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Ask the Memphian: Is it true DeSoto County once had a beach? And it was full of sand from Destin?

By , Daily Memphian Published: September 15, 2025 4:00 AM CT

The “Beach Within Reach” may have existed in DeSoto County, but the DNA of the sand that made Maywood unique can be traced to the Florida Gulf Coast.

Maywood Beach was the swimming hole centerpiece somewhere near Craft Road in Olive Branch. The large pool with its high dives, slippery slides, fountains spraying chilly water and mid-pool floating pier beckoned sunbathers and swimmers as mid-year temperatures rose. The pool was the locale for many an end-of-the-school-year party or business picnic or to get in one more swim on Labor Day before the end of the summer.

And invariably the first spring sunburn.

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Subscriber Only Maywood Olive Branch Hugh Armistead Janice Britt Lewis Jesse Spiceland

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Clay Bailey

Clay Bailey

Clay Bailey, a lifelong Memphian, has worked as a reporter in the city four decades. He concentrated on suburban coverage for the bulk of his career, except for a stint as sports editor of The Daily Memphian when it launched in September 2018. He now is suburban editor and also serves as a freelance sports writer for The Associated Press.

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