 1949.
Ward Calhoun, director of Lauderdale County Archives and History, told The Meridian Star that the marker recognizes Sowashee, the name of the town before the Legislature ended an argument by adopting Meridian as the town's name in 1860.
The town was a major rail junction vitally important to the South in the Civil War.
Calhoun says men and material streamed through Meridian going in all directions. He said Sherman's march that came from Vicksburg through Newton and to Meridian was meant to sever those lines of supply and communication.
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