Incorporated in 1880, Jonestown was birthed from the nearby Matagorda Plantation, owned by Colonel D.M. Russell and his wife pre-Civil War, the plantation taking its name from a type of long-staple cotton grown there. Currently consisting of many boarded up homes and businesses due to the marginalization of agricultural business within the town, Jonestown holds a Southern charm, nonetheless. Delta Oil Mill has been a large corporation on the limits of town since 1942, producing cottonseed products. I observed at least 3-4 semis entering and leaving Delta Oil in the 15 minutes during my last visit.
Speaking of visits, every single time that I drive through here….it smells like the BEST smoked meat you could ever eat. I have yet to figure out which storefront it is emanating from, but once I solve that conundrum, there will be an update on that one item alone.
Jonestown is the birthplace of some notable folks, such as W.C. Clay, a blues musician who often partnered with Sonny Boy Williamson on the King Biscuit Time radio program; George Lane, who established a Sickle Cell center in Milwaukee, and Oscar Reed, who played for the Atlanta Falcons and the Minnesota Vikings.
At the time of the 2020 Census, only 962 people lived in Jonestown, but like much of the Delta, there is hope that one day new life can be breathed into the town.
