Interview with Dr. Richard Corsen

The interview is with Dr. Richard Corsen, great-grandfather of the late Jim Bates' grand-daughter. Who is Jim Bates? He is the person the city of Batesville is named after. The theme is how some places pay homage to those that laid the foundation. The interview took place at Dr. Corsen's house, on the back porch, which is his most common seating area. "Mr. Bates really took care of this house," said Dr. Corsen. This response reflects one of Jim Bates' major qualities of taking care of business.

Q: What qualified Jim Bates to name the city of Batesville?

A: What I learned from my grand-daughter sort of seeped in my mind. He was a hard-working man. He was a railroad conductor, farmer and preacher. The city of Batesville had no name; it was just called the town of Panola before Mr. Bates came along.

Q: When did the town of Panola decide to be called the city of Batesville?

A: Around 1840, Mr. Bates moved here from Nashville and purchase some land from the Choctaw Indians and he worked it. He built this house we are sitting at in 1855 and used the land to build a railroad. Previously, the town of Panola had to haul things down the river. When the railroad was completed, the town moved around the railroad and changed the town's name to Batesville as a token of appreciation.

Q: How do you feel about Mr. Bates' achievements?

A: It is really interesting that this part of Mississippi was never settled until he bought the land in 1840 and that is when people started moving here. He basically laid the foundation for the city of Batesville.