Caile, Mississippi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Caile, Mississippi
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 Caile, Mississippi
Location in Mississippi
Caile, Mississippi
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Mississippi |
| County | Sunflower |
| Elevation | 115 ft (35 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
38753
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| Area code(s) | 662 |
| GNIS feature ID | 667906 |
Caile is a small community in Sunflower County, Mississippi. It's located in a flat, fertile area known as the Mississippi Delta. Caile is not a city or town with its own government; it's called an "unincorporated community."
You can find Caile along U.S. Route 49W. It's about 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Isola and 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Inverness.
A Look Back in Time
No one knows for sure where the name 'Caile' came from. For a while, it was also known as 'Lawrence Deadening'.
Caile started around 1888, but it always stayed a small place. It even had a post office once, named 'Ark'. This was to avoid confusion with another place called Coila in Carroll County. The post office closed in 1917.
There was a general store in Caile that operated until 1997. Sid and Helen Windham owned and ran this store continuously from April 1954. The store building itself was built in 1930 and still stands today as a home.
Many families settled in Caile over the years. Some of these families included the Aycocks, Orrs, Windhams, Jones, and Millers.
In the early 1900s, around 1903, a railroad line was built through the Caile community. This was the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad, often called the "Yellow Dog Railroad" by locals. There was a small store and loading area on Ellis Orr's property. This spot served as a "flagstop" for the railroad, meaning the train would only stop if someone waved a flag.
Today, you can still see a large open sandpit just south of where the railroad used to be. Dirt from this pit was dug out to build the railroad tracks. The railroad stopped operating in the 1980s.
Local Churches
Caile has a few churches that are important to the community. The Caile United Methodist Church is located east of the old sandpit, facing Route 49W.
Across the highway from the church is the Caile Cemetery. People have been buried here since 1894.
Farther south on the highway is St. Lawrence Missionary Baptist Church. This church has a rich history within the African-American community. Its cemetery is on both sides of Route 49W. Many graves were moved to the west side of the highway when Route 49W was expanded to four lanes.
The land for both of these churches was given as a gift in the 1890s. This generous gift came from Ms. Emma Reynolds, who was the postmistress of the 'Ark' post office.
Old Buildings and Schools
Not many of the original homes in Caile are still standing. The Windham family's old home, built in the 1870s, is one of the few. It was once part of the Jake Orr estate. While it still exists, it is in very poor condition. The original commissary, which faced the railroad, was destroyed by a lightning fire in the 1930s.
In the past, there were two separate schools in the Caile community. One school was for African-American children and was on W. W. Gholston's property. It had not been used since the 1950s and was destroyed by fire in 2006.
The other school was for white children. It was located just south of the Caile store on W. O. Jones's property. This school joined with the Inverness school in the early 1930s. The spot where this school once stood is now a large pit. This pit was created when dirt was dug out for highway construction in the 1980s.
Images for kids
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A Cold Day in Caile
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Caile Store, Constructed in 1930
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Caile United Methodist Church
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Cemetery at Caile UMC
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St Lawrence MB Church
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St Lawrence MB Church Sign
