By John Cofield

In the middle of downtown Taylor, the old buildings have seen many owners and stores through the years. 

At one time the sign said “Carr” because somewhere between the sales representative and the plant office and the painter, it got changed. Carr is wrong; Karr is right.

Then in 1982, Bill Beckwith put his name on the door of 04 County Road 338, Lafayette County, Mississippi. 

And from that studio, his work has been shipped out worldwide. While Oxford may claim him, he is Taylor’s, the place he wants to be.

Rather, Taylor is his. 

From our years of regular messaging about local history and photographs, I think I can say that Bill’s fame never gets much of his attention. He summed up his acclaimed sculptures in a simple sentence, “I am just doing what I was meant to do.”