A fire that started late Wednesday evening has destroyed four of the five buildings on the south side of Bolivar's historic court square. It is believed the fire started from a lightning strike.

The fire began in the rear of the second floor of Joe's Restaurant and spread to buildings on either side. Many may remember the location as that of "Bubber's Cafe". The restaurant had been serving food for over 60 years. The upstairs portion was the very first location chosen by R. P. Shackelford in 1932 for Shackelford Funeral Directors in Bolivar.

The only building salvagable is the old Bank of Bolivar building, an architectural icon of the square. It now houses country station WMOD-FM 96.7 radio. Engineers have preliminarily determined the outer shell can remain. Other businesses affected were a bail-bonding firm (in the former location of Brooks' Auto), Thompson Law firm and the former location of the offices of Mr. E. J. Harris, longtime Bolivar attorney.

Bolivar had just been chosen as one of six cities state-wide to participate in a multi-million dollar downtown revitalization program. Mayor Bobby Sain said the project will continue.

We at Shackelford Funeral Directors wish the best for all those impacted by this tragedy and encourage everyone to help as you can and keep these folks in your prayers.

(Photo by Jackson Sun)