Angora Goat Farm in Itawamba County

Itawamba County News
September 10, 1914
Local Column

There is an angora goat farm in this county. Col. W. A. Bean of Amory and Mr. Willis Harrison of Tilden have a small herd on Mr. Bean’s farm near Tilden. The enterprise is now only in the experimental stage, but our western relatives and friends tell us this is a great stock country.


The above newspaper article is quite interesting. Angora goats in Itawamba County!! In 1914!!

I believe Col. W. A. Bean to be William A. Bean. In the 1910 census, there is a thirty-seven year old William A. Bean enumerated as a lodger in the household of William A. and Edna Morris of Amory. Mr. Bean's occupation was given as lawyer, general practice. Being married to a lawyer myself, and having a couple as children, it makes perfect sense that a lawyer would invest in some angora goats. A quick Google of William A. Bean indicates that he also owned an early newspaper in Amory and was a native of Itawamba County, having been born in the Cardsville community.

Col. Bean's business partner in the angora goat farm endeavor was Willis Harrison who can be found in the 1910 census living in the New Salem community of Itawamba County as a thirty-eight year old farmer. His family included wife Ida, and children Ralph, Fred, Ruby, Ruth, and Tom.

According to Wikipedia, angora goats were introduced in the United States in 1849 when provided as a gift from a sultan from Turkey. The goats originated from the Ankara (Angora) region of Turkey, thus their name, and they are grown primarily for their fleece, called mohair. The Civil War destroyed most of the large flocks of angora goats in the south, but eventually their numbers increased, particularly in Texas which is today the second largest producer of mohair fleece in the world.