West Point , with a population of approximately 13,500, is the county seat of Clay County Mississippi. It resides on the fertile northeast "black prairie" region of the state and had its early beginnings as an agricultural and railroad town. West Point is also located at the apex of the "Golden Triangle" which is comprised of the cities of West Point, Columbus, and Starkville. Two major universities, two community colleges, an extensive industrial base, a nice regional airport, international port access via the Tenn-Tom waterway, and the rich farm land, have made the Golden Triangle one of the state's fastest growing areas. The windmill has become the unofficial symbol of West Point. In the 1970s a cattle ranch erected a windmill above a water well on Highway 50 east of West Point. At the time the windmill was unique to the area and became a great conversation piece and familiar site to travelers approaching the city. West Point's famous Prairie Arts Festival adopted the windmill image as part of its logo and as the festival exploded with attendance from people across the country, and thus the windmill West Point association became widespread. In 1992 the city of West Point, Nebraska, noting that there was another namesake town located on a fertile prairie, donated a beautiful windmill to our city. This windmill now stands prominently above the city parkway and serves as the administrative landmark during the annual arts festival. In 1984 the West Point Hall of Fame was started by the Kiwanis club, the Daily Times Leader, and the Clay County Economic Development Corporation. The purpose of this program is to honor citizens of the community that have brought honor to the city by their achievements, their dedication, and their service or they have been recognized by the community for their lifetime achievements. Spanky Bruce, editor of the Daily Times Leader, was the initial leader of this effort and set up a committee to nominate the honorees. A banquet was held each year where a large plaque was presented to honor the recipients.. These plaques hang in the City Hall auditorium. This highly successful program was halted suddenly at the untimely death of Mr. Bruce in 1993. There was no hall of fame nominations or banquet that year. The next year the program was taken over by the Clay County Economic Development Corporation and the Peoples Bank and Trust Company and continues to be a very successful program. In recent years the Hall of Fame awards have been presented at the annual banquet/meeting of the CCEDC. The Hall of Fame is the highest honor a person can receive in the City of West Point.