 the Jimmie Rodgers Festival has been an annual Meridian event since 1953 .   David Ruffin , former lead singer of The Temptations , and his older brother Jimmy Ruffin were born in the surrounding area , Whynot and Collinsville , respectively .   George Soulé , the singer @-@ songwriter most famous for the rhythm and blues anthem " Get Involved " , is a resident of Meridian , where he was born in 1945 .   Hayley Williams , lead singer of the band Paramore , was also born in the city in 1988 .   Singer Al Wilson , born in June 1939 , was a Meridian native .   = = = In sports = = =   The city has also been home to several athletes , many of whom have competed at professional levels . Among them are : Dennis Ray " Oil Can " Boyd , former Major League Baseball pitcher ; Negro league baseball catcher Paul Hardy ; professional basketball player Derrick McKey ; Jay Powell , another pitcher ; Joe Stringfellow played in the NFL ; professional basketball player George Wilson   = = = Others = = =   Other notable natives of the city include :   Susan Akin who won the Miss America beauty pageant in 1986 @,@    James Chaney - one of the victims of the Mississippi civil rights workers murders in 1964 @,@    Fred and Al Key , known as " The Flying Keys " - holders of the world flight endurance record - are Meridian natives . Al Key is also a former mayor of the city .   Fred Phelps , leader of the Westboro Baptist Church ,   = = In popular culture = =   = = = Fictional characters = = =   Cullen Bohannon , the protagonist of the AMC series Hell on Wheels , hails from Meridian , Mississippi , where he was a tobacco farmer and later a Confederate soldier during the American Civil War .   Dill Harris , one of the characters of the Pulitzer Prize @-@ winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird ( 1960 ) , is from Meridian , which is mentioned throughout when referencing Dill 's home .   = Papa Stour =   Papa Stour is one of the Shetland Islands in Scotland , with a population of under twenty people , some of whom immigrated after an appeal for residents in the 1970s . Located to the west of mainland Shetland and with an area of 828 hectares ( 3 @.@ 2 square miles ) , Papa Stour is the eighth largest island in Shetland . Erosion of the soft volcanic rocks by the sea has created an extraordinary variety of caves , stacks , arches , blowholes , and cliffs . The island and its surrounding seas harbour diverse populations of wildlife . The west side of the island is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and the seas around the island are a Special Area of Conservation .   The island has several Neolithic burial chamber sites , as well as the remains of Duke Hakon 's 13th @-@ century house dating from the Norse occupation of the island . The population reached 380 or more in the nineteenth century , when a fishing station was opened at Crabbaberry in West Voe . Subsequently there was a steady decline in population , although the numbers have increased from a low of 16 in the 1970s .   Today the main settlement on the island is Biggings , just to the east of which is Housa Voe from where the Snolda ferry arrives from its base at West Burrafirth on the Shetland Mainland . Crofting , especially sheep rearing , is the mainstay of island life .   Numerous shipwrecks have occurred around the coast , and the celebrated poem Da Sang o da Papa Men by Vagaland recalls the drama of the days when Papa Stour was a centre for deep @-@ sea fishing .   = = Geography = =   Papa Stour is located at the south western end of St Magnus Bay . There are 34 kilometres ( 21 mi ) of rugged coastline which is indented by numerous small embayments and four larger ' voes ' . Hamna Voe ( Old Norse : ' harbour bay ' ) in the south is the most sheltered anchorage and the surrounding cliffs contain a natural rock arch . Housa Voe to the east ( Old Norse : ' house bay ' ) is less secluded but is the main harbour for the island and the ferry 's embarkation point .   Brei Holm and Maiden Stack guard the harbour entrance to the south . The former is a tidal island and was a leper colony until the 18th century ( although it has been suggested that many of the " lepers " there were suffering from a vitamin deficiency rather than leprosy ) . The latter 's name relates to a story from the 14th century . Lord Thorvald Thoresson is said to have constructed the tiny house at its top , whose ruins are still visible , in order to " preserve " his daughter from men . Unfortunately
Ġthe ĠJim mie ĠRodgers ĠFestival Ġhas Ġbeen Ġan Ġannual ĠMeridian Ġevent Ġsince Ġ1953 Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠDavid ĠRuff in Ġ, Ġformer Ġlead Ġsinger Ġof ĠThe ĠT empt ations Ġ, Ġand Ġhis Ġolder Ġbrother ĠJimmy ĠRuff in Ġwere Ġborn Ġin Ġthe Ġsurrounding Ġarea Ġ, ĠWhy not Ġand ĠCollins ville Ġ, Ġrespectively Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠGeorge ĠSoul Ã© Ġ, Ġthe Ġsinger Ġ@ - @ Ġsong writer Ġmost Ġfamous Ġfor Ġthe Ġrhythm Ġand Ġblues Ġanthem Ġ" ĠGet ĠInv olved Ġ" Ġ, Ġis Ġa Ġresident Ġof ĠMeridian Ġ, Ġwhere Ġhe Ġwas Ġborn Ġin Ġ1945 Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠHay ley ĠWilliams Ġ, Ġlead Ġsinger Ġof Ġthe Ġband ĠParam ore Ġ, Ġwas Ġalso Ġborn Ġin Ġthe Ġcity Ġin Ġ1988 Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠSinger ĠAl ĠWilson Ġ, Ġborn Ġin ĠJune Ġ1939 Ġ, Ġwas Ġa ĠMeridian Ġnative Ġ. Ġ Ġ Ġ= Ġ= Ġ= ĠIn Ġsports Ġ= Ġ= Ġ= Ġ Ġ ĠThe Ġcity Ġhas Ġalso Ġbeen Ġhome Ġto Ġseveral Ġathletes Ġ, Ġmany Ġof Ġwhom Ġhave Ġcompeted Ġat Ġprofessional Ġlevels Ġ. ĠAmong Ġthem Ġare Ġ: ĠDennis ĠRay Ġ" ĠOil ĠCan Ġ" ĠBoyd Ġ, Ġformer ĠMajor ĠLeague ĠBaseball Ġpitcher Ġ; ĠNegro Ġleague Ġbaseball Ġcatcher ĠPaul ĠHardy Ġ; Ġprofessional Ġbasketball Ġplayer ĠDerrick ĠMc Key Ġ; ĠJay ĠPowell Ġ, Ġanother Ġpitcher Ġ; ĠJoe ĠString f ellow Ġplayed Ġin Ġthe ĠNFL Ġ; Ġprofessional Ġbasketball Ġplayer ĠGeorge ĠWilson Ġ Ġ Ġ= Ġ= Ġ= ĠOthers Ġ= Ġ= Ġ= Ġ Ġ ĠOther Ġnotable Ġnatives Ġof Ġthe Ġcity Ġinclude Ġ: Ġ Ġ ĠSusan ĠAkin Ġwho Ġwon Ġthe ĠMiss ĠAmerica Ġbeauty Ġpageant Ġin Ġ1986 Ġ@ , @ Ġ Ġ Ġ ĠJames ĠCh aney Ġ- Ġone Ġof Ġthe Ġvictims Ġof Ġthe ĠMississippi Ġcivil Ġrights Ġworkers Ġmurders Ġin Ġ1964 Ġ@ , @ Ġ Ġ Ġ ĠFred Ġand ĠAl ĠKey Ġ, Ġknown Ġas Ġ" ĠThe ĠFlying ĠKeys Ġ" Ġ- Ġholders Ġof Ġthe Ġworld Ġflight Ġendurance Ġrecord Ġ- Ġare ĠMeridian Ġnatives Ġ. ĠAl ĠKey Ġis Ġalso Ġa Ġformer Ġmayor Ġof Ġthe Ġcity Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠFred ĠPhelps Ġ, Ġleader Ġof Ġthe ĠWest boro ĠBaptist ĠChurch Ġ, Ġ Ġ Ġ= Ġ= ĠIn Ġpopular Ġculture Ġ= Ġ= Ġ Ġ Ġ= Ġ= Ġ= ĠF ictional Ġcharacters Ġ= Ġ= Ġ= Ġ Ġ ĠCullen ĠBoh annon Ġ, Ġthe Ġprotagonist Ġof Ġthe ĠAMC Ġseries ĠHell Ġon ĠWheels Ġ, Ġha ils Ġfrom ĠMeridian Ġ, ĠMississippi Ġ, Ġwhere Ġhe Ġwas Ġa Ġtobacco Ġfarmer Ġand Ġlater Ġa ĠConfederate Ġsoldier Ġduring Ġthe ĠAmerican ĠCivil ĠWar Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠDill ĠHarris Ġ, Ġone Ġof Ġthe Ġcharacters Ġof Ġthe ĠPulitzer ĠPrize Ġ@ - @ Ġwinning Ġnovel ĠTo ĠKill Ġa ĠM ocking bird Ġ( Ġ1960 Ġ) Ġ, Ġis Ġfrom ĠMeridian Ġ, Ġwhich Ġis Ġmentioned Ġthroughout Ġwhen Ġreferencing ĠDill Ġ' s Ġhome Ġ. Ġ Ġ Ġ= ĠPapa ĠSt our Ġ= Ġ Ġ ĠPapa ĠSt our Ġis Ġone Ġof Ġthe ĠShe t land ĠIslands Ġin ĠScotland Ġ, Ġwith Ġa Ġpopulation Ġof Ġunder Ġtwenty Ġpeople Ġ, Ġsome Ġof Ġwhom Ġimm igrated Ġafter Ġan Ġappeal Ġfor Ġresidents Ġin Ġthe Ġ1970 s Ġ. ĠLocated Ġto Ġthe Ġwest Ġof Ġmainland ĠShe t land Ġand Ġwith Ġan Ġarea Ġof Ġ8 28 Ġhectares Ġ( Ġ3 Ġ@ . @ Ġ2 Ġsquare Ġmiles Ġ) Ġ, ĠPapa ĠSt our Ġis Ġthe Ġeighth Ġlargest Ġisland Ġin ĠShe t land Ġ. ĠE ros ion Ġof Ġthe Ġsoft Ġvolcanic Ġrocks Ġby Ġthe Ġsea Ġhas Ġcreated Ġan Ġextraordinary Ġvariety Ġof Ġcaves Ġ, Ġstacks Ġ, Ġar ches Ġ, Ġblow holes Ġ, Ġand Ġcliffs Ġ. ĠThe Ġisland Ġand Ġits Ġsurrounding Ġseas Ġharbour Ġdiverse Ġpopulations Ġof Ġwildlife Ġ. ĠThe Ġwest Ġside Ġof Ġthe Ġisland Ġis Ġa ĠSite Ġof ĠSpecial ĠScientific ĠInterest Ġand Ġthe Ġseas Ġaround Ġthe Ġisland Ġare Ġa ĠSpecial ĠArea Ġof ĠConservation Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠThe Ġisland Ġhas Ġseveral ĠNe olithic Ġburial Ġchamber Ġsites Ġ, Ġas Ġwell Ġas Ġthe Ġremains Ġof ĠDuke ĠHak on Ġ' s Ġ13 th Ġ@ - @ Ġcentury Ġhouse Ġdating Ġfrom Ġthe ĠNorse Ġoccupation Ġof Ġthe Ġisland Ġ. ĠThe Ġpopulation Ġreached Ġ380 Ġor Ġmore Ġin Ġthe Ġnineteenth Ġcentury Ġ, Ġwhen Ġa Ġfishing Ġstation Ġwas Ġopened Ġat ĠCr abb ab erry Ġin ĠWest ĠV oe Ġ. ĠSub sequently Ġthere Ġwas Ġa Ġsteady Ġdecline Ġin Ġpopulation Ġ, Ġalthough Ġthe Ġnumbers Ġhave Ġincreased Ġfrom Ġa Ġlow Ġof Ġ16 Ġin Ġthe Ġ1970 s Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠToday Ġthe Ġmain Ġsettlement Ġon Ġthe Ġisland Ġis ĠBig g ings Ġ, Ġjust Ġto Ġthe Ġeast Ġof Ġwhich Ġis ĠH ous a ĠV oe Ġfrom Ġwhere Ġthe ĠSn old a Ġferry Ġarrives Ġfrom Ġits Ġbase Ġat ĠWest ĠBur raf irth Ġon Ġthe ĠShe t land ĠMain land Ġ. ĠCro ft ing Ġ, Ġespecially Ġsheep Ġre aring Ġ, Ġis Ġthe Ġmain stay Ġof Ġisland Ġlife Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠNumerous Ġship w re cks Ġhave Ġoccurred Ġaround Ġthe Ġcoast Ġ, Ġand Ġthe Ġcelebrated Ġpoem ĠDa ĠSang Ġo Ġda ĠPapa ĠMen Ġby ĠVag al and Ġrecalls Ġthe Ġdrama Ġof Ġthe Ġdays Ġwhen ĠPapa ĠSt our Ġwas Ġa Ġcentre Ġfor Ġdeep Ġ@ - @ Ġsea Ġfishing Ġ. Ġ Ġ Ġ= Ġ= ĠGe ography Ġ= Ġ= Ġ Ġ ĠPapa ĠSt our Ġis Ġlocated Ġat Ġthe Ġsouth Ġwestern Ġend Ġof ĠSt ĠMagnus ĠBay Ġ. ĠThere Ġare Ġ34 Ġkilometres Ġ( Ġ21 Ġmi Ġ) Ġof Ġrugged Ġcoastline Ġwhich Ġis Ġind ented Ġby Ġnumerous Ġsmall Ġemb ay ments Ġand Ġfour Ġlarger Ġ' Ġv oes Ġ' Ġ. ĠHam na ĠV oe Ġ( ĠOld ĠNorse Ġ: Ġ' Ġharbour Ġbay Ġ' Ġ) Ġin Ġthe Ġsouth Ġis Ġthe Ġmost Ġsheltered Ġanch orage Ġand Ġthe Ġsurrounding Ġcliffs Ġcontain Ġa Ġnatural Ġrock Ġarch Ġ. ĠH ous a ĠV oe Ġto Ġthe Ġeast Ġ( ĠOld ĠNorse Ġ: Ġ' Ġhouse Ġbay Ġ' Ġ) Ġis Ġless Ġse cluded Ġbut Ġis Ġthe Ġmain Ġharbour Ġfor Ġthe Ġisland Ġand Ġthe Ġferry Ġ' s Ġembark ation Ġpoint Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠBre i ĠHol m Ġand ĠMaiden ĠStack Ġguard Ġthe Ġharbour Ġentrance Ġto Ġthe Ġsouth Ġ. ĠThe Ġformer Ġis Ġa Ġtidal Ġisland Ġand Ġwas Ġa Ġle per Ġcolony Ġuntil Ġthe Ġ18 th Ġcentury Ġ( Ġalthough Ġit Ġhas Ġbeen Ġsuggested Ġthat Ġmany Ġof Ġthe Ġ" Ġle pers Ġ" Ġthere Ġwere Ġsuffering Ġfrom Ġa Ġvitamin Ġdeficiency Ġrather Ġthan Ġle pro sy Ġ) Ġ. ĠThe Ġlatter Ġ' s Ġname Ġrelates Ġto Ġa Ġstory Ġfrom Ġthe Ġ14 th Ġcentury Ġ. ĠLord ĠThor v ald ĠTh ore sson Ġis Ġsaid Ġto Ġhave Ġconstructed Ġthe Ġtiny Ġhouse Ġat Ġits Ġtop Ġ, Ġwhose Ġruins Ġare Ġstill Ġvisible Ġ, Ġin Ġorder Ġto Ġ" Ġpreserve Ġ" Ġhis Ġdaughter Ġfrom Ġmen Ġ. ĠUnfortunately